Sheikah

The Sheikah, or Shadow Folk, are a secretive, magical race devoted to the Great Goddesses. They swore loyalty to the Royal Family of Hyrule, perhaps due to their religious convictions, as the Princess of Hyrule oftentimes functions as a sort of "priestess" of the Goddesses. Most of the Sheikah died off in the Unification War before the events of Ocarina of Time.

Characteristics
The Sheikah are recognized by their distinctive red eyes, and the Sheikah emblem they usually wear. The only verified Sheikah also had pure white hair.

The Sheikah emblem is a single eye with a tear drop. The Ocarina of Time manga, which is not canon, states that the emblem used to be a single eye until the Sheikah tribe was betrayed, and the tear was added.

Legend of the Temples
Sheik first speaks to Link in the Temple of Time, just after his awakening after seven years. There the mysterious shadow youth tells Link of the Legend of the Five Temples:

"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time... When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest... One on a high mountain... One under a vast lake... One within the house of the dead... One inside a goddess of the sand... Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world. This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah..."

This quote may suggest that the Sheikah are more than the hidden protectors of the Royal Family, but the guardians of the whole realm of Hyrule.

Verified Sheikah
The only verified Sheikah is Impa, Princess Zelda's caretaker and the Sage of the Shadow Temple. Zelda also disguises herself as the faux-Sheikah "Sheik", but it is unknown whether she actually took the form of a Sheikah, if she has Sheikah heritage, or she merely used a conventional disguise. As "Sheik", she has dark blonde hair, red eyes, and wears a prominent Sheikah emblem.

Possible Sheikah
There are many characters throughout the series who have characteristics similar to the Sheikah.


 * Princess Zelda disguises herself as Sheik in Ocarina of Time, and wears the Sheikah emblem in Twilight Princess. Also, in The Wind Waker, it is said that her pirates conquered the Forsaken Fortress some time ago, and the Sheikah emblem is seen inside the room at the top.
 * The Happy Mask Salesman seems to have red eyes (when angered), but they appear to just be bloodshot.
 * Kafei, from Majora's Mask, has the distinctive red eyes.
 * Impaz, the caretaker of the Ancient Sky Book and Old Kakariko from Twilight Princess, specifically claims that she is a descendant of and is named after the woman who founded the town and protected the Royal Family. This seems to be a reference to Impa.
 * Baito, the human mailman from The Wind Waker, has the Sheikah emblem tattooed on his back.
 * Madame Fanadi, the fortuneteller from Twilight Princess, has the distinctive red eyes and wears the Sheikah emblem on her forehead.