Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda is the eponymous character of The Legend of Zelda series. Similar to Link, the protagonist of the series, Zelda has had many incarnations throughout the series. Princess Zelda has been depicted at various ages depending upon which title she appears in. She has appeared as child, a teenager, and as a young adult; for example, Princess Zelda in Twilight Princess is around 20 years of age.

Zelda is invariably the crown princess of Hyrule in whichever time period she appears. She is also the possessor of the Triforce of Wisdom, imbued with the essence of the Goddess Nayru. The essence of Nayru affords Zelda divine wisdom, allowing her to discern the wisest decisions, especially in situations concerning the welfare of Hyrule. It also grants her a myriad of mystical abilities, including the ability to heal others.

Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the name Princess Zelda originated from Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of acclaimed author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. American Actor Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda due to his love of the Zelda video games.

Characteristics
Princess Zelda perennially has a charming nature, and despite her age, possesses great wisdom. Her nature is that of a just, compassionate, graceful, and self-sacrificing person. Zelda's most prominent display of compassion and selflessness was when she saved the life of Midna, the Princess of the Twilight Realm, who had been nearly killed by the false King of the Twilight, Zant. Zelda's wisdom is her most valuable attribute. As a matriarch, it is imperative that she make the wisest decision concerning the fate of Hyrule; in Twilight Princess when Zant threatened her life and the lives of all of her subjects, she wisely surrendered to him. Above all, Zelda is known to be a forgiving person even towards those who have harmed her before, as seen in Spirit Tracks, where she asks Anjean to take care of Byrne even though he was the one who stole her body.

Princess Zelda is one of the three most important characters of The Legend of Zelda series, which is also why her name appears in the title of every game. Princess Zelda first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda, and has since been featured in every subsequent game, with the exception of Link's Awakening. Each Princess is chosen by destiny to be the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom in their era, which is the main reason why they play such an integral role in the legends of Hyrule.

Throughout the history of Hyrule, there have been several descendants bearing the name Princess Zelda. It has so far become unclear as to which princess was the first to bear the name, although many suspect it to be the Princess Zelda of Skyward Sword since it takes place before Ocarina of Time and is thus first in the timeline.

Abilities
Throughout the series, Princess Zelda portrays various types of both magical and physical abilities, ranging from capably wielding a bow to telepathy, as seen in A Link to the Past's introduction when she pleads for Link's help. Many of her abilities as both a Sage and the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom are widely illustrated in Ocarina of Time, one of them being that she has prophetic visions in her dreams. She also helps Link in their escape from Ganon's Castle by using her powers to magically remove the barriers blocking the exits. During the final battle between Link and Ganon, Princess Zelda uses her powers to restrain the King of Evil as Link delivers the final blow. Being the seventh Sage, she is the ruler of the rest of the six Sages, and it is with her guidance that the Sages seal Ganon in the void of the Evil Realm. Finally, with her powers as a Sage, she is capable of returning Link to his original time by simply using the Ocarina of Time.

Some of Princess Zelda's physical abilities are demonstrated in games such as The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks. In The Wind Waker, Princess Zelda aids Link in battling Ganondorf by borrowing the young hero's bow and using it to fire Light Arrows at the King of the Gerudo. This skill is again portrayed in the final battle of Twilight Princess, where the princess yet again uses a bow and Light Arrows to strike Ganondorf while accompanying Link on his horse, and once more in the final battle against Malladus in Spirit Tracks. In one scene of Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda is seen wielding a sword, although it is unknown whether she possessed any true sword skills.

As shown in Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda is capable of communicating with the Light Spirits. Just as the princess and Link are about to be attacked by Ganondorf's ghostly army, Zelda calls upon the Light Spirits to aid her in her time of need, in which the spirits grant her the Light Arrow to banish evil.

In Spirit Tracks, Princess Zelda can possess a Phantom's body after Link strikes it with a powered-up sword or the Lokomo Sword. While in this state, the princess can help out Link solve various puzzles as well as cross certain obstacles that the young hero cannot do by himself. Moreover, due to the Phantom's armor, she can also protect Link from attacks or use her strength to fight alongside Link and help him defeat enemies, as seen when fighting Geozards or Byrne.

The Legend of Zelda
An army of evil, led by Ganon, seeks to possess the Triforce to plunge the land of Hyrule into darkness. Stealing the Triforce of Power, Ganon sought to find the last known piece, the Triforce of Wisdom.

