The King, the seven Maidens and four Soldiers in A Link to the Past
Long before the events of A Link to the Past, the seven Sages (named Wise Men in the American English Super Nintendo Entertainment System version)[5] joined forces with the Knights of Hyrule to seal Ganon and his influence in the Sacred Realm, preventing him from taking over the Light World.[6]
Prior to Link's quest, Agahnim, late King's right-hand man, used his power to find and capture the seven Maidens, who are descended from the Sages' bloodlines. While not as strong as their ancestors, the Maidens had inherited their magical abilities.[3] Agahnim planned to send them to the Dark World one by one in order to break the Seal of the Seven Wise Men that kept Ganon locked up.[7][8]
Through all this, Link found and claimed the Master Sword, at which point Zelda sent him a telepathic message once more that the soldiers had found her.[11] Despite his best efforts, he could not prevent her becoming the seventh sacrifice. All was not lost, as Sahasrahla told Link that victory was still in reach if Link could reclaim the Triforce. To do so would require the help of the Maidens, who were still alive and trapped somewhere in the Dark World.[12]
Link set off to save the Maidens. However, each one was transformed into a Crystal in the possession of a demonic monster within a dungeon. The Maiden inside the Palace of Darkness elaborated on this, explaining that Ganon needed the gate to become larger to be of use to him and that he was still using the Maiden's powers to get that accomplished. She also explained that Link needed the Maidens' help to reach Ganon's Tower and urged him to rescue the others.[13] When Link collected all the Crystals, including one which sealed Princess Zelda in Turtle Rock, they helped break the barrier around Ganon's Tower as promised, allowing Link to go in and defeat Ganon once and for all.[14] During the ending, the Maidens are seen finally restored to their normal Hylian form, along with the revived King of Hyrule and Soldiers freed of brainwashing.
Four Swords Adventures
The Maidens sealing the Four Sword
In Four Swords Adventures, the maidens are referred to as Shrine Maidens and are responsible for keeping the powers dormant in the Four Sword Sanctuary under control. It is they who control the gate to its sacred grounds, preventing anyone from taking the Four Sword and from freeing Vaati.[15] The Royal Jewels that belong in the Four Sword Sanctuary to open the path to the Realm of the Heavens are left in the care of the Knights of Hyrule, only to be gathered and used through the Shrine Maidens' power if the path were to close.[16]
In Four Swords Adventures, each of the Shrine Maidens has an associated color after which they are titled. When freed, the Shrine Maidens turn into the form of Fairy's Spirits. Kaepora Gaebora returns to guide Link through his quest. There is no mention made of him being the reincarnation of an ancient Sage, but he is both known and respected by the Shrine Maidens.[16]
On a stormy night, Princess Zelda and the Shrine Maidens feared that the reason for those events was that Vaati's seal was weakening.[17] They summoned Link to the castle so he could protect them while they opened the portal to the Four Sword Sanctuary. When they did however, the portal turned dark and Shadow Link came from it. Using the confusion his looks caused, he abducted the Shrine Maidens and sealed them in crystals strengthened by Vaati's magic in dungeons all over Hyrule. This in order for either Ganon or Vaati to leech power from them[18] and to keep the Tower of Winds, where Princess Zelda was held captive, inaccessible.
