Ancient Hyrule Castle
The Ancient Hyrule CastleThis name is derived from Japanese text. is a location in Tears of the Kingdom.[1]
Features and Overview
The Ancient Hyrule Castle is located at the base of Mount Hylia atop the Great Plateau in Ancient Hyrule. It is set roughly where the River of the Dead is during the Era of the Wilds. It is a step Pyramid built in the style of Zonai architecture and is home to the Zonai king Rauru and the Hylian queen Sonia. It features several draped cloth banners and carpets in deep red and blue colors.
When Zelda transports back to the Era of Foundation, she is met by Rauru and Sonia who welcome her into their Castle and attempt to help her harness her powers over Time so that she can return to the distant future.[2][3] Following Ganondorf's thwarted assault on Hyrule Kingdom with a swarm of Molduga, Ganondorf visits the Audience Chamber of the Ancient Hyrule Castle under the guise of swearing his fealty to Rauru.[4] Despite Zelda's concerns, Rauru accepts his vow of loyalty under the belief that he can more closely monitor Ganondorf's actions this way.[5][6] Ganondorf in turn uses this opportunity to send his Phantom Ganon disguised as Zelda to sneak throughout the Castle and find an opportunity to steal a Secret Stone.
Because of the strange sightings of Zelda's doppelganger,[7] Zelda and Sonia eventually confront Phantom Ganon atop the balcony of the Castle,[8] where Ganondorf launches a surprise attack. In this moment, he kills Sonia and steals her Secret Stone before Rauru arrives.[9] He uses the power of the Secret Stone to augment his own Dark power, taunting Rauru for his arrogance and transforming into Demon King Ganondorf.[10] Zelda and Rauru flee with Sonia's corpse to the Forgotten Temple as Demon King Ganondorf summons an army of Monsters to attack Hyrule in the start of the Imprisoning War.[11]
Though the Ancient Hyrule Castle still stands after the Imprisoning War, it does not endure the ages and its traces cannot be found in the future. A new Hyrule Castle is built atop the site where Rauru sealed Demon King Ganondorf as a measure to contain and safeguard the seal.[12]
Areas
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
Gallery
-
Concept artwork of the Ancient Hyrule Castle
See Also
References
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Master Works, Ambit Ltd., pg. 220
- ↑
With your power over time... If I were able to learn that kind of control... I might be one step closer to my era.
— Princess Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
I see... The secret is to think of it like drawing out the object's memory. You ask the object where it was, how it arrived where it is now, and then you coax it back to that original moment in time.
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Allow me to offer you my deepest apologies... on behalf of the Gerudo... for taking so long to accept your repeated invitations. It is our desire to be accepted into the protective embrace of your kingdom. To serve it faithfully.
— Ganondorf (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
King Rauru... I believe that man's heart holds many dark ambitions. Just his name... Even that... It gives me pause.
— Princess Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)I am well aware of his evil nature. For that reason, and others, I want him close. It will be easier to keep an eye on him.
— Rauru (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
A welcome appeal, Ganondorf. I will accept your vow of fealty to the kingdom of Hyrule. I understand that a single male is born to the Gerudo every one hundred years. Receiving such an appeal from you, a hero to his people and a king by birth... Well, it is truly reassuring.
— Rauru (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
This one is an ancient ghost story. My understanding of ancient Hyrulean isn't perfect, but I know a ghost story when I see one. It's a firsthand account of a ghostly or maybe corpse-like woman who appeared each night looking just like their Zelda. No matter the era, it seems, people can't resist sharing a good ghost story.
— Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Did you really think we hadn't realized your deceit?
— Princess Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Your Majesty! Queen Sonia! Oh no! Queen Sonia! No!
— Princess Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
As for her... She is merely the first victim of your arrogance. You tried to control me, Rauru, and you will die knowing that you failed!
— Demon King Ganondorf (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Having turned into the Demon King, Ganondorf uses his terrifying power to cover the world in gloom and send his army of monsters across Hyrule, attacking the peoples of all territories who oppose him.
— Adventure Log (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Deep beneath this land, our mighty first ruler imprisoned the Demon King. To ensure the king's magic would hold, we erected a castle here to protect this sacred site. Without the castle in place, the site may be disturbed, allowing the Demon King's hatred and rage to be revived. The preservation of this castle is therefore tied to the prosperity of the kingdom.
— Stone Tablet (Tears of the Kingdom)