Great Cataclysm

"I am Aginah. I sense something is happening in the Golden Land the Seven Wise Men sealed... This must be an omen of the Great Cataclysm foretold by the people of Hylian blood..."

- Aginah

"The Hero's triumph on Cataclysm's Eve wins three symbols of virtue. The Master Sword he retrieves, keeping the Knight's line true."

- Pedestal of the Master Sword

= On Cataclysm's Eve = The Great Cataclysm is the name given to an event that occurred in Hyrule's history that involved Ganon's entry into the Sacred Realm and his theft of the Triforce. The inscription on the pedestal of the Master Sword reads: "The Hero's triumph on Cataclysm's Eve wins three symbols of virtue. The Master Sword he retrieves, keeping the Knight's line true." Some believe this refers to the Link of A Link to the Past, who was destined to triumph over Ganon and reclaim the Triforce, preserving the bloodline of the knights who fought against Ganon during the Imprisoning War. The Maiden Link rescues in the Skull Woods further explains that the prophecy of the Great Cataclysm means that whenever an evil person seizes the Triforce (as Ganon did during the Imprisoning War), a hero is destined to rise up and vanquish the evil one. Furthermore, the prophecy states that the hero must be of the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule. This seems to indicate that the Cataclysm ends with the battle between the Hero armed with the Master Sword and the evil person holding the Triforce. However, others believe this could also be referring to the Hero of Time, who was the one to face Ganondorf originally and helped seal him within the Dark World as the first of the Hero bloodline. And while a prophecy was made about Ganon's eventual ultimate destruction, this may not be referring to the Great Cataclysm itself. As the true cataclysm Hyrule suffered was Ganondorf's theft of the Triforce. The Hero of Time was also the Hero present at the time that Ganondorf first gained hold of the Triforce, and is also thought to be descended from the Knights of Hyrule. The fact that several generations and/or centuries separates A Link to the Past from Ocarina of Time further disputes the idea of the Great Cataclysm referring merely to the events of A Link to the Past. The description of the Great Cataclysm seems to mirror the events of Ocarina of Time, which set the stage for all other games in the sense that it is the game that shows how Ganondorf gained hold of the Triforce of Power and gained the immortality that has allowed him to harm Hyrule for centuries.

In the instruction manual for Link's Awakening, another reference to the prophecy is made. Link "fulfilled the Hyrulian prophecy of the Legendary Hero and destroyed the evil tyrant Ganon." As stated before however, this prophecy could be a separate one that speaks of how another Hero of the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule (as the Hero of Time himself is thought to have been) would ultimately rectify the consequences of the Great Cataclysm rather than referring to the Great Cataclysm itself. The Great Cataclysm seems more likely to refer to the original events that set the stage for Hyrule's future history, the events of Ocarina of Time.

Some believe that the Great Cataclysm refers to the prophecy of the Hero of Time, the Master Sword's first true wielder and the Hero that was present at the time of the Great Cataclysm itself (thought also to be the opening of the Sacred Realm and the shattering of the Triforce, hence the term "cataclysm"). The Hero of Time triumphed over the evil monsters created by the Dark Lord Ganondorf on the eve of the Cataclysm (literally, as Ganondorf's entry into the Sacred Realm took place almost immediately following the Hero's success in gaining the Spiritual Stones) and won three objects, the Spiritual Stones, that were required to open the way to the Master Sword. Despite the Hero's triumph and his claiming of the Master Sword, this enabled Ganondorf to unleash the Great Cataclysm, which shattered the Triforce and altered the course of Hyrule's future for ages to come as the Triforce pieces remained divided for eons and Ganondorf attained immortality of sorts, giving Hyrule an unrelenting threat to its existence that would persist for ages to come and beyond. While it would be a retcon of the original story of A Link to the Past, it only makes sense that a "cataclysm" is some "catastrophic" event that leads to disaster, and in this case, Ganondorf's entry into the Sacred Realm proved to indeed be one of the greatest "cataclysms" in Hyrule's history, given the consequences Hyrule suffered thanks to it. It is also no surprise that a prophecy was made about a new Hero that would completely erase the devastating effects of the Great Cataclysm and destroy Ganon utterly, the Link of A Link to the Past. However, the Hero spoken of in the legend of the Great Cataclysm itself seems almost certainly to have been the first Hero that was actually present when it occurred, the Hero of Time.

