Time Travel

Time Travel, also known as traversing time, walking into the past, rewinding time, or traveling between the past and present, is a recurring mechanic in .{{Cite Book|quote=Along with the three Spiritual Stones, this simple instrument is a key to the Sacred Realm where the Triforce sleeps. It also holds the power to travel through time. |book=E |publisher=Dark Horse Books |page=97 
==Appearances==
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In , after retrieving the three Spiritual Stones and playing the "Song of Time" in the Temple of Time, Link can take the Master Sword and can prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce. However, because Link is too young to use the Sword, he is sealed in the Sacred Realm during seven years, thus awakening as an adult. After he rescues Saria in the , he can return to his childhood by putting the Master Sword back into the Pedestal of Time. From this point, he can freely travel through time between his childhood and his adulthood. Certain tasks can only be performed as a child, and certain tasks only as an adult. Items such as the Slingshot can only be used by Link as a child, while items such as the Bow can only be used by Link as an adult.
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In , Link can play the "Song of Time" to go back in time up to the First Day to prevent the Moon from crashing into Termina. Link can also play the "Song of Double Time" in order to travel half day forward to the future.
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In , using the Harp of Ages given to him by Nayru, the eponymous Oracle of Ages, Link can travel between the present day and 400 years in the past. He can play the Tune of Echoes, Currents, and Ages to open Time Portals or independently flit between eras.
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As Link is looking for the missing pieces of the Mirror of Twilight in , which is vital to gain access to the Twilight Realm, he finds a portal that takes him to an ancient version of the Temple of Time. This portal is the Door of Time, the gateway between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. When Link travels back to the future, the Dominion Rod he find inside the temple is affected in that its magic is inactive in the present, so he must to retrieve its magic in order to progress.
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In , while in the Lanayru Mine and Lanayru Desert, Link can hit Timeshift Stones to alter time within the immediate vicinity of the stone. When struck, the Timeshift Stones replenish the area in its range, reverting it back to how it looked in the past. Link also must use the Gate of Time to travel to Hylia's Realm, thousands of years prior to his own time.
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In , Zelda accidentally transports herself back in time using one of the Secret Stones following an encounter with Ganon under Hyrule Castle. The stone amplified a latent power in her blood that allowed her to control time. Upon time travelling back to the era of Hyrule's founding, she meets King Rauru and Queen Sonia, who tell her about the power of the stone and reveal that her ability to control time came from having Sonia as her ancestor. Sonia later taught Zelda the ability to recall objects, telling her it's like tapping into an object's "memories"; an ability that Zelda showed proficiency with when next facing Ganon.
==Non-Canon Appearances==
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The primary conflict caused by Cia, the War Across the Ages, occurs when the Dark Sorceress opens the Gate of Souls. This allows monsters from across time to congregate in the era of , so that Cia may possess Link's soul. To counteract this, the Hyrulean Forces launch an assault on the Valley of Seers in an attempt to close the Gate of Souls. However, this is a trap set by Cia, as the Dark Sorceress ensnares the Warriors and steals the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom from Link and Sheik, respectively. With all three Triforce pieces in her control, she opens three Gates of Time connecting the current era with the Eras of The Sky, Hero of Time and Twilight, causing key locations from those eras to impose over the normal landscape. Afterwards, the Warriors divide and set out for these three splits in the hopes of sealing the respective Gates of Times. 
Once the Hyrulean Forces have done so and retrieved the Triforce pieces, they wish away the connection across time, sending home the allies that they employed in their journey. 
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At about the same time Princess Zelda's powers awakened in the events of Breath of the Wild, a small Guardian emerges from a box in Hyrule Castle. As it sees the destruction caused by Calamity Ganon and hears Zelda’s desperation to protect everyone, it opens a Gate of Time to travel back before the Great Calamity. Before it jumps into the gate, a Guardian Stalker attacks it, but the small Guardian manages to make it into the gate unscathed. Unknown to it, a part of Calamity Ganon's Malice also made its way through the Gate of Time, following the small Guardian.
==Nomenclature==
==See Also==
* Time