Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda (pronounced ) is the eponymous name commonly given to the females born into the Royal Family of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda series. With the exception of two games, an incarnation of Zelda or one of her alter egos has always been one of the central characters in the series.

Each incarnation of Zelda has been shown at various ages depending upon which title they appear in. They have appeared as a child, a teenager and as a young adult; for example, the Princess Zelda in Twilight Princess is around 20 years of age.

Early on in the timeline of the series, the original Zelda, while born as a Hylian, is the mortal incarnation of the Goddess Hylia. Carrying on this divine blood, her female descendants are often named after her and are always the crown princess of Hyrule throughout its history. Several princesses within the bloodline are also the possessor of the Triforce of Wisdom, imbued with the essence of the Goddess Nayru. The essence of Nayru affords each Zelda divine wisdom, allowing them to discern the wisest decisions, especially in situations concerning the welfare of Hyrule. It grants them a myriad of mystical abilities, including the ability to heal others, though there is a possibility that this could also be an effect of their bloodline passing down Hylia's own powers and, later, the Light Force.

Physical traits
Princess Zelda is often shown as a beautiful and elegant princess (either as child, teen or young adult), except for Skyward Sword, since she is never shown as princess but as an incarnation of Hylia. In most of the games she could easily be compared to the description of a fair maiden. Her hair color sometimes is depicted as blonde (Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, etc.), brunette (The Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess) and even ginger (The Adventure of Link). Her eyes are always depicted in different tones of blue throughout all the games. Her ears are pointy, since she's a Hylian, though in some games her ears tend to be shorter than in others. The dresses that she always uses tends to be long with determinate colors, such as different tones of pink, white and blue. Most of the dresses are shown with the Hylian Crest, and in almost every game, she tends to have tiara with either a Red or Blue Rupee in it. In some games, she is shown to have long gloves. Most of the time, Princess Zelda is seen wearing make up (The Wind Waker, Spirit Tracks), and her hairstyle tends to be either with her hair down or with braids. She wears high heels, although in Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, it is revealed that she wears boots.

Personality
Zelda is depicted as a kind and benevolent ruler with a wisdom beyond her years and a deep love towards the people she watches over. She is a caring, graceful and self-sacrificing person. Zelda's most prominent display of compassion and selflessness was when she saved the life of Midna, the Princess of the Twilight Realm, who had been nearly killed by the false King of the Twilight, Zant. Zelda's wisdom is her most valuable attribute. As a matriarch, it is imperative that she make the wisest decision concerning the fate of Hyrule; in Twilight Princess when Zant threatened her life and the lives of all of her subjects, she wisely surrendered to him. She upholds her responsibilities no matter the cost and is always willing to help her friends, such as in Skyward Sword, where Zelda faces her duties as the goddess reborn and willingly remains in a deep sleep to keep Demise imprisoned within his seal. Above all, Zelda is known to be a forgiving person even towards those who have harmed her before, as seen in, where she asks Anjean to take care of Byrne even though he was the one who stole her body.

Princess Zelda is one of the three most important characters of The Legend of Zelda series, which is also why her name appears in the title of every game. Princess Zelda first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda, and has since been featured in every subsequent game, with the exception of Link's Awakening. Each Princess is chosen by destiny to be the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom in their era, which is the main reason why they play such an integral role in the legends of Hyrule.

Abilities
Throughout the series, Princess Zelda portrays various types of both magical and physical abilities, ranging from capably wielding a bow to telepathy, as seen in A Link to the Past's introduction when she pleads for Link's help. Many of her abilities as both a Sage and the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom are widely illustrated in Ocarina of Time, one of them being that she has prophetic visions in her dreams. She also helps Link in their escape from Ganon's Castle by using her powers to magically remove the barriers blocking the exits. During the final battle between Link and Ganon, Princess Zelda uses her powers to restrain the King of Evil as Link delivers the final blow. Being the seventh Sage, she is the ruler of the rest of the six Sages, and it is with her guidance that the Sages seal Ganon in the void of the Evil Realm. Finally, with her powers as a Sage, she is capable of returning Link to his original time by simply using the Ocarina of Time.

