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 or as the Sword of Time, is a recurring sword in the. Crafted by the ancient Sages, the Master Sword holds the power to repel evil, and it is usually the only sword that can defeat Ganon in the games it appears in. Ever since the Link from Ocarina of Time retrieved it from the Pedestal of Time and defeated Ganon with it, the Master Sword has become analogous with the legend of the Hero of Time. As such, 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.

Creation and History
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 and the Seven Sages created a sword resistant to magic, which could even repulse powers granted by the Triforce. Although the Sages tried to find someone brave to wield the Master Sword, they never found such a person, leaving the knights of Hyrule to seal away Ganon instead.

Eventually, the Temple of Time was built by the ancient Sages and, within it, they placed the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time. 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.

Discrepancies
Although the English manual of A Link to the Past mentions that the Master Sword was not created until after Ganon invaded the Golden Land, the Japanese manual states that it was forged by the people long before the Imprisoning War occurred. Shortly after the creation of the world, the Goddesses instructed the people to forge a sword that would have the power to vanquish anyone who misused the Triforce. The location of the blade was already forgotten by the time of the Imprisoning War, and no hero was found worthy of wielding it.

Interestingly, 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 forged the Master Sword. However, Skyward Sword, which takes place before the events of Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, reveals that the Master Sword was originally once known as the, where it rested in a floating island above the clouds known as Skyloft.

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 by simply thrusting the Master Sword into the Pedestal of Time.

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
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 wield the magic of the Bombos, Quake, and Ether Medallion by holding the Master Sword up into the sky next to certain inscriptions around Hyrule.

Ocarina of Time
This legendary blade resides in the Temple of Time. To gain the Sword, Link must collect the three Spiritual Stones, and play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time to open the chamber where it is sealed. The Master Sword is the final key to the Sacred Realm and the Temple of Light, which houses the Triforce. Only the one worthy of the title of the Hero of Time can draw the Master Sword. In both Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, the Master Sword locks away evil from Hyrule. When Link pulls the Master Sword out of its pedestal, he travels seven years into the future. He can also return to the past by plunging the sword back into the pedestal. In the end of the game, the Master Sword is used by Link to defeat Ganondorf, and seal him into the Evil Realm.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
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.

The Master Sword, also fittingly, is the only sword capable of hurting Ganon without resorting to spin attacks.

The Wind Waker
The Master Sword is predominately referred to as the Blade of Evil's Bane in The Wind Waker's legends and rests in a hidden chamber in Hyrule Castle, deep beneath the waves of the Great Sea. 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. He unwittingly awakens Ganondorf's army from their ancient slumber. Later, Link learns that due to Ganondorf murdering of the Sages, Fado and Laruto, the Master Sword had lost its power to repel evil and Link must awaken two Sages in order to regain that lost power. Those Sages are apparently there in order to pray for the Master Sword and the Hero who wields it and to keep it glowing with the power to repel evil. The sword has a slightly new design in order to fit in with the graphical style of the game, but it still remains close to the original weapon. With the power to repel evil gone, the guard is curved into the blade rather of extending outward as it once did. The gem that rests at the base of the blade is black rather than gold this time, and symbol of the Triforce is missing. The guard is restored with the earth sage's prayers and the gem and Triforce symbol with the prayers of the wind sage. When the sword is fully restored, it glows with the power to repel evil.

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 be held by the Legendary Hero. It is the one relic that allows Link to break the curse that Zant places on him after the end of Lakebed Temple and return to his human form. Link then draws the blade from its pedestal, and Midna proclaims that the sword chose Link to become its new master.

The Master Sword in this game also allowed Link access to other numerous hidden temples later in the game, such as the Temple of Time. 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.

At the end of the game, Link places the sword back in its pedestal in the Sacred Grove before leaving the land of Hyrule.

Skyward Sword

 * Main article: Skyward Sword

In Skyward Sword, the Master Sword is originally known as the Skyward Sword, where it rests in the floating island above the clouds: Skyloft. The sword possesses intelligence and can transform into the semi-human form shown in the leaked artwork. Eventually, the Skyward Sword becomes the Master Sword.

Cross-references
In popular culture, the Master Sword suggests direct comparisons to the Sword in the Stone, a mythical blade wielded by King Arthur at the beginning of his journeys in medieval times. In the French versions of the Zelda games, it is called Excalibur, which seems to support the theory. Just as the sword was set in the stone, the Master Sword is a sword in a pedestal. The Master Sword can only be drawn by the one chosen by destiny. However, the similarities end there. Any perceived connection is merely fan speculation.

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.

Theories
Some fans believe that the inscription on the sword's pedestal in A Link to the Past refers to the story of the sword's first master, the Hero of Time (who was the legendary Hero at the time of the Great Cataclysm), that triumphed over many enemies on the very eve of the Great Cataclysm and won the three Spiritual Stones, the necessary keys to open the way to the Master Sword. This would mean that the "three symbols of virtue" were the three Spiritual Stones, giving credence to the possibility that the stones may have been transformed into the Pendants of Virtue at some point following the Imprisoning War and retained their role as necessary keys needed to unlock the Master Sword from its resting place. If the inscription on the Pedestal of Time (the sword's pedestal) is referring to the story of the Hero of Time, this would suggest that the Hero of Time was a descendant of the Knights of Hyrule ("keeping the Knights' line true) and lend credence to the possibility that the Link in A Link to the Past is a descendant of the Hero of Time since it is noted that the Link in A Link to the Past is the last of the Knights' bloodline and that the Hero of Time kept the Knights' line true at the time of the Great Cataclysm (when all the Knights of Hyrule were wiped out).