Hylians

Hylians are a human-like race from the fictional world of Hyrule. However, there are some instances where Hylians refer to themselves as humans instead. According to Twilight Princess, the Hylians are known as the closest race to the gods. The best-known Hylians are the legendary Hero, Link and Princess Zelda.

Princess Zelda

Hylians were the first race to establish organized civilization in ancient Hyrule, though in Twilight Princess, the Oocca are said to have created Hylians. Unlike several other races in the series, Hylians tend to live in highly populated cities.

The term "Hylian" generally refers to a member of the Hylian race, as opposed to "Hyrulean", which refers to any inhabitant of Hyrule. According to the A Link to the Past instruction manual, Hylians were born with magic-infused blood, endowing them with psychic powers and skill in wizardry. It is also believed that the Hylians' pointed ears allow them to hear the messages of the gods. Some people refer to them as elves.

Link

In Ocarina of Time, most Hylians seem to live within the fortified walls of Hyrule Castle Town or the small, neighboring village of Kakariko. Besides living in the bustling marketplace, other citizens of the kingdom inhabit territory outside of the protected city.

The ancient language of the Hylians, known simply as Hylian, is derived from Japanese hiragana, katakana, and romaji. However, the Hylian shown in Twilight Princess is merely English letters.

Also, the goddesses always choose the Hero of Hyrule to be a Hylian.

Termina
The Hylians from Termina live, like their Ocarina of Time counterparts, in a big, central city. There's only one significant difference between the Hylians from Hyrule and the ones from Termina: magic and technology. While the Hylians from Hyrule are (or should be) magic-users, the Terminan Hylians focus on technology and seem to care little, if any, for the sacred Triforce and the Three Goddesses who created their planet. Instead, they choose to honor the Four Giants; the lesser gods who shaped Termina and continue to guard it. Hylians in Termina strangely have rounded ears, a continuous error on characters from the Legend of Zelda series.

Some people believe this difference in ear-shape to be the obvious sign that Terminans are in fact not Hylian but Hyrulean or Human and thus explaining their lack of knowledge of the Gods (not being able to hear them with the efficacious design) and not being interested in magic, but technology.