Zelda: Difference between revisions

'''Zelda''', more commonly parsed as '''Princess Zelda''', is the title character in [[The Legend of Zelda (Series)|''The Legend of Zelda'' series]], though not the lead of most games. Generally, she takes on the role of the Princess of [[Hyrule]]. She tends to get kidnapped at some point in the game, and the hero, [[Link]], sets out on a quest to save her. She is also usually one of the three holders of a [[Triforce]] piece, the [[Triforce of Wisdom]].

[[File:Zelda-LoZ-Sprite.png|left|48px]]

Like in most games, Zelda is the princess of all of [[Hyrule]] in ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]''. When [[Ganon]] attacked Hyrule and took the [[Triforce of Power]] and led his army into Hyrule, Zelda took the [[Triforce of Wisdom]] and broke it into 8 [[Triforce Shard|pieces]] and told her servant, [[Impa]], to find someone with enough courage to find the pieces and use it to destroy Ganon; the evil king found out about this and imprisoned Zelda. While searching for this hero with courage, Impa gets surrounded by Ganon's minions. They circle in on her, when suddenly, Link comes and slays all the monsters. Impa tells Link of Zelda's plight, and Link goes off in search of the Triforce Shards. Eventually, [[Link]] assembles the Triforce of Wisdom, defeats Ganon, and saves the princess.

{{float|right|[[File:Princess Zelda Sleeping.png]]}}

Even though ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|The Adventure of Link]]'' happens right after ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' and even has the same Link, the game has a very different Zelda. This Zelda sleeps in a chamber and cannot wake until someone finds the [[Triforce of Courage]] and brings it to her sleeping body.

A long time ago, the [[King of Hyrule]] died, and passed the [[Triforce]] down to his son, the next king. But, the Triforce was incomplete, missing a third of its power, the [[Triforce of Courage|Courage]]. A wizard told him that the only one who knew where it is was Princess Zelda; they questioned her, but she wouldn't say, so the wizard put her in an endless sleep. When the wizard died afterwards, the prince ordered every princess born in the [[Royal Family of Hyrule|Royal Family]] to be called Zelda, so the tragedy would never be forgotten, thus started the tradition to bestow this name upon her in every Zelda title.

===''A Link to the Past''===

[[File:Princess-Zelda-Sprite.png|left]]Princess Zelda is a beautiful young girl who is the princess of Hyrule. She is imprisoned in the castle dungeon after her father's adviser, [[Agahnim]], gets rid of the king and takes over the kingdom. She fears for what Agahnim is planning and knows that it involves her since she is one of the descendants of the [[Seven Wise Men]] and that the other six have been sent to the [[Dark World]]. She tries to prevent Agahnim's plans from taking place by sending out a telepathic message and hopes that someone would hear her. Her hopes are realized when a young boy named Link hears her call and comes to her rescue. After she is freed, they both head to the [[Sanctuary (A Link to the Past)|Sanctuary]] via a [[Secret Passage]]. There she is kept safe by the [[Loyal Sage]] and she tells Link to seek the Elder, [[Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past)|Sahasrahla]].

Zelda doesn't appear in this game, and thus is not an actual character, but she is mentioned once. Right after ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'', Link travels on a ship to new lands, but is shipwrecked in an island. The first person he meets there is [[Marin]], who he confuses for Zelda.

===''Ocarina of Time''===

[[File:Zeldaoot3ds.png|right|thumb|Artwork from ''Ocarina of Time 3D''|150px]]

Zelda does not have an important role in Majora's Mask. She is only seen once, in a cutscene early in the game. After retrieving the [[Ocarina of Time]] from [[Skull Kid]], Link remembers meeting Zelda in Ocarina of Time. Link is standing with Zelda and his horse Epona while Zelda teaches him the [[Song of Time]].

[[File:Zelda OoX.png|right|180px]]

The Royal Princess of Hyrule, Zelda is a sign of hope to the people of Hyrule. She has vivid dreams which allow her to foresee evil in the distance. Zelda sends her royal nurse Impa to the land of Labrynna in order to find Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, and bring her back to safety in Hyrule. However, Impa never quite completed that journey as planned and the evil power of Veran took control of Impa, and eventually the Oracle of Ages herself.  