Not the one to sit back and do nothing, Link entered the portal the Shrine Maidens had created before their capture and drew the Four Sword, thereby accepting the destiny of the Hero and the responsibility to free the Shrine Maidens.[19] Each Shrine Maiden he freed helped him reach another part of Hyrule, usually the part they watched over. They also used their ability to travel in fairy-form to accompany Link from time to time and hand him instructions on how to proceed. Once the sixth Shrine Maiden was freed, the group united their powers to call for Princess Zelda,[20] whom they found out to be held in the Tower of Winds. They urged Link to find the last royal jewel not yet in his possession so that they could summon the tower back to Hyrule.[21] The Shrine Maidens then went ahead to the Four Sword Sanctuary to keep it safe from attacks in the time Link would need to get the remaining royal jewel and to prepare for the ceremony.[22][23] When Link returned with all four royal jewels, the Shrine Maidens wasted no time on bringing back the Tower of Winds.[24] Link proceeded to rescue Zelda, who promised that she and the Shrine Maidens would prevent the evil Link had been fighting from recovering, but that he had to destroy Vaati to make peace return truly.[25]
The White Maiden is the fourth of the Shrine Maidens to aid the Hero. She is in charge of the Forest of Light, now known as the Lost Woods, and was held captive in Hyrule Castle, guarded by the Big Poe.[28]
The Red Maiden is the fifth of the Shrine Maidens to aid the Hero. She was held captive in the Temple of Darkness, guarded by Phantom Ganon. Her domain was not specified, but appears to be the Desert of Doubt.
The Purple Maiden is the sixth of the Shrine Maidens to aid the Hero. She was held captive in the Pyramid, guarded by the Big Moldorm. Her domain was not specified, but it is implied that it is Frozen Hyrule as she is seen flying through this area after it has thawed during the ending sequence.
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)
The first Maiden
In the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori, Agahnim has sent the Maidens into the Dark World so that Ganon could steal their power, thus weakening Ganon's seal and eventually open the way to the now tainted Sacred Realm.[29] Much like in the game, Agahnim casts his final incantation on the third and final Maiden, Princess Zelda, on the night of a full moon in front of Link's eyes, prompting the young hero to rescue the Maidens as well as the princess from the Dark World.
Link first learns of the Maidens when he talks to Zora in the Dark World, who mentions that a Maiden is imprisoned in the Palace of Darkness nearby.[30] When Link arrives to the Palace of Darkness, he denotes the firecorn explosives held in the storeroom, causing the entire palace to collapse but also allowing the Maiden to be freed from her crystal. As a sign of gratitude for saving her, the Maiden grants Link a relic called the Comfork.[31]
The second Maiden
The second Maiden is found in a hidden chamber of the Swamp Palace. As Link makes his way to the maiden, a large, tentacled monster attacks him. He thrusts himself with the Master Sword into the monster and defeats the creature, which spits out Link from inside and gives him a chance to destroy the floating crystal where the maiden is. The maiden, now freed, thanks Link and tells him that Zelda is imprisoned in a Turtle Rock found at the end of the world, then vanishes.[32] Knowing this, Link eventually makes his way to Turtle Rock and frees Princess Zelda, and with her and the Maidens' help, Link and Zelda are able to go inside the Ganon's Tower.[33]
During the final battle with Ganon, Zelda fires an ordinary arrow from Roam's crossbow to the now-frozen Ganon. As the arrow approaches Ganon, it is empowered by Link, Zelda, Roam, and the Maidens, turning into a Silver Arrow and thus defeating the King of Thieves.[34]
Four Swords (Himekawa)
The six Maidens from the Four Swords manga, from left to right, Blue, Yellow, White, Green, Red, and Purple Maidens respectively
The four Links; Green, Red, Blue and Vio later meet the Blue Maiden in Hyrule Castle, who saves them from Shadow Link. Unfortunately, they do not have enough force to break the seal on her crystal prison, so they begrudgingly leave her there to return later. She senses that Zelda is still alive, far away, and she urges them to travel to Eastern Hyrule, where she believes another Maiden is sealed in the Eastern Temple.
After defeating Stone Arrghus at the Village of the Blue Maiden, they find the Yellow Maiden in the Eastern Temple. Overjoyed, she gives Green a Moon Pearl, which will open a gateway to the Dark World when struck by moonbeams. The Yellow Maiden later sends a Fairy to help Red and the others, which is able to transport them across Hyrule much like the Maidens are able to in their Fairy forms in the game.
