Hylia


 * This article is about the Goddess. For other uses, see Hylia (Disambiguation).

Hylia (pronounced ),  also known as The Goddess, Her Grace and later Zelda, is a goddess featured in SS undefined. She is depicted throughout the world by both statues and imagery, often as having had angelic wings and holding a sword in her right hand. Beginning as a divine entity, she was later, by her own choice, reborn into a mortal form as the first incarnation of Zelda, making her the true ancestor to the Royal Family of Hyrule and explaining the magical powers passed down within their bloodline.

Backstory
When the three gods of old departed from the world that they created, the Triforce was given to Hylia so that she could protect it. She did so throughout the Era of the Goddess Hylia. Eventually, Hylia met a person who she chose to be her hero, giving her Sailcloth to him.

The Battle Against Demise
The Demon King Demise and his demonic hordes came from a fissure that had opened. Wanting to make the world his own, Demise gathered an army of monsters and attacked the the Surface, in order to take the Triforce from Hylia.

To prevent the Triforce from falling into Demise's possession, Hylia gathered the surviving humans on an outcrop of earth with the Triforce and sent them to the sky, and away from evil. After sending her people away, the goddess created a cloud barrier to separate the sky from the world below. With the surviving humans safe above the clouds, the goddess and the five tribes, who still lived on the surface, sealed away Demise in the former location of the Statue of the Goddess, restoring peace to the land.

The Goddess's Chosen Hero
During the battle, Hylia had suffered injuries and knew that the seal would not hold against Demise's power. Because of this, she formed two plans to end the Demon King. Her first plan consisted in creating Fi, the spirit that resides in the Goddess Sword, and giving it the purpose of assisting Hylia's chosen hero throughout his journey. Hylia then abandoned her powers and divinity in order to "transfer her soul to the body of a mortal" so that the Triforce, which was created by the gods but not usable by one, could be used.

Hylia left several messages for the one who would one day become her chosen hero to guide him in his quest. Along with these messages, Hylia created several trials that would test the hero's power, wisdom, and courage. After completing each trial, the chosen hero would receive one of the three gifts left by Hylia, which would help the hero find his way to the Sacred Flames. To reach these trials, the goddess also left the Isle of Songs for her chosen hero. The isle houses three melodies that would open the way to the three trials, with each of the melodies being bestowed upon the hero to play on the Goddess's Harp, which was an object and weapon once used by Hylia herself.

To keep the Triforce from falling into the wrong hands, Hylia hid the relic on Skyloft within Sky Keep, but the location was kept a secret. The goddess appointed a dragon to protect each region of the Surface: Faron to watch over the woods, Eldin to watch over the mountains, and Lanayru to watch over the desert. She also appointed the spirit Levias as warden of the skies. Each of the guardians were left with a part of the "Song of the Hero", a melody that would unlock the final trial for the chosen hero. Hylia entrusted the guardians to teach the chosen hero their part of the song, since should the hero succeed in completing the last trial, the path to the Triforce would open to him.

The Goddess Reborn
Hylia was eventually reborn on Skyloft as Zelda, daughter of Gaepora and close childhood friend of Link, the one who would go on to become her chosen hero in the Era of the Sky. However, Zelda was not aware of her previous existence as the goddess until she was tossed out of the sky and onto the Surface by Ghirahim's tornado. Is it here that an old woman rescued Zelda from being captured by evil forces and helped her remember her original purpose and life as the goddess Hylia. With a young Impa's help, who was actually sent out to help Zelda at the request of the goddess, Zelda set out to pray at the goddess statues located in each temple across the surface to purify her body, with each statue stirring up memories of her past life.