{{clear}}

===''The Wind Waker''===

[[File:TetraHD.png|right|upright=0.7|thumb|Artwork of Tetra from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD|The Wind Waker HD]]'']]

With the Master Sword in max power, and the Triforce of Courage in his possession, Link comes back to Hyrule Castle to get Zelda, but she is kidnapped by Ganondorf. Link goes after them, and when he finds them, he confronts Ganondorf. After fighting all of his puppets, Link finally finishes him off and he turns to stone, sword in his face. King Hyrule tells both Zelda and Link that they must find a new place to settle in and to start a new kingdom. Link and Zelda (now Tetra) go with the pirates to find the new land which eventually becomes [[New Hyrule]].

{{Clear}}

===''Four Swords Adventures''===

Vaati was, in fact, searching after the mystic [[Light Force]]. After the [[Picori Blade]] has been forged into the [[Four Sword]], Link discovers that the Light Force actually resides inside Zelda herself. Vaati had followed Link, and starts to drain the Light Force from Zelda. Link, of course, manages to save Zelda just in time and they try to flee from [[Dark Hyrule Castle]] where she was held. But Vaati had absorbed enough power to transform into a monster and tries to kill them. Link seals Vaati away and his cap, which is, in fact, a very powerful cap that is able to grant wishes, falls off. [[Ezlo]], a cursed picori who helped Link on his quest, gives the cap to Zelda. Zelda makes her wish, and with her pure heart, the entirety of Hyrule is purged of all the trouble that Vaati caused.

[[File:Zelda-Twilight-Princess.png|right|150px|thumb|Artwork from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]'']]

Zelda returns in Twilight Princess as the princess of Hyrule and one of the game's protagonists. Like other titles in the series, Zelda is kidnapped by Ganondorf during the course of the game.

During Twilight Princess's prologue events, Link, in [[Ordon Village]], prepares to transport the [[Ordon Sword]] to Hyrule Castle. On the day of Link's planned departure, numerous shadow beasts appeared throughout Hyrule and stole the light of the light spirits in Hyrule, which allowed the land to succumb to [[twilight]]. All creatures of the light world are transformed into spirits in the twilight, and they are unaware of the reality of their surroundings. Link, however, is transformed into a sacred wolf - a sign to [[Midna]] that he is the chosen hero she seeks to aid her in her own quest for vengeance against [[Zant]]. She assists Link in reaching the tower of Hyrule Castle where Zelda resides so that Link can learn the reality of the darkness over Hyrule.

Like Link, Zelda is not transformed into a spirit in the twilight but remains a Hylian as the Princess of Hyrule Castle. Upon meeting Link, she tells Link the tale of how Zant launched a raid on Hyrule Castle with the assistance of several [[Shadow Beast|shadow beasts]]. Zant quickly defeated the throne room's garrison and gave Zelda an ultimatum to surrender or die. Zelda, fearful for the welfare of the people of her kingdom, surrendered to Zant who then plunged the land of Hyrule into twilight.

After Link retrieves the three [[Fused Shadow]]s for Midna, Zant appears and casts a curse on Link which prevents him from returning to Hylian form when not in Twilight. After Midna refuses to assist Zant in conquering the world of light, he mortally wounds her by exposing her to light. Immediately after this, the [[Light Spirit]] [[Lanayru (Light Spirit)|Lanayru]] transports Link and Midna from Zant's presence, and the injured Minda tells Link to hurry to Princess Zelda.  

Midna asks Link if he can reach the sacred grove alone then asks Zelda to tell him where the [[Mirror of Twilight]] is. Zelda suddenly realizes Midna's importance and desire to help them protect the world of light. Zelda then passes her life energy into Midna to heal her and subsequently disappears.