The four heroes do not meet the Maidens again until near the end of their quest, at the Four Sword Sanctuary. Due to their efforts in dispelling the barriers of darkness and destroying Shadow Link, they are freed from their capture and appear before them together. By combining their powers, they transport the four Links to the Tower of Winds, and urge them to defeat Vaati and restore Hyrule to peace.
Trivia
In the original Japanese text of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, the Oracles are referred to as "Shrine Maidens", the same title as the Maidens of Four Swords Adventures. It is not known if there is a connection between the two.
Removed text of Four Swords Adventures seems to imply that it was originally going to feature sages instead of shrine maidens.[35]
The colors of the glowing orbs which the Lokomo from Spirit Tracks turn into at the end of the game, match the colors of the Shrine Maidens in Four Swords Adventures.
It is possible that in Breath of the Wild, the Seven Heroines are related to the Maidens or Sages. Described as divine protectors of the Gerudo people, the Heroines each represent a unique power—skill, spirit, endurance, knowledge, flight, motion and gentleness—shown in-game by the Heroine statues' associated orbs which have unique colors and symbols (red, orange, yellow, grey, green, blue, purple). These colors roughly, but do not exactly, correspond to the colors of the Maidens shown in Four Swords Adventures.
↑ 3.03.1Link, thanks to you, I was able to escape the clutches of the evil monsters. Thank you! They say the Hylian people mastered mysterious powers, as did the seven sages. But the blood of the Hylia has grown thin over time. And we who carry the blood of the sages do not possess our ancestors' powers, either. But our power will increase if we mix the courage of the knights with the wisdom of the sages! — Maiden (A Link to the Past)
↑However, their lives were not lost in vain, for they bought precious time for the Seven Wise Men to magically seal Ganon in the Golden Land. (A Link to the Past manual, pg. 6)
↑The King of Hyrule gathered the Seven Sages to find a way to seal the entrance to the Golden Land so that his kingdom would be safe from the evil there. (A Link to the Past & Four Swords manual, pg. 15)
↑Long ago, in Hyrule, a beautiful kingdom surrounded by forests and mountains... legends told of an omnipotent and omniscient Golden Power that lay hidden. It was hidden in a sacred realm beyond the reach of men, but one day... ...a doorway to that realm was suddenly opened... Hoping to claim the Golden Power as their own, the people began to quarrel and fight... Many sought to enter the hidden Golden Land... But none returned, and instead evil power began to issue forth from the dark portal... So the king commanded seven sages to seal the gate to the land of the Golden Power. Many brave knights were lost in the battle to protect the sages from the tides of evil, but the seal was cast! Evil flowed no more! And the seal would remain for all time... Or so the people hoped... But when these events were obscured by the mists of time, and became legend... A mysterious wizard known as Agahnim appeared as from nowhere... and with strange magic powers he eliminated the good king of Hyrule... He cast spells on the soldiers and kidnapped young maidens descended from the sages in order to break the seal... This destiny fast approaches for the final maiden... the princess, Zelda... — N/A (A Link to the Past)
↑Link, because of you, I can escape from the clutches of the evil monsters. Thank you! Ganon captured us because he couldn't break the seal of the sages with his power alone. And then, using the wizard Agahnim as his pawn, he drew us to the Dark World. After cracking the seal with our powers, he sealed us inside of these crystals. He then gave us to his loyal monsters. But Ganon didn't plan on your getting this far. Now, Princess Zelda is waiting for you inside of Turtle Rock. Please hurry! — Maiden (A Link to the Past)
↑Help me... Please help me... I am a prisoner in the castle dungeon. My name is Zelda. The wizard, Agahnim, has done something terrible to the other girls. Now only I remain... Agahnim has seized control of the castle and even now is trying to open the sages' seal. I am in the dungeon of the castle. Please help me... — Princess Zelda (A Link to the Past)
↑I am, indeed, Sahasrahla, the village elder and a descendant of the seven sages. ... ... Oh really? I am surprised one so young is searching for the sword of evil's bane, Link. Not just anyone can use that blade. Legends say only the Hero who has won the three Pendants can wield the sword. ... ... ... Do you truly wish to find it? — Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past)