Some of Princess Zelda's physical abilities are demonstrated in games such as The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks. In The Wind Waker, Princess Zelda aids Link in battling Ganondorf by borrowing the young hero's bow and using it to fire Light Arrows at the King of the Gerudo. This skill is again portrayed in the final battle of Twilight Princess, where the princess yet again uses a bow and Light Arrows to strike Ganondorf while accompanying Link on his horse, and once more in the final battle against Malladus in Spirit Tracks. In one scene of Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda is seen wielding a sword, although it is unknown whether she possessed any true sword skills.

As shown in Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda is capable of communicating with the Light Spirits. Just as the princess and Link are about to be attacked by Ganondorf's ghostly army, Zelda calls upon the Light Spirits to aid her in her time of need, in which the spirits grant her the Light Arrow to banish evil.

In Spirit Tracks, Princess Zelda can possess a Phantom's body after Link strikes it with a powered-up sword or the Lokomo Sword. While in this state, the princess can help out Link solve various puzzles as well as cross certain obstacles that the young hero cannot do by himself. Moreover, due to the Phantom's armor, she can also protect Link from attacks or use her strength to fight alongside Link and help him defeat enemies, as seen when fighting Geozards or Byrne.

Origin
It was revealed by Hyrule Historia that when the kingdom of Hyrule was established during the Era of Prosperity, the queens were often named Zelda after their ancestor, the mortal incarnation of the Goddess Hylia, from the events of Skyward Sword.

The Tragedy of "Princess Zelda I"
While she was not the first Princess Zelda in the history of Hyrule, she was the first in a long line of princesses to be named Zelda by law and not tradition after she was put into a deep sleep for many generations. Her brother, the Prince of Hyrule at the end of its Golden Era, who was partly to blame for her comatose state, decided that, in honor of his sister, every princess born in to the Royal Family of Hyrule should be named Zelda.

New Hyrule
It was also revealed by Hyrule Historia that the Princess Zelda featured in Spirit Tracks is Princess Zelda V of the new, re-established kingdom of Hyrule and the great-great granddaughter of the Princess Zelda, more commonly known as Tetra, from The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. Having re-established Hyrule and being its first princess, her great-great granddaughter being Princess Zelda V means the naming tradition was also re-established.

Skyward Sword
In Skyward Sword, Zelda, daughter of Gaepora, lives in Skyloft with her childhood friend Link, where they are both students at the Knight Academy. After playing the role of the goddess at the Wing Ceremony, Link and Zelda go for a flight together, when suddenly a twister pulls Zelda and her Loftwing below the clouds. This phenomena is later confirmed to have been caused by Ghirahim since he needs Zelda's soul to resurrect Demise, his master. Upon Zelda's arrival on the Surface, however, she is rescued by Impa before the Demon Lord can capture her. Link then begins to look for Zelda and eventually finds her in the Earth Spring, but Impa impedes him from reaching the young girl, and instead urges Zelda to continue praying at each goddess statue to finish purifying her body.

Eventually, Link catches up with Zelda and Impa at the Temple of Time, but their reunion is cut short when Ghirahim attacks the duo. In the frenetic action going on, Zelda gives Link the Goddess's Harp before Impa and her escape through the Gate of Time, with Impa destroying the gate so as to escape Ghirahim's grasp. Link manages to activate a second Gate of Time and meets with Zelda, who explains her true nature as the mortal reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia before telling Link that she, as Hylia reborn, 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, knowing that the young hero would "throw [himself] headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt" if it meant saving Zelda, used Link to try and bring about the destruction of Demise. 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 wake up in their own time.