Princess Zelda, as a member of the bloodline that carries and protects the Triforce of Wisdom, broke the Triforce piece into eight fragments and hid them throughout the realm in an effort to avoid its possession under Ganon's hand. At the same time, she sent out her handmaiden, Impa, to look for a hero to save the land. Ganon learned of what Zelda had done and imprisoned her within his lair under Death Mountain, surrounded by a wall of flame.

Link eventually finds the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom scattered throughout Hyrule and travel to Death Mountain where, upon defeating Ganon, he frees Zelda from her prison, returning peace to the land.

The Adventure of Link
The introduction of The Adventure of Link speaks of the legend of Zelda, a legend that has been passed down in Hyrule. According to that legend, well before the events of The Legend of Zelda, Hyrule was a prosperous land ruled by a king who had two children, an unnamed prince and Princess Zelda. The King maintained peace in Hyrule using the Triforce; however, he passed away, and although the prince should have received the Triforce in full, he only received a part of it. The prince frantically searched in vain everywhere for the remaining piece, but then a wizard came to the Prince and tells him that his younger sister, Zelda, knows the location of the mystical object. The prince demands that Zelda turn the information over to him, but Zelda refuses and, in a rage, the wizard puts Zelda into an eternal sleep, with him dying in the process. Overcome with grief, the prince seals his sleeping sister in the North Palace and orders that all female descendants of the Hylian monarchy are to be named Zelda.

To break the curse, a hero must possess the complete Triforce, but obtaining the Triforce pieces of Courage would prove difficult as the king of ages ago had hidden them within the Great Palace. Only one who proved themselves worthy would obtain it.

In the end, Link obtains the Triforce of Courage from the Great Palace and awakes the sleeping princess from her slumber.

It is not known when Zelda was put to sleep. The Japanese name for the Zelda in this game is 初代ゼルダ姫, which literally means "The first Princess Zelda". This only adds to the confusion as the events of Ocarina of Time contradict the statement that the sleeping Zelda is the first Zelda as the Triforce was safely in the Sacred Realm prior to that game. With all these contradictions, the answer may never be known.

One solution could be that prior to the events that sealed the fate of the sleeping Zelda, there was a princess named Zelda only once every several generations and after the events, every generation's princess was named Zelda. This conclusion comes from the fact that there are apparent gaps in time between certain games that seem to span several hundred years or more.

A Link to the Past
In A Link to the Past, Princess Zelda is a Maiden descendant of the Seven Wise Men who had imprisoned Ganon in the Dark World. Seeking freedom, Ganon uses the wizard Agahnim to kidnap the descendants in order to sacrifice them and free him from his prison.

As the last free descendant, Zelda uses telepathy to contact the descendant of the Knights of Hyrule, Link, to save her. Despite his efforts in evacuating her from Hyrule Castle, Agahnim manages to capture Zelda and sacrifice her to the Dark World, breaking the seal between Hyrule and the Dark World. While in the Dark World, Princess Zelda is held inside a crystal prison within Turtle Rock. When Link frees her, she, along with the other maidens, breaks the seal surrounding Ganon's lair.

When Link makes a wish with the power of the now-freed Triforce, Princess Zelda returns with the maidens to Hyrule Castle to rule in peace.

Ocarina of Time
Growing up in the halls of Hyrule Castle, young Princess Zelda, referred to by the Great Deku Tree as the Princess of Destiny, was growing concerned with one of her father's associates, the Gerudo king Ganondorf, and a vision of his treachery did not help matters. Expressing her concerns with her guardian and nursemaid Impa, she continued to watch the Gerudo despite her inability to do anything about him. That is, until a young Kokiri boy named Link snuck into her garden courtyard.

Convinced that Ganondorf was after the Triforce, Zelda asked Link to find the three Spiritual Stones that would open the Temple of Time in order to prevent Ganondorf from opening the Door of Time and claiming the Triforce to himself. Unfortunately, Ganondorf made his move before Link could return, leading an insurrection in the castle. He chased after Zelda, who had the Ocarina of Time in her possession, when Impa escaped with her from the castle. Dashing out of the castle town with Ganondorf in hot pursuit, Zelda caught sight of Link diving out of their way. She turned and threw the Ocarina of Time to him, trusting that he would keep it safe while Ganondorf chased after them.

For seven years Zelda remained in hiding, training in the ways of the Sheikah by Impa until Link, who had become trapped within the Sacred Realm, was freed. Appearing before him under the name of Sheik, she assisted Link in awakening the seven sages, all the while keeping her real identity secret.

