Hyrule

The land of Hyrule is the primary location for the events of the Legend of Zelda series of video games. Hyrule has appeared in several incarnations across the games it appears in and quite frequently changes the locations of landmarks and settlements.
Prominent landmarks seen throughout the series include Lake Hylia, Death Mountain, Lost Woods, Hyrule Field and Kakariko Village as well as less common landmarks such as Spectacle Rock, Zora River, Gerudo Valley, Kokiri/Korok Forest and Castle Town.
==Demographics==
===Notable Races===
There are numerous races that live in the lands of Hyrule and their prominence on the lands is known to wax and wane across the games. Typically the most prominent and numerous of the races are the Hylians who live in Castle Town as well as other settlements like some depictions of Kakariko Village, Lurelin Village and Hateno Village. A commonly seen race in Hyrule is the Zora who appear in most games, the race is actually comprised of at least two separate lineages typically known as River Zora who're often aggressive and have a monstrous appearance and Ocean Zora who are friendly and have a humanoid physique with various fish qualities. Another prominent race in Hyrule are the Gorons, one of the oldest of all races they're known to have existed ever since Goddess Hylia walked the earth, they've remained physically unchanged throughout all of their appearances although their numbers have been incredibly low in some games and much higher in others.
Often associated with the Hylians are the Sheikah a mysterious and ancient race who're visually very similar to Hylians however possess distinctive red eyes, they're known to be protectors of the Hylian royal family and extremely secretive and mysterious. Their most prominent appearance is in Breath of the Wild where in one of the only times in the series multiple Sheikah are seen. Whereas the Sheikah are often loyal to the Hylians the Gerudo are known to have often been antagonistic, even inciting a civil war in Hyrule prior to the events of Ocarina of Time. The Gerudo are a desert-faring people having noticeably more tanned skin than the Hylians or Sheikah, according to some entries the Gerudo only have one male born every century, dialogue from Breath of the Wild suggests that the Gerudo women or Vai go and find husbands among the men of other Hyrulean races primarily Hylians. It is possible that the Gerudo are not a distinct race from the Hylians but rather are cultural as Gerudo appearances remain constant in spite of cross-breeding with Hylians.
Many other minor races appear across the games including the children of the forest known as the Kokiri or Koroks (depending on the game), the avian like descendants of the Zora known as the Rito, the minute yet friendly Minish and elegantly strange and helpful Fairies. Although the Fairies appear in many Zelda games they do not have a prominent role in any game compared to the previously listed races.
It should also be noted that although often mistaken for Hylians, Humans do exist in Hyrule and are sometimes referred to as Hyruleans. They're notable for their rounded ears and general lack of magic, however appear to possess a hardiness that many races even Hylians lack. The people of Ordon Village in Twilight Princess known as Ordonians are also humans.
===Leaders===
Each of the races tends to have a singular leader however together work as a collective lead by an individual, typically the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom or one of their own leaders. The most common form of leadership is a monarchy which the Hylians and Zora are known to adopt, Gorons may also adopt this type of leadership although it may be closer to a display of strength in their society. Gerudo are known to swear loyalty to the sole male Gerudo although this is not always guaranteed as in the past the Gerudo have turned against the male Gerudo as seen with Nabooru in Ocarina of Time and the Gerudo in Four Swords Adventures.
The Sheikah do not appear to have a distinct form of leadership although this is also partly due to their general lack of presence in Hyrule. The Kokiri/Koroks are always seen with an entity known as the Great Deku Tree a powerful mythical Guardian of the forests where they reside of which there are three known Great Deku Trees, two of which are directly related to one another. The Rito despite being closely related to the Zora do not appear to have a leader although do often have an elder who appears to serve a similar role.
