Hylian


 * See also: Hylian Language

The Hylians are a race of humans from the countries of Skyloft, Hyrule and the latter's flooded counterpart, the Great Sea. While it is unlikely that the people of Termina, a parallel world to the Kingdom of Hyrule, are also known as Hylians, they are their parallels. Descended from the people who lived among the goddess Hylia long prior to the establishment of Hyrule as a kingdom, they are a magic race with pointed ears who have inherited the blood, powers and abilities of their ancient ancestors. The most famous Hylians are the many heroes and princesses that share the same name as one another, the latter being of blood relation and naming tradition.

Hylians were the first race to establish organized civilization in ancient Hyrule many years after the events of Skyward Sword upon the world formerly known only as the Surface. In Twilight Princess, the Oocca are said to have aided them. Unlike several other races in the series, Hylians tend to live in highly populated towns or villages such as Hyrule Castle Town, Kakariko Village and Village of the Blue Maiden.

Skyloft
When the homeland of the Hylians was under a massive assault by demonic hoards, they were separated from the Surface for thousands of years by Hylia in an attempt to protect them. Living above the clouds on a separate outcrop of earth, they named the safe haven Skyloft. In the sky, the new society flourished in peace and the majority of the Skyloft populace remained ignorant of the ravaged world below the clouds until the events of Skyward Sword. It can be assumed that a portion of Skyloft's population flew down and repopulated the Surface after the events in Skyward Sword, leading to the Hylian establishment of the Kingdom of Hyrule seen in future games.

Hyrule
The most prominent and major home of the Hylians is the iconic Kingdom of Hyrule, formerly the nameless Surface. It is where the ancestors of the Hylians, the people who lived among the goddess Hylia, resided during the Era of the Goddess Hylia. Living among Her Grace in the unnamed land, they had magical powers that passed down to their descendants. When a massive war broke out across the Surface and the goddess took up battle with the demon king Demise, she sent the human survivors into the sky on the outcrop of earth that became known as Skyloft. It is not until after they rediscover the Surface thousands of years later that the Kingdom of Hyrule is established by Hylia's descendants and becomes the home of the Hylian race once more. Hyrule faces several subsequent invasions, namely at the hands of Ganon, an incarnation of Demise's hatred. The Hylians are able to suppress these attacks through their military; their legendary hero, Link; and, occasionally, divine intervention. However, the events of spell an end to Hyrule in the Adult Timeline. Sunk beneath the Great Sea, ancient Hyrule is lost forevermore in that branch of the timeline. Following its destruction, Tetra and the Hero of Winds travel to another continent and establish New Hyrule.

Hylian Settlements
Hyrule Castle appears in several incarnations and is the home of the Hylian monarch. Hyrule Castle Town is the capital of Hyrule and the main settlement of the Hylian people. It is never seen too far a distance from the castle. Kakariko Village is the former home of the Sheikah tribe, but eventually was opened up to the Hylian race to make residence. Village of the Blue Maiden is home to numerous Hylians. Lon Lon Ranch is home to the Hylians known as Malon, Talon and Ingo, who provide much of the kingdom's source of milk and farming.

Termina
The Hylians from Termina live, like their Ocarina of Time counterparts, in a big, central city. There is only one significant difference between the Hylians from Hyrule and the ones from Termina: magic and technology. While the Hylians from Hyrule are magic-users, the Terminan Hylians focus on technology and seem to care or know little, if any, for the sacred Triforce and the Three Goddesses. Instead, they honor the Four Giants, the gods who shaped Termina and continue to guard it.

Physical Appearance
Hylians have pointed ears, vary in skin color and height. The lower classes usually wear casual clothing; Hylian males tend to wear belt leather jerkins, and females wear long gowns in many different colors; Hyrulean symbols are often part of the embroidery in their dresses. Tall buns are common in women, while men of the working class usually wear broad-brimmed hats in order to protect their skin from the sun and the rain. Some men also wear knee-length leather boots.

It has been observed that the higher classes including royalty wear complex and luxurious jewelry including precious metals and gemstones such as gold and rubies.

Culture
Hylians have a medieval theme to them which fits to the medieval setting of the series, especially in the case of earlier games. Many architectural elemements seen in the series greatly resemble architecture from the medieval times. Clothing styles vary but are mainly consistent with the overall medieval theme. Unlike most other races, Hylians are a predominantly urban race. This, however, by no means suggests that Hylians are not seen elsewhere, as most people seen living on farms and other comparable non-urban locations have been Hylian. Hylians are shown to have ranging professions, varying from farmers to merchants and bartenders. In addition, Hylians are known of being highly superstitious, having a rich mythology and many legends.

Magical Abilities
One of the few known abilities that the Hylian people possess is the use of their pointed ears to receive special messages from the gods themselves. This also includes the ability to send telepathic messages to other Hylians across time and space. This is an ability that continues to get passed unto their children, their children's children and so on. Sahasrahla and an incarnation of Princess Zelda display this particular ability in A Link to the Past, the former being able to communicate to Link across even the void between dimensions to assist the young hero in his quest.

Another special ability of the Hylians is their use of magic in musical notes that can aid in fast-forwarding time from day to night and night to day (Sun's Song), summon instant storms (Song of Storms) and allow teleportation to specific locations throughout the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Trivia

 * Despite their appearance, the word "elf" is never used to describe them within the games of The Legend of Zelda series.