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, also known as The Blade of Evil's Bane, is a recurring legendary sword in the. The goddess Hylia originally crafted the Goddess Sword, which was later forged into the Master Sword by the earliest known incarnation of Link during the events of Skyward Sword, giving it the power to repel evil, and it is usually the only sword that can defeat Ganon in the games it appears in.

True to its name, the sword is often seen to choose or accept its master, always a hero who has gone through great trials that would prove them worthy of wielding it. This may be the conscious choice of the sword's spirit, Fi, who sleeps within the sword and only assists her heroic master.

Appearances
With history spitting and taking three different paths after the events of ''Ocarina of Time, the Master Sword itself faces three different fates.

Unified Timeline: Creation and Early History
Prior to the Ocarina of Time, there was only one timeline, in which the events of Skyward Sword, The Minish Cap, Four Swords takes place. This section deals with the creation of the Master Sword and its early historical roles.

Sky Era - Skyward Sword
The goddess Hylia created the Goddess Sword and Fi, the spirit that resides within the Goddess Sword, giving it the purpose of assisting Hylia's chosen hero throughout his journey.

A millennia later, during their quest to save the mortal incarnation of Hylia, Link and Fi locate the three Sacred Flames hidden throughout the land and uses the to temper the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword, purifying it and empowering it with a sacred force, considered to be a divine power that was left by the gods of old. Only after the Master Sword is blessed by the goddess herself, it becomes the True Master Sword and gives it the ability to smite evil. Hylia's chosen hero used the sword to destroy Demise, who promised that an incarnation of his hatred would haunt those who the Spirit of the Hero and the blood of the Goddess. The Master Sword's spirit Fi bided farewell, revealing that now that her role as his guardian was over, she would enter a sleep without end within the sword. The sword was then left untouched in a pedestal near the back of the Sealed Temple.

The Era of Chaos and The Era of Prosperity
During an age of chaos with wars over the Triforce which now rested at Sealed Temple with the Master Sword, the Ancient Sage Rauru had no choice but to seal the Triforce within the Sacred Realm and have the Master Sword act as a key to accessing the realm. Around them, he built a new Temple of Time over the remains over the Sealed Temple. However, the entrance to the Master Sword chamber is sealed by the Door of Time. When the Master Sword was infused into the Pedestal of Time, it sealed that gateway in the hopes of preventing all but the most worthy to reach the Sacred Realm, where the sacred Triforce lies within the Temple of Light. It is said that only the Hero of Time may enter the secret chambers of the temple and draw the Master Sword. If the Hero of Time withdraws the Master Sword from its pedestal, it will once again open the portal to the Sacred Realm, granting access to the Temple of Light.

The Era of the Hero of Time - Ocarina of Time
Ten years after the Unification War in which a young Hero of Time was left an orphan in Kokiri Forest, he would be sent out on a great quest to help him combat the Gerudo thief known as Ganondorf. After pulling the ancient Master Sword, the Hero of Time was put into a suspended sleep for seven years within the Sacred Realm. Upon waking up, the hero used the Master Sword in many battles across across the Kingdom of Hyrule and, finally, used it in battle against the now morphed Ganon, who had attained the Triforce of Power when the entrance to the Sacred Realm was opened. Defeating Ganon with the Master Sword, Princess Zelda, Rauru and newly awakened Sages sealed Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm. The princess felt guilt for the Hero of Time having lost his childhood just to save Hyrule and sent him back in time to relive the days he missed and create a new history. Following this, Princess Zelda returned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time and sealed the entrance to the Sacred Realm.

Ever since the Master Sword was pulled from the Pedestal of Time, it has become analogous with the legend of the Hero of Time.

Adult Timeline
This timeline follows the adult ending of Ocarina of Time, in which the Hero of Time leaves this timeline behind and Hyrule returns to peace for a time. The games set on this timeline include The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.

The Era of the Great Sea - The Wind Waker
The Master Sword is predominately referred to as the Blade of Evil's Bane in The Wind Waker's legends and lies in a hidden chamber in Hyrule Castle, deep beneath the waves of the Great Sea. With the Master Sword resting in the Pedestal of Time, the sacred blade serves as a key to seal away Ganondorf's magic, keeping Hyrule frozen in time and all those who inhabit it. However, 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. In doing so, he unwittingly awakens Ganondorf's army from their ancient slumber and also allows Ganon to use his magic again.

Later, Link learns that since Ganon murdered the Sages of Earth and Wind, Laruto and Fado respectively, the Master Sword had lost its power to repel evil. As such, Link must awaken the two new Sages in order to regain that lost power. It is then explained that those Sages are necessary in order to pray to the gods for the Master Sword and the Hero who wields it and to keep it glowing with the power to repel evil.

When Link first draws the weakened Master Sword from its pedestal, its guard is curved into the blade rather than extending outward as it once did; moreover, the gem that rests at the base of the blade is black rather than gold, and the symbol of the Triforce is missing. As Link awakens the new Sages of Earth and Wind, the Sages return the power to repel evil to the blade: the guard's original position is recovered with the Earth Sage's prayers, and the gem and the Triforce symbol are restored with the prayers of the Wind Sage. When the sword is fully restored, it glows with the power to repel evil, allowing Link to shatter the magical barrier in Hyrule that impedes his path to Ganon's Tower.

After making his way to the top of the tower, Link, with the help of Princess Zelda, fights against Ganondorf using the Master Sword's power. To deal the final blow, the young hero thrusts the sacred blade into Ganondorf's forehead, which causes the King of Evil to completely turn into stone. Hyrule is then flooded by the wishes of the King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, leaving the Master Sword impaled in Ganon's skull as the forgotten kingdom is destroyed by the waves.

Child Timeline
This timeline follows the child ending of Ocarina of Time, in which the Hero of Time informs Princess Zelda and the King of Hyrule of what will happen if Ganondorf is to be trusted. The games set on this timeline include Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess and Four Swords Adventures.

The Era of Twilight - Twilight Princess
The Master Sword in Twilight Princess is located deep within the Faron Woods in the Sacred Grove, which are the ruins of the Temple of Time. The blade is said to have once been held by the Legendary Hero.

When Link is permanently turned into a wolf by Zant's magic, Princess Zelda mentions that the Master Sword is the only relic that can break the curse placed on him. Link then ventures to the Sacred Grove and draws the blade from its pedestal, allowing Link to return to his Hylian form. The Master Sword in this game also allows Link access to other numerous hidden temples later in the game, such as the Temple of Time. When Link goes through the Door of Time in the Sacred Grove, he travels back to when the Temple of Time stood tall and before it fell into ruin. Here, Link can briefly thrust the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time, making a set of staircases appear that lead to an unexplored area of the temple that serves as one of the game's dungeons. 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.

In the final battle against Ganondorf, Link uses the Ending Blow to thrust the Master Sword into Ganondorf's chest, defeating him. During the ending credits, the sword is shown resting in its pedestal in the Sacred Grove.

Decline Timeline
In a timeline in which the Hero of Time is killed in his final battle with Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, Hyrule eventually goes into a period of decline and starts to diminish over time. The games set in this timeline include A Link to the Past, Oracles of Seasons, Oracles of Ages, Link's Awakening, The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link.

The Era of Light and Dark - A Link to the Past
The Master Sword in A Link to the Past 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 will then retrieve, keeping the knights' line true."

In order to defeat the evil wizard Agahnim that has taken over Hyrule Castle, Link must obtain the Master Sword. However, before the young hero can wield it, he must first acquire the three Pendants of Virtue that are scattered throughout the land. After doing so, he retrieves the sacred blade from the Pedestal of Time within the Lost Woods, defeating Agahnim with it and, eventually, Ganon. With Hyrule safe from evil, Link places the Master Sword back in its pedestal, never to be used again.

During the course of the game, Link can upgrade the Master Sword to the Tempered Sword and, ultimately, the Golden Sword. Moreover, he can obtain the magic of the Bombos, Quake, and Ether Medallion by holding the Master Sword up into the sky next to certain inscriptions around Hyrule.

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Age
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.

Discrepancies
Until the release of Skyward Sword, the origin of the Master Sword was never seen and only alluded to it what could be considered legends that were corrupted by oral tradition, others may be the fault of mistranslations from Japanese. According to the English manual of A Link to the Past, after Ganon entered the Golden Land and obtained the Triforce, the people of Hyrule forged a sword resistant to magic, which could even repulse powers granted by the Triforce. The seven Sages searched for one worthy of wielding the Master Sword, but never found such a person, leaving them, with the aid of the knights of Hyrule, to seal away Ganon instead. Although the mistranslated English manual states that the Master Sword was not created until after Ganon invaded the Golden Land, the Japanese manual states that it was forged long before the Imprisoning War. The location of the blade was already forgotten by the time of the Imprisoning War, and no hero was found worthy of wielding it.

Both the English and Japanese manual of A Link to the Past describe that the Master Sword was forged by the people of Hyrule, and not necessarily by the Ancient Sages. It isn't until Twilight Princess that Princess Zelda mentions the Ancient Sages crafted the Master Sword.

Skyward Sword, which takes place at the beginning of the Zelda Timeline, reveals the complete and true origin of the Master Sword, revealing that it was forged into its well-known current form from being the Goddess Sword crated by the goddess Hylia. It should be noted that symbols of the Sages are, in fact, at the Temple of Hylia, implying that they were, as stated in Twilight Princess, involved in the forging of its original form.

Design, Abilities and Characteristics
When the Master Sword was first introduced in A Link to the Past, the sword's grip was red and its cross-guard yellow; however, ever since Ocarina of Time, the grip and color-guard were recolored to blue, retaining the yellow gemstone featured in its original appearance. The Triforce can be seen engraved in the lower part of the blade.

The Master Sword's most known ability is the power to vanquish evil and break curses that involve powerful, dark magic. However, in order to keep the power to repel evil intact, two Sages, known as the Earth Sage and the Wind Sage, are in charge of praying to the gods and thus infuse the Master Sword with the gods' power. Should something happen to these Sages, the Master Sword will weaken and lose its might to combat evil.

Only the true hero that is "pure of heart and strong of body" is capable of wielding the sacred blade, and as such, those with tainted hearts cannot even touch this powerful sword. If a hero who is too young to bear the title that comes with the Master Sword withdraws this blade from its pedestal, the Master Sword will seal away the hero's soul and awaken him when the bearer comes of age to wield it.

The Master Sword also acts as a key to gain entrance to the Temple of Light. If the Master Sword is retrieved from its pedestal in the Temple of Time, the portal to the Sacred Realm will open, eventually leading to the Triforce. Other than acting as the entrance to the Temple of Light, the sacred blade, in conjunction with the Pedestal of Time, has the ability to lock away evil magic and prevent its bearer from using it until the Master Sword is withdrawn from its pedestal. Additionally, the bearer of the sword can travel through time to some extent by simply thrusting the Master Sword into the Pedestal of Time. The hero is able to travel backwards and forwards through the seven years of his life that were lost when he was kept in the Sacred Realm until he was old enough to hold the sword.

When in the Twilight, the Master Sword itself can be infused with the power of the Sols from the Twilight Realm, allowing it to cut through the dark fog that exists in the realm.

A Link to the Past comic
In the A Link to the Past comic, Sahasrahla's Wife elaborates on part of the Master Sword's history: she tells of ancient scrolls that speak of the prosperous people who once inhabited the land of Hyrule. According to the scrolls they made many powerful weapons, including the ultimate treasure, the Master  Sword, crafted specifically to resist evil power and which now rests in  the Lost Woods. Link begins his quest to search for the Master Sword after Agahnim kidnaps Princess Zelda to cast the third and final incantation on her and thus break the seal that binds Ganon to the Dark World. Before Agahnim is able to take her away, Zelda reveals to Link that only the Master Sword can harm Agahnim. The young hero eventually finds Sahasrahla, and although the old man is puzzled as to how someone so young like Link could be searching for the  Master Sword, he tells Link he must recover the Pendants of Virtue  to claim the legendary weapon. After acquiring the three Pendants of Virtue, Link heads out to the Lost Woods and retrieves the legendary weapon out of its pedestal.

Link, now confident with the power of the Master Sword, heads out to battle Agahnim atop Hyrule Castle. Sahasrahla contacts Link and tells him not to trust all his power in the Master Sword, for even the  legendary blade cannot harm Agahnim's body. Link attacks him anyway, but the Master Sword passes right through the evil wizard, which causes him to turn around and paralyze Link by only looking at him. Agahnim then casts Zelda into the Dark World, which causes for Link's rage towards Agahnim begins to channel through the Master Sword  since  the young hero and the legendary blade are as one. Agahnim and Link begin to battle, and after Sahasrahla reveals to the  young hero that the Master Sword was also forged to repel evil magic, Link uses the sword to turn back Agahnim's magic against him and successfully defeat him.

Link also uses the Master Sword to battle against Ganon, which he uses to stun the King of Thieves while Zelda delivers the final blow with the Silver Arrow. With Hyrule now at peace, Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal in the Lost Woods. The comic's final scene shows the Master Sword overgrown by foliage as  it sleeps, waiting for a new bearer when disaster befalls Hyrule again.

Super Smash Bros. Series
In the Super Smash Bros. series, Adult Link and Toon Link wield the Master Sword in battle. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Master Sword can be obtained as a trophy in the Lottery or picked up in a stage of Adventure Mode or All-Star Mode. The Subspace Emissary from Super Smash Bros. Brawl shows a cutscene where Link pulls out the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time in the middle of a forest when the young hero is first introduced.

Soulcalibur II
The Master Sword is one of Link's weapons in Soulcalibur II, and it can be used with either the Hylian Shield or the Mirror Shield. Since it is Link's most familiar sword, the Master Sword in conjunction with the Hylian Shield is considered to be Link's most balanced weapon.

Trivia

 * This legendary weapon is considered to be the most recognized sword in the Zelda series, being displayed in title logos such as in A Link to the Past and appearing as Link's main weapon in other games like Soulcalibur II and the Super Smash Bros. series.