Although there are the typical leaders of each race, the races also often have another individual who's known as that race's Sage, these are beings with immense magical power who work on behalf of the Goddess Hylia and the Three Golden Goddesses to aide the Goddess' Hero and Incarnations of Hylia in dealing with incarnations of Demise and other powerful demons. The specific number seems to vary however Hylians, Kokiri/Koroks, Zora (River & Oceanic), Gorons, Gerudo, Sheikah & Rito have all been known to be able to become sages. Humans may also have the capacity to become sages although this is unclear.
==History==
Hyrule's history is long and well-versed taking place across eras and even appearing to split across different timelines.
===Creation and Ancient History===
In the ancient times before life lived on Hyrule the Three Golden Goddesses created the land of Hyrule; Din, Nayru and Farore. As a parting gift they blessed the land with the mythical Triforce a powerful artifact that contained a fraction of their power that would grant the user who wielded it any wish they desired.
While there was initially peace on Hyrule, the land and in particular, the Triforce, gained the ire of demons from the Dark Realm who amassed behind their leader, the Demon King, Demise and attacked Hyrule. Blessed with protecting Hyrule on the Goddesses behalf, another Goddess, known as Hylia fought against Demise alongside the earthly races of Gorons, Parella, Kikwi, Automatons, Mogma & Sheikah. In hopes of protecting those she valued most, Hylia sent the fledgling race of Hylians (at the time unnamed) high into the sky along with the Triforce, creating floating islands where they could evade being targeted by the demon army.
After much fighting Demise was sealed by Hylia however she was gravely wounded in their fight and so sought to have her spirit reborn anew as a mortal so that she could wield the power of the Triforce to further protect Hyrule, something she was not able to do in her divine state as it was a restriction of the Golden Goddesses.
===Era of Sky, Man & Wind===
Many generations after the ancient conflict, the people of the Sky, known as Skyloftians were pulled back to Hyrule when a young maiden among them known as Zelda was attacked by the Demon Lord, Ghirahim. In his feat of immense courage a young knight known as Link traveled to the surface where he found that Zelda had survived the attack and awakened the ancient blood of the Goddess that ran through her. Link meanwhile aided in preventing the seal of Demise from breaking and forged the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane. Managing to defeat Ghirahim through combat and completely destroy Demise in the present and ancient past after Hylia had sealed him away long ago, Link and Zelda became the first Skyloftians to return to the surface in generations along with a notable Skyloftian known as Groose.
Though Demise had been defeated he placed a curse that would follow the Goddess' Hero and the incarnations of the Goddess throughout time itself, reincarnating his hatred into others that would persist. Though there was a degree of peace after the Skyloftians came to Hyrule, conflicts began to break out over possession of the Triforce, this lead to an incident known as the Interloper War where a particularly powerful tribe sought to take the power of the Triforce for their own however were sealed for this insolence and banished into the realm of Twilight. After this, the ancient sage known as Rauru sought to end the conflict by sealing the Triforce away in a land known as the Sacred Realm which could only be accessed through possessing three spiritual stones given to three races in Hyrule and using the Ocarina of Time an ancient relic with mystical musical properties.
At some point after the sealing of the Triforce, the monsters of the dark realm who continued to plague Hyrule became such a notable force against Hyrule that when a young hero possessing a blade made by the Minish known as the Picori Blade managed to vanquish the monsters of Hyrule he became known in legends as the Hero of Men, though not much is known about him, it established the first known instance of Hylians interacting with the Minish. Sometime later another hero, who would become known as the first Hero of the Four Sword would also wield the Picori Blade, managing to use it to defeat the Wind Sorcerer, Vaati who seeked to unleash the evils sealed away by the Hero of Men long ago and take over Hyrule, the first Hero of the Four Sword would temper the Picori Blade with the magic of the four elements turning it into the Four Sword itself.
A great deal of time passed on from these events where Vaati had been sealed away however eventually managed to break free, once against seeking the power to rule over Hyrule, a new hero arose to the occasion becoming known as the Second Hero of the Four Sword who would use its strange power to become four who are one and defeat Vaati, sealing him within the Four Sword where he would be sealed more permanently.
