Shadow Era

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Shadow Era

The Shadow Era is an event that takes place centuries after the defeat of Ganondorf in the Twilight Era, which occurred within Twilight Princess. The following events take place before and throughout the majority of Four Swords Adventures. This event Era describes the reincarnation of the Evil King Ganondorf and his attempt to cover Hyrule in darkness.

Reincarnation of Ganondorf

Centuries after the initial death of Ganondorf in the Twilight Era,[1] peace had once again returned to the Kingdom.[2] The relationship between the Gerudo tribe and the rest of Hyrule grew strong,[3] in contrast to previous conflicts. However, a new male was to be born among the race, as was the hundred year tradition within the tribe.[4] This was the second coming of Ganondorf, and he deified the new ways of the tribe.[5] The Evil King sought after a powerful relic known as the Trident. This sacred power was hidden within the Ancient Pyramid, in which Ganondorf gained entry to. After gaining the Trident, Ganondorf obtained the Dark Mirror from the Temple of Darkness and proceeded to bring darkness to Hyrule.[6] Within his devilish plot, Ganondorf attempted to revive the Wind Mage Vaati,[7] and create a dark version of Link, known as Shadow Link.[8]

Revival of Vaati

One day in the Kingdom of Hyrule, Princess Zelda grew wary of the seal on the evil sorcerer Vaati.[9] In a moment of panic, Zelda called upon the six Shrine Maidens and Link to watch over the Sanctuary.[10] The moment they opened the gates to the Sanctuary, Shadow Link appeared and he trapped the Six Maidens within separate crystals.[11] The dark persona of Link then fled into the portal in which lead to the Dark World, while Link followed in pursuit. The young hero then drew the Four Sword from the Sanctuary and in the process released Vaati.[12]

Six Maidens and Ganondorf

The ancient sword allows Link to split into four separate bodies.[13] Ganondorf sought to corrupt the Knights of Hyrule, turning them into monsters.[14] After rescuing the Six Maidens and obtaining all of the Royal Jewels, Link enters the Tower of Winds,[15] which later leads onto the Realm of the Heavens. Link finds the Dark Mirror and Princess Zelda aids Link in gaining access to the Palace of Winds; Vaati's lair. Link defeats Vaati and the Palace begins to collapse; it's at this moment that Ganondorf appears before Link. Aided by Princess Zelda, Link is able to defeat Ganondorf and seal him and Vaati within the Four Sword.[16] With peace restored to the Kingdom, Link returns to Hyrule Castle to a celebration in which he is labeled as a hero.[17]

References

  1. " Hundreds of years passed since Ganondorf's defeat." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  2. "Hyrule Kingdom was restored and peace returned." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  3. "The relationship between the Gerudo tribe" — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  4. "However, a new Ganondorf was born." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  5. "Ganondorf defied the laws of the Gerudo village" — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  6. "Then, to bring darkness over Hyrule, he stole the Mirror of Darkness from the temple in the forest." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  7. "First, he set his eyes on reviving the sealed Wind Sorcerer Vaati of the Force Era." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  8. "Then, he created a Shadow Link with the power of the Mirror of Darkness and threw Hyrule into chaos." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  9. "In Hyrule, which was clouded by darkness, the Princess Zelda of this era felt uneasy" — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  10. "so she brought the six maidens and Link to the sanctuary to make sure the seal on Vaati wasn't weakening." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 199
  11. "However, the moment they opened the gate to the sanctuary, Shadow Link appeared and sent the maidens somewhere in Hyrule with the power of darkness." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 119
  12. "The remaining Link drew the Four Sword from the Four Sword Shrine in order to save Princess Zelda." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 120
  13. "Doing so, his body split into four just as the legend told." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 120
  14. "Ganondorf used the power of the Trident to tear through the knights of Hyrule, one after the other, and turn them into monsters and put a curse on the jewels the knights were carrying." — Hyrule Historia, pg, 120
  15. "After receiving four royal jewels from the knights, Link was able to enter the Palace of Winds with the power of the maidens." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 121
  16. "Link and Princess Zelda cooperated to put an end to Ganon and they succeeded in sealing Ganon into the Four Sword." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 121
  17. "Then, he returned to Hyrule Castle received welcomes from many, many people." — Hyrule Historia, pg. 121