Saria


 * Note: This article is about Saria, the Sage. You may be looking for the town of Saria, or the group, SaRIA.

"Finally, a fairy came to you, Link! Wow! That's great news! I'm so happy for you! Now you're a true Kokiri, Link!"

- Saria

Saria is a Kokiri introduced in Ocarina of Time. She is Link's childhood friend from his years in the Kokiri Forest. She is well-liked amongst other Kokiri, in particular by their boss, Mido, whose dislike of Link might be partially explained by the latter's close friendship with Saria. She often travels to the Sacred Forest Meadow to play her ocarina. She plays a lively, upbeat song that inspires people to dance called Saria's Song. When Link becomes the Hero of Time, he rescues Saria from the Forest Temple and allows her to awaken as the Sage of Forest,.

Ocarina of Time
Saria is the first of the Kokiri to greet Link after he receives a fairy of his own. She congratulates him for finally finding a fairy and is surprised to hear that the Great Deku Tree has summoned Link, as it is a great honor to speak with him. After receiving his quest from the Great Deku Tree, Saria meets Link at the exit to the forest to say goodbye. She gives him the Fairy Ocarina and asks him to come back and visit her.

Once Link meets with the princess, he can meet Saria in the Sacred Forest Meadow to learn the song which she composed. This song allows Link to speak with her at any time.

During Link's seven year absence, Mido kept spreading the rumor that Link was responsible for the death of the Great Deku Tree. Of all Kokiri, Saria was the only one who stood up for Link. When Link awoke, the Forest Temple in the Lost Woods became his first destination after an emergency call from Saria. On the way, he came through Kokiri Forest where the Kokiri informed him that both Saria and Mido had left to the Lost Woods. Following them, Link first encountered Mido, who refused to let him pass. However, after playing Saria's Song, Mido understood that Link had to be one of Saria's friends and as such could be trusted and let through. Link continued to the Sacred Meadow Grove and discovered that Saria's "secret place" housed the entrance to the Forest Temple. Link went in, and after a lot of exploring and fighting, managed to defeat the temple's evil spirit, Phantom Ganon. By doing this, he allowed the new Sage of Forest to awaken: Saria. Saria said goodbye, knowing that the carefree days of old were over, and gave Link the Forest Medallion.

When Link later talked to Mido again, the latter asked him if he would help him keep a promise to Saria: to tell Link that Saria had been waiting for him, because she "really liked [him]" When Link even later defeated Ganon, Saria and the other Sages bundled their powers to seal away Ganon. During the ending, she could be seen overlooking a celebrating Hyrule on Death Mountain with the other Sages.

The Wind Waker
While Saria did not appear in The Wind Waker, one of the stained glass windows in Hyrule Castle's basement depicted her along with all the other sages from Ocarina of Time.

Trivia

 * Saria, like several other characters from Ocarina of Time, inspired a town featured in The Adventure of Link (according to the in-game chronology, in fact it was her name that was reused by the town).
 * A carving by Carlov that resembles her face can be seen behind him in the Nintendo Gallery of The Wind Waker.
 * The character Ilia from Twilight Princess seems to be a reference to Saria. Both are Link's childhood friends and their names resemble each other when written in katakana (the same characters are used for the letters R and L in Japanese). The Ocarina of Time instruction booklet also refers to Saria as "Salia".
 * When Saria says "Good-Bye" to Link on the bridge, it may play off of the superstition 'If you say good bye to a friend on a bridge, you will never see them again.'
 * The appearance of the Pokemon Gardevoir may be based loosely off of Saria's appearance.