Hyrule

Hyrule (ハイラル, Hairaru) is the name of the magical kingdom that serves as the setting for nearly every game in the Zelda series. It is usually depicted as a beautiful and prosperous land blessed with deep forests, tall mountains, vast lakes, a barren desert, and great cities. It is ruled by a monarchical government, the Royal Family of Hyrule, with its capital city at the bustling and prosperous Hyrule Castle Town.

The realm was created long ago by three Golden Goddesses who each breathed their essences into the land and gave life and order to the formerly-chaotic realm. They also left within the realm of Hyrule a portal leading to a plane from which the goddesses departed the world, a magical place called the Sacred Realm. It was within this Sacred Realm that the goddesses left an extremely powerful relic called the Triforce, which when mastered will grant the wishes of its holder.

This story of the Triforce would shape Hyrule's future in the centuries that followed its creation, becoming the basis of Hyrule's providence, especially after the birth of a man from the desert named Ganondorf. After the Triforce is stolen by Ganondorf (who wishes to conquer the land for himself ), a young hero named Link, often armed with the Master Sword, rises up to save Hyrule from destruction. The hero is usually assisted in this effort by Hyrule's young princess, Zelda, for whom the series is named. These three characters are the most well-known figures in Hyrulean history and have shaped it in countless ways.

Hyrule is shown in multiple different incarnations, though there are several shared elements between each version. It is also home to a multitude of different races, each inhabiting a different part of the country.

Early History
Hyrule was formed many ages ago through the works of the three Golden Goddesses: Din the Goddess of Power, Nayru the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore the Goddess of Courage. Before time began, before spirits and life existed, these three goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule. Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth and was thus responsible for the creation of the very geography of Hyrule. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world, bringing order to a formerly chaotic realm.; thus, she was responsible for the establishment of all the laws of science and wizardry that govern the physical world of Hyrule. Farore, with her rich soul, created all life forms that would uphold the law established by Nayru and thus was the mother of all life in the realm of Hyrule.

When the labors of the three great goddesses were completed, they departed the world for the heavens. It was in the Sacred Realm that the three goddesses left behind a symbol of their power, the all-powerful relic known as the Triforce, which when mastered in its entirety would grant the heart's desire of its holder, whatever that desire may be.

The Triforce could only be claimed as a whole by one pure of heart however, and this action would cause the Sacred Realm to become a beautiful paradise. But if that one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce would separate into its three separate pieces, leaving only the piece representing the force in which that one most believes in his or her hand and transforming the Sacred Realm into a world of evil. If that one who shattered the Triforce were to seek the true force to govern all, he or she would have to acquire the two lost pieces. The other two pieces would dwell within two special people chosen by destiny, who would bear the symbol of the Triforce on the backs of their hands.

It was at this time that the ancient Sages, knowing that evil ones could abuse the Triforce's magic, crafted a sword that was infused with magic that was resistant even to that of the Triforce itself. This weapon, the Blade of Evil's Bane more commonly known as the Master Sword, was capable of banishing evil itself and was reserved to be used only by a hero that would act as Hyrule's savior in times of Hyrule's greatest need.

The Hylian people were also aided in the development of their new land by the Oocca, a race said to be even closer to the gods than they were. They also assisted the ancient Sages in the construction of the ancient Temple of Time meant to protect the portal to the Sacred Realm and the Triforce stored within. Once the land of Hyrule had been established, the Oocca left for the City in the Sky, but still maintained contact with the Royal Family of Hyrule for a time.

Recent History
The land of Hyrule's more recent history has been a long tale that has woven through many ages and many periods of both light and darkness. For a time, Hyrule's beings lived at peace, content in mind and body for much of the early history of the realm. Soon however, stories of the Sacred Realm began to spread across the land, stories speaking of a so-called "Golden Power" more commonly known as the Triforce that would grant the wishes of its holder. These stories of unlimited power eventually stirred such emotions in the hearts and minds of Hyrule's beings that soon there was nothing left in them but pure greed and lust for the Triforce's wish-granting magic. This eventually turned former friends into bitter enemies and even sparked wars that were fought over the Triforce. Eventually, these stories also reached the ears of a man from the desert named Ganondorf, the king of the Gerudo thieves that hail from the Gerudo Desert in the far western region of Hyrule.

Ganondorf originally hoped to attain the Triforce in order to lift his people, the Gerudo, out of their miserable existence in the barren Gerudo Desert and help them achieve a better way of life. Soon however, these tales of limitless power twisted and warped Ganondorf's mind into being solely interested in using the Triforce for his own desires, eventually causing him to seek total domination over the entire realm of Hyrule, with himself as its ruler forevermore. The Gerudo King soon concocted a plan to enter the Sacred Realm and lay claim to the Triforce, and through much cunning and deceit, he succeeded in entering the Sacred Realm with the unwitting assistance of a young boy from the forest named Link and Hyrule's young princess, Zelda. When he laid his tainted hands on the Triforce however, the legend came true, causing it to shatter and leave only the Triforce of Power in Ganondorf's hand, as that was the force he most believed in and desired most. The other two pieces were eventually joined within what would become Ganondorf's two archenemies: the Triforce of Wisdom was bestowed upon Princess Zelda, and the Triforce of Courage upon Link.