Although Link uses the Triforce to wish for Demise's destruction, Ghirahim kidnaps Zelda upon her awakening and takes her through the Gate of Time, where Demise is still sealed. Zelda's soul is absorbed and Demise is revived in his true form, but Link manages to defeat the Demon King and seal his remains in the Master Sword. After her soul is restored, Zelda as well as the young hero return to their own time, where she mentions to Link that she wants to remain in the surface and watch over the Triforce. Zelda asks what Link's intentions are for the future, and Link smiles at her, with the camera panning to show both his and Zelda's Loftwings flying back into the sky, implying that Link chose to stay with Zelda.

The Minish Cap
In The Minish Cap, Princess Zelda is known to sneak out of the castle to visit her good childhood friend, Link. At the beginning of the game, Link and Zelda head together towards the Picori Festival in Hyrule Castle Town. A catastrophe occurs when the evil wind mage, Vaati, appears and turns Zelda to stone, breaking the Picori Blade in the process. Link fuses the four elements to transform the blade into the Four Sword to reverse Vaati's spell. When Link saves Princess Zelda atop the roof of Hyrule Castle where she was being imprisoned by Vaati to steal the Light Force within her, she reveals to Link that she saw visions of him, as if in a dream. However, soon after this, the castle begins to collapse. As Link and Zelda head towards the Elemental Sanctuary, Vaati appears again and is subsequently defeated by Link. The Mage's Cap falls down and Ezlo, now a Minish again, urges Princess Zelda to make a wish. Princess Zelda thus wishes for Hyrule to return to its usual, peaceful state, making all the monsters disappear and returning its people back to normal.

Four Swords
Zelda and Link appear as childhood friends in Four Swords. Princess Zelda is assigned the duty of protecting the Four Sword Sanctuary and the Four Sword. One day, she sensed something unusual at the Four Sword Shrine and took Link to accompany her to investigate. The seal on Vaati at the shrine had weakened, allowing Vaati to escape. Vaati kidnapped Princess Zelda to make her his bride and Link drew the Four Sword to save her.

Ocarina of Time
Growing up in the halls of Hyrule Castle, young Princess Zelda, referred to by the Great Deku Tree as the Princess of Destiny, was growing concerned with one of her father's associates, the Gerudo king Ganondorf, and a vision of his treachery did not help matters. Expressing her concerns with her guardian and nursemaid Impa, she continued to watch the Gerudo despite her inability to do anything about him. That is until a young Kokiri boy named Link snuck into her garden courtyard.

Convinced that Ganondorf was after the Triforce, Zelda asked Link to find the three Spiritual Stones that would open the Temple of Time in order to prevent Ganondorf from opening the Door of Time and claiming the Triforce to himself. Unfortunately, Ganondorf made his move before Link could return, leading an insurrection in the castle. He chased after Zelda, who had the Ocarina of Time in her possession, when Impa escaped with her from the castle. Dashing out of the castle town with Ganondorf in hot pursuit, Zelda caught sight of Link diving out of their way. She turned and threw the Ocarina of Time to him, trusting that he would keep it safe while Ganondorf chased after them.

For seven years Zelda remained in hiding, training in the ways of the Sheikah by Impa until Link, who had become trapped within the Sacred Realm, was freed. Appearing before him under the name of Sheik, she assisted Link in awakening the remaining five sages, all the while keeping her real identity secret.

When Zelda finally does reveal herself, she does so not only as the Princess Zelda but as the seventh sage, the leader of the other Sages, and possessor of the Triforce of Wisdom; however, having being watching them from afar, Ganondorf captures Zelda deliberately to drive Link into a fight to the death inside his castle.

In the game's conclusion, Zelda sends Link, the Hero of Time, back to his childhood to regain his lost seven years in compensation for his role in the war against Ganondorf. This would leave only the Hero of Time's legend behind him as he returned to the past and returned to Hyrule Castle to warn the young Princess Zelda of events to come.

The actions made by this Princess Zelda became important in the development of the Zelda Timeline, since it was through Zelda's choices that three timelines were eventually created, making her instrumental in the history of Hyrule. Her plot with Link to retrieve the Triforce resulted in Ganondorf obtaining the Triforce of Power, eventually leading to Link's death and thus forming the Downfall Timeline. Should Link succeed in defeating Ganondorf, sending Link back to his own time afterwards created two timelines: the Child Timeline and the Adult Timeline. The latter of the two shatters the Triforce of Courage and vanishes the hero in the Adult Timeline, resulting in Hyrule eventually being flooded.

