Sage

Since their introduction in A Link to the Past, the Sages (賢者 Kenja, lit. Wise person), alternatively titled Wise Men, Maidens or Shrine Maidens, have become one of the prime elements of the The Legend of Zelda mythos. Serving as a bridge between the Sacred Realm and Hyrule, guarding the Master Sword's power, managing the Four Sword Sanctuary and executing those who pose a high threat to Hyrule are included with their duties, leaving their purpose to Hyrule best to be described as main protectors. This puts them among the most important of the Hero's allies, however rarely without price. Throughout Hyrule's history, Sages get abducted and/or killed to prevent them from uniting their powers against the evil du jour. In such cases, only the Hero has what it takes to save them or find and awaken the new Sages to aid him in return.

Currently, nine Sage positions are known to exist, divided in two groups. The original and presently most featured group consists of seven, hence their common designation as "The Seven Sages". The leader of them, the seventh Sage, is inherently Princess Zelda (or possibly the best suited member of the Royal Family of Hyrule of that time). The seventh Sage is not a core member and the other Sages have just as often been seen working as a group of only six, appropriately referred to then as "The Six Sages". The Wind Waker brought two more Sages to the roster, seemingly functioning independently from the seven Sages. This group's total number is not specified and due to their current one-time appearance, it is also unclear if their responsibilities outrange solely taking care of the Master Sword's power to repel evil.

A Link to the Past
Long before the events of A Link to the Past, the seven Wise Men (renamed "Sages" in the GBA re-release ) joined forces with the Knights of Hyrule to seal Ganon away in the Sacred Realm and prevent him from taking over the Light World.

Prior to Link's quest, Agahnim, the late King's right-hand man, used his power to find and capture the seven Maidens, who were the descendants of the seven Wise Men. While not as strong as their ancestors, the Maidens had inherited their status of Sage. Agahnim planned to send them to the Dark World one by one in order to destroy the seal that kept Ganon locked up.

Princess Zelda was going to be the seventh sacrifice, but she managed to telepathically send a message to Link, requesting him to rescue her. Succeeding in bringin her to safety, Link was told to meet Sahasrahla, the village elder and a descendant of the seven Wise Men, to find a permanent solution to the threat hanging over Hyrule. Sahasrahla in turn provided Link with information on his next course of action, the Pegasus Boots - a treasure passed down by the families of the Wise Men - and the notion he would keep in telepathic contact with him. On his quest to obtain the Master Sword, Link also met Aginah, another descendant of the seven Wise Men, who like Sahasrahla went into hiding. She informed Link about the Book of Mudora, while the grandfather of one of the Maidens later gave him the Magic Mirror and details on the wherabouts and use of the Moon Pearl.

Through all this, Link could find and claim the Master Sword, at which point Zelda sent him a telepathic message once more that the soldiers had found her. Despite his best efforts, he could not prevent her becoming the seventh sacrifice and being sent to the Dark World. All was not lost though, as Sahasrahla told Link that victory was still in reach if he could rescue the Maidens and claim back the Triforce.

The first Maiden Link freed elaborated on this, explaining that Ganon needed the gate to become larger to be of use to him and that he was still using the Maiden's powers to get that accomplished. She also explained that Link needed the Maidens' help to reach Ganon's Tower and urged him to rescue the others. When later all Maidens were freed, Princess Zelda the final one, they broke the barrier around Ganon's Tower as promised, allowing to go in and finish Agahnim (and throught that later Ganon) once and for all.

Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, the nature of the Sages is further elaborated on. Each Sage (bar the seventh) is established to have their own associated element, an accompanying symbol and appropriately themed temple. At times of peace, there are no Sages, only those who could become them if evil takes control over Hyrule. If that happens, the Sacred Realm sends out a call to them, awakening the destined ones as Sages. Usually, the Sages-to-be have no knowledge about their status until they are awakened. An exception to this is the seventh Sage, who is always a member of the Royal Family of Hyrule, keepers of much of Hyrule's history.

As revealed by Rauru, the original Sages were the ones who built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce against those who would use it for evil. The Triforce was hidden in the Temple of Light, the only of the Sage-temples to be built in the Sacred Realm. While each of the Sage-temples seems to grant access to it, only the Temple of Time is meant to do so for not-Sages. Therefore, it was protected with a seal controlled by the Master Sword, which evil cannot touch, and the Door of Time, which could not be opened unless one possessed the three Spiritual Stones, the Ocarina of Time and knowledge on the Song of Time.