The Hero's Triumph On Cataclysm's Eve
Although Ganondorf had conquered Hyrule Castle and Zelda had fled, Link had triumphed over the evils laid out by Ganondorf over the Kokiri, Goron, and Zora races and now had in his possession all the necessary keys to open the Door of Time. Heeding Zelda's order to get to the Sacred Realm and to protect the Triforce, Link headed to the Temple of Time off the town square of Hyrule Castle Town while Ganondorf seemingly disappeared to pursue Zelda and Impa. Link entered the sacred structure and gazed upon an altar with three small depressions, and behind the altar, a tall door of solid stone with the symbol of the Triforce above it. Link placed his three symbols of virtue, the three Spiritual Stones, upon the altar and played the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time. Once completed, the stone symbol of the Triforce above the Door of Time shined gold, and the Door of Time slid open to allow the young hero access to the chamber that lay beyond it. Link proceeded with Navi into the chamber behind the door and found the legendary Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, embedded within the Pedestal of Time. Link stepped forward, grasped the enchanted blade's handle, and pulled upward. Recognizing Link's strength of heart and his righteousness, the Master Sword slid gracefully out of the Pedestal of Time, and a wave of powerful energy engulfed the platform the pedestal lay on as the portal to the Sacred Realm was opened. Link, however, was too young to wield the Master Sword and take up the title of the Hero of Time. Thus, his spirit was sealed within the Temple of Light, the home of the Triforce, for a period of seven years until he could properly handle the Master Sword.

The Spoiling of the Sacred Realm
Ganondorf, meanwhile, had secretly guessed that Link held the keys to the Door of Time and followed him into the Temple of Time. After the boy had pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, the last barrier to the Sacred Realm was removed, leaving Ganondorf able to enter the Sacred Realm through the portal Link had opened. Ganondorf proceeded through the Door of Time and into the portal with a party of his Gerudo followers. What they found on the other side of the portal was an awesome sight: a realm of peaceful serenity whose midday skies shined gold, not blue. It was a strange and yet incredibly beautiful place that no one had set foot in for ages, and Ganondorf and his followers were the first to enter this mystical place in all that time. And there, shining down upon the world from the summit of the Temple of Light, was the Triforce in all its glory. Thus began a long running battle to the heart of the Sacred Realm between Ganondorf and his followers. During that battle, Ganondorf slew all of his followers that had accompanied him into the Realm so that he could claim the Triforce uncontested and have absolute power. Coming to the base of the pyramidal-shaped Temple of Light, Ganondorf ascended the Temple via the many steps that led up its sides until he arrived at the topmost platform and stood triumphantly over the Triforce. Ganondorf heard a voice call to him, telling him that if there was a wish he had in his heart to touch the Triforce with that wish in mind. Ganondorf's wish, of course, was to rule the world forever, and, laughing so hard that his voice echoed across time and space to reach even Hyrule itself, he laid his tainted, blood-stained hands on the sacred Triforce. At that moment however, an ancient prophecy regarding the Triforce came true:

''If you would seek the Sacred Triangle, listen well. The resting place of the Sacred Triangle, the Sacred Realm...It is a mirror that reflects what is in the heart...The heart of one who enters it...The Triforce, the Sacred Triangle...It is a balance that weighs the three forces: Power, Wisdom, and Courage...If the heart of the one who holds the Sacred Triangle has all three forces in balance, that one will gain the True Force to govern all...But if that one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into three parts:  Power, Wisdom, and Courage...Only one part will remain for the one who touched the Triforce, the part representing the force that one most believes in...If that one would seek the True Force, that one must acquire the two lost parts...Those two parts will be held by those chosen by destiny, who will bear the Triforce mark on the backs of their hands.''

Thus, when Ganondorf touched the Triforce, this legend came true, and the Triforce split apart. The Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage rose into the air and vanished as Ganondorf screamed in anger. Only the Triforce of Power remained in the newly-minted King of Evil's hand, since that was the one thing he most believed in and desired most. Meanwhile, all around him, the Sacred Realm began to change utterly as it withered and died. Malevolent dark clouds plagued the skies, and light shined no more on this magical realm as it was plunged into darkness and became a land of evil and despair. It became the Dark World, a twisted copy of Hyrule that was meant to serve Ganondorf's wish for conquest. At that moment, Ganondorf himself changed as well, changing into a form that reflected what was in his heart. He became the Dark Beast Ganon, a boar-like creature bent upon conquest and destruction. This was the form he would forever take within the Dark World. Nevertheless, Ganondorf was not satisfied, and he returned to Hyrule to subjugate it with the strength of the Triforce of Power, transforming back into his Gerudian form in the Light World.

