Dark Realm
The Dark Realm is a recurring location in The Legend of Zelda series.[1][2][3]
Features and Overview
Oracle of Seasons
The Dark Realm is a land existing primarily as an alternate dimension from which one can be summoned,[1] though its boundaries can also be extended into the Light World.[2] Onox is summoned from the Dark Realm by Twinrova to spread destruction in Holodrum in order to light the Flame of Despair,[4] as part of their plot to resurrect Ganon.
Oracle of Ages
The Dark Realm is an alternate dimension to Labrynna, which the sorceress Veran may hail from. Twinrova utilizes Veran's construction of the Black Tower in order to spread sorrow throughout Labrynna and extend the reach of the Dark Realm. This aids in lighting the Flame of Sorrow, as part of Twinrova's plot to resurrect Ganon.[2]
Spirit Tracks
The Dark Realm is a dimension of darkness that is connected to New Hyrule. It is the realm where the Demon Train is situated, which Chancellor Cole locates and later uses it to free the Demon King Malladus from his prison.[5][6]
The entrance to the Dark Realm is found in the Forest Realm, on a small island to the west of Aboda Village. The Spirit Tracks extend even into the Dark Realm through a portal found on the island and extend all throughout the realm, providing a means for Armored Trains to roam its seemingly infinite depths, in addition to the Demon Train that serves as the primary source of transportation for Malladus and Cole in the Dark Realm.[7][6] If Link blows the train whistle when in possession of a Tear of Light, the Spirit Train will travel nearly three times faster.
The only way to gain access to the Dark Realm is by obtaining the Compass of Light from beneath the altar of the Tower of Spirits. The compass was made by Byrne using the power of the Spirits of Good[5], and once Link and Princess Zelda obtain it, it will reveal the Spirit Tracks which connect to the entrance of the Dark Realm.[8] Link and Princess Zelda journey to the Dark Realm toward the end of the game to reclaim her body and defeat the two villains once and for all.
The Dark Realm is the home to the Demon Train and later the hiding place of the Demon King Malladus and his minion Chancellor Cole.[5] After reviving Malladus by infusing his imprisoned spirit into the vacant body of Princess Zelda using the altar located at the very top of the Tower of Spirits, Cole flees with Malladus aboard the Demon Train, retreating back into the Dark Realm to await the time when Malladus will be fully in control of Zelda's body and ready to once again attempt conquest of Hyrule. Byrne, betrayed by the evil duo, reveals that the Spirit Tracks extend even into the Dark Realm and that the only way to locate the entrance to the Dark Realm and locate Malladus aboard the Demon Train within it is to find the Compass of Light hidden in the upper floors of the Tower of Spirits.[9] After Link and Zelda recover both the Bow of Light and the compass, they see that a previously unknown set of tracks have appeared in the Forest Realm, leading to a small island just off Hyrule's southwestern coast, where the portal leading down into the Dark Realm is located. Taking the Spirit Train through the portal, they enter the Dark Realm to purge the evil hiding in it and restore Zelda to her rightful body.
Armored Trains fill the realm and roam its tracks, forcing Link to dispose of them using the Tears of Light scattered throughout the tracks to successfully locate the Demon Train. Here, the Spirit Train gives chase to the Demon Train, with Link pursuing it across the Dark Realm while firing away at the Demon Train with his cannon in an attempt to stop it and allow Zelda and himself the chance to climb aboard it.
After succeeding in stopping the Demon Train in its tracks for a brief time, the duo climb aboard to face Cole and Malladus. Malladus, now in full control of Zelda's body, awaits at the head of the train's roof while Cole floats around in the air above the train's roof. Protecting Zelda's Phantom body from Cole's demonic rats while helping her move toward her possessed body at the head of the train, Link is able to help Zelda reach the head of the train where she seizes Malladus and floats into the air above the train. Link then shoots Malladus with the Bow of Light, purging Zelda's body of his presence and causing the Demon Train to crash, throwing everyone out of the Dark Realm and back into Hyrule, where Link and Zelda would face the Demon King in a final, decisive battle for the fate of Hyrule.
Trivia
- In the Japanese, Spanish, German, and French versions of Spirit Tracks, the Dark Realm and Dark World have the same name: they are both referred to as the "World of Darkness".[citation needed]
- In The Wind Waker, the King of Red Lions called Ganondorf the "emperor of the dark realm."[10] It is unclear whether this is the same Dark Realm that is being referred to.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | |
 ChineseSI | 暗之世界 (Àn zhī shìjiè)[16] | |
 FrenchCA | Monde des ténèbres[15] | |
 FrenchEU | Monde des ténèbres[13] | |
 German | Welt der Finsternis[12] | |
 Italian | Mondo delle Tenebre[11] | |
 SpanishLA | Mundo de las Tinieblas | |
 SpanishEU | Mundo de las Tinieblas[14] | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Gwah hah hah! I was summoned from the Dark Realm by Twinrova. See my true form! Feel the might of a dark dragon!" — Onox (Oracle of Seasons)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "By extending the reach of the Dark Realm, Veran has spread sorrow across the land. Soon, the Flame of Sorrow will ignite!" — Twinrova (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 290
- ↑ "Down, Temple of Seasons!!! Spring, summer, fall, winter... Fall into chaos! Then the Flame of Destruction shall burn with the Flame of Sorrow, and the Evil King shall return!" — Twinrova (Oracle of Seasons)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "The Demon Train comes from the Dark Realm. But even Cole didn't know its exact location at first. He had me build a compass using the spirits' power to find the Demon Train in the Dark Realm." — Byrne (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "I have been searching for the Demon Train. That's the train that Malladus used to escape." — Anjean (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "This is the nest of evil, the Dark Realm. Cole is lurking here...somewhere." — Princess Zelda (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "You got the Compass of Light! It shines light upon the world, revealing places linked to the Dark Realm." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Somewhere down there is the Compass of Light. Only it can lead you to the Demon Train." — Byrne (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "His name is...Ganon... ...He who obtained the power of the gods, attempted to cover the land in darkness, and was ultimately sealed away by the very power he hoped to command. He is the very same Ganon... The emperor of the dark realm the ancient legends speak of..." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker HD)
- ↑ "Hai ottenuto la Bussola di Luce! Illumina la terre e guida verso il Mondo delle Tenebre." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Du hast den Licht-Kompass erhalten! Damit findest du den Weg in die Welt der Finsternis, die das Land bedroht." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Vous obtenez la boussole de lumière! Inondant le monde de sa lumière, elle pointe vers le monde des ténèbres." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "¡Has conseguido la Brújula de Luz! Su brillo desvela lugares vinculados con el Mundo de las Tinieblas." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ "Vous avez obtenu la boussole sacrée! Inondant le monde de sa lumière, elle pointe vers le monde des ténèbres." — N/A (Spirit Tracks)
- ↑ 塞尔达传说：百科全书, New Star Press, pg. 290
| Stations in Spirit Tracks | |
|---|---|
 Click on a station | |