When Zelda finally does reveal herself, she does so not only as the Princess Zelda but as the seventh sage, the leader of the other Sages, and possessor of the Triforce of Wisdom. However, having being watching them from afar, Ganondorf then captures Zelda deliberately to drive Link into a fight to the death inside his castle.

In the game's conclusion, Zelda sends Link, the Hero of Time, back to his childhood to regain his lost seven years in compensation for his role in the war against Ganondorf. This would leave only the Hero of Time's legend behind him as he returned to the past and returned to Hyrule Castle to warn the young Princess Zelda of events to come.

Majora's Mask
It is not known how long Zelda and Link stay together before he leaves for his quest in search of his companion Navi, but Zelda, as a child, makes a single appearance in Majora's Mask when Link has a flashback after retrieving the Ocarina of Time from the Skull Kid. The events of the flashback display Link's last meeting with Zelda, where she states her belief that they would meet again. However, before Link departs the land of Hyrule, Princess Zelda gives him the Ocarina of Time as a memento of the time they spent together. She also teaches Link the "Song of Time", a melody that holds a special meaning to her, before handing over the ocarina, mentioning that he should play that melody if something were to happen to him.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
In the Oracle series, Zelda is revealed to be the hope of the people. She is the one who sends Impa to Labrynna and Holodrum to find Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, and Din, the Oracle of Seasons, and bring them to Hyrule for safety. Zelda herself appears if the two games are linked. When players have defeated both Onox and Veran in the linked game, Twinrova will kidnap Zelda in order to sacrifice her to resurrect Ganon. Link dashes to her rescue and Twinrova fails to sacrifice Zelda, making them to sacrifice themselves in order to resurrect Ganon. Due to the fact that they could not sacrifice Zelda as planned, the Ganon they resurrect is mindless and raging and is defeated by Link. In these games, Zelda has a sprite similar to that of Marin, the girl Link mistakes for Zelda when he wakes up at the beginning of Link's Awakening.

The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker presents Zelda in a secret identity as Tetra, a female pirate who leads a small group of thieves after the death of her mother. Tetra, however, is even unaware herself of being part of the royal bloodline, and this is a first occurrence for the Zelda series. Despite this, the female pirate is aware of the existence of Hyrule, the Master Sword, and the legend of the Hero of Time. Tetra's identity as a descendant of Princess Zelda is revealed when she travels with Link to Hyrule Castle, beneath the Great Sea:

"You are the true heir of the royal family of Hyrule... the last link in the bloodline. You are Princess Zelda."

- Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule

Her true identity was first hinted when Link travels to the Forsaken Fortress for a second time and encounters Ganondorf, who, as he grasps Tetra in his hand, realizes that his Triforce of Power is resonating, which could only indicate that Tetra is indeed the Princess Zelda.

Zelda as Tetra displayed a tomboyish demeanor, taking challenges head on and even seeming bossy at times. At the beginning of the game, she does not think much of Link due to his habit of taking actions without thinking things through, and also due to the fact that he gets melancholic as they are setting sail to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue his sister. Once Tetra discovers her true identity, she gains more respect towards the young hero, and apologizes for all that has happened to him and Aryll. While Link and the King of Red Lions set out to look for the pieces of the Triforce of Courage, Zelda stays hidden away in a basement located inside Hyrule Castle in order to prevent getting caught by Ganondorf. However, she is eventually found and is taken to Ganon's Tower, where Link must rescue her after assembling the Triforce of Courage.

Zelda from The Wind Waker is the first Zelda in the series that fights along Link's side in his battle against Ganondorf. In battle, she wields the bow and Light Arrows, similar to her Twilight Princess counterpart. Once Link and Zelda succeed in delivering the final blow, they witness the second flood of Hyrule and promise the King of Hyrule to search for the new land that will be home to the next kingdom of Hyrule. Zelda is last seen as Tetra when she and Link set sail from Outset Island in search for new lands.

Four Swords series
Zelda and Link appear as childhood friends in Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures.

Zelda fights Ganon alongside Link much like in previous games. While she does not wield the Light Arrows by name, she does wield a ball of light energy which, coupled with Link's arrows, serves the same function of the Light Arrows.