Hyrule's Plunge Into Darkness
The land of Hyrule quickly fell into the clutches of the King of Evil and his new army of evil creatures that swarmed from the tainted Sacred Realm. The Knights of Hyrule, knowing that the world's only hope now lay in the power of the Sages and the Hero of Time that was supposed to assist them, rallied to defend the five temples that resided within Hyrule: the Forest Temple, the Fire Temple, the Water Temple, the Shadow Temple, and the Spirit Temple. The Temple of Time was not defended because they had believed that Ganondorf was so close to it that they would easily be overwhelmed by his forces. Ganondorf, knowing that the largest threat to him lay in the Prophecy of the Hero of Time, sent several of his loyal monsters to overtake the temples and wipe out the Knights of Hyrule.

Phantom Ganon arrived to haunt the Forest Temple and prevent the Sage of Forest from awakening, along with a whole brigade of Ganondorf's monsters. The beasts overwhelmed the Knights that were protecting the temple and wiped them out. Those monsters that did not stay at the temple migrated to the thinner area of the woods, where they terrorized and destroyed the Kokiri Forest. A lone Kokiri girl named Saria was captured by the strange beasts and was forced into the heart of the temple.

Meanwhile, up on Death Mountain, Ganondorf revived the evil ancient dragon Volvagia and ordered it to take over the Fire Temple while imprisoning the Gorons. The mountain became overly active, and became a volcanic threat not only to the Gorons, but the Kakariko Villagers on the slopes below. To stop this impending threat, the Goron chief Darunia entered the temple, searching for a way to free his people.

Ganondorf then used his newly found power to freeze Zora's Domain and trap its Zora populace beneath a sheet of enchanted ice that would never melt so long as the monster he placed in the Water Temple, Morpha, remained there, slowly draining Lake Hylia of its water. Princess Ruto, the daughter of King Zora, was unfrozen by a mysterious Sheikah and headed south to Lake Hylia to defeat the monster and unfreeze her watery home.

In Kakariko Village, Ganondorf released the evil shadow beast Bongo Bongo from its prison at the Bottom of the Well and ordered it to terrorize the residents of the village and take over the Shadow Temple. Impa, who had watched over her native village in the past and was the one who had sealed Bongo Bongo in the well originally, headed to the temple to save the last village of Hylian resistance.

Finally, Ganondorf sent his surrogate mothers Kotake and Koume, collectively known as Twinrova, to take over the Spirit Temple in the Desert Colossus at the far end of the Gerudo Desert. Nabooru, the second in command of the Gerudo, had been living there, trying to find a way to defeat the evil Gerudo King. She was captured by the hags and brainwashed, leaving any Gerudo rebellion at a stand-still.

Thus, with the five temples now infested with his monsters, the Sages would be unable to awaken and assist the Hero of Time as legend said they must should he appear. Ganondorf eventually learned somehow at some point that Zelda held the Triforce of Wisdom, and although he searched Hyrule high and low for her, he could not find her as she had donned the disguise of Sheik, a survivor of the Sheikahs. The Triforce of Courage also remained safely hidden from Ganondorf within the Hero of Time, who was held in stasis for a total of seven years within the Temple of Light. Ganondorf's monsters overtook and largely destroyed Hyrule Castle Town, forcing the few survivors of the attack to flee to Kakariko Village. He ordered Hyrule Castle torn down and constructed a castle of his own in its place, the menacing Ganon's Castle. From his Throne Room atop the castle's keep, Ganon's Tower, he looked out over the land of Hyrule, watching and waiting, as dark and violent clouds forever circled the tower's summit, serving as a reminder of the darkness that resided at the tower's top. For those seven dark years, Ganondorf ruled largely unopposed over the land as the Usurper King of Hyrule, and he kept an ever watchful eye out for any sign of the Hero of Time or Princess Zelda, knowing that they were out there somewhere and would sooner or later return to challenge his rule.

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