Sonia
Sonia is a recurring character in The Legend of Zelda series.(TotKTears of the Kingdom)[6]
Biography
Tears of the Kingdom
Sonia is an ancestor to Zelda from the distant Era of Myth, and she is potentially a descendant of the Reborn Goddess Hylia.[3] She was born on the Surface and was a priestess before becoming queen.[7] She is married to Rauru, and together the two founded the Hyrule Kingdom,[8] though is possible that Hyrule may have been destroyed before the founding of their Kingdom.[9] She possesses powers over Time and bears a Secret Stone that amplifies her powers. She also possesses the ability to sense Rauru's powers of Light and her own powers of Time within Zelda.[4]
Sonia is a deeply wise and strong-willed woman who is known to scold her husband for neglecting his duties as King.[10][11] Sonia took it upon herself to rid the land of Monsters alongside Rauru. Through their combined powers over Time and Light, the two erected Shrines of Light to seal Demons away and prevent their revival.[12][13][14]
After Zelda receives Rauru's Secret Stone and instinctively travels to the ancient past with its assistance, she is found by Sonia and Rauru north of Lake Kolomo as shown in the Memory "An Unfamiliar World". Sonia learns of her relationship to Zelda as a distant ancestor and welcomes her to their Ancient Hyrule Castle.[4][15]
Shortly thereafter, Ganondorf attacks the Great Plateau with a wave of Moldugas. To repel the Moldugas, Sonia and Zelda assist Rauru in creating a powerful Magic beam, forcing Ganondorf to adapt his strategy and leading to him seeking an audience with Rauru and Sonia. In the Audience Chamber of their Castle, Ganondorf falsely swears his loyalty to their Kingdom with the intention of getting closer to Rauru in order to overthrow him.[16] During this encounter, the Gerudo King takes note of Zelda's presence alongside them and the Secret Stone that Sonia wears around her neck and devises a plan to infiltrate the Castle. By using a Phantom Ganon disguised as Zelda, he begins to wander the Castle's halls while looking for a weakness.[17]
At this time, Sonia teaches Zelda how to harness her innate powers over Time.[18] She explains to Zelda that it is most effective to think of drawing out the memory of what she is reverting through Time,[19] establishing the foundation of her Recall ability. Through her perceptive nature she also learns of Zelda's fears for Link, Zelda's cherished friend from her original time.[20][21] She reassures Zelda that she is certain to return to her own time and is more than capable of resolving the troubles that haunt her.[22]
When Sonia and Zelda return to the Ancient Hyrule Castle, Sonia is called upon by the Phantom Ganon disguised as her descendant to discuss private matters.[23] Using this moment, the Phantom Ganon attempts to assassinate Sonia by throwing a Gerudo Scimitar.[24] However, the Weapon is stopped by Recall as Zelda emerges from behind a pillar, revealing that the two were aware of Ganondorf's deception.[25][26] With his treachery revealed, the Phantom Ganon disappears as Ganondorf launches a sneak attack, striking Sonia from behind and killing her.[2] Ganondorf steals her Secret Stone as she falls, using it to amplify his power of Darkness to become Demon King Ganondorf.
King Rauru arrives to find Zelda cradling Sonia's body. Demon King Ganondorf explains that he killed her for his arrogance.[27][28] Before Demon King Ganondorf can land a strike on Rauru, Zelda is able to Warp herself alongside Rauru and Sonia away with the Purah Pad.[29] They flee to the Forgotten Temple where Rauru places Sonia to rest. At the Forgotten Temple, Rauru devises a plan to seal Ganondorf away in order to wait for Link to confront him in the distant future. Zelda carries on this plan when Rauru sacrifices himself to maintain the seal, eventually swallowing her Secret Stone to transform into the immortal Light Dragon in order to restore and deliver the Master Sword to Link after its shattering at Demon King Ganondorf's hands in the future.
Following the transformation of Demon King Ganondorf into the Demon Dragon and his subsequent defeat, Sonia and Rauru's Spirits appear before Link and the Light Dragon. By channeling their power through Link's Recall ability that he inherited from the spectral manifestation of Zelda's will in the Temple of Time, the two Spirits revert Zelda's transformation into the Light Dragon, restoring her Hylian body. With their duty completed, Sonia and Rauru disappear, leaving Hyrule Kingdom to Zelda once more.
Other Appearances
Age of Imprisonment
Sonia appears alongside her husband, Rauru. She is shown walking with him and Zelda toward the Ancient Hyrule Castle atop the Great Plateau.
Trivia
- Similar to how Hylia's ancestry to the Royal Family of Hyrule seems to be inspired by the Japanese goddess Amaterasu being the ancestor to Japan's imperial family, Sonia may be inspired by Himiko, an ancient priestess and earliest known queen of Japan.