After acquiring the four shards of the Mirror of Twilight and defeating Zant, Link and Midna return to Hyrule Castle for the third time to confront [[Ganon]]dorf. Upon reaching the castle tower, Zelda's body is locked motionless above Ganondorf on the throne of Hyrule Castle. Ganondorf reveals to Link that after he was banished to the void, he used the hatred of the people of the Twilight Realm as nourishment to grow strong again. He then manipulated Zant to open the path to return to the world of light and usurp control over Hyrule.

Zelda's body is then used by [[Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)|Ganondorf]] [[Puppet Zelda|as a puppet]] in battle against Link. After Link defeats the puppet Zelda and the beast Ganon, Zelda reawakens as herself; she had been using Midna to harbor her soul. Zelda and Link finally team up against Ganondorf in battle throughout Hyrule field. Zelda uses [[Light Arrow|light arrows]] fired from the [[Twilight Bow]] to stun Ganondorf so that Link can reach him on horseback to attack with the Master Sword. After knocking Ganondorf from his horse with Zelda's assistance, Link defeats Ganondorf with the Master Sword on foot.

[[File:PrincessZeldaArt_Thumb.png|left|thumb|Artwork from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks|Spirit Tracks]]'']]

Zelda is the princess of the Royal Family of Hyrule and a descendant of [[Tetra]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Wind Waker]]''.  Princess Zelda suspects that Chancellor Cole is involved with the recent disappearance of the Spirit Tracks that seal away the Demon King. After Princess Zelda slips Link a note so that the two could meet in private, they escape the castle and begin a journey to the Tower of Spirits.  

{{clear}}

[[File:Zelda with her Loftwing.png|right|Artwork from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword|Skyward Sword]]''|150px]]

In this game, Zelda is not a princess, but a normal girl with a grave destiny. She is Link's closest friend and rides around on a [[Zelda's Loftwing|Blue Loftwing]]. Her father, [[Gaepora]], the headmaster of the Knight Academy, along with Instructors [[Instructor Owlan|Owlan]] and [[Instructor Horwell|Horwell]], chose her to act as the goddess in the [[Ceremony of the Goddess]] for the winner of the [[Wing Ceremony]], an annual race in which Link is competing. She sends a letter to Link on the day of the ceremony, asking him to visit her at the [[Statue of the Goddess]]. When he comes, she shows him her costume of the goddess and her new [[Goddess's Harp]]. After a conversation with Gaepora about Link's ceremony, Zelda throws Link off [[Skyloft]] so that his [[Crimson Loftwing]] can catch him. But after a few seconds, Zelda and Gaepora notice that his bird isn't coming. Zelda rescues Link, and Gaepora tells him that something is wrong and that he needs to inform [[Instructor Horwell]], the general in charge of that year's Wing Ceremony, to delay the race for him.

After Link wins the race, Zelda joyfully jumps off Skyloft for Link and his bird to catch her, and then they go to the top of the statue to continue on with the ceremony. Zelda hands him the [[Sailcloth]], a legendary parachute used as the prize for that year's race. She then pushes Link off the statue and tells him to land on the circle in the ground with his new sailcloth. After that, Zelda asks Link out on a date in the sky. While flying, a black tornado appears out of nowhere and sucks Zelda in while it throws Link off his bird unconscious. Link later has a dream of Zelda being swallowed by a huge black monster with scales.

Zelda wakes up in the [[Sealed Grounds]] in the surface, and is found by an [[Impa|old woman]]. She takes her inside into the [[Sealed Temple]] and tells her that she has been waiting for her for a long time. She explains to her about [[Demise]] and the goddess [[Hylia]], how they fought, how she defeated him and sealed him away, and how she believed that he will escape his prison. She tells the story of Hylia's two plans that she thought of and set in motion almost immediately: first is [[Fi]], the spirit of a sword that Link, as Hylia's chosen hero, will use in his mission to defeat Demise. Fi was made to guide him through his journey on the surface. The second plan was to give up her immortality and reincarnate into a human to hide from the evil forces that still walk on the surface.

