Hylia
Template:Spoiler Template:Deity
Hylia, also known as Her Grace and later Zelda, is a goddess featured in Skyward Sword. Although she began 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.
History
The Battle Against Demise
When the gods of old departed from the world, they trusted their ultimate power, the Triforce in the hands of Her Grace to protect it.[1] However, Demise, wanting to make the world his own, gathered an army of monsters and together launched an attack against the people of the surface, murdering them and causing misfortunes all just to get their hands in the power guarded by Hylia.[2][3]
To prevent the great power from falling into the hands of Demise, Her Grace gathered the surviving humans on a piece of land and sent it to the heavens, beyond the clouds and out of reach from the evil plaguing the land.[4] Now that the humans were safe, the goddess and the five tribes who lived in the surface joined forces and sealed away Demise, restoring peace to the land.[5] However, Hylia, during the long and fierce battle,[6] had suffered "grave injuries" and knew that the seal would not hold against Demise's immense power.[7]
Since Hylia knew that if Demise freed himself it would bring the destruction of the land, she came up with two plans to put an end to the demon king.[8] 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.[9] Secondly, Hylia decided to abandon her divine powers and immortal form in order to "transfer her soul to the body of a mortal" so that the Triforce, which was created by gods but ultimately not usable by one, could one day be used.[10][11]
The Goddess's Chosen Hero
After sending her people skyward, the goddess created a cloud barrier to separate the sky from the world below.[12] She also left several messages for the one who would become her chosen hero so as to guide him from the edge of time in his quest.[13][14] Along with these messages, the goddess prepared several trials that would test the hero's power, wisdom, and courage.[15] After completing each trial, the chosen hero would receive one of the three sacred gifts left by Hylia, which would help the hero find his way to the purifying Sacred Flames.[16] However, to reach these trials, the goddess also left the Isle of Songs solely for her chosen hero.[17] This 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.[18]
To secure the Triforce, Hylia hid the sacred relic somewhere in Skyloft, but the location was kept a secret.[19] Before passing from the world, 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.[20] Lastly, she appointed the great spirit Levias as warden of the skies.[21] 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.[22] Hylia entrusted the guardians to teach the chosen hero their part of the song, since should the hero succeed in conquering the last trial, the path to the Triforce will open to him.[23]
The Goddess Reborn
Hylia was eventually reborn as Zelda, a citizen of Skyloft and close friend of Link.[24] However, Zelda was not aware of her previous existence as the goddess until she was tossed out of the sky and into the surface by Ghirahim's tornado, where an old woman rescued her from being captured by the evil forces and then helped the young girl remember her purpose.[25] With Impa's help, who was actually sent out to help Zelda at the request of the goddess,[26] Zelda set out to pray at the goddess statues located in each temple to purify her body, with each statue stirring up memories of her past life.[27]
At one point, Zelda and Impa travel through the Gate of Time into a distant past, with Impa destroying the gate so as 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.[24] She blesses the Master Sword with the power of the Goddess, causing it to take on its true form,[28] before telling Link that she, as the reincarnation of Hylia, must remain in a deep sleep to keep Demise imprisoned within his seal.[29] Before doing so, Zelda explains that the goddess needed someone with an "unbreakable spirit" to defeat Demise.[30] However, Hylia realized that spirit alone was not enough,[31] and so the goddess, knowing that the young hero would "throw [himself] headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt" if it meant saving Zelda,[32] used Link so that he would be able to wield the Triforce.[31] Her Grace apologizes for the way she had to involve him in all of it, but is prepared to pay the price for her actions.[33] 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.[34]
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,[35] but just as the group believes that Link's long journey is finally over, however, Ghirahim appears to attack them, taking Zelda and making for the Gate of Time.[36] 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 assail Link in absurd numbers 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, swallowing Zelda's soul and returning to his original form: Demise.[37]
After Link seals Demise 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.[38] 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 Zelda and found what would become Hyrule.
Theory
Hylia's primary antagonist, the Demon King Demise, possesses a sword that seems strikingly similar to the Master Sword. It remains unexplained whether the blade wielded by Her Grace and her chosen hero was specifically created to counteract Demise's weapon or vice versa. This is made further unclear by the fact that Fi and Ghirahim are similar humanoid beings accompanying each sword.