Since that time, the three have battled across much of Hyrule's history as Ganondorf has sought many times to reunite the Triforce pieces and claim the united relic for himself to completely conquer Hyrule, with Zelda and Link usually rising each time to stop him and act as a check on his vast magical powers. When Hyrule is not being threatened by Ganondorf, it has also faced threats from other foes such as the evil Gerudo witch Twinrova and her associates, the Wind Sorcerer Vaati, and the forces of twilight led by the evil Zant to name a few. Each time, Hyrule has usually had a savior rise up to save it in the form of Link, who has reappeared throughout the ages of Hyrule's history as has Zelda when evil threatens Hyrule. The most recent chapters of Hyrule's history have had very lasting and yet diverging implications for each incarnation of the kingdom depicted, thought by many to be the result of a split in Hyrule's history caused around the time Ganondorf was first defeated by Link and Zelda and the hero was sent back to his own age, causing a split universe in which Hyrule exists in two different incarnations of itself as a result.

One of those two incarnations of Hyrule show it to be drowned beneath a deluge known as the Great Flood and eventually destroyed centuries later after Ganondorf is defeated once again, leaving Link and Zelda to seek out a new land that will be the next Hyrule in that particular branch of Hyrule's history. The other, the most recent incarnation of Hyrule, depicts an invasion by the forces of twilight led by the evil Twili known as Zant, with a new incarnation of Link and Zelda rising up once again to defeat Zant and his dark master, who is eventually revealed to be Ganondorf himself. Both incarnations of Hyrule have shown vastly different fates for the kingdom, and it remains to be seen what new adventures will take place for Link and Zelda in Hyrule in either incarnation of the kingdom. In the Adult Timeline, Hyrule is destroyed and buried underneath the oceans while Link and Tetra search for a new land. Meanwhile, in the other timeline, Zelda resumes her place as Hyrule's ruler, with Ganondorf left dead after a great battle in Hyrule Field and Link riding away on a new adventure. Hyrule is expected to make another appearance in the upcoming Zelda Wii.

Governance
Hyrule's form of government has remained relatively consistent throughout its history, with an ancient monarchy, the Royal Family of Hyrule, ruling over the lower-caste citizens of the kingdom from Hyrule's capital city, Hyrule Castle Town. The Royal Family itself rules from the seat of government in the land of Hyrule, Hyrule Castle, the namesake of the capital. The government is typically headed by the King of Hyrule, and his heir in most depictions of Hyrule is his daughter or descendant, Princess Zelda. In some cases, Zelda herself has ruled over the land as matriarch of the Royal Family as well, such as during the Twili invasion of Hyrule. Hyrule is typically divided into various provinces and most of the various races pledge their allegiance to the central government headed by the Royal Family. Each race has its own local government and the individual tribal leaders, but all races pledge their overall allegiance to the Royal Family as kingdom of Hyrule citizens.

Hyrule has faced many coups throughout its history, but ultimately the Royal Family is usually restored to power through the efforts of Hyrule's hero, Link.

Currency
Hyrule's economy is typical of most feudalistic societies documented throughout history, with trade and different forms of unconventional payment not being unheard of throughout the country's history. As with any unified nation however, Hyrule also has an official currency that also suffices to obtain goods and services when the trading system is not chosen by its citizens. This currency is a small jewel-like object known as the Rupee, several color and size variations are used to denote values. Some, such as green, blue or yellow Rupees are worth less than rarer Rupees as red, purple, orange, silver or gold. Rupees are accepted in almost any establishment throughout the kingdom of Hyrule and are the single most common form of payment in the marketplace of Hyrule's capital city, Hyrule Castle Town.

Military
The Hyrulean Castle Guards make up the bulk of Hyrule's military forces. Despite their duty to protect the peace, the guards have a poor reputation and a tendency towards cowardice, they will shrink in fear whenever Wolf Link passes by them. The guards have been unsuccessful in defending Hyrule in more recent games, falling to the army led by Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time as well as being overpowered by the forces of twilight led by Zant. Due to their minor inefficiencies, they often are unable to pevent infiltration of even Hyrule Castle. However, they have not always been cowardly, they have valiantly defended Princess Zelda from Zant's forces even as the Throne Room of Hyrule Castle underwent the twilight invasion of Twilight Princess; and while trying to prevent Vaati from blasting open the Bound Chest in The Minish Cap.

