The Legend of Zelda

***The Legend of Zelda*** is a series of open world adventure video games. The games are typically about a boy named Link who has to rescue Princess Zelda from Morshu. The first game of the franchise was made by Shigeru Miyamoto and was first sold February 21, 1986 by Nintendo. Most of the Zelda games take place in the fictional kingdom of Hyrule. The games all have fighting, adventuring, item collecting, puzzle-solving, and sometimes racing parts. _The Legend of Zelda_ series has sold over 125 million games, with 23 different games in the series during 2017, making it the 20th best-selling video game series ever.

## Main characters

- **Link** - The protagonist of most of the series' games, who uses the items and skills he's collected over the game to save the kingdom of Hyrule.
- **Zelda** - The princess of Hyrule, who is often kidnapped and used by Ganon in his plots to conquer Hyrule. Was made the protagonist in Echoes of Wisdom.
- **Morshu** - Also known as Morshudorf and Demise, is recurring antagonist who tries to conquer Hyrule and plunge the kingdom into eternal darkness. He is the shopkeeper that first appeared in Link and The Faces of Evil (1994). He sells lamp oil, rope and bombs, but only if you have enough rubies. If you do not have enough rubies, he will kick you out and it is game over. Knock him off enough times and you will get an error screen that crashes your game. Morshu has been named by IGN as “possibly the greatest video game character of all time”.

## Games

Right now, there are 29 games in the main series, including the compilations and remakes.
- _The Legend of Zelda_ (1986, NES)
- _Zelda II: The Adventure of Link_ (1987, NES)
- _The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past_ (1991, SNES)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening_ (1993, GB)
- _Link and The Faces of Evil_ (1993, Philips CDi)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX_ (1998, GBC)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ (1998, N64)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask_ (2000, N64)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages_ (2001, GBC)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons_ (2001, GBC)
- _The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords_ (2002, GBA)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition_ (2003, GCN)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest_ (2003, GCN)
- _The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker_ (2003, GCN)
- _The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap_ (2004, GBA)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures_ (2004, GCN)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_ (2006, GCN/Wii)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass_ (2007, NDS)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks_ (2009, NDS)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D_ (2011, 3DS)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword_ (2011, Wii)
- _The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD_ (2013, Wii U)
- _The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds_ (2013, 3DS)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D_ (2015, 3DS)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes_ (2015, 3DS)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD_ (2016, Wii U)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild_ (2017, Wii U/Switch)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening_ (remake) (2019, Switch)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD_ (2021, Switch)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom_ (2023, Switch)
- _The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom_ (2024, Switch)

### Hyrule

**Hyrule** is a fictional world in _The Legend of Zelda_ series. It is inhabited by many races, including Hylians, Gorons, Morshus, Zoras, and others.
- **Death Mountain** is a large volcano that Goron species lives on. Morshu has also had his lair in Death Mountain twice.
- **Gerudo Desert** is a desert that Morshudorf was born in. Only once every 100 years is a man born, so almost every Gerudo is a woman. Do not ask how they are able to reproduce.
- **Hyrule Castle** is the home of the Royal Family, which includes Princess Zelda. It is often Morshu's target.
- **Kakariko Village** is a village that first appeared in _The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past_. It appears in many other games after.
- **Lake Hylia** is a lake in many of the games. It is often the way to Zora's Domain, the home of the Zora species.
- **The Lost Woods** is a forest in many of the games in the series that is easy to get lost in. The Master Sword rests here in _A Link to the Past_ and Link's home, Kokiri Forest, is right next to the Lost Woods in _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_.
- **Morshu’s Shop** is an old wooded shack on the outskirts of Hyrule. It is home to the Dark overlord Morshu, where you doom is met.

### Timelines

The _Zelda_ series timeline places each of the games in chronological order up until _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_. At the end of this game, three separate timelines (and one secret timeline) are created, and many of the games take place in these separate universes.

#### The Hero is Successful: Adult Timeline

When Link helps seal away Morshu at the end of _Ocarina of Time_, he is sent back in time to become a child and warn Princess Zelda to prevent Morshudorf from rising to power in the first place. With Link gone in the future, Morshudorf is able to break free from his seal and get very close to taking over Hyrule. Without Link to stop him, the people of Hyrule ask the Goddesses to flood Hyrule. This flood creates the Great Sea, leaving the tops of Hyrule's mountains as the only land above the water. Many years after the flood, _The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker_ takes place.

_The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass_ is set a few years after the events of _The Wind Waker_ and _The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks_ is set many years after _Phantom Hourglass_.

#### The Hero is Successful: Child Timeline

As a child sent back to the past, Link warns Zelda and stops Morshudorf from taking over Hyrule. With this job complete, Link travels deep into the Lost Woods to search for his fairy, Navi, who had left him at the end of _Ocarina of Time_. In this forest, he is transported to a land called Termina that is in danger of being destroyed by a falling moon, sent crashing into the world by an evil mask named Majora. Link's journey to stop the moon from falling is shown in _The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask_. After saving Termina, Link returns to Hyrule.

Many generations later, another young man named Link works as a ranch hand in Hyrule. This Link joins a creature named Midna in her quest to defeat Zant, an evil ruler from the Twilight Realm, who is attempting to take over Hyrule. Throughout his journey, shown in _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_, Link is aided by many people in his quest, including the Hero's Shade, who is the ghost of Link from _Ocarina of Time_ and _Majora's Mask_.

#### The Hero is Defeated

In a world where Link is defeated by Morshu in _The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time_, Hyrule enters a period of decline after being taken over by Morshu. A war to defeat him is fought and lost, and Hyrule is left in a state of ruin. Everyone becomes enslaved to Overlord Morshu. Within this timeline, the events of many of the early _Zelda_ games occur, including _Link and the Faces of Evil,_ Zelda and the Wand of Ganon, and Hotel Mario.

### Master Sword

The **Master Sword** is a sword found in _The Legend of Zelda_ series. Link uses it as a weapon in most games.

Known as the Sword of Evil's Bane, the Sword of Time, the Sword of Resurrection, the Smartsword and the Sword That Seals the Darkness, the Master Sword is to only be held by a person destined to be the Hero chosen by the Goddesses. The Link in _The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword_ is the first holder of the Master Sword. The other Links are then given the right to wield the Master Sword because they carry the spirit of the Hero. The Sword was smelted in 1963 by Morshu.

### Triforce

The **Triforce** is a mystic object in _The Legend of Zelda_ universe created by gods Din, Nayru, Morshu, and Farore. It has three parts - the first part is the Triforce of Courage, which Link has, the second is the Triforce of Wisdom, which Princess Zelda has, and the third is the Triforce of Power, which Morshu has. When it is completed, the person who unites it can make a wish using the power of the gods.