Master Sword

"But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand... a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the Blade of Evil's Bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light."

- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Master Sword (マスターソード, Masutaa Sōdo) (also known as The Blade of Evil's Bane or as the Sword of Time ) is typically the most powerful weapon in a Zelda game for general usage; with the exception of the Biggoron Sword, Gilded Sword, Great Fairy's Sword, and the upgrades in A Link to the Past. The Master Sword will usually have a power level of two or three times that of the starting sword. Zelda states that the sword was created by Ancient Sages. However, how, when, and exactly which sages created it remains unclear.

A Link to the Past
The Master Sword here is the legendary blade that rests in the Lost Woods of northwestern Hyrule in a pedestal with ancient Hylian inscribed on it. The ancient text says the hero with three symbols of virtue will wield it on cataclysm's eve, reading: "The Hero's triumph on Cataclysm's Eve wins three Symbols of Virtue. The Master Sword he shall then receive, keeping the knights line true." This sword has the power to emit a beam from its blade to attack enemies from a distance. This happens only when Link's health is completely full. It is the second sword acquired in the game, and the third and fourth swords are more powerful versions of the Master Sword. The Master Sword is also called "the Blade of Evil's Bane" and has the power to repel evil. This was the Master Sword's first appearance in a Zelda game, and has a backstory provided in the manual. Shortly after the creation of the world, the Goddesses instructed the people to forge a sword that would have the power to vanquish anyone who misused the Triforce. The location of the blade was already forgotten by the time of the Imprisoning War, and no hero was found worthy of wielding it.

It is said that A Link to the Past is chronologically the last Zelda game in which the Master Sword appears, meaning that no game can be placed after A Link to the Past in a timeline if it bears the Master Sword. This is because of a quote which appears at the end of the game.

Ocarina of Time
This legendary blade resides in the Temple of Time. To gain the Sword, Link must collect the three Spiritual Stones, and play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time to open the chamber where it is sealed. The Master Sword is the final key to the sacred realm and the Temple of Light, which houses the Triforce. Only the one worthy of the title of the Hero of Time can draw the Master Sword. In both Ocarina and the Wind Waker, the Master Sword locks away evil from Hyrule. When removed from it's resting place, its prime purpose becomes to help attack and reseal evil, and restore peace to the world. When Link pulls the Master Sword out of it's pedestal, he travels seven years into the future. He can also return to the past by plunging the sword back into the pedestal. In the end of the game, the Master Sword is used by Link to defeat Ganondorf, and seal him into the Evil Realm.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
The Master Sword makes a reappearance in the Oracle series, fittingly as the most powerful sword in the game. When combined with the power of the Red Ring, the Master Sword is capable of taking down almost any boss in two to three Spin Attacks. The only way to unlock the Master Sword is to have finished one of the games, and to have started a linked game on the opposite game. When a certain secret in the game is found and told to Farore, she will upgrade the Noble Sword Link currently holds into the Master Sword. However, if Link still has the Wooden Sword, the Wooden Sword will become the Noble Sword, and the Master Sword will be found where the Noble Sword would have been.

The Master Sword, also fittingly, is the only sword capable of hurting Ganon without resorting to spin attacks.

Many fans do not consider the Master Sword's appearance in the Oracle games to be canon.

The Wind Waker
The Master Sword is predominately referred to as the Blade of Evil's Bane in The Wind Waker's legends and rests in a hidden chamber in Hyrule Castle, deep beneath the waves of the Great Sea. The Master Sword's use as a key to lock evil away is broken when a young Link unknowingly draws the blade under the direction of the King of Red Lions. He unwittingly awakens Ganondorf's army from their ancient slumber. Later, Link learns that due to Ganondorf murdering of the Sages, Fado and Laruto, the Master Sword had lost its power to repel evil and Link must awaken two new Sages in order to regain that lost power. Those Sages are apparently there in order to pray for the Master Sword and the Hero who wields it and to keep it glowing with the power to repel evil. The sword has a new design in this game.

Twilight Princess
The Master Sword within Twilight Princess is located deep within the Faron Woods in the Sacred Grove (the ruins of the Temple of Time). The blade is said to have once be held by the Legendary Hero. It is the one relic that allowed Link to break the curse that Zant places on him after the end of Lakebed Temple and return to his human form. Link then draws the blade from its pedestal, and Midna proclaims that the sword chose Link to become its new master.

The Master Sword in this game also allowed Link access to other numerous hidden temples later in the game (such as the Temple of Time). The sword's initial locations marks a link between A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time, as it resides in the Temple's ruins, a place that is notably similar to the sword's resting place in A Link To The Past.

The sword is (in comparison with the shield and the overall height of Link) considerably bigger than in the other 3D releases. Regardless, the general design is consistent throughout them all.

Light-infused Master Sword
In the Palace of Twilight, Link fuses the Master Sword with the power of the Sols. This Light-Infused Master Sword enables Link to defeat most Twilight Monsters in a single blow. The sword is also capable of clearing away the dark fog that causes Link to revert back to wolf form. This upgrade is only usable while in the Twilight Realm.

Midna notes that the Sols' light being transferred to the Master Sword is the work of the gods of the Twilight Realm, and that they too are on Link's side.

Some fans believe that during the boss battle against Puppet Zelda, the light infusion of the sword gives it the ability to repel projectile attacks being sent at Link in order to damage the foe. However, there is no evidence to support this as the Master Sword was perfectly able to do this in previous games without the light infusion. In fact, this ability of repelling these evil attacks could be part of the sword's "power to repel evil". The most likely answer is simply because the sword is highly reflective due to the fact the Empty Bottles can be used for the same purpose in a few games of the series.

At the end of the game, Link (before returning to Ordon Village), places the sword back in its pedestal in the Sacred Grove.

Cross-references
In popular culture, the Master Sword suggests direct comparisons to the sword Excalibur, a mythical blade wielded by King Arthur throughout his journeys in medieval times. Just as Excalibur is a sword in the stone, the Master Sword is a sword in a pedestal. The Master Sword can only be drawn by the one chosen by destiny. However, the similarities end there. Any perceived connection is merely fan speculation.

Theories
Some fans believe that the inscription on the sword's pedestal in A Link to the Past refers to the story of the sword's first master, the Hero of Time (who was the legendary Hero at the time of the Great Cataclysm), that triumphed over many enemies on the very eve of the Great Cataclysm and won the three Spiritual Stones, the necessary keys to open the way to the Master Sword. This would mean that the "three symbols of virtue" were the three Spiritual Stones, giving credence to the possibility that the stones may have been transformed into the Pendants of Virtue at some point following the Imprisoning War and retained their role as necessary keys needed to unlock the Master Sword from its resting place. If the inscription on the Pedestal of Time (the sword's pedestal) is referring to the story of the Hero of Time, this would suggest that the Hero of Time was a descendant of the Knights of Hyrule ("keeping the Knights' line true) and lend credence to the possibility that the Link in A Link to the Past is a descendant of the Hero of Time since it is noted that the Link in A Link to the Past is the last of the Knights' bloodline and that the Hero of Time kept the Knights' line true at the time of the Great Cataclysm (when all the Knights of Hyrule were wiped out).