However, these guards were also very wary of when evil took over their kingdom. When Vaati impersonated King Daltus, the guards who dissented were turned to stone. When the guards would not follow an evil ruler, they were brainwashed into doing so. In A Link to the Past, the dark wizard Agahnim took over the country through much cunning and deceit; one of the first things he did was take over Hyrule's military force using his powerful magic. The guards are shown to be freed of this spell when Link destroys Agahnim and returns the Royal Family to power. Although the guards are mostly concentrated in the Hyrulean capital city Hyrule Castle Town, they are seen spread out all across the kingdom as well.

The more recent interpretations of the guards are vastly different compared to the more noble Knights of Hyrule spoken of in A Link to the Past, who gave their lives almost to the utter last in order to protect the Seven Sages as they cast their seal on the Dark World. Whether the Knights of Hyrule have any connection to the present day guards that make up Hyrule's military is unclear, but if the Knights of Hyrule were indeed the forerunners of the present guards, it would mean a vast decline in their efficiency and courage since the times of the Imprisoning War. A similar set of knights also called the "Knights of Hyrule" acted as the guardians of the Royal Jewels in Four Swords Adventures, and only four existed. Each protecting one of the four jewels that would restore the Tower of Winds and yield access to the Realm of the Heavens. Whether these four knights have any connection to the Knights of Hyrule spoken of in the tales of the Imprisoning War is unclear, but both are reputed for their bravery.

Major Conflicts
Most of the wars in Hyrule's history were fought over possession of the Triforce or dominion over the Sacred Realm.


 * Hyrulean Civil War: This war was begun for unknown reasons, but it was said according to the Great Deku Tree to be a horrific and prolonged war that resulted in the unification of the country under the banner of the Royal Family.
 * Interloper War: This war began when the Dark Interlopers attempted to seize control of the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce for themselves, but the intervention of the Light Spirits caused them to be sealed away in the Twilight Realm, outside of which they could only exist as shadows.
 * Imprisoning War: This conflict is spoken of in the backstory of A Link to the Past, where it is said to have begun when Ganondorf stole the Triforce from the Sacred Realm. The Knights of Hyrule were nearly wiped out during the ensuing conflict, but the Seven Sages were able to trap Ganon in the Sacred Realm-turned-Dark World.
 * War of the Bound Chest: The Hero of Men fought many evil creatures during ancient times using the Picori Blade. He sealed the evil monsters inside of the Bound Chest using the Picori Blade and the Light Force, until Vaati broke the blade and released the monsters back into the world some time later.
 * Great Flood: In the Adult Timeline following the end of Ocarina of Time, Hyrule was invaded once again by Ganondorf and was subsequently buried beneath a deluge of rainwater in the Great Flood when the Hero of Time failed to appear.
 * Zant's Invasion of Hyrule: In the Child Timeline following the end of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Hyrule was invaded by an evil Twili named Zant, who seized control of the Twilight Realm and covered Hyrule in twilight on the order of his dark master, Ganondorf, who returned to haunt Hyrule once again.

Theology
Hyrule is known to be a polytheistic society, and the greatest of the deities worshiped by the Hyruleans are the three Golden Goddesses: Din the Goddess of Power, Nayru the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore the Goddess of Courage. These three great goddesses are the most highly-regarded and revered of all deities throughout the entire realm of Hyrule, as they were responsible for the creation of Hyrule and all who live in it. The people have also been known to worship the essences of these goddesses, which live within the almighty relic the goddesses themselves created, the mythical Triforce of the Sacred Realm. The goddesses have been known to answer the prayers of the people at multiple times throughout the course of Hyrule's history, such as for example drowning Hyrule beneath the Great Flood to save its people from destruction at Ganon's hands and sending the Light Spirits to imprison the Dark Interlopers within the confines of the Twilight Realm to save Hyrule's people from their wicked reign.

The Golden Goddesses are not the only deities worshiped throughout Hyrule however. The Zoras worship their patron deity, the great fish Lord Jabu-Jabu, going so far as to accord him a special place of honor in their society. They are also known to use the Water Temple to worship water spirits. The Kokiri pay homage to the great forest spirit known as the Great Deku Tree and hold him in the highest regard as both their father and protector. The Gerudo are known to worship the mysterious Goddess of the Sand, to whom they dedicated the construction of the Spirit Temple. There have also been other deities, such as the aforementioned Light Spirits, that are also worshiped by the people as the guardian deities of the different provinces of the kingdom. Zephos and Cyclos are two gods of the wind in The Wind Waker. The Wind Fish and the Ocean King were also powerful gods who took the shape of whales. Some deities are not directly seen, but mentioned in dialogue, such as the Goddess of Time invoked by Princess Zelda in Majora's Mask and the Goddess of Wind mentioned by Tingle in The Wind Waker.