Downfall Timeline
The Downfall Timeline is the timeline in which Link, the Hero of Time, despite his best efforts, was defeated by Ganondorf in the final battle. This turn of events created the timeline containing A Link to the Past, the Oracle series, Link's Awakening, The Legend of Zelda, and The Adventure of Link.

A Link to the Past
In A Link to the Past, Princess Zelda is a Maiden descendant of the Seven Wise Men who had imprisoned Ganon in the Dark World. Seeking freedom, Ganon uses the wizard Agahnim to kidnap the descendants in order to sacrifice them and free him from his prison.

As the last free descendant, Zelda uses telepathy to contact the descendant of the Knights of Hyrule, Link, to save her. Despite his efforts in evacuating her from Hyrule Castle, Agahnim manages to capture Zelda and sacrifice her to the Dark World, breaking the seal between Hyrule and the Dark World. While in the Dark World, Princess Zelda is held inside a crystal prison within Turtle Rock. When Link frees her, she, along with the other maidens, breaks the seal surrounding Ganon's lair.

When Link makes a wish with the power of the now-freed Triforce, Princess Zelda returns with the maidens to Hyrule Castle to rule in peace.

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
In the Oracle series, Zelda is revealed to be the hope of the people. She is the one who sends Impa to Labrynna and Holodrum to find Nayru, the Oracle of Ages, and Din, the Oracle of Seasons, and bring them to Hyrule for safety. Zelda herself appears if the two games are linked. When players have defeated both Onox and Veran in the linked game, Twinrova will kidnap Zelda in order to sacrifice her to resurrect Ganon. Link dashes to her rescue and Twinrova fails to sacrifice Zelda, making them to sacrifice themselves in order to resurrect Ganon. Due to the fact that they could not sacrifice Zelda as planned, the Ganon they resurrect is mindless and raging and is defeated by Link. In these games, Zelda has a sprite similar to that of Marin, the girl Link mistakes for Zelda when he wakes up at the beginning of Link's Awakening.

Link's Awakening
Zelda is only mentioned at the beginning of Link's Awakening, when Link mistakes Marin for the Hyrulean princess due to their resemblance to one another. She has no involvement in the plot.

According to Hyrule Historia's timeline placement of Link's Awakening, this Zelda would be the same one from A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages.

Ancient Stone Tablets
Six years after the events of A Link to the Past, Hyrule is enjoying a time of peace and tranquility, but Princess Zelda suffers from a dark, recurring dream showing a shadow over a temple; a premonition of evil to come. One day, she witnesses a mysterious and brilliant light in the sky to the east. Aginah, the younger brother of the wise man Sahasrahla and now living in his old hideout near the Eastern Palace also witnesses such a light, and travels to investigate. There he finds a strange youth lying on the ground. Zelda, also following the light, meets up with Aginah, and they both carry the child to rest in Sahasrahla's hideout. Confused by the youth's unusual clothes, they believe the child not to hail from Kakariko Village. Speaking to Aginah while the youngster sleeps, Zelda learns that his brother Sahasrahla had also sensed danger surrounding Hyrule and had left the land to find the hero, Link. While Link has not yet returned, Zelda senses that if this new youth was endowed with courage, he or she may be the Hero of Light. Zelda then sets of for Hyrule Castle before sending Aginah to find the Book of Mudora while she speaks to the Fortune Teller. Aginah and the hero travel to the Sanctuary at the foot of the mountain, but Zelda follows, claiming she had another prophetic dream, this time of her holding the Book of Mudora on top of Death Mountain. Zelda insists on traveling with the hero to the summit of the mountain, as she is the only one who can read the Book of Mudora. During their quest to obtain the final two tablets and reach the summit, the Fortune Teller sees the King of Evil in a vision. Ganon's malice had kept his spirit alive despite the destruction of his body. It was this lingering evil power that had drawn the Hero of Light into the land of Hyrule, and upon the summit the hero travels once more into another world to engage in a desperate final battle with the Demon King in a new version of Ganon's Tower. Ganon desires the power of the Hero of Light to be fully reborn, but is finally destroyed using the Silver Arrows once more.