The Minish Cap
In The Minish Cap, Princess Zelda is known to sneak out of the castle to visit her good childhood friend, Link. At the beginning of the game, Link and Zelda head together towards the Picori Festival in Hyrule Castle Town. A catastrophe occurs when the evil wind mage, Vaati, appears and turns Zelda to stone, breaking the Picori Blade in the process. Link fuses the four elements to transform the blade into the Four Sword to reverse Vaati's spell. When Link saves Princess Zelda atop the roof of Hyrule Castle where she was being imprisoned by Vaati to steal her Life Force, she reveals to Link that she saw visions of him, as if in a dream. However, soon after this, the castle begins to collapse, and as Link and Zelda begin to head towards the Elemental Sanctuary, Vaati appears again, which Link defeats. The Minish Cap falls down and Ezlo, now a Minish again, urges Princess Zelda to makes a wish. Princess Zelda thus wishes for Hyrule to return to its usual, peaceful state, making all the monsters disappear and returning its people back to normal.

Twilight Princess

 * ''See also: Puppet Zelda

In Twilight Princess, Zelda was the young matriarch of Hyrule until its invasion by Zant, the Twilight King, to whom she surrendered in order to prevent the deaths of herself and her people. Afterward, she is imprisoned inside a tower in Hyrule Castle. It is revealed that Zelda is unaffected by the veil of Twilight Zant casts upon Hyrule and does not become a spirit like all the other inhabitants of the kingdom. As the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda may have been protected by its power.

Zelda, dressed in a dark robe, meets Link during his earliest transformation into a wolf (due to the interaction between the Twilight and his Triforce piece). Later, she transfers her own power to aid the dying Midna, losing her physical being in the process.

Towards the end of the game, Ganondorf possesses the lifeless Zelda, who was being imprisoned in the throne room of Hyrule Castle, transforming her into an enemy known as Puppet Zelda. Link defeats Ganondorf's puppet, and Midna, with the help of the Fused Shadows, returns Princess Zelda to normal.

Ganondorf makes another attempt on Zelda's life soon after, but she is protected by the Light Spirits of Hyrule who grant her the Light Arrows to assist Link in the horseback part of his final battle. The last time she is seen in the game is when she and Link say good-bye to Midna at the Mirror of Twilight.

Phantom Hourglass
Princess Zelda appears in this game solely as Tetra, her alter ego in The Wind Waker. She does not regain her royal persona, although quite often when she appears, “Zelda's Lullaby” plays in the background, and she is called "Zelda" by some of the pirates during the game's intro, much to Tetra's chagrin. Her role is somewhat limited in the game as she is kidnapped early on in the story, and when Link finds her at last she has been turned to stone.

After Link defeats Bellum, he and Tetra awaken on the Ghost Ship, only ten minutes after the prologue according to the pirates. Tetra's crew tries to convince her that it was just a dream, but Link finds the Phantom Hourglass in his pocket, and the S. S. Linebeck is seen sailing in the distance.

Spirit Tracks

 * See also: Phantom Zelda, Possessed Zelda

Princess Zelda plays a much larger role in Spirit Tracks than in previous installments, as she herself also aids Link in the salvation of Hyrule.

For the first time (not counting the non-canonical Phillips CD-i games), it is possible to play as Zelda herself as Link and the princess escape the castle, albeit for a short time. Afterward, Link, Zelda, and Alfonzo attempt to escape via train, but the train crashes due to the disappearing tracks. Chancellor Cole then appears, attacks Zelda and takes her body, which he hopes to use to revive the Demon King Malladus; however, Zelda's spirit escapes and returns to Hyrule Castle. There, she meets with Link, who seems to be the only one that can see her. The two go to the Tower of Spirits. Here, a Phantom Knight attacks Link, but Zelda charges at the Phantom, taking control of its body. After this, she and Link begin their journey to restore the Tower of Spirits and the Spirit Tracks, traveling with Link across the overworld. Whenever Link returns to the Tower of Spirits to obtain another Rail Map, Zelda possesses a Phantom's armor, allowing Link to proceed through the tower in ways he could not by himself.

Towards the end of the game, after Zelda's body has been possessed by Malladus, Link must fire a Light Arrow using the Bow of Light in order to free Zelda's body from Malladus. Once her body is freed, Zelda is unable to reenter her body, and just as Malladus is about to possess it again, Byrne uses his power to repel the Demon King, giving Zelda the strength to pray to her grandmother Tetra to reclaim her body. In the final battle, Zelda, finally back in her own body, charges up her power to weaken the Demon King, which reveals a weak spot on the demon's back. Like in previous games, Princess Zelda's role consists of shooting Light Arrows at Malladus's back from the Bow of Light. Link and Zelda are then seen holding hands as they witness the departure of the Lokomos.