Several houses of worship and temples exist in Hyrulean society. Hyrule has been known to have temples dedicated to each of several different elements, each with a caretaker Sage that is guardian of the temple. Of the most well known of these Sages are those amongst the group known as the Seven Sages: Rauru in the Temple of Light at the heart of the Sacred Realm, Saria in the Forest Temple deep within the Lost Woods, Darunia in the Fire Temple on Death Mountain, Ruto in the Water Temple deep beneath Lake Hylia, Impa in the Shadow Temple residing in the graveyard in the shadow of Death Mountain, Nabooru in the Spirit Temple far across the desert in the Desert Colossus, and Princess Zelda in the Temple of Time. The Temple of Time's architecture also draws from Gothic cathedral architecture, and acts as the primary gateway to the Sacred Realm. The Earth Temple and the Wind Temple house the Sages whose prayers power the Master Sword and grant it the Power to Repel Evil.

Several towns in The Adventure of Link have churches, and a lone priest that resides at the Sanctuary in A Link to the Past helped smuggle Zelda out of Agahnim's clutches. Renado is the village shaman of Kakariko Village in Twilight Princess and the unofficial leader of the village. These figures, alongside the Sages, act as chief members of Hyrule's theological sphere.

Locations and Landmarks
Like many of the other lands depicted in the Zelda series such as Termina, Holodrum and Labrynna, Hyrule's geography varies greatly from region to region. In most depictions of Hyrule, the land is shown to be a collection of regions with varying geographies and climates usually linked by a great open expanse of land known as Hyrule Field. Hyrule Castle Town and by extension Hyrule Castle are usually located near the central part of the country and not far away from Hyrule Field. The other regions of Hyrule as stated before vary greatly in their composition and appearance. For example, the region most associated with the rock-loving Gorons is the sweltering and rocky Death Mountain, which has little to no vegetation and is for all intents and purposes a large volcano. On the other hand, there are parts of the country covered by deep forests that have a more hospitable climate and atmosphere, where plant-life and vegetation are much more common and provide a means to live for such forest-dwellers as the child-like Kokiri race. Hyrule is also usually shown to be home to a vast lake usually named Lake Hylia as well as a watery grotto named Zora's Domain, both being more hospitable and suitable to the aquatic Zora race. Hyrule is also known to have snowy regions as well, such as the Snowpeak Mountain Range, which is the preferred home region of the Yeti race. Finally, Hyrule is also usually shown to be home to a vast desert (usually to the west), more commonly known as the Gerudo Desert amongst other names, which is home to such desert-dwelling tribes as the Gerudo or the Zuna. Taken altogether, Hyrule is shown to be a melting pot of sorts in regards to its geography as it has been shown to possess nearly every kind of climate and terrain.

Hylian
The dominant race of Hyrule has since the creation of the world been the Hylians, who were said to be blessed by the gods with some of their magical powers. These Hylians are extremely abundant and are quite similar to humans on earth. Unlike most other races, they tend to live in large cities. They are said to be born with magic-infused blood and use magic quite often (variating from their Terminan Counterparts, who use magic less and rely on technology more often.) They are thought of to be closer to the gods than other races and also inhabit Holodrum, Labrynna, and Termina.

Goron
These are Rock-consuming Golem-like creatures that inhabit mountains and rocky areas. They boast superhuman strength and the ability to curl up into a ball and roll. Using magic power some can sprout spikes when they pick up enough speed while rolling in this manner. They are completely heat resistant, able to wade through lava. Most Gorons (if not all) cannot swim due to their immense weight. They inhabit, aside from Hyrule, Termina, Labrynna, Holodrum, and many other places.

Zora
These are aquatic, amphibious creatures that inhabit the waters of the kingdom. Zoras that live in rivers seem to be more fish-like, aggressive, and can spit fire; whereas Sea Zoras seem to be more peaceful and humaniod. Zora also inhabit Termina, Labrynna, Holodrum, and more.

Forest Dwellers
These include Kokiri, Deku Scrubs, Skull Kids, and many others, but altogether are occasionally referred to as Deku. Kokiri are similar to Hylian children, who never grow into the adult stage, and have the Great Deku Tree as a guardian. Deku Shrubs are plantlike, nut-spitting, short creatures that can burrow into flowers. Skull kids are mysterious, mischievous, childlike creatures. They also inhabit Termina.

Gerudo
The Gerudo are a tribe of desert-dwelling bandits seen in Ocarina of Time and Four Swords Adventures. Their race is composed entirely of females, except for one man born every 100 years. Gerudo law states that this man will be the king of the Gerudo. To date, the only Gerudo male seen in the series has been the main antagonist, Ganondorf. Although only one Gerudo man is born a century, it is implied that Gerudos may use Hylian men to reproduce as well.