At one point, Zelda and Impa travel through the Gate of Time into the past, with Impa destroying the gate to escape Ghirahim's grasp, who wishes to use Zelda's soul to resurrect his master. Link, the goddess's chosen hero, manages to activate a second Gate of Time and reaches the era where Hylia has just sealed away Demise. There, Link meets with Zelda, who explains her true nature as the mortal reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia. She blesses the Master Sword with the power of the Goddess, causing it to take on its true form, before telling Link that she, as the reincarnation of Hylia, must remain in a deep sleep to keep Demise imprisoned within his seal. Before doing so, Zelda explains that the goddess needed someone with an "unbreakable spirit" to defeat Demise. However, Hylia realized that spirit alone was not enough, and so the goddess, knowing that the hero would "throw himself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt" if it meant saving Zelda, used Link so that he would be able to wield the Triforce. Her Grace apologizes for the way she had to involve him in all of it, but is prepared to pay for her actions. She proceeds to seal herself into a crystal and sleep for thousands of years to ensure Demise's imprisonment holds, and tells Link that he must find and use the Triforce to destroy Demise so that she will be able to awaken in their own time.

Link succeeds in obtaining the Triforce and wishes for the destruction of Demise. He then rushes into the Sealed Temple to witness Zelda's awakening, but just as the group believes that Link's quest is finally over, Ghirahim appears to attack them, taking Zelda and heading for the Gate of Time. Link follows Ghirahim, where he is beginning the ritual to revive Demise, who was still sealed in that era, by having him absorb the soul of Zelda. He has his troops attack Link to keep the hero at bay while he works, but Link manages to reach the center and fights Ghirahim, successfully defeating him. Ghirahim, however, reveals that while the two were fighting, the ritual continued, and the Imprisoned rises, absorbing Zelda's soul and returning to his original form: the Demon King, Demise.

After Link seals Demise's consciousness within the Master Sword, peace returns to the land, and Zelda as well as the young hero return to their own time. Zelda mentions to Link that she had fantasized about the surface for so long that she wants to remain there and watch over the Triforce, and asks what Link's intentions are for the future. Link smiles at her, and then the camera pans to show both his and Zelda's Loftwings flying back into the sky, implying that Link chose to stay with her.

Legacy
The descendants of the people who lived among Hylia would come to be known as the Hylians and the descendants of her mortal incarnation, Zelda, would go to establish the Kingdom of Hyrule upon the surface in the Era of the Prosperity, becoming the long-lasting Royal Family of Hyrule bloodline which inherited her powers. Future women born into her royal bloodline would frequently be named after her mortal incarnation for generations, while it would seem the humans named Hylians, Lake Hylia, the Great Bridge of Hylia, the Hylia River and Mount Hylia would be named after her goddess incarnation.

Hylia also has a great presence in the Hyrule of. Some locations appear to be named after her, including Mount Hylia. The Monks that created the Ancient Shrines also seem to worship her and claim to have been blessed with her sight.

Skyward Sword Manga
In the SS Manga by Akira Himekawa, the Goddess Hylia makes an appearance.

As Hylia's Chosen Hero is readying himself to battle against Demise and his army, the Goddess Hylia suddenly appears in person, riding on an old Loftwing. Link reveals himself as the Knight of Hylia and the hero whom they sought. He claims that, although humans may seem small in the eyes of the gods, there are those among them who possess great courage. Hylia acknowledges her knight's unmatched valiance and honor and proclaims him her chosen hero. She then allows him to wield her legendary weapon brought by the gods, the Master Sword. However, the hero claims that he could not touch a holy sword, thinking that he is impure because he was imprisoned for years. Despite this, Hylia says that the Master Sword will decide whether he is impure or not, and asks him for his choice; to seek revenge on the surface's people who imprisoned him or to save the world from its terrible fate. Hylia's Chosen Hero decides that he will always stand with his friends and accepts the Master Sword from the goddess. After reforging the sword, the hero agrees to lead the Goddess's army against the invading demons, but is mortally wounded in an encounter with Demise. With no other choice, Hylia and the hero use the power of the Master Sword to send the earth surrounding the castle into The Sky. With the humans and the Triforce safe in The Sky, Hylia proceeds to fight Demise and seals him away. After the battle, she sees her Chosen Hero lying dead on the ground, having succumbed to his wounds. Filled with grief, Hylia promises that his spirit will eternally live on and resolves to discard her divinity so that she may be with the Chosen Hero as a mortal.

Trivia

 * Characters from previous Zelda titles have mentioned Hylia. In, one of the Maidens refers to the Royal Family as "the royalty of Hylia." Shad from names Hylians "the people of Hylia." In these contexts, however, "Hylia" simply refers to the land of the Hylians.