A Link Between Worlds
Zelda appears again in. This new Zelda is likely a direct descendant of the princess from, and her appearance, in particular her hairstyle, is reminiscent of her. Her role in the game is not known, but at the start of the game, she does not appear to know Link.

The Legend of Zelda
An army of evil, led by Ganon, seeks to possess the Triforce to plunge the land of Hyrule into darkness. Stealing the Triforce of Power, Ganon sought to find the last known piece, the Triforce of Wisdom.

Princess Zelda, as a member of the bloodline that carries and protects the Triforce of Wisdom, broke the Triforce piece into eight fragments and hid them throughout the realm in an effort to avoid its possession under Ganon's hand. At the same time, she sent out her handmaiden, Impa, to look for a hero to save the land. Ganon learned of what Zelda had done and imprisoned her within his lair under Death Mountain, surrounded by a wall of flame.

Link eventually finds the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom scattered throughout Hyrule and travel to Death Mountain where, upon defeating Ganon, he frees Zelda from her prison, returning peace to the land.

The Adventure of Link
The introduction of The Adventure of Link speaks of the legend of Zelda, a legend that has been passed down in Hyrule. According to that legend, well before the events of The Legend of Zelda, Hyrule was a prosperous land ruled by a king who had two children, an unnamed prince and Princess Zelda. The King maintained peace in Hyrule using the Triforce; however, he passed away, and although the prince should have received the Triforce in full, he only received a part of it. The prince frantically searched in vain everywhere for the remaining piece, but then a wizard came to the Prince and tells him that his younger sister, Zelda, knows the location of the mystical object. The prince demands that Zelda turn the information over to him, but Zelda refuses and, in a rage, the wizard puts Zelda into an eternal sleep, with him dying in the process. Overcome with grief, the prince seals his sleeping sister in the North Palace and orders that all female descendants of the Hylian monarchy are to be named Zelda.

To break the curse, a hero must possess the complete Triforce, but obtaining the Triforce of Courage would prove difficult as the king of ages ago had hidden it within the Great Palace. Only one who proved themselves worthy would obtain it.

In the end, Link obtains the Triforce of Courage from the Great Palace and awakes the sleeping princess from her slumber.

(This Zelda is a different one from the original The Legend of Zelda even though both games feature the same Link, though the old Single Link timeline on Nintendo of America's website claimed that the two Zeldas were actually one and the same)

Child Timeline
The Child Timeline is the timeline that follows Link after being sent back to his original time to warn Princess Zelda, following the defeat of Ganondorf by the Hero of Time in the final battle. This turn of events created the timeline containing Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and Four Swords Adventures.

Majora's Mask
Prior the events of Majora's Mask, Zelda spends a relatively short period of time with Link, before he leaves Hyrule for his quest in search of his companion Navi. Zelda, as a child, makes a single appearance in Majora's Mask when Link has a flashback after retrieving the Ocarina of Time from the Skull Kid. The events of the flashback display Link's last meeting with Zelda, where she states her belief that they would meet again. However, before Link departs the land of Hyrule, Princess Zelda gives him the Ocarina of Time to prevent Ganondorf from entering the Sacred Realm and as a memento of the time they spent together. She also teaches Link the "Song of Time", a melody that holds a special meaning to her, before handing over the ocarina, mentioning that he should play that melody if something were to happen to him so the Goddess of Time will come to his aid.

