Ancient Tablet
Ancient Tablets,(SS | TotK)[1][2] also known as Stone Tablets,(TotK)[3] are recurring Items and Objects in The Legend of Zelda series.
Location and Uses
Skyward Sword
Normally, the inhabitants of Skyloft cannot reach the Surface, and in fact its lands are simply a legend for them. However, the Ancient Tablet, when placed in the altar inside the Chamber of the Sword, allows Link to penetrate the Cloud Barrier by forming a Column of Light in each of the three regions of the surface. The tablet is broken into three parts - Emerald, Ruby and Amber. These three fragments open the way to Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano and Lanayru Desert, respectively.
List of Tablets
Emerald Tablet
The Emerald Tablet is found Inside the Statue of the Goddess in Skyloft. It is used to access Faron Woods.
Ruby Tablet
The Ruby Tablet is found in Skyview Spring, located behind the room where Link fights Ghirahim in Skyview Temple.
Amber Tablet
The Amber Tablet is found in the Earth Spring, located behind the room where Link fights Scaldera in the Earth Temple. As with the Ruby Tablet, hitting the Goddess Crest with a Skyward Strike leads to another message from the gods and the acquisition of the Amber Tablet.[4] When the Amber Tablet is returned to the altar inside the Chamber of the Sword, the entire Ancient Tablet is reassembled and a cloud rift with a yellow light pillar appears in the southwestern part of The Sky. This marks the way to Lanayru Desert, the final continuous area of The Surface reachable from The Sky.
Tears of the Kingdom
The Ancient Tablets are found on Small Islands found throughout the Sky. Link cannot read them himself,[5] but they can be photographed and shown to Wortsworth to decipher as part of the Side Adventure "Messages from an Ancient Era". In some cases, the center of a Small Island will give away when Link stands on it, causing the Ancient Tablet to fall to the Surface below. In one case, the Ancient Tablet will even fall into the Depths.
The first Ancient Tablet is the only one to remained unnamed. It can be found at Lookout Landing after Link has made progress with one Main Quest related to "Regional Phenomena. The Small Island it fell from is approximately 3000 meters above in the Central Hyrule Sky Archipelago, among the highest in Hyrule. It serves as an introduction to the unnamed chamberlain who wrote all 13 Ancient Tablets, including her service to the Royal Family of Hyrule.[6][7][8] Wortsworth believes that this may be an account of the Founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule, and he also notes the use of Zelda's name.[9]
The Ancient Tablets, diegetically in the Ancient Hyrulean language, are written in an imitation of Middle English, though with the occasional real word. This is an idiosyncracy unique to the English localization; in other languages, Wortsworth simply translates the text of the tablets directly before giving his understanding.
List of Ancient Tablets
| Ancient Tablet | Location |
|---|---|
| Lookout Landing Ancient Tablet | Central Hyrule Sky Archipelago (Sky Lookout Landing (Surface) |
| Account of a Celebration | South Eldin Sky Archipelago |
| The Strong Queen and the Receptive King | Lanayru Sky Archipelago (Sky) Ralis Pond (Surface) |
| The Harmonious Couple | West Hebra Sky Archipelago |
| A Pilgrimage of Light | East Hebra Sky Archipelago |
| The Researcher Mineru | West Necluda Sky Archipelago |
| The Foreign Princess | Gerudo Sky (Sky) East Barrens (Surface) |
| The Free-Spirited Zelda | Necluda Sky Archipelago (Sky) Mount Floria (Surface) |
| The Latest Trend | Necluda Sea Sky (Sky) Hateno Beach (Surface) |
| An Ancient Ghost Story | North Gerudo Sky Archipelago (Sky) Vatorsa Snowfield (Surface) |
| For the Hero's Sake | North Hyrule Sky Archipelago (Sky) Great Hyrule Forest Depths (Depths) |
| The Day the Land Rose | South Hyrule Sky Archipelago |
| A Parting Resolve | Sokkala Sky Archipelago |
Transcription
The following is a transcription of the unnamed Ancient Tablet that can be found at Lookout Landing.
Ones held y honore als hochmayde to kyng Rauru ond quen Sonia, thaerafter to his suster ond to princesse Zelda.
Her on thaes grete stan ond twelf mo withalle make y endite min time with the roial familie.[a]
So michte heore remembraunce preserven for the sake of hem on whom oure hope raeste.
Once I held the honor of high maiden to king Rauru and queen Sonia, thereafter to his sister and to princess Zelda.
Here on this great stone and twelve more withal will I make a record of my time with the royal family.
So might here remembrance preserve for the sake of him on whom our hope rests.
- ↑ During his initial translation, Wortsworth reads this line as "hyred roial".
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | Meanings |
 Japanese | 宝珠の石版 (Houshu no Sekiban) (SS) | Jewel Tablet |
 ChineseSI | 古代石版 (Gǔdài shíbǎn) (SSHD)[10] | |
 FrenchCA | Stèle ancienne (SS) | |
 FrenchEU | Stèle ancienne (SS) | |
 German | Alte Steintafel (SS) | Old Stone Tablet |
 SpanishLA | Litografía arcana (SS) | Arcane Lithography |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
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The complete Map of the three different pieces from Skyward Sword
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The complete Tablet, as seen in the inventory from Skyward Sword
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Link completing the Ancient Tablet from Skyward Sword HD
References
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword—Prima Official Game Guide (Collector's Edition, 2013), Prima Games, pg. 22
- ↑ "Ancient Tablet
Deciphered" — Map (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑ "Did you notice the number 13 there? That means there are 12 more stone tablets to be found." — Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "From the edge of time I guide you, the one destined to carry out the goddess's mission. The spirit maiden who descended from the clouds has passed through the Earth Spring and makes her way to a fated place. The parched desert of Lanayru... That is where the chosen will pass through the Gate of Time into a distant world." — Fi (Skyward Sword HD)
- ↑ "It's etched with ancient Hyrulean text. You cannot read it." — Game Screen (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "Ones held y honore als hochmayde to kyng Rauru ond quen Sonia, thaerafter to his suster ond to princesse Zelda. Her on thaes grete stan ond twelf mo withalle make y endite min time with the roial familie. So michte heore remembraunce preserven for the sake of hem on whom oure hope raeste." — Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "There's not much to go on, but you can clearly read the names of King Rauru and Queen Sonia, the founders of Hyrule. The name "Zelda" is clearly legible elsewhere in the text. The author finishes by saying that she will write about the royal family's daily lives in 13 segments." — Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "It's short, but it's an introduction from a servant to Rauru and Sonia, the founding king and queen of Hyrule. She also waited on the king's elder sister, Mineru, as well as someone named Zelda, and wrote of their daily lives in 13 tablets. It couldn't be simpler!" — Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "It certainly seems to be a royal diary left behind by a chamberlain or someone of equivalent station. The part that catches my attention is the third name mentioned—Zelda. There's no record of anyone by that name in any of the other texts we've unearthed so far. But this is evidence that the name Zelda is much older than the princess—it dates all the way back to Hyrule's founding. What's written here must be the start of a firsthand account of Hyrule!" — Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "古代石版" — Gear (Skyward Sword HD, Simplified Chinese localization)