===Schism of Time===
Many generations of relative peace passed until among the Gerudo a man was born, the first in a century, known as Ganondorf Dragmire he, like those before him would rise to become the ruler of the Gerudo and was raised under the witches Koume & Kotake. Through a lust for power as he envied the verdant green fields of the Hylians while his people suffered in the endless desert Ganondorf began a civil war for the throne of Hyrule. Although the fighting was ferocious, Ganondorf was defeated although not without extreme casualties to both sides. In the conflict a mother fled with her child into the Kokiri Forest seeking for the Great Deku Tree to protect her child. The Great Deku Tree obliged and the mother disappeared as the boy was raised among the Kokiri. Whilst Ganondorf was defeated he yet lived, now subservient to the King of Hyrule although plotting his revenge he began to place curses upon Hyrule summong parasites to infect the Great Deku Tree and Lord Jabu-Jabu, powerful guardians of the Kokiri and Zora as well as resurrecting the ancient dinosaurs known as Dodongos who predated on the Gorons.
In this time the boy who had grown under the protection of the Great Deku Tree would come to take on a journey to help protect Hyrule from Ganondorf's curses, gathering the three spiritual stones and the Ocarina of Time. After gathering the stones, the boy known as Link returned to Castle Town to find the Princess, Zelda as well as her guardian, Impa fleeing on horseback from a pursuing Ganondorf. With little time, Link quickly opened the Temple of Time and pulled the Master Sword which had been resting there for eras, untouched by anyone and serving as the key to the Sacred Realm. However in a cruel trick, Ganondorf whom had been following Link snuck into the Sacred Realm as the child was sealed away for seven years as he was not yet ready to to wield the blade. Ganondorf claimed the Triforce and wished to rule over Hyrule, though his wish was granted the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom abandoned Ganondorf as his heart was impure.
When Link awoke from his seven year slumber he found Hyrule had been practically destroyed, the Kokiri were driven from their homes by monsters who'd overrun the forest lead by Ganondorf's own phantom, the ancient dragon Volvagia was rampaging across a now active Death Mountain with the Gorons seemingly gone except for one, the Zora had been frozen in their home with Lord Jabu-Jabu gone, a demon sealed long ago in the well of Kakariko Village known as Bongo Bongo was freed and unleashed havoc on the village and the once mighty Hyrule Castle was replaced with Ganondorf's own corrupted castle set atop a pool of molten rock, the nearby Castle Town reduced to undead monsters.
This Link, who would through his actions help to heal Hyrule of its suffering and pain would become known as the Hero of Time as he would use the Master Sword to travel between his childhood and adulthood, righting the wrongs that Ganondorf had placed on Hyrule all while guided by the ancient sage Rauru and the mysterious individual known as Sheik. When the sages were awakened and Zelda revealed herself to Link, the final conflict where the three wielders of the Triforce; Ganondorf, Zelda & Link would meet atop Ganon's Castle would ensue.
The events of this battle caused a schism in time according to the current timeline, both Ganondorf and Link managed to defeat one another creating two separate timelines, the one where Ganondorf won leading to his eventual sealing by the sages while in the one where Link succeeded Ganon was sealed then and there by the sages. With Hyrule now free of Ganondorf's rule, Princess Zelda, realizing how Link had his childhood stolen by this fate sent him back in time where Link would return as a child. This however created a timeline of its own, where the original which followed Link as he returned to the past, managing to convince the King of Hyrule to stop Ganondorf before his further actions could be enacted and the other which followed Zelda as the present where Hyrule had been freed of Ganondorf's rule persisted.