(This Zelda is the same one from Ocarina of Time)

Twilight Princess

 * See also: Puppet Zelda

In Twilight Princess, Zelda was the young matriarch of Hyrule until its invasion by Zant, the Twilight King, to whom she surrendered in order to prevent the deaths of herself and her people. Afterward, she is imprisoned inside a tower in Hyrule Castle. It is revealed that Zelda is unaffected by the veil of Twilight Zant casts upon Hyrule and does not become a spirit like all the other inhabitants of the kingdom. As the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda may have been protected by its power.

Zelda, dressed in a dark robe, meets Link during his earliest transformation into a wolf (due to the interaction between the Twilight and his Triforce piece). Later, she transfers her soul and her powers to aid the dying Midna, losing her physical being in the process.

Towards the end of the game, Ganondorf possesses the lifeless Zelda, who was being imprisoned in the throne room of Hyrule Castle, transforming her into an enemy known as Puppet Zelda. Link defeats Ganondorf's puppet, and Midna, with the help of the Fused Shadows, returns Princess Zelda to normal.

Ganondorf makes another attempt on Zelda's life soon after, but she is protected by the Light Spirits of Hyrule who grant her the Light Arrows to assist Link in the horseback part of his final battle. The last time she is seen in the game is when she and Link say good-bye to Midna at the Mirror of Twilight.

Four Swords Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, Zelda used her telepathy to call Link to Hyrule Castle so she and him can join the Shrine Maidens to investigate the seal on Vaati at the Four Sword Sanctuary, due to ominous clouds of darkness covering Hyrule. However, while using their magic to check the seal, Shadow Link appeared and kidnapped Zelda and the six Maidens and sent Link to the Four Sword Sanctuary. This was all a trap by Shadow Link to cause Link to draw the Four Sword, releasing the seal on the Wind Mage Vaati, allowing him to escape.

Once rescued from Vaati, Link and Zelda flee down the Tower of Winds, similar to the escape from Ganon's Tower in Ocarina of Time. Zelda must be protected from damage during this escape. When nearing the exit however, the four Links and Zelda are sent tumbling deep beneath the tower by Ganon. While the four Link's are out cold, Zelda attempts to seal away Ganon with her magic, but is instead stopped and sealed away by Ganon himself. The four Links fight Ganon together, and eventually weaken him enough to break the seal on Zelda. Zelda then fights Ganon alongside the Links much like in The Wind Waker. While she does not wield the Light Arrows by name, she does wield a ball of light energy which, coupled with Link's arrows, serves the same function of the Light Arrows, stunning Ganon long enough for him to be drawn into the Four Sword. She must be protected from Ganon's attacks so the ball of light energy can become big enough to contain Ganon's evil might.

Adult Timeline
The Adult Timeline is the timeline that follows the events after Link is being sent back to his original time, following the Hero of Time's defeat of Ganondorf in the final battle. Ganondorf is sealed within the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages but, with Link sent back in time, the world is left without a Hero. This turn of events created the timeline containing The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks.

The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker presents Zelda in a secret identity as Tetra, a female pirate who leads a small group of thieves after the death of her mother. Tetra, however, is even unaware herself of being part of the royal bloodline, and this is a first occurrence for the Zelda series. Despite this, the female pirate is aware of the existence of Hyrule, the Master Sword, and the legend of the Hero of Time. Tetra's identity as a descendant of Princess Zelda is revealed when she travels with Link to Hyrule Castle, beneath the Great Sea.

Her true identity was first hinted when Link travels to the Forsaken Fortress for a second time and encounters Ganondorf, who, as he grasps Tetra in his hand, realizes that his Triforce of Power is resonating, which could only indicate that Tetra is indeed the Princess Zelda.

Zelda as Tetra displayed a tomboyish demeanor, taking challenges head on and even seeming bossy at times. At the beginning of the game, she does not think much of Link due to his habit of taking actions without thinking things through, and also due to the fact that he gets melancholic as they are setting sail to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue his sister. Once Tetra discovers her true identity, she gains more respect towards the young hero, and apologizes for all that has happened to him and Aryll. While Link and the King of Red Lions set out to look for the pieces of the Triforce of Courage, Zelda stays hidden away in a basement located inside Hyrule Castle in order to prevent getting caught by Ganondorf. However, she is eventually found and is taken to Ganon's Tower, where Link must rescue her after assembling the Triforce of Courage.