↑Link, it is I, Sahasrahla. I am communicating to you across the void through telepathy... The place where you now stand was the Golden Land, but evil power turned it into the Dark World. The wizard has broken the sages' seal and turned the gate to Hyrule Castle into a portal linking that world to this. In order to save this half of the world, the Light World, you must win back the Golden Power. You must also rescue the seven maidens who Agahnim sent to the Dark World. As descendants of the seven sages, they have power that will surely aid you. The maidens are locked in hidden dungeons full of evil creatures and dangerous traps. The Palace of Darkness should be your first goal in this world! Link, you are our last hope. Please make this old man's wishes come true. I beg you! — Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past)
↑Link, because of you, I've escaped from the clutches of the evil monsters. Thank you! ...This world was once the Golden Land where the Triforce was hidden. But because Ganon, the leader of the thieves, wished it, this world was transformed... I'm sure he's intending to conquer even our Light World after building his power here. His hope is to use us maidens and the power of the sages that has been passed on to us as the key to open a larger gate between the worlds near Hyrule Castle. But the gate is not completely open yet... There is still time. Together, we seven maidens can break the barrier that protects Ganon's hiding place. I can tell you where the other girls are held. I believe you will destroy Ganon. I will return to my original form at that time. ... ... ... ... ... May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce. — Maiden (A Link to the Past)
↑These six maidens guard the portal to the Four Sword Sanctuary to keep it safe. I'm going now to make sure Vaati's seal remains strong. Now, the shrine maidens and I must open the portal to the Four Sword's resting place. Step back, Link... — Princess Zelda (Four Swords Adventures)
↑ 16.016.116.2You passed through the flames to rescue me! Such bravery. You're just like the Knights of Hyrule! You've heard of the Knights of Hyrule, of course! They're the pride of the kingdom! They would lay down their lives for honor! In Hyrule, four sacred jewels can open the path to the Realm of the Heavens. The safety of these jewels has for ages been entrusted to the Knights of Hyrule. And yet, in these dark times, the knights are nowhere to be seen... I cannot hide my fears. ... ... ... Pardon? Master Kaepora Gaebora, you say? Is that so... Well then, we must go to Hyrule Castle! We must liberate the castle! — Green Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Oh, Link... It's you! Thank goodness you came! The six maidens who guard Hyrule are gathered here in the castle. The sky has become so dark and foreboding... I'm worried about the seal that binds the wind sorcerer Vaati. — Princess Zelda (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Link! There's a terrible fiend in Hyrule Castle. He's leeching power from the maidens little by little. Listen well, Link. To rescue the maidens, you must face the fiercest of foes. Keep your wits about you, and be wary! — Kaepora Gaebora (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Link... You have accepted the destiny of the Hero... Princess Zelda and the six maidens have been taken by dark forces. However, Vaati's magic has robbed the Four Sword of its power to vanquish darkness. To return the sword to its full strength, find the source of that power: Force Gems. Gather Force Gems wherever they lie, and rescue the maidens and Princess Zelda. — Kaepora Gaebora (Four Swords Adventures)
↑We'll work together to find Princess Zelda! Let our six hearts be one... Now let us call to her! — Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Ah! Princess Zelda! The Tower of Winds!! She is trapped in the Tower of Wind, which has now vanished from Hyrule... Accursed Vaati! The princess is in danger! Link! Quickly, you must get the last royal jewel and bring back the tower! You heroes have crossed Hyrule and gathered three of the jewels. There's only one place left to search. Frozen Hyrule, where the power of darkness keeps spring at bay... The last royal jewel must be there! No matter the cost to us, Princess Zelda must be rescued!! Hurry, Link! — Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Link, the Tower of Winds has