While Link lands on the Sealed Grounds with his new clothes and sword, Zelda is trying to find the [[Skyview Temple]]. She got some help from the [[Kikwi]]s, but they also mentioned that it was dangerous to go there, but she still goes anyways. She somehow made it to the temple and to the spring, and she prayed and purified herself there. As soon as Link gets there, she had already left.

Zelda travels to [[Eldin Volcano]] through teleportation. As soon as she reaches this area, she sees [[Bokoblin]]s everywhere. She did her best to get to the top unnoticed, but the bokoblins surround her at the temple entrance. Two [[Mogma]]s see her getting dragged away into the temple, and Link overhears them talking about her. Before the leader of the bokoblins gets to her, [[Impa]], a servant of the goddess, saves her by using her magic. She takes Zelda to the spring and explains who she is and that she helped Link on the way there. While Zelda prays, Link comes in and sees Zelda again, but Impa tells her that she must go to the desert. While Impa scolds Link from being late to save Zelda from the bokoblins, Zelda goes through the portal to the [[Lanayru Desert]].

Zelda and Impa go through the desert into the [[Temple of Time (Skyward Sword)|Temple of Time]], and Impa destroys the entrance to delay the enemy following Zelda. She plays her harp to activate the [[Gate of Time]] leading to the past. As soon as it opens, Zelda sees Link come in through the side entrance of the temple, but [[Ghirahim]] breaks through the blocked entrance Impa created, and blocks Link from getting closer to Zelda with magical fire. While Impa and Ghirahim fight, Zelda teleports her harp to Link and tells him that he will need it where he is going. After that Link notices that the fire disappeared and attacks Ghirahim while Impa and Zelda escape through the portal. Zelda promises Link that they will see each other again before Impa breaks the portal.

After Link has gotten the power of the Master Sword, he goes off to the Sealed Temple to open the Gate of Time. When he arrives in the past and meets Zelda, she tells him the legend of Hylia that the old woman told her thousands of years later and her plan of using him to save the world. After she tells him all that, Zelda seals herself and asks Link if he can wake her up when the seal is broken and Demise is gone.

{{float|right|{{Fi}}}}

Zelda finally woke up after thousands of years of sleep, thanks to Link and the Triforce, who killed Demise with the Statue of the Goddess. But just after a couple of minutes of happiness, Ghirahim showed up, injured Link and Zelda, kidnapped Zelda and entered The Gate of Time to resurrect Demise (since he is just sealed in the past). Link got to his feet and ran after them. When Link arrives in the past, he sees Zelda lying on the ground, fainted. Ghirahim is doing a spell to resurrect Demise and sings his theme. Ghirahim sends hundreds of monsters to attack Link. After the one vs hundreds war, Link comes down to Ghirahim to fight against him and save Zelda from losing her soul. When Link is done with the battle, Ghirahim says he has been doing the spell while he fought against Link. He then successfully resurrects Demise. Just as Demise has been resurrected, Demise is taking a sword from Ghirahim's body and takes all of his powers. Groose comes and tells Link he can save Zelda by killing Demise before her whole soul is gone. Demise is making a portal and tells Link he wants to fight in another dimension where there are no going out except Demise gets killed, if he dares. Link enters and faces Demise.  

Demise is gone for now and Zelda comes back to normal. While Link seals away Fi for the next Hero, Zelda asks Impa to go to the future with her. Impa says she can't because the past is her present, but she promises that they will see each other again, so Zelda gives her one of her bracelets that she was wearing so that Impa could remember her while she waits to see each other again. When they come back to their time, the Gate of Time disappears and they see the old woman. She shows Zelda the same bracelet, meaning she is Impa in the present. After seeing each other one last time, Impa dies and disappears, her promise finally fulfilled. Later, Gaepora comes down to visit and Groose goes back to Skyloft. Then, while Link and Zelda stand on the Statue of the Goddess alone with the Triforce, she says that she wants to stay and live in the land below.

[[File:ALBW-Zelda-Artwork.png|thumb|left|175px|Artwork from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds|A Link Between Worlds]]'']]

{{Clear}}

===''Breath of the Wild''===

{{spoiler|section}}