Ganondorf managed to bypass all this by manipulating Link into doing the work for him. After seizing the Triforce and corrupting the Sacred Realm, he caused that corruption to seep into the temples of the Sages, which became infested with all kinds of monsters, so that the Sages-to-be would not be able to fullfill their duty and aid Link. Led by Rauru's and Sheik's instructions, Link managed to cleanse the temples and help each Sage to gain their power. Upon Rauru's advice, he then returned to the Temple of Time, where he found Sheik waiting. His mysterious ally revealed himself to be none other than Princess Zelda, keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom and the seventh Sage, leader of them all. The reunion was cut short when Ganondorf came and abducted Zelda, leaving Link with one more reason to take him on.

The Sages helped Link first by creating a bridge to get to Ganon's Tower with. Rauru used the moment to inform Link of the barriers Ganondorf had put up to protect himself against the Sages. Link destroyed them, clearing the path to Ganondorf.

When Link defeated him in the form of Ganon, the Sages joined their powers and sealed the King of Evil into the Sacred Realm. As such, it is suggested that these are the Sages referred to in A Link to the Past.

The owl Kaepora Gaebora, who kept track of Link since the start of his quest, is said to be the reincarnation of an ancient Sage.

The seven Sages include:

Rauru


Rauru is an ancient Hylian and the Sage of Light. Unlike the others, he is not a new Sage. Rather, he is one of the ancient Sages, and possibly the only remaining one. He seems to act as the leader in absence of the seventh Sage.

Rauru made his appearance after Link opened the Door of Time and drew the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time. Recognizing the destined hero, he took his chance and kept Link sealed within the safety of the Sacred Realm for the seven years he needed to mature. Upon Link's awakening, he summarized the events that had taken place during his slumber and informed him of his role as the Hero of Time. Then he instructed him to find and help the other Sages so that they could assist him in taking on Ganondorf, handing Link the Light Medallion to start off his quest. After that, it wasn't until all Sages had been awakened that Rauru contacted Link again, telling him that the time of the final confrontation had come. He fullfilled his role as Sage during that final fight and was the only one of the group not to return to Hyrule once Ganon had been defeated, presumably opting to stay in the Sacred Realm.

Saria


Saria is a Kokiri and the Sage of Forest. She's the second Sage that lends their power to the Hero of Time.

Deciding that something had to be done about the evil emanating from the Forest Temple that brought danger to Kokiri Village, she left to give it her best. When Link arrived in the Forest Temple some time later, he defeated the monsters infesting it and thereby awakened Saria as Sage. She and Link had a conversation thereafter on their childhood friendship, after which Saria bestowed her powers on Link in the form of the Forest Medallion. When the time to face Ganondorf came, she fullfilled her role as Sage and could later be seen travelling to Death Mountain with the other Sages.

Darunia


Darunia is a Goron and the Sage of Fire. He's the third Sage that lends their power to the Hero of Time.

In the future years, Ganondorf wanted to make an example out of the Goron race by feeding them all to a dragon. Darunia was one of the few to escape this fate, but as leader felt the obligation to go free his people who were locked up in the Fire Temple. There, he met his Sworn Brother Link again after seven years, though he knew this wasn't the time for reunion. As such, he gave Link instructions to free the Gorons, while he would take on the dragon. Link followed into the dragon's lair later and killed the beast, thereby awakening Darunia as Sage. The two had a talk about their old brotherhood, followed by Darunia giving him the Fire Medallion. During the final stages of the Hero of Time's quest, he fullfilled his role as Sage and could later be seen travelling to Death Mountain with the other Sages.

Ruto


Ruto is a Zora and the Sage of Water. She's the fourth Sage that lends their power to the Hero of Time.

Like many races, the Zoras didn't want Ganondorf as their king, and as revenge they and their domain were locked away under ice. As one of the few to dodge the curse, Ruto obeyed her obligations as princess and went to the Water Temple to save her people. There she met her fiancé Link again after seven years, whom she requested to help her save Zora's Domain. Link lost track of her in the temple, but managed to find his own way to the monster that kept the curse intact and defeat it. Ruto awakened as a Sage because of that and told Link their childhood vows could not be kept now. Instead, she gave him the Water Medallion as symbol of her support. When Link went to defeat Ganondorf, she fullfilled her role as Sage and could later be seen travelling to Death Mountain with the other Sages.