Gallery
-
Depiction of Hylia in the Statue of the Goddess
-
Depiction of Hylia holding the Goddess Sword
 Names in Other Regions 
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | |
- ↑ "Handed down by the gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality. Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess." — Introduction (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure. They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair... They burnt forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation. They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess." — Introduction (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "In his thirst to make the world his own, Demise readied a massive army of monsters for war. He sought to take the Triforce for himself by force." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands... The goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth. She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds." — Introduction (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away. At last, peace was restored to the surface." — Introduction (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "After a long and fierce battle, the goddess Hylia succeeded in sealing away Demise." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "However, soon after the demon king was imprisoned, it became clear that the seal would not hold long against his fearsome power. Hylia had suffered grave injuries in her battle with the demon king." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "She knew that if he broke free again, there would be no stopping him. And if the demon king were to free himself, it would mean the end of the world for all beings of this land. In order to put an end to the demon king, Hylia devised two separate plans and set them both into motion." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "First, she created Fi. She made the spirit that resides in your sword to serve a single purpose: to assist her chosen hero on his mission." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Her second plan...was to abandon her divine form and transfer her soul to the body of a mortal. ...She made this sacrifice, as you have likely guessed, so that the supreme power created by the old gods could one day be used. For while the supreme power of the Triforce was created by gods, all of its power can never be wielded by one." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Knowing this power was her last and only hope, the goddess gave up her divine powers and her immortal form. You've probably figured it out by now, haven't you, [Link]?" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Until now, a cloud barrier created by the goddess has separated the world you know from the one below." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Master [Link], I have important information. When you struck the crest with a Skyward Strike from your sword, a message from the goddess awakened deep within my memory. The goddess intended this message for you, Master. These are her words. He who seeks the sacred flames, listen well, for I guide you from my place at the edge of time." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "From the edge of time I guide you, the one chosen to carry out the goddess's mission. The spirit maiden who descended from the clouds must travel to two sacred places to purify her body." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "This is the nature of places known as Silent Realms. They are domains of the spirit, accessible only to the goddess's chosen hero. This particular trial, Farore's Silent Realm, tests the limits of your courage." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "The sacred flames are three in number. To obtain them, you must also earn relics known as the three sacred gifts. For each trial you overcome, you shall be blessed with one of the gifts... Make use of the power of these gifts, and you will find your way to the purifying sacred flames." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Master [Link], I have memories of this island. It is known as the Isle of Songs. Signs indicate that it was left here for you by the goddess, Master." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Now, I bestow unto you a melody. It will serve you as a key, opening the first trial that awaits you deep in the wilds of Faron Woods." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "For the safety of all things, she hid the Triforce somewhere within the rock you call Skyloft. However, its location has been kept secret. Even I do not know where it rests now." — Levisa (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Hah! Oh, him? Just as the goddess charged me with watching the woods, so does he preside over the bone-dry sands of the desert." — Faron (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "I am the great spirit they call Levias. Before she passed from this world so long ago, the goddess Hylia appointed me as warden of the skies." — Levia (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Oh, but the goddess did entrust me with a hint as to the Triforce's location. The goddess split this song into four parts. She entrusted one part to me and the other three to the dragons of the land. You must gather each of the parts of the Song of the Hero. Seek out the dragons and convince them to teach you their parts." — Levias (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Now that you know the song, I trust you know what to do with it. That old song opens a door to a great trial. Should you succeed in conquering the challenge awaiting you there, I'm certain the path to the Triforce will be revealed to you." — Levias (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "You are the chosen hero, and I, Zelda... I am the goddess reborn as a mortal." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "I had no memory at all of my existence as Hylia, but she explained it to me. She helped me to remember who I was...and what I had to do." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "The one you saw by Zelda's side is known as Impa. She is a being sent forth by the goddess to aid Zelda in her quest." — N/A (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "I set out to pray at the goddess statues located in each temple across the land. Each statue stirred up memories within me. After I visited them all, Impa, an agent of the goddess, led me here...to the past." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Valiant hero, you have endured many hardships and journeyed far in your quest to reach this place. Along your travels you have found wisdom, power, and courage, and for this I shall bless your sword with the goddess's power. May it give you and your sword the strength to drive back the abomination that threatens this land!" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "We must stop him from freeing himself from the seal that imprisons him. At any cost... That is why I intend to remain here in this time and place... To sustain the seal as best as I can. As long as I continue this vigil, we may be able to prevent the demon king from fully reviving himself in our own time." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "To face Demise and bring hope back to the land, the goddess Hylia needed someone with an unbreakable spirit. That someone is you, [Link]." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 "But spirit alone wasn't enough. You had to overcome many trials and awaken the hero within yourself so that you could wield that supreme power. And so Hylia... I mean, and so I..." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "I knew that if it meant saving Zelda, you would throw yourself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt... I... I used you." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "All that may be well intentioned and true, but it doesn't mean it's right... and it doesn't excuse my actions. But I'm prepared to pay the price for what I've done." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "When Demise is finally gone, there will be no more need for the seal that binds him, and then I'll be able to wake up." — Zelda (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "In light of these factors, the seal Zelda maintained through her agelong sleep is no longer necessary. My projections indicate she will wake momentarily." — Fi (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "It's best for everyone if you forget about your friend. The little goddess is mine now! My master may have perished in this age, but in the past he lives yet! I'm taking the girl back through that gate to help me revive the demon king!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Ah... But never mind that. Victory is still mine to savor. While we fought, the ritual I started continued....At last, it's complete! The demon king shall devour the soul of the goddess and resurrect in his full glory!" — Ghirahim (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "Look around us! As a child, I always dreamed of a world below. I wanted to see the surface with my own eyes and feel the land's warm breeze on my skin. I... I think I want to live here. I always want to feel solid ground beneath my feet, see the clouds above my head" — Zelda (Skyward Sword)