Zelda from The Wind Waker is the first Zelda in the series that fights along Link's side in his battle against Ganondorf. In battle, she wields the bow and Light Arrows, similar to her Twilight Princess counterpart. Once Link and Zelda succeed in delivering the final blow, they witness the second flood of Hyrule and promise the King of Hyrule to search for the new land that will be home to the next kingdom of Hyrule. Zelda is last seen as Tetra when she and Link set sail from Outset Island in search for new lands.

Phantom Hourglass
Princess Zelda appears in this game solely as Tetra, her alter ego in The Wind Waker. She does not regain her royal persona, although quite often when she appears, “Zelda's Lullaby” plays in the background, and she is called "Zelda" by some of the pirates during the game's intro, much to Tetra's chagrin. Her role is somewhat limited in the game as she is kidnapped early on in the story, and when Link finds her at last she has been turned to stone.

After Link defeats Bellum, he and Tetra awaken on the Ghost Ship, only ten minutes after the prologue according to the pirates. Tetra's crew tries to convince her that it was just a dream, but Link finds the Phantom Hourglass in his pocket, and the S.S. Linebeck is seen sailing in the distance.

(This Zelda is the same one from The Wind Waker)

Spirit Tracks

 * See also: Phantom Zelda, Possessed Zelda

Princess Zelda plays a much larger role in Spirit Tracks than in previous installments, as she herself also aids Link in the salvation of Hyrule.

For the first time (not counting the non-canonical Phillips CD-i games), it is possible to play as Zelda herself as Link and the princess escape the castle, albeit for a short time. Afterward, Link, Zelda, and Alfonzo attempt to escape via train, but the train crashes due to the disappearing tracks. Chancellor Cole then appears, attacks Zelda and takes her body, which he hopes to use to revive the Demon King Malladus; however, Zelda's spirit escapes and returns to Hyrule Castle. There, she meets with Link, who seems to be the only one that can see her. The two go to the Tower of Spirits. Here, a Phantom Knight attacks Link, but Zelda charges at the Phantom, taking control of its body. After this, she and Link begin their journey to restore the Tower of Spirits and the Spirit Tracks, traveling with Link across the overworld. Whenever Link returns to the Tower of Spirits to obtain another Rail Map, Zelda possesses a Phantom's armor, allowing Link to proceed through the tower in ways he could not by himself.

Towards the end of the game, after Zelda's body has been possessed by Malladus, Link must fire a Light Arrow using the Bow of Light in order to free Zelda's body from Malladus. Once her body is freed, Zelda is unable to reenter her body, and just as Malladus is about to possess it again, Byrne uses his power to repel the Demon King, giving Zelda the strength to pray to Tetra to reclaim her body. In the final battle, Zelda, finally back in her own body, channels her power to weaken the Demon King, which reveals a weak spot on the demon's back. Like in previous games, Princess Zelda's role consists of shooting Light Arrows at Malladus's back from the Bow of Light. Link and Zelda are then seen holding hands as they witness the departure of the Lokomos.

After the ending credits, Princess Zelda can be seen at her office signing papers and, depending on whether Link chose to be an engineer or a warrior, she will go look out the window and wave at Link upon hearing either a train whistle or swords clanking. If Link selects "Dunno", then Zelda will be signing papers and simply remember the adventure she had with Link. This scene can also be viewed if the scene before the fight with Malladus was skipped.

This Princess Zelda is confirmed to be a direct descendant of Tetra, the pirate captain who was also the incarnation of Princess Zelda in her day, and makes an appearance in a large stained glass window in Hyrule Castle's Throne Room. Princess Zelda states that the Spirit Flute was played for her in her youth by her grandmother, and Anjean states that she gave the Spirit Flute to Tetra long ago, pointing out the similarities between the reigning Princess Zelda and her ancestor, the feisty pirate captain that arrived on the land's shores long ago.