vanished. If we enshrine the royal jewels on the Four Sword's sacred ground, the temple may reappear. We'll go on ahead and guard the sacred ground from our foe until you arrive. The power of darkness has halted the flow of time here, and winter lingers on. We must believe in tomorrow and hold true to our hope. May our passion keep our hearts from freezing! Link, you must first seek out the final royal jewel! Then, we will go to the Tower of Winds, where Princess Zelda awaits. — Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Hear me, heavens... Hear me, earth... Heed the light of the royal jewels enshrined here, and restore to us... the Tower of Winds!! — Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Link? It is you, isn't it, Link? I believed you would come to my rescue, and here you are. I knew you would wield the Four Sword and come... Thanks to your efforts the darkness above ground is thinning. The maidens and I will pray to keep the darkness from recovering its full strength. However, the Realm of the Heavens is now overflowing with Vaati's monsters. The darkness in the Realm of the Heavens must be purged if true peace is to return. — Princess Zelda (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Where am I? The darkness... It's gone. I have been freed, haven't I? Link! What's happened to you? Oh, the Four Sword. You've drawn the mystic blade. That means Vaati is free once more, does it not? And you've taken up the mantle fate has given you. How brave! Such determination speaks well of you. You are truly a great hero. Oh... Oh! There's something you must know! That dark shadow that captured us... It looked... just like you! What was it? Link... you must save the princess and the remaining maidens! Travel by sea under my protection to a place called the Eastern Temple. Another of my kidnapped sisters is imprisoned there. Allow me to transform, that I might serve as your guide. Come! We must go! Let's go! — Blue Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Link! Did you defeat that giant stone eye-thing? Thank you! By defeating that beast, you rescued me from my crystal prison! Thank you, Link. You have my gratitude! The wind sorcerer Vaati has regained his power. When he last tried to conquer Hyrule, he built a Palace of Winds in the Realm of the Heavens. So even now, he's sure to be- Link! You must first rescue Princess Zelda. Act quickly! I rule over Death Mountain. High atop the peak, the Tower of Flames stands tall. Climb the mountain. One of the maidens must be trapped in the tower of raging lava. Come, Link. I shall guide you. — Yellow Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Link... Thank you. You carry my hopes with you...as well as all of Hyrule's. Wait... is that the blue royal jewel you carry? How did you come by it? Is that so? The Knights of Hyrule... So even the jewels are now... Link, all we can do is put our faith in the light and press on, overcoming each obstacle that confronts us. My forest has lost its light. Darkness covers it like a shroud. Link, will you go to the forest? Perhaps you will find some clues there. In the heart of the forest is a temple. The Dark Mirror can be found there. Long ago, a dark tribe invaded Hyrule. They were defeated and imprisoned within the mirror. The tribe's mirror prison was then secreted away and hidden in the forest temple to sever its connection to this world. That Dark Mirror must never fall into the hands of those with evil hearts. — White Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Yesss, and one is imprisoned in Crystal in the palace nearby...but you shouldn't go there! In legendsss that place is known as the Palace of Darkness... Ganon's servantss have ssstockpiled the dangerousss, explosssive firecorn there... (A Link to the Past (Ishinomori), VIZ Media, pg. 5,6)
↑Thank you, Link! Because of you I can escape this Crystal prison! Now, here is something that will help you--the Comm-Fork! (A Link to the Past (Ishinomori), VIZ Media, pg. 16)
↑Thank you for saving me, Link! I know you are searching for Zelda. She is being held in a rock that looks like a turtle. But this rock is located at the end of this world... (A Link to the Past (Ishinomori), VIZ Media, pg. 8)
↑Con un arcano maleficio fece sparire le sette discendenti dei sette saggi, una dopo l'altra. — N/A (A Link to the Past, Italian version)
↑Non solo, è anche necessario salvare le sette vergini inviate da Agahnim nel Mondo delle Tenebre... — Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past, Italian version)
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