Impa


Impa is Sheikah and the Sage of Shadow. She's the fifth Sage that lends their power to the Hero of Time. It is hinted that she, like Zelda, was aware of her status as Sage before becoming one.

When the evil spirit she had locked away in the well of Kakariko Village years ago broke free, Impa immediately headed for the Shadow Temple to seal it away again. When Link followed after her and defeated the spirit, she awoke as Sage. She told Link her point of view on the day she and Princess Zelda fleed Hyrule Castle and ensured him he'd do fine as hero. Then she gave him the Shadow Medallion, staying quiet until Link took up arms against Ganondorf himself; then she fullfilled her role as Sage and could later be seen travelling to Death Mountain with the other Sages.

Nabooru


Nabooru is a Gerudo and the Sage of Spirit. She's the sixth Sage that lends their power to the Hero of Time.

Nabooru tried to infiltrate the Spirit Temple in the past years to thwart Ganondorf's plans, but got captured and brainwashed into a servant of Ganondorf for seven years. Her mental imprisonment ended when Link defeated her Iron Knuckle form, but she was recaptured shortly thereafter. Link permanently freed her and awakened her as a Sage when he defeated Twinrova. For that, she gave him the Spirit Medallion, but not before she complimented him on the results of seven years aging. At the battle with Ganondorf, she fullfilled her role as Sage and could later be seen travelling to Death Mountain with the other Sages.

Zelda


Zelda is a Hylian and the leader of the Sages. Her element, provided she has one, is unknown, though it is often assumed to be Time.

Zelda waited for Link at the Temple of Time to reveal herself as the seventh Sage, leader of them all, and speak with Link about the battle ahead. However, Ganondorf found her as well and abducted her to his tower. Link went after them and freed her, causing Ganondorf to change into Ganon. While Link took him on again, Zelda prepared for her role as Sage from the sideline and when Ganon fell, she united her powers with the other Sages to lock him away. After that, she and Link had a private conversation about all that had happened since they met, and Zelda revealed that she wished to use her powers as a Sage to return Link to the past, so time could flow as it should've done. Goodbyes were made shortly thereafter.

The Wind Waker
The number of Sages is expanded in The Wind Waker. Next to the seven Sages already known, another set's existence is established. These Sages are responsible for keeping the Master Sword capable of defeating evil. It is not stated how big this "Master Sword"-group is, but just as with the seven Sages, the absence of only one is enough to break their power. Carrying on on Ocarina of Time's revelations, the newly introduced Sages also have an element and such themed temple assigned, but they lack an identifying symbol. Instead, they have musical instruments and songs, which they use to pray to the gods. In the pre-flood days, their music was conducted by the head of the Royal Family of Hyrule, who wielded the Wind Waker. The songs additionally can be used to awaken the next Sages.

Before he was sealed away by the Great Flood, Ganon had ensured his victory by killing off the Sages Fado and Laruto. Upon his travel to their temples, Link met their still-lingering spirits, who were either unable of unwilling to move on until they were succeeded. They instructed Link to find the new Sages if he wanted to have the Master Sword's power restored and stand a chance against Ganondorf. Thus, the Hero of Winds travelled the sea to find them in the identities of Makar and Medli. After awakening them, he helped them reach the sanctuary of their respective temples. There they performed the ceremony to restore power to the Master Sword, granting the former Sages peace at last.

The Master Sword fueled once more with the Sages' powers, Link went on and defeated Ganon. He and Tetra were then brought to safety by Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, and later picked up by Tetra's crew, who had also already picked up Makar and Medli.

Laruto


Laruto is a Zora and the Sage of Earth. She is the first Sage Link meets on his journey.

Prior to the Great Flood, Laruto had been awakened as Sage to pray for the Master Sword's power. She was murdered by Ganondorf to remove the threat the Master Sword posed to him. As a ghost, Laruto remained in the Earth Temple until Link travelled to Headstone Island to visit the Earth Temple. She told him about the events of her death, and that if Link hoped to defeat Ganondorf, he'd have to find the new Sage and play them the Earth God's Lyric. When Link played for Medli, she went into a trance in which Laruto appeared to the new Sage, motivating her to play as well. Not long thereafter, Medli and Link came to the Earth Temple to perform the ceremony to restore power to the Master Sword. Laruto made her final appearance then to perform with them, passing on finally.