Nomenclature
Sonia is a Slavic name which is derived from the Greek Sophia, which itself means "wisdom".
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | |
| This table was generated from Zelda Wiki's translation data. | ||
Gallery
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Key art from Master Works featuring Sonia from Tears of the Kingdom
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Model of Sonia's Spirit from Tears of the Kingdom
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Turnaround of Sonia from Tears of the Kingdom
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Sonia striking Rauru for being impolite to Zelda from Tears of the Kingdom
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Sonia comforting Zelda from Tears of the Kingdom
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Sonia channeling her Time powers from Tears of the Kingdom
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Zelda cradling Sonia's body from Tears of the Kingdom
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Sonia's grave at the Forgotten Temple from Tears of the Kingdom
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Concept artwork of Sonia from Tears of the Kingdom
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Concept artwork of Sonia with Rauru from Tears of the Kingdom
References
- ↑
King Rauru...and Queen Sonia? But that must mean—
— Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑ 2.0 2.1
Your Majesty! Queen Sonia! Oh no! Queen Sonia! No!
— Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 77
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3
I can feel your light power within her. As well as my time power.
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑ "You are correct! I voice Queen Sonia. 💕" — @CheramiLeigh on Twitter, May 20, 2023
- ↑
It's OK. My name is Sonia.
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
It claims that Sonia was a priestess before marrying Rauru. Despite his status as a Zonai, a people popularly thought to be gods, she would counsel him without any trepidation. Moreover, Rauru headed this counsel.
— Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
What an unexpected answer. We are the king and queen who founded Hyrule, after all. Or at least we were the last time I checked.
— Rauru (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑ "あくまで可能性として話すとすれば、ハイラル建国の話があってもその前に一度滅んだ歴史がある可能性もあります。[If I'm just talking about this as a possibility, even if there is a story about the founding of Hyrule, there is a possibility that there is a history where Hyrule was destroyed once before that.]" — Hidemaro Fujibayashi, An interview with the developer of "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" that can still be talked about. A marvelous sequel completed through "play priority" (web archive), Famitsu.
- ↑
This is a tale of King Rauru. Apparently, he would vacate his official business from time to time in order to go out hunting. I had the impression he was a stricter, more serious king, but I guess he had a lighter side as well.
— Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
However, Queen Sonia was always a step ahead. She would put a stop to King Rauru's hunts and bring him back.
— Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
There's more here about light...and time too... The sense I get is that the two of them may have had supernatural powers.
— Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
The subject here is the actions King Rauru and Queen Sonia undertook not long after Hyrule's founding. With the kingdom established, they were worried for their people, so they set out to eradicate the monsters troubling them. They created structures called Shrines of Light to seal the monsters away so that they could never be revived.
— Wortsworth (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑ "The shrines themselves were built before Rauru founded Hyrule – before the Demon King Ganondorf appeared there were still a lot of evil beings, so Rauru and Sonia went around various places to calm things down. Shrines are placed above where a demon was destroyed so it will not reappear. This is why that spiral of light emerges from the shrine. Therefore, bathing in the remaining power of the shrines slightly cleanses Link of the demon magic." —Hidemaro Fujibayashi (Hyrule's Shrines Serve A Secret Peace-Keeping Purpose, Says TOTK Director, published December 19, 2023, retrieved December 19, 2023.)
- ↑
Now, Zelda, dear... You don't need to solve your problems all at once. Why not come back with us to the castle?
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom)No...I...
— Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)We'll tell everyone that you're...a distant relative of ours. It is true, after all!
— 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) - ↑
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) - ↑
With your power over time... If I were able to learn that kind of control... I might be one step closer to my era.
— 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) - ↑
I am sure it will become almost like second nature, and you will be able to find your way home. But Zelda...there is more on your mind than just that.
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
You, of course, do want to get back to your time. But...you also desperately want to help us out in this era. Am I close to the truth?
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Oh, your concern is very sweet, Zelda. But listen. You can focus your attention on returning home. After all, you possess more than power over time. You have a sacred power that can dispel evil. Both of these powers will help you protect your own era.
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom)Queen Sonia...
— Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
All right, Zelda. We are alone as you requested. What was it you wanted to discuss with me in private?
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
You are far too trusting.
— Phantom Ganon (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Oh my. I'm surprised to hear you say such a thing. That is quite out of character for the Zelda I know. But then you... are a puppet of Ganondorf.
— Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
Did you really think we hadn't realized your deceit?
— Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) - ↑
You are too late, Rauru. You took for granted the godlike power you had in your hands. Do you now see the potential you squandered?
— Demon King Ganondorf (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) - ↑
Ganondorf!
— Rauru (Tears of the Kingdom)King Rauru! Queen Sonia needs you!
— Princess Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)