Hero of Men

The Hero of Men is the name associated with a great Hero spoken of in the legends of the Picori Blade and the mythical Light Force in the land of Hyrule. He was the first owner of those two special gifts given to him by the Minish to assist him in his efforts to battle the many evil creatures plaguing the land of Hyrule long in its past.

History
Long, long ago in the land of Hyrule, the day came when many powerful beasts suddenly appeared and began to lay siege to the kingdom. Just when Hyrule was in the verge of destruction, the Picori came from the sky and gave the Hero of Men a magical sword and a golden light. Using these tools, the Hero of Men successfully defeated the monsters and drove darkness away from Hyrule. The young hero then sealed the enchanted chest with the Picori Blade itself, locking all the realm's evil away within the confines of the chest and bringing calm to the kingdom. This young man became a celebrated and revered hero amongst Hyrule's populace, and his status became one that would be immortalized in Hylian lore, eventually earning him the title of the "Hero of Men".

Possible Candidates
The true identity of the Hero of Men remains a mystery to the present day, as his identity was never officially confirmed within The Minish Cap or by Nintendo or associates. There have been theories to suggest his possible identity however listed below, each having evidence to support them but none of which has yet been confirmed by Nintendo authorities.

King Gustaf
King Gustaf was an ancient King of Hyrule countless ages before the events of The Minish Cap. His spirit returns during the events of The Minish Cap to provide Link with the Kinstone Piece that is necessary to access the Cloud Tops and thus reach the Palace of Winds where the Wind Element is kept. Gustaf was alive around the theorized time that the conflict involving the Hero of Men took place and thus is one of the few characters seen in The Minish Cap that would match a description of the Hero of Men, provided he is seen at all within the game beyond the stained glass windows in the Elemental Sanctuary. While Gustaf is indeed one of the few people known have have lived long enough in the past to be the Hero of Men, there is also the possibility that the Hero of Men could have predated Gustaf's lifetime as well, making him a possible ancestor of both Gustaf and Daltus. Evidence to support Gustaf's candidacy as the Hero of Men includes:


 * He possessed the key Kinstone Piece necessary for one to retrieve the Wind Element from the Palace of Winds.
 * He was obviously well-respected and influential even in isolated groups such as the Wind Tribe.
 * King Daltus' figurine states that he (a descendant of Gustaf himself) was a great swordsman in his youth and even fought to a draw with Smith in the Picori Festival sword-fighting tournament;
 * If swordsmanship runs in Daltus' line, then Gustaf was likely a competent swordsman as well, which the Hero of Men was noted to be.
 * Both of the Hero's tools used in the conflict were in one way or another in the possession of the Royal Family of Hyrule (the Picori Blade stuck in the Bound Chest and the Light Force residing in Hyrule's princess); Seeing that the Light Force originally belonged to the Hero of Men and was passed along the line of the Princesses of Hyrule thereafter, it would make sense that the Light Force got into the Princess' line through someone related to them.
 * It would be fitting that as a reward for the Hero's actions in the conflict that he was perhaps made ruler of the young land of Hyrule and thus both of his tools used in the war were passed down his family line, with the Light Force ending up in the line of Princesses.
 * It would mirror another instance in the series where a theorized former Hero returns from the grave to assist the new Hero in restoring peace to the land of Hyrule and defeating the same evil he himself fought, that other instance being the appearance of the Hero's Spirit (the theorized spirit of the Hero of Time) in Twilight Princess returning to help the new Hero defeat the same evil he himself fought (Ganondorf) provided the theory regarding the Hero's Spirit is true.

Swiftblade the First
Swiftblade the First was an ancient swordsman who appears as a ghost to train Link in the arts of the sword after learning seven new moves from the other Blade Brothers in The Minish Cap. Swiftblade also was alive in the past as was Gustaf, although there is no indicator of how long ago he lived, contrary to Gustaf who described his lifetime as taking place "countless ages ago." There doesn't seem to be as much evidence to support Swiftblade the First being the Hero of Men when compared to King Gustaf (who plays a more instrumental role in the story of The Minish Cap by helping Link advance in his quest for the Wind Element), although he remains a possible candidate for good reason.


 * Swiftblade the First did live in the past, although gamers are given no indicator of just how long ago it really was that he lived, making it difficult to determine if he was alive at the time of the conflict. The title "The First" indicates that he is the ancestor of the current Swiftblade Brothers, but there is no indication in-game of how long ago he lived.
 * He is confirmed to be a highly skilled swordsman that lived in the past, starting the tradition of the Blade Brothers.
 * As stated before, his candidacy for being the Hero of Men would also mirror the instance of the Hero's Spirit and his training of the new Hero in Twilight Princess.
 * When he teaches Link the Great Spin Attack, he refers to it as an attack that "Only one who holds the Sacred Blade can perform." This may indicate that he has wielded the Picori Blade before.

A Separate Incarnation of Link
It could also be that the Hero of Men is just some past version of Link that has yet to be revealed in a Zelda game to date. Evidence for this stems largely from the Hero's appearance in the stained glass windows largely mirroring Link's classical appearance: short blond hair, a green tunic, and even similar facial features to the Link featured in The Minish Cap. The prophecy that states that a hero named Link will arise to defeat evil in Hyrule is also consistent with this interpretation.