Pedestal of the Master Sword

The Pedestal of Time is the resting place of the Master Sword in Ocarina of Time and is located in the Temple of Time. While the name "Pedestal of Time" was introduced in Ocarina of Time, it is theorized that the actual pedestal was already introduced in A Link to the Past. It has been speculated to make an appearance in a few other games with differing amounts of evidence supporting each case.

Ocarina of Time


In its first chronological appearance of the series in Ocarina of Time, the Pedestal of Time is shown to be the resting place of the Master Sword and is located within the Temple of Time behind the Door of Time. Link drew the Master Sword from the pedestal, unwittingly throwing open the gate to the Sacred Realm and granting Ganondorf access to the Triforce unopposed. Rauru, an ancient Sage, sealed Link away for seven years so that he would age enough to properly assume the role of the prophesied hero. Link soon discovered that, by placing the Master Sword back inside the pedestal, he could return to his childhood years. In order to reverse the process once again and travel back to the future, Link simply had to draw the sword from the pedestal once again.

Twilight Princess


The Pedestal of Time was officially present in Twilight Princess. It was one of the few parts of the Temple of Time that did not lie in ruins at the period of time this story took place. A unique difference of this appearance was that instead of being protected by the absence of three Goddesses related artifacts, the path to the pedestal was blocked by two huge stone soldiers who challenged Link to a test of the mind in order to prove himself worthy of wielding the Master Sword.

Later in the storyline, Link had to return to the temple ruins. By placing the Master Sword temporarily back inside the Pedestal of Time, he unlocked a portal within the doors of the temple which allowed him to enter the Temple of Time as it had once been in ages past. Once in the temple of the past, Link once again had to return the Master Sword to its pedestal in order to reveal a secret staircase which allowed access past an illusionary wall that concealed a corridor leading deep into the bowels of the temple. If you look closely you can see Hylian writing on it that spells out "Master Sword" when translated.

A Link to the Past
Whether the actual Pedestal of Time makes an appearance in is unclear. Much like in Ocarina of Time, the pedestal in A Link to the Past is the resting place of the Master Sword as long as it is not needed. Another similarity is that Link has to collect three artifacts related to the Goddesses in order to obtain the sword. He had to place the Pendants of Virtue directly into the pedestal and the Spiritual Stones were used to open the Door of Time that blocked the way to the pedestal. Another difference is that there are no traces of the Temple of Time to be found and that the pedestal is located in the Lost Woods, rather than Hyrule Castle Town as in Ocarina of Time.

It is interesting to note is that Twilight Princess features the ruins of what appears to be the Temple of Time from Ocarina of Time. However, these ruins which include the Pedestal of Time, are not located in Hyrule Castle Town either as they would be expected to be if they were meant to represent the Temple of Time from that story. Instead, these ruins are found in the Lost Woods like the pedestal in A Link to the Past.

The Wind Waker
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the Master Sword is found in a basement chamber of Hyrule Castle, and it is resting in a pedestal. When Link discovers the blade, Hyrule Castle is frozen in time, along with all of its occupants. As he pulls the blade from the Pedestal, the huge knight statues above the pedestal lower their swords in unison, and time's flow resumes in the Castle. It could be said that the Pedestal of Time's role in The Wind Waker gives a new meaning to its name.

As is the case in A Link to the Past, it is unclear whether this pedestal is meant to be the same Pedestal of Time seen in Ocarina of Time, but it is a distinct possibility.

Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak


Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak features a reference to the Pedestal of Time. On his quest to save love for all hamsters, Hamtaro finds three orbs: a red one, a green one, and a blue one. As in A Link to the Past, these have to be put in a pedestal to unlock what at first appears to be the Master Sword, but it instead turns out to be a spoon.