After the ending credits, Princess Zelda can be seen at her office signing papers and, depending on whether Link chose to be an engineer or a warrior, she will go look out the window and wave at Link upon hearing either a train whistle or swords clanking. If Link selects "Dunno," then Zelda will be signing papers and simply remember the adventure she had with Link. This scene can also be viewed if the scene before the fight with Malladus was skipped.

This Princess Zelda is confirmed to be a direct descendant of Tetra, the pirate captain who was also the incarnation of Princess Zelda in her day, and makes an appearance in a large stained glass window in Hyrule Castle's Throne Room. Princess Zelda states that the Spirit Flute was played for her in her youth by her grandmother (whom she later reveals to be Tetra), and Anjean states that she gave the Spirit Flute to Tetra long ago, pointing out the similarities between the reigning Princess Zelda and her ancestor, the feisty pirate captain that arrived on the land's shores long ago.

Skyward Sword
Eiji Aonuma mentioned in the September 2010 issue of Nintendo Power that Princess Zelda will make an appearance in the upcoming Wii game Skyward Sword.

Name Popularity
As mentioned above, there have been more than one princess named Zelda throughout the history of Hyrule, and since more games are to come, not even all of them have appeared in the games to this date. All of them generally have the same appearance of a beautiful young girl/woman with red, brown, or blond hair and blue eyes. When the princess shown in The Adventure of Link was put to sleep, her brother, the Prince of Hyrule who was partly to blame for her comatose state, decided that in honor of his sister every princess born in to the Royal Family of Hyrule should be named Zelda. It is unclear if this explains the name of every Princess Zelda, since the order of the games is unknown.

Sheik
In Ocarina of Time, Link met up with a mysterious member of the Sheikah Tribe, fittingly called Sheik. This person taught Link a multitude of different songs and gave him tips on how to proceed in his quest. At the end of the game, Sheik revealed himself to be none other than Princess Zelda in a disguise. During the seven years Link had been asleep while maturing to become ready to fight Ganondorf, Zelda had gone underground and taken the disguise as Sheik so that Ganondorf would not find her in his search for the two remaining pieces of the Triforce, one which was held by Princess Zelda herself.

Sheik is also a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl: Zelda is able to transform into Sheik during a battle, allowing her to use a different set of moves.

Tetra
Born into a society of pirates on the Great Sea, Tetra, captain of the pirates, was completely unaware that she was a member of the Royal Family of Hyrule's bloodline. When this was revealed to her by King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, she was just as surprised as Link to find out that she was indeed a descendant of Princess Zelda of Hyrule and also the one destined to be the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Leader of the sages
Princess Zelda has fulfilled the role of Sage in three games: A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Four Swords Adventures. It was revealed in Ocarina of Time that she even is the leader of the Sages.

An odd part about her role as Sage is that Zelda is the only Sage in Ocarina of Time who has no (confirmed) element connected to her. A common theory is that Zelda might be the Sage of Time. The arguments for this theory are that the only "Sageless" temple is the Temple of Time (although some believe that it is linked to Rauru), as well as that it would have an accompanying song which in name fits the description of the other "Sage songs" and is learned from the "same person". Also, like the other Sages in Ocarina of Time, the element would be "fitting", as Zelda is associated with Nayru, who is thought to be the Goddess of Time. Otherwise, it could very well be that Zelda has no element bound to her sageship. Her position as leader of the Sages would require her to be an "overall sage", rather than have something specific herself.

Zelda's Swords
Although they have yet to be individually named like Link's swords, Princess Zelda has on more than one occasion been seen possessing or wielding a blade of her own.

Twilight Princess
In the promotional pictures for Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda is seen in possession of a sword and she indeed wields it against Link when she becomes possessed by Ganondorf, although not in hand-to-hand combat. In a scene where Zelda's Knights fell to Zant's Shadow Beasts, the blade was in her hand, seemingly as a status symbol or for imagery.

Animated series
In the Zelda animated series, Princess Zelda looks vastly different from her official artwork of the first two games. She is almost as tall as Link, has waist-length blond hair and wears a blue tiara on her head. Instead of wearing a dress, which she only does so in two episodes, she wears white pants with a pair of brown, long boots and dons a purple long-sleeved shirt underneath her blue vest.