===The Child Timeline===
After the unveiling of Ganondorf's intentions an execution was to be planned, handled by the six ancient sages. However in what would become known as the Divine Prank, the Triforce of Power manifested within Ganondorf allowing him to free himself from his bindings and kill the Sage of Water, as a result Ganondorf was banished to the Twilight Realm however wasn't killed. Here, in the Realm of Twilight, Ganondorf would come across the Twili, descendants of the Interlopers from ancient times whose bodies had altered and become adjusted to the perpetual lack of light in this realm. Although he could only manifest himself as a spirit-like being, Ganondorf possessed immense magic and used his manipulative abilities to trick the lowly Zant, a twili whom had been denied becoming the successor to the Twili throne into becoming his pawn to attack Hyrule. The Twilight Princess, Midna was also cursed as a result, forced to wear the Fused Shadow. However in their attack on Hyrule, Zant unwittingly lead the next incarnation of the Goddesses' Hero to meet Midna and the two would team up, managing to reconstruct the Fused Shadow and Mirror of Twilight as a means of defeating Zant and killing Ganondorf to finish what the ancient sages had intended.
With Ganondorf killed and the Triforce of Power leaving him, Hyrule became peaceful once again, although the Twili once more became separated from Hyrule as Midna decided to break the Mirror of Twilight completely ensuring their realms would never intersect again. Many years of peace passed and the Gerudo whom had been forgiven for their past grievances returned to Hyrule. However among them was another Male Gerudo, the second to be known as Ganondorf, who would eventually against the orders of the Gerudo, break into the Pyramid and steal the Trident an immensely powerful weapon which turned the Gerudo into the pig-beast, Ganon. Though beastly in appearance, Ganon was still cunning however and stole the Dark Mirror another ancient relic which could create dark copies of others, doing so Ganon summoned the Shadow Links, dark copies of a young friend of the current incarnation of Princess Zelda. These Shadow Links tricked the young warrior into pulling the Four Sword from its pedestal, in turn freeing Vaati who was subservient to this Ganon. Though tricked, the now four Links would prove their abilities by saving Hyrule from Vaati, the Dark Mirror and Ganon and would become known as the third Hero of the Four Sword.
===The Adult Timeline===
While Zelda had returned Link to his own time, she along with those of the present persisted. Though Hyrule was damaged it would recover, however the seal put on Ganondorf would gradually weaken until one day the seal broke and Ganondorf in his beast form began to terrorize the land. Strangely neither the Hero of Time nor a new hero appeared, leading to many fearing this to be the end, however in a last ditch effort the people of Hyrule prayed directly to the Golden Goddesses, who heard their pleas and granted their wish, flooding Hyrule in its entirety, turning the once vibrant lands into the vast ocean that would become known as the Great Sea by later generations.
Though he had been sealed once more, Ganondorf managed to exert his power upon the Great Sea by unleashing evil creatures and intending for the new incarnation of Link who would become known as the Hero of the Winds and Princess Zelda who was known as the pirate, Tetra to find the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom for him much like he'd tricked the Hero of Time before. In their final confrontation, Ganondorf was outsmarted by the ancient, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule whom wished upon the Triforce before the Gerudo King could. Ganondorf was defeated by Link and Zelda, managing to entomb Ganondorf in stone. The King's wish on the Triforce being to wash away the old Kingdom as him and Ganondorf perished in the falling waves.
Though this would not be the end of the Adult Timeline it would be the end of the old Hyrule as Link & Tetra as well as their descendants would seek out new lands to call home in a place called New Hyrule.
===The Downfall Timeline===
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When Ganondorf managed to succeed in killing Link and claiming the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom for himself he became the Demon King, Ganon. Though his might was immense his power attracted those that would stand against him, sages whose names are lost to history along with the remnants of the Hyrulean military forces would amass fight Ganon and his armies in an event known as the Imprisoning War. The ferocious conflict killed many and nearly wiped out the Hylian race in its entirety, however the sages managed to seal Ganon away within the Sacred Realm.