Medli


Medli is a Rito and the Sage of Earth. She is the second Sage Link meets on his journey and the first to help restore power to the Master Sword.

Medli was practicing on her harp when she was visited by Link, who offered to conduct for her. She accepted and was made to play the Earth God's Lyric. Upon hearing the melody, something in her mind stirred and she went into a trance. In her vision, she was visited by her predecessor Laruto, who motivated her to play her harp again. This caused Medli to realize her status as Sage and she requested Link to bring her to the Earth Temple immediately. Link sailed her to the temple and helped her get to its sactuary. There, they performed the ceremony to restore power to the Master Sword, bringing Link another step closer to his goal. Medli remained in the temple until Tetra's crew picked her up once the battle was won.

Fado


Fado is a Kokiri and the Sage of Wind. He is the third Sage Link meets on his journey.

Prior to the Great Flood, Fado had been awakened as Sage to pray for the Master Sword's power. He was murdered by Ganondorf to remove the threat the Master Sword posed to him. As a ghost, Fado remained in the Earth Temple until Link travelled to Gale Isle to visit the Wind Temple. He told him about the events of his death, and that if Link hoped to defeat Ganondorf, he'd have to find the new Sage and play them the Wind God's Aria. When Link played for Makar, Fado's spirit appeared out of the new Sage and played in his stead. Not long thereafter, Makar and Link came to the Wind Temple to perform the ceremony to restore power to the Master Sword. Fado made his final appearance then to perform with them, passing on finally.

Makar


Makar is a Korok and the Sage of Wind. He is the fourth Sage Link meets on his journey and the second to help restore power to the Master Sword.

Makar was practicing on his "cello" when he was visited by Link, who offered to conduct for him. He accepted and was made to play the Wind God's Aria. Upon hearing the melody, Makar enthusiastically began playing. While he did, Fado's spirit appeared out of him and replaced the Korok in his performance. When the song ended, Fado faded out for Makar to realize his status as Sage and request Link to bring him to the Wind Temple immediately. Link sailed him to the temple and helped him get to its sactuary. There, they performed the ceremony to restore power to the Master Sword, bringing Link another step closer to his goal. Makar remained in the temple until Tetra's crew picked him up once the battle was won.

The Six Sages
The Wind Waker also references the six Sages from Ocarina of Time, displaying their likenesses in stained-glass windows in the submerged Hyrule Castle basement where the Master Sword is kept.

Four Swords Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, the Sages are known as the Shrine Maidens and responsible for keeping the powers dormant in the Four Sword Sanctuary under control. It is they who control the gate to its sacred grounds, preventing anyone from taking the Four Sword and from freeing Vaati. The royal jewels that belong in the Four Sword Sanctuary to open the path to the Realm of the Heavens are left in the care of the Knights of Hyrule, only to be gathered and used through the Shrine Maidens' power if the path were to close.

Four Swords Adventures does not incorporate the elemental system introduced by Ocarina of Time, but features an identification system akin. Each of the Shrine Maidens has an associated color after which they are titled, alike to the colors that defined the elements that made for the Ocarina of Time Sages' titles. The color rings are not the same though, as the White Maiden's white replaces the Sage of Spirit's orange. Moreso, while the Shrine Maidens all look after a part of Hyrule, not quite unlike the Ocarina of Time Sages, the color-area associations differ greatly between the two Sage generations.

Kaepora Gaebora returns to guide Link through his quest. There is no mention made of him being the reincarnation of an ancient Sage this time, but he ís both known and respected by the Shrine Maidens.

On a stormy night, Princess Zelda and the Shrine Maidens feared that the reason for those events was that Vaati's seal was weakening. They summoned Link to the castle so he could protect them while they opened the portal to the Four Sword Sanctuary. When they did however, the portal turned dark and Shadow Link came from it. Using the confusion his looks caused, he abducted the Shrine Maidens and sealed them in crystals strengthened by Vaati's magic in dungeons all over Hyrule. This in order for either Ganon or Vaati to leech power from them and to keep the Tower of Winds, where Princess Zelda was held captive, inaccessible.