Princess Zelda is portrayed as a proud, athletic and stubborn princess with a fiery temper, although she does have her sense of humor and a romantic, sensitive side. In addition to running the kingdom part-time for her father, King Harkinian, she often accompanies Link on his adventures and proves to be an invaluable addition in combat, departing from the traditional role of a princess:  when Link asks her to stay so that he can defeat the monsters himself, the princess refuses to just sit down and watch and instead chooses to join him in battling the foes. She excels in the use of a bow and is what she uses for most of her battles; however, she is further seen skillfully wielding a boomerang, a crossbow and, as seen in "The Missing Link", even Link's Crissword. Often times Link provides these weapons for her, but as demonstrated in "Sing for the Unicorn", Zelda also has the capability of magically making a bow appear on her hand.

Although Princess Zelda mostly fights with weapons, she is the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom and is knowledgeable in its magic capabilities, often using its magical powers to save Link or herself from dangerous situations. Zelda can only use magic when she has the Triforce of Wisdom with her, which she usually makes it float and seems to be the only one who can do so.

The series exemplifies a romantic relationship between Link and Zelda. Link is always begging the princess for a kiss; however, even when she agrees to indulge him,  it never occurs: they are interrupted by monsters, Spryte or any number of unfortunate circumstances such as something making Zelda so mad she no longer wants to kiss the young hero. Despite this, it is revealed in "The Missing Link" that Zelda loves Link, although she tries to deny it and say that she only likes him "a little." She most likely kept it a secret from him so as to prevent it from going into Link's head. To cover this up, she sometimes makes fun of Link and for the most part has a love-hate relationship with him throughout the show.

Valiant Comics
In the Legend of Zelda comic by Valiant Comics, Princess Zelda's overall appearance is the same as  in the animated series, and her personality is also similar. Here, the princess is portrayed as a strong and brave woman. Self-reliant and confident, Zelda is a skilled fighter, proficient in archery and  horseback riding. She also possesses a quick wit and usually manages to avoid Link's  attempts of affection towards her, but for all her strengths, she   possesses a soft heart that is open to her people and friends. Because of this, Zelda is always willing to do anything for her people and  country, even if it means risking her life, which makes her dear to all the citizens of Hyrule. Zelda is also not afraid to take challenges head on, or even fight Ganon on her own, as she helps Link out in his adventures any time she can despite the young hero's advice not to.

Just like in the animated series, Link can be seen trying to steal a kiss from Zelda any time the chance arises, but they always seem to get interrupted by Ganon's minions or Zelda changing her mind. Unlike the animated series, however, the comic makes it clear that  Link and Zelda love each other, as they both plainly state it to one   another several times throughout their adventures. Furthermore, in "Assault", Zelda is even willing to give up the Triforce of Wisdom to Ganon in exchange for Link's life, while the young hero is always ready to do anything to protect the princess from danger.

The Triforce of Wisdom is guarded by Princess Zelda, who uses its guidance  to help her rule the kingdom wisely. Moreover, the princess can conjure powerful magic spells with the sacred relic when she is in danger. In order to be successful with protecting the Triforce of Wisdom, she has acquired many friends to help her, including her hero and  rescuer  Link, her nursemaid Impa, King Harkinian, the soldiers of Hyrule, and her horse, Storm. Zelda sleeps in the northern tower in the palace, which is adjacent to the room where the Triforce of Wisdom rests.

During one adventure, Zelda decides that due to Ganon's constant attempts to  capture her and the Triforce, the best course of action is to leave   Hyrule, taking the Triforce of Wisdom with her. She had heard of a magical flute within the Fifth Palace that would teleport her to a distant place, where Ganon would not find the Triforce. With Link's help, she make it to the Palace but in the end, she decides that the safest place to be is within Link's reach. With this in mind, she insists that Link train her to better protect herself, leading her to venture in to the Eagle Labyrinth alone. However, the training endes in her rescuing Link, who had been captured by a Wizzrobe. During this adventure, she wields Link's Magical Sword, shield, and bombs as she fights multiple enemies, including a Gohma and a Dodongo. Although she is successful, she has immense difficulty doing it in a manner similar to Link's, and it isn't until she obtains a Magic Bow that she learns to develop her own style.

Later on, when Link obtained the Triforce of Power and shot a powerful spell  at the princess when she refused to give up the Triforce of Wisdom, the  Triforce of Courage abandoned Link's heart and moved to Zelda, which she  used to face Link and convince him to relinquish the Triforce of Power.