Sheik
In Ocarina of Time, Link met up with a mysterious member of the Sheikah Tribe, fittingly called Sheik. This person taught Link a multitude of different songs and gave him tips on how to proceed in his quest. At the end of the game, Sheik revealed himself to be none other than Princess Zelda in a disguise. During the seven years Link had been asleep while maturing to become ready to fight Ganondorf, Zelda had gone underground and taken the disguise as Sheik so that Ganondorf would not find her in his search for the two remaining pieces of the Triforce, one which was held by Princess Zelda herself.

Sheik is also a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl: Zelda is able to transform into Sheik during a battle, allowing her to use a different set of moves.

Tetra
Born into a society of pirates on the Great Sea, Tetra, captain of a crew of pirates, was completely unaware that she was a member of the Royal Family of Hyrule's bloodline. When this was revealed to her by King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, she was just as surprised as Link to find out that she was indeed a descendant of Princess Zelda of Hyrule and also the one destined to be the keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Leader of the Sages
In Ocarina of Time, Zelda is revealed to be the seventh Sage and the leader of them all. Though no conclusive evidence has been sighted, Zelda is often seen as the proverbial Sage of Time, via several events that occur in Ocarina of Time.

Goddess Hylia
Before the events of Skyward Sword, a goddess named Hylia defeated Demise. In order to protect the Triforce, in a two-part plan, Hylia renounced her divine body to reborn in an human being. This human was born eons after under the name of Zelda.

Other Princesses of Hyrule
Besides the Princess Zeldas that appear in the games, the back story to some of the games feature additional unnamed Princesses of Hyrule who have a similar appearance to Princess Zelda.

War of the Bound Chest Princess

 * See also: War of the Bound Chest

The back story of The Minish Cap tells of the War of the Bound Chest. During the War of the Bound Chest, a hero clad in green clothes, the Hero of Men arose to fight the demons attacking the world. This story of the War of the Bound Chest is depicted in a series of stained glass windows beneath the Elemental Sanctuary. One of the stained glass windows depicts a Princess of Hyrule wielding the Light Force. Using the stained glass window, Vaati is able to deduce that the Light Force is currently held by the current Princess Zelda.

Antediluvian Princess

 * See also: Tetra's Pirate Crew

In The Wind Waker, when Link travels to Hyrule Castle beneath the Great Sea, there is a portrait of the Princess of Hyrule (around the age of Tetra) from before the Great Flood hanging on the wall of the castle. In the portrait, the princess is surrounded by several characters, all of which have a counterpart to a member of Tetra's pirate crew. It is known that during the Great Flood, she took a piece of the Triforce of Wisdom which had been broken in two by her father and fled to the mountaintops with several of her servants.

Zelda's Swords
Although they have yet to be individually named like Link's swords, Princess Zelda has been seen possessing or wielding a blade of her own.

Twilight Princess
In the promotional pictures for Twilight Princess, Princess Zelda is seen in possession of a sword and she indeed wields it against Link when she becomes possessed by Ganondorf, although not in hand-to-hand combat. In a scene where Zelda's Knights fell to Zant's Shadow Beasts, the blade was in her hand, seemingly as a status symbol or for imagery.

Other Appearances
Princess is also featured in other media, including comics based on the games, animated shows, and the Super Smash Bros. series. In some of her appearances, she is depicted as a brave, proud, and self-reliant fighter who is proficient in archery and horseback riding, such as in the Legend of Zelda comic and the animated series. As with the games, she is the protector of the Triforce of Wisdom.

Trivia

 * Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that the name Princess Zelda originated from Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of acclaimed author, F. Scott Fitzgerald.
 * American actor Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda due to his love of the Zelda video games.
 * Hyrule Historia depicts an unused alternate Zelda design from A Link to the Past that gives her a fox-like appearance. It seems it was a possible Dark World form for her, similar to Bunny Link.
 * Through Gameshark or Action Replay cheat codes, it is possible to make Princess Zelda appear in Clock Town.