For many generations as Hyrule recovered, Ganon gained power, corrupting the Sacred Realm into the Dark World, a foul reflection of Hyrule. Over time however Ganondorf would create an alter-ego known as Agahnim who was able to manipulate and kill the King of Hyrule. Managing to steal away the seven Maidens who were descendants of the sages who sealed him away, Ganon was however bested in combat by the Hero of Legend, a Link who wielded the Master Sword like those before him and managed to kill Ganon outright. However there were those that sought his resurrection even in defeat, after the Hero of Legend disappeared from history, the Gerudo witches, Koume & Kotake whom had been brought back at some point by Ganon sought to resurrect their master by lighting the Flames of Destruction, Sorrow and Despair. A new Link, who mastered the Seasons and Time together managed to best the witches and save the incarnation of Princess Zelda who would've been sacrificed to resurrect the demon king. Despite an attempted resurrection by the Gerudo witches who sacrificed themselves instead, Link managed to defeat Ganon.
Though he was defeated Ganon yet lived and at some point the Triforce split apart with one piece becoming imbued within Ganon's spirit. In another world where their leaders had destroyed their Triforce long ago, the powerful mage, Yuga and forlorn princess Hilda concocted a plan to steal Hyrule's Triforce, by using Yuga's magic to seal Hyrule's sages and Hilda extracting the Triforce of Wisdom from Princess Zelda whilst Yuga merged with the spirit of Ganon to become Yuga-Ganon. Though this plan did not account for Lorule's equivalent of the Goddesses' Hero, a cowardly individual known as Ravio who knowing of Hilda & Yuga's plans fled to Hyrule in hopes of finding an alternative, happening upon the boy known as Link who would go on to save both Hyrule and Lorule from Yuga and Hilda's machinations becoming the New Hero of Legend. Hilda, remorseful for her actions sought forgiveness after having been deceived by Yuga who sought to turn Hyrule & Lorule into worlds of his own desire. Through this, the present incarnations of Link & Zelda wished upon the Triforce, once more restored to the Sacred Realm wishing for the reconstruction of Lorule's Triforce, giving Lorule hope for the future.
In what would become known as the Golden Era a prolonged period of peace befell upon Hyrule, such little in the way of conflict that the Kingdom flourished beyond its old borders to lands Northwards and Eastwards. However what would end this peace was a Prince of Hyrule whose name was lost to history, seeking the Triforce of Wisdom he put his faith in a dubious wizard, who attempted to curse the then present incarnation of Zelda with perpetual sleep. The brother attempted to stop the wizard however was unsuccessful, this tragedy run through Hyrule leading to a startling decay as monsters began to appear more often and Ganon's return loomed over Hyrule.
When the Demon King did return, the new incarnation of Princess Zelda sought to hide away the Triforce, knowing the Triforce of Power was already with Ganon she gave the Triforce of Courage to an ancient sage in the lands to the North-East and broke the Triforce of Wisdom into pieces, scattering them across Hyrule. Eventually however this Zelda was captured by the resurrected, Ganon. Her loyal subject, Impa however managed to escape and through sheer luck came across a boy who would become the hero of this forgotten Hyrule defeating Ganon and reclaiming the Triforce of Power while reconstructing the Triforce of Wisdom and then would go on and adventure of his own to undo the curse put upon the older Princess Zelda, confronting his own shadow and evading the monsters who sought to use the hero's blood to resurrect Ganon.
==International Relations==
Not much is known about Hyrule's relation to other Kingdoms as very rarely to games take place outside of Hyrule and even then many occur in alternate universes where contact with Hyrule is extremely abnormal. To the Kingdom's north sits Hytopia one of the few kingdoms known to border Hyrule, the two Kingdoms appear to share a friendly relationship with the neighbouring Kingdom being inhabited by a population of humans known as Hytopians. At some point in the downfall timeline these two Kingdoms merge with presumably the lands of Hytopia becoming incorporated into the greater Hyrule Kingdom seen in the Adventure of Link.
There is some relationship that Hyrule maintains with the Kingdoms of Holodrum and Labrynna although the specifics are unknown as where the Kingdoms are in relation to Hyrule is unspecified. It is known that some of the races that once lived in Hyrule such as the Gorons and Ocean Zora migrated to these lands when Hyrule became too dangerous for them to remain. Both Kingdoms appear to have friendly relationships with Hyrule as the then Princess Zelda visits both lands during the events of the Oracle Games without the need for an armed escort. Labrynna was at one point a monarchy like Hyrule lead by the then Queen Ambi however it would eventually become a more democratic land as by the events of the Oracle games both it and Holodrum are lead by Mayors.