Not the one to sit back and do nothing, Link entered the portal the Shrine Maidens had created before their capture and drew the Four Sword, thereby accepting the destiny of the Hero and the responsibility to free the Shrine Maidens. Each Shrine Maiden he freed helped him reach another part of Hyrule, usually the part they watched over. They also used their ability to travel in fairy-form to accompany Link from time to time and hand him instructions on how to proceed. Once the sixth Shrine Maiden was freed, the group united their powers to call for Princess Zelda, whom they found out to be held in the Tower of Winds. They urged Link to find the last royal jewel not yet in his possession so that they could summon the tower back to Hyrule. The Shrine Maidens then went ahead to the Four Sword Sanctuary to keep it safe from attacks in the time Link would need to get the remaining royal jewel and to prepare for the ceremony. When Link returned with all four royal jewels, the Shrine Maidens wasted no time on bringing back the Tower of Winds. Link proceeded to rescue Zelda, who promised that she and the Shrine Maidens would prevent the evil Link had been fighting from recovering, but that he had to destroy Vaati to make peace return truly.

Blue Maiden


The Blue Maiden is the first of the Shrine Maidens to aid the Hero. She appears to be in charge of Eastern Hyrule, where a village lies that is named after her. She was held captive in Hyrule Castle and guarded by Phantom Ganon.

Yellow Maiden


The Yellow Maiden is the second of the Shrine Maidens to aid the Hero. She is in charge of Death Mountain and was held captive in the Eastern Temple, guarded by Stone Arrghus.

Green Maiden


The Green Maiden is the third of the Shrine Maidens to aid the Hero. She was held captive in the Tower of Flames, guarded by several Dodongos. Her domain was not specified, but appears to be Hyrule Field/Hyrule's center region.

White Maiden


The White Maiden is the fourth of the Shrine Maidens to aid the Hero. She is in charge of the Lost Woods and was held captive in Hyrule Castle, guarded by Jalhalla.

Red Maiden


The Red Maiden is the fifth of the Shrine Maidens from to aid the Hero. She was held captive in the Temple of Darkness, guarded by Phantom Ganon. Her domain was not specified, but appears to be the Desert of Doubt.

Purple Maiden


The Purple Maiden is the sixth and last of the Shrine Maidens from to aid the Hero. She was held captive in the Pyramid, guarded by a big Moldorm. Her domain was not specified, but "Frozen Hyrule" is the only area without a Shrine Maiden implied connected to.

Zelda


As per tradition, Zelda is the seventh Sage and the final one for Link to rescue. She was held captive in the Tower of Winds, guarded by Frostare.

Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, the Sages (excluding Princess Zelda this time) appear as ethereal forms of old men. However when one of the Sages turns his head, you can clearly see that they are wearing masks and that they do not have faces underneath, indicating that they are unable to be seen without their robes. The Sages reside in the Mirror Chamber in Arbiter's Grounds. They are shown using the Sword of the Sages in a failed attempt to execute Ganondorf, which resulted in the death of the Sage of Water and the banishment of Ganon to the Twilight Realm.

Although the American version of the game states that the Sages were Zelda's tutors, the Japanese version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess says that Auru tutored her instead.

Phantom Hourglass
In Phantom Hourglass, there is a graveyard on the Isle of Ruins where nine sages were laid to rest. In order to traverse Brant's Tomb, Link would first need to find a way into the graveyard. The graveyard contains a set of directions on six of the sages' gravestones. The other three Sages' tombstones are unreadable.

"...Those without the way of the six sages are doomed."

- Stone tablet inside Brant's Tomb.

If these directions are not followed, Link will wander helplessly through Brant's Tomb, much like in the Wind Fish's Egg or the Lost Woods.

Beta Ocarina of Time/The Wind Waker
Ocarina of Time went through a lot of changes before it became what it is known as. Due to the effort of various The Legend of Zelda enthusiasts, details of the beta stages are becoming revealed to the public. One set of such details relates to the development of the Sages, who at one point were to be quite different from the eventual group.

It is currently concluded that a group of three Sages were to power up the Master Sword during Link's quest, namely the Sage found at Turtle Rock (presumably the Sage of Fire), the Sage found at the Ice Temple and the Sage found at the Wind Temple. Whether these three were part of the group of six or a different group is unknown. Each of these three Sages' functions and context have been altered for the released game, though hints of their development history remain. Turtle Rock is the development predecessor of the Fire Temple, which was altered quite little compared to the other two. The Ice Temple is what the Ice Cavern once had to become, but those plans were tossed out in favour of the Water Temple. Along with it, the Ice Medallion became the Water Medallion. Small hints of this are left in-game in the form of the ice-themed challenge in Ganon's Tower for the water barrier and Zora's Domain perpetual frozen state. The Wind Temple in turn was even further removed from the game by being completely scrapped to make room for the Forest Temple, the only remaining in-game hint at this development being the wind-themed challenge for the forest barrier in Ganon's Tower. Like the Ice Medallion became the Water Medallion, the Wind Medallion became the Forest Medallion. Furthermore, it is currently believed that instead of Saria, the Kokiri girl Fado was to be the Sage of Wind.

Since Ocarina of Time, Nintendo seems to have been trying to bring over unused ideas of one game into later games. In context of the Sages, this sheds an interesting light on the "The Wind Waker" Sages, because they are noticeably similar to the presumed original idea for the "Ocarina of Time" Sages.

The most obvious connection would be the Master Sword-supporting function of both groups. In The Wind Waker, Link has to awaken the new Sages Makar and Medli to return power to the Master Sword, alike to the Sages described two paragraphs above. Additionally, it is known that two dungeons have been cut from The Wind Waker, which together with the unusual trial-free way Nayru's Pearl is obtained hints that a Sage was removed from the final game, bringing the number of Sages needed to power up the Master Sword to three. The third link between the groups would be the identity of the Sage of Wind, in both cases a Kokiri named Fado.

Differences are to be found as well. While the development-Ocarina of Time Sages represented the elements of Fire, Ice and Wind, the The Wind Waker Sages represent Earth, Wind and a possible, unknown third element. These differences might be explained by Fire already being taken by a Sage of the group the "Master Sword"-Sages were opted not to belong to, thus meaning Nintendo had to find a new element to assign. If the possible third Sage was to be the Sage of Ice is unknown, as is whether or not that Sage exists in current canon or not.

Theories
Zelda is the Sage of Time - Since every other Sage in Ocarina of Time was associated with an element, it is often assumed the seventh Sage, Princess Zelda, has one too, despite no mention being made of it. Time is the most heard suggestion, due to that Link met Sage Zelda at the Temple of Time, comparable to how he met the others at their respective temples. Zelda also states she can send Link back to his youth because she is a Sage, linking her, time, and Sageship together. It's nothing conclusive though, as time travel happens through the Sacred Realm, which all Sages hold influence over.

Ocarina of Time Fado is her era's Sage of Wind - While not mentioned until The Wind Waker, the "Master Sword"-Sages should logically have been around long before then, leaving a minimum of two Sages unidentified in Ocarina of Time. As apparently Fado was to be the Sage of Wind prior to the story's finalization, it is possible she still is. She is, after all, nearly completely absent during the future years, when the sword needs the Sages' prayers.

Sage Kasuto - The names of the towns from The Adventure of Link all were reused for the Ocarina of Time Sages, with two exceptions. The name Mido was given to the leader of the Kokiri, who wasn't a Sage, while the name Kasuto wasn't featured in Ocarina of Time at all. With certain ignorance of Mido's case, this has led to speculation of a missing Sage named Kasuto. Some suggest they may be the former identity of Kaepora Gaebora, whereas The Wind Waker made it possible that Kasuto might be one of the "Master Sword"-Sages at that time.

The Twilight Princess Sages are the spiritual incarnations of the Sages' power - Due to the appearance of the Sages' insignias on their robes, it is possible these ethereal Sages are the spiritual incarnations of the powers of the six Sages awakened in Ocarina of Time, or in other words, the unawakened forms of the six Sages that were awakened in the future era. This would mean that while Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru and Rauru were the pre-destined physical counterparts, the source of their powers came from these spirit Sages. This would explain why the six Sages appeared as normal beings in the past era of Ocarina of Time but gained great power later in the future era after the Hero of Time helped each of them to fuse with his or her own respective ethereal Sage (the ones shown in Twilight Princess). This would mean that these ethereal Sages, alongside the Oocca, were the original builders of the Temple of Time, as Rauru stated in Ocarina of Time, and, by extension, the creators of the Master Sword itself.

Trivia

 * With the exception of Zelda and Impa, each of the Ocarina of Time Sages was named after a town from The Adventure of Link. Zelda and Impa got their names from the characters from the first game, who reappeared in The Adventure of Link.
 * In the original Japanese text of the Oracle games, the Oracles are referred to as "Shrine Maidens", the same title as the Maidens of Four Swords Adventures. It is not known if there is a connection between the two.