Captain N: The Game Master
Princess Zelda makes four episode appearances in Captain N: The Game Master. Zelda's personality only changed slightly from the Zelda animated series, as she's still portrayed as a proud, fair princess who rules the kingdom of Hyrule. She seems to be good friends with Princess Lana, and they both regard each other highly. Like in the Zelda cartoons, she is skillful with the bow and often uses it during battle. Zelda's outfit retains the same style and colors from the Zelda show, but her purple shirt is now short-sleeved on her left arm, and the shirt leaves her stomach exposed. Cynthia Preston reprises her role as the voice actress for the princess.

In the "Having a Ball" episode, after King Hippo and Eggplant Wizard steal the Triforce of Power and Courage, Zelda's energy wanes, which causes her to faint momentarily. It is explained by Link that Zelda has a magic bond with the Triforce, and as such, she can tell if something has happened to the sacred relic. As more time passes with the three Triforce pieces separated, the weaker Zelda becomes, and eventually, she could die. Like in the Zelda cartoons, the princess is capable of communicating with the Triforce of Wisdom, as shown when Zelda picks up the remaining Triforce piece and uses it to tell Kevin and the rest of the team to know where the two remaining pieces are. Once the three Triforce pieces are reunited, the show exemplifies Zelda's unique magical powers when wielding the complete sacred relic: she creates a warp zone to make King Hippo, Eggplant Wizard and Mother Brain disappear from Hyrule.

Nintendo Adventure Books
In the Nintendo Adventure Books series, Princess Zelda has much of the same personality as seen in the Valiant Comics and the Television series. She is portrayed as a smart, brave and capable woman, with great skill as both a princess and a fighter. She is proficient in the use of her bow, which is her main offensive weapon, but also resorts to using a dagger whenever the bow and arrow is an inefficient weapon against certain enemies.

Princess Zelda lives in North Castle, along with the King of Hyrule, where they both try to keep the Triforce of Wisdom away from Ganon's grasp. Impa still serves as the princess's nursemaid, although it is also mentioned that a man named Estragon was both her mentor and teacher some time in the past. Despite the fact that Zelda is best friends with Link, the young hero seems to enjoy annoying the princess whenever the chance arises, although Zelda also does not miss the opportunity to poke fun at the young hero.

The Crystal Trap
In the first book of the series, The Crystal Trap, Link and Princess Zelda are running inside the Midoro Palace trying to escape from Ganon's grasp. However, the evil wizard finds them and eventually encases Link in a Crystal. Ganon explains that since he cannot obtain the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom from Link and Zelda respectively, he used a Magic Scroll which cast a spell to encase both pieces of the Triforce, including the Triforce of Courage encased in Link's heart. Zelda is now forced to seek the three items dictated in the Fairy's Scroll that will help free Link from the Crystal, but she has just 24 hours before the young hero gets trapped inside the crystal forever.

Eventually, Princess Zelda finds the Magic Honey, the Handprint, and the Magnifying Glass and uses them to shatter the Crystal. With Link now free, the young duo head off to find the Spear, which is the only weapon that can defeat Ganon. With the help of Zelda's friend Greenbeard, Link obtains the Spear and uses it to defeat Ganon once and for all.

The Shadow Prince
The Shadow Prince, unlike The Crystal Trap which had Zelda as its protagonist, focuses on Link as he tries to prove to everyone about Sir Charles's true intentions, who is a mysterious knight from the land of Moria. Princess Zelda is quick to trust Charles after he saves Link and the princess from a near-fatal attack from Moblins, and admires him for all the kind and brave deeds he has done, such as defeating single-handledly a Darknut that ambushed them later in the woods. Despite her liking towards Charles, she hesitates when her father, the King of Hyrule, wishes to show the Triforce of Wisdom to the Morian knight since she is afraid to lose another piece of the Triforce to Ganon.

After Link uses the Mirror of Truth to reveal that Charles is in fact Ganon in disguise, the false knight takes the Triforce of Wisdom and takes Zelda with him as well, but afterward leaves her before he heads off into the woods. Zelda tells Link where Charles headed off to, and the young hero promptly defeats the Morian knight. With the Triforce of Wisdom in hand, Princess Zelda apologizes to the young hero for having been so foolish, then proceeds to celebrate Link's victory along with the rest of the kingdom.

A Link to the Past comic
This comic is in an alternate timeline in which the events following similarly to the game, but in the end, Princess Zelda is crowned to become Queen Zelda. She knights Link who is charged with guarding the Triforce. The two grow distant and end up going their separate ways.