Not much is known about the lands beyond Hyrules borders however during the Downfall Timeline by the time of the Adventure of Link, Hyrule's borders had expanded to include an extremely large amount of land to the North of the Kingdom as well as at least two islands located off the Eastern Coast, not much is known about these lands prior to their incorporation although they're known to have been under Hyrule's control since at least the tragedy of the sleeping Princess Zelda, as the temple where she was being kept is found in the far northern reaches of the Kingdom.
==Environment==
Hyrule is a wide and varied land, the typical borders of the region tend to result in a number of different biomes appearing to exist within the Kingdom. Notably in most iterations the Kingdom is land-locked although other iterations suggest that it borders the ocean on its South-East and Eastern sides.
Central Hyrule is typically a plains environment often referred to as Hyrule Field and either contains or is directly south of Castle Town usually the largest settlement in the Kingdom. The northern reaches of the Kingdom are typically mountainous although sometimes a forest is present in the North-West however it may be located between the Plains and the Mountains. Most notably about these mountains are their extreme environments with Death Mountain being too hot for any non-Goron race near its caldera and Snowpeak/Hebra being too cold for Hylians without protective gear.
A dominant feature of many iterations of Hyrule is an East to West flowing River that's home to the Zora, which Zora differs from game to game however the river appears to always be inhabited by them. in some games this river terminates at Lake Hylia while in others the river and the lake are two separate entities. Although quite rare, sometimes the area around the lower banks of the river is depicted as being swamp-like. In the far West of the Kingdom sits the Gerudo desert, some depictions of Hyrule entirely lack this region and so it is believed to be more so on the outskirts although it may also be more South-Westerly than depictions suggest if locations such as the Desert Temple in A Link Between Worlds and Desert of Doubt in Four Swords Adventures are included in the Gerudo Desert, as the name would suggest as well, this region is home to the Gerudo.
The south of Hyrule is often more verdant than its more temperate north, little is known about the land south of the forests of Hyrule in most depictions of the Kingdom. The forest's presence often prevents travellers from travelling southwards as the Lost Woods are known to turn lost travellers into Stalfos and children into the Skull Kids. The southern forests are usually the home of more quiet races including the Kokiri, Ordonians & Minish, however the formermost is known to migrate northwards at some point to what would become the Korok Forest in Breath of the Wild.
===Notable Landmarks===
There are generally a few notable landmarks that repeatedly appear across the series. Perhaps the most notable of which is Death Mountain, usually the largest mountain in the Kingdom. The often active volcano has been the source of many troubles in Hyrule's history, likely either being the modern name of or part of the same magma vent as the ancient Eldin Volcano. Death Mountain is home to the friendly and boisterous Gorons, and often one will find Tektites roaming the mountainside. The extreme heat near the caldera often requires one to have fireproof armour equipped.
In contrast to the mighty Death Mountain is the serene Lake Hylia, named after the Goddess who protected the lands, this lake typically has a few small islands on it and sometimes serves as the basin of Zora River. The lake's size varies across games with some having it be moderately large, able to house the Water Temple or Lakebed Temple, while others depict the lake as being closer to an inland sea such as in the original Legend of Zelda, where it housed both Eagle Dungeon and Snake Dungeon. The lake is sometimes known to attract fishermen and alike.
Although not necessarily named as such, the Lost Woods is an often recurring location in the series. It is sometimes its own forest while other times it is part of a larger one. The area is infamous for its maze-like layout and winding paths that sometimes require non-sensical navigation. Many legends surround the woods leading to people becoming lost and turning into monsters as result. One can often find their way through via the wise words of those that live around the forest or by listening to the sounds of the forest.
Although not a natural landmark, Kakariko Village often