Goddess of Time

"The Goddess of Time is protecting you. If you play the Song of Time, she will aid you..."

- Princess Zelda

The Goddess of Time is a character first mentioned in Majora's Mask as being the one responsible for assisting in the quest of the Hero of Time, Link, by allowing him to relive his three days in the land of Termina many times over on his quest to stop the Moon from crashing into Termina. This apocalyptic situation is due to the evil power of Majora, whose evil essence overtakes the Skull Kid when he puts on the powerful Majora’s Mask, causing him to attempt to destroy Termina by pulling the Moon from its orbit. Link is first told of the Goddess of Time by Princess Zelda shortly before leaving Hyrule on his quest to find his fairy companion Navi. Zelda tells Link that if he should play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time (which she gave to him as a parting gift) in a time of great need, the Goddess of Time would come to his aid. This is proven true whenever Link plays the mystical song on the ocarina, where he is sent back through time and finds himself right back where he began on his first day in Termina. With the aid of the Goddess of Time, Link is able to manipulate time and traverse Termina in search of the mythical Four Giants, who are capable of stopping Termina's coming doom.

The Goddess of Time is officially mentioned in only one game of the series to date, Majora's Mask. While she is never physically seen, her presence is very apparent as the force behind Link's time-travel abilities. She can be called upon by playing the mysterious Song of Time upon the sacred Ocarina of Time, and she will answer the one holding the Ocarina of Time by sending them back through time.

She is first mentioned by Princess Zelda when Link leaves on his journey to locate Navi, following the end of Ocarina of Time. This encounter is recalled by Link when he reclaims the Ocarina of Time from the Skull Kid's possession atop the Clock Tower in South Clock Town on the night of the Final Day, the eve of the Carnival of Time. Zelda reassured him that the Goddess of Time was protecting him and that, if he played the Song of Time, she would come to his aid should he need her.

Unlike the Golden Goddesses, who do not seem to be revered in Termina at all, the Goddess of Time is mentioned by a few Terminans, who usually call out to her for her protective powers. When Tatl exclaims that they need more time, she calls out for the help of the Goddess of Time after Link remembers his encounter with Zelda. The man who takes shelter in the Oceanside Spider House also asks the Goddess of Time for her protection for the falling moon.

Using the power of the Ocarina of Time, Link plays the Song of Time and is surprised to find himself speeding back through time, landing in front of the Clock Tower at the dawn of the First Day. Link makes use of this power granted to him by the Goddess of Time countless times throughout his adventure to save Termina and eventually succeeds in his efforts of freeing the Four Giants, something he could not have possibly hoped to accomplish without this time-travel power.

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The Goddess of Time is briefly mentioned by the Oracle of Ages, as one who decides a person's unavoidable fate.

Theories
The "Goddess of Time" is variously thought to either be an epithet for one of the Golden Goddesses, Hylia, or an additional, independent deity. Whoever the Goddess is, it is clear that she is linked with the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, who is not only the Sage of Time, but also the one to introduce Link to the Temple of Time, the Ocarina of Time, the Song of Time, and even the concept of a Goddess of Time. Using these instruments, Zelda is also able to manipulate time in order to send Link back to his youth, creating the Child Timeline in which Ganon was caught before entering the Sacred Realm. The Goddess is also associated with the Temple of Time both for its name, and for being the site of several gateways between past and present, its status as the gateway to the Sacred Realm, and being closely associated with Zelda, who aside from Link and Impa, is the only person to regularly appear within the temple at any point in the Zelda series.

, the Goddess of Wisdom who set down the laws of nature and whose oracle,, watches over the flow of time, is often thought to be the Goddess of Time. Attributing the Temple of Time to her would also provide a triad with the Earth and Wind Temples of, easily associated with the earth-shaper and the wind-giver  The holder of her Triforce of Wisdom, Princess Zelda, is even the Sage of Time, one who gives Link the Ocarina of Time and teaches him the Song of Time.

However, Zelda is also the descendant of the Goddess, who reincarnated herself through time as the original Zelda, and who used the original Gate of Time to combat the demon king Demise, as well as temporarily enshrining herself within the Sealed Grounds that became the Temple of Time, and creating the Master Sword that is said to be a "ship that sails through time".

A less potent candidate is the Goddess of Courage, who is associated with the the "Spirit of Courage and Time" Ciela. There is also the possibility that the Goddess of Time is not real at all, and is merely a folk belief; however, given the very real, physical presence of deities in the world of Hyrule, it is unlikely that the Hylians would belive in the existence of a god that left no physical traces.