Philips CD-i Games
In Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda, like Link, is very similar to her canonical incarnation, although somewhat bratty and childish. In the beginning, she refuses to kiss Link, and is later kidnapped by Ganon. Link, after defeating Ganon, saves her, but is once again rejected a kiss. Zelda also seems to deny that Link saved her, implying that she has no memory of the incident.

In Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Zelda is now the playable character, and retains her personality from The Faces of Evil. However, due to her larger role, she is much more heroic and seems to actually care for Link, at least partially. She and Impa go to Gamelon after King Harkinian and Link disappear after they depart for Gamelon to aid Duke Onkled against Ganon. She defeats Ganon's minions, learns of Duke Onkled's betrayal, and eventually defeats Ganon, rescuing her father. Link was then apparently imprisoned in a mirror that belonged to Lady Alma, which Zelda smashed, freeing him.

Zelda is once again the playable character in Zelda's Adventure, like in The Wand of Gamelon, but her mood and personality is completely different. In fact, much like Link in the canon games, she does not talk at all, and appears as a humble, chosen warrior. She is summoned to Tolemac by the wizard Gaspra. Link was apparently adventuring there and was kidnapped by Ganon, who also stole the celestial signs. Zelda then defeats Ganon's minions, restores the signs, and strikes down Ganon himself, rescuing Link and saving Tolemac. In this game, the sword is used as a spell through her default weapon, the wand. Using the wand, Princess Zelda can generate broadswords that fly at her enemies. It is fairly strong and can be used against certain knights who fight with broadswords. See Spells of Zelda's Adventure for more information.

Super Smash Bros. Series

 * ''See SmashWiki's article on Zelda for more information.

Princess Zelda first appears as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series in Super Smash Bros. Melee. She is depicted as her adult form as seen in Ocarina of Time, wearing a pink and white dress with pink shoes. She is regarded by most as a lightweight character, being easy to kick off the screen. Although Zelda is considered to be slow-moving, she possess some mighty strength through her spell-based attacks. Zelda can use her Transform ability to turn herself into her alter-ego Sheik at any point during a battle, which turns her into a quicker character with a completely different set of moves.

Zelda returns in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, this time appearing as she did in Twilight Princess. Sheik also appears, using a character model based on an unused design for Twilight Princess. However, her costume can be changed to look more like her Ocarina of Time appearance. While Zelda's moves are mostly unchanged from Melee, Sheik's physical attack power has been dropped considerably to better balance the game. Her Final Smash as well as Sheik's is the Light Arrow.

In the Subspace Emissary mode from Brawl, Zelda, along with Peach, is watching Mario and Kirby fight in the Midair Stadium when they come under attack as the Halberd drops Primids into the arena. Although Zelda rushes in to help fight off the monsters, she and Peach are captured by Petey Piranha. Zelda can either be saved by Kirby or captured by Wario. If she is saved, she will journey with Kirby only to later be captured by Bowser after Kirby leaves her behind. If she is captured by Wario, Shadow Bugs will create a replicate of her, which Mario and Pit have to defeat. Eventually, Zelda is saved by Solid Snake when she and Peach are captured inside the Halberd. Although Snake tells them to stay, she transforms into Sheik to escape to the battleship's front deck, where she briefly confronts Fox before realizing he is not his enemy. Upon finally reaching Subspace, Zelda and Link are both present when meeting Tabuu but are defeated by Tabuu's Off Waves. If Zelda and Link were rescued during Kirby and King Dedede's exploration of Subspace, a cutscene will show them both agreeing to revive Ganondorf, at which point they show him where their common target is. Zelda helps the other heroes throughout the rest of the story as they try to reach Tabuu inside the Great Maze to defeat him.

As mentioned, Zelda relies on magic-based attacks to fight, which are actually the spells seen in Ocarina of Time: Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and Nayru's Love; however, they behave much differently than as seen in their original appearance. Din's Fire is a fireball which Zelda can control, allowing it to travel long distances in a straight or curved lines. Farore's Wind can be used anywhere, serving as a instantaneous mid-distance warp which can deal a little damage if it hits just right. It also functions as Zelda's recovery move. Nayru's Love starts out in its familiar surrounding "diamond" form, but shatters moments later. The shards deal slight damage to anyone surrounding Zelda. The spell doesn't prevent melee damage as in Ocarina of Time, but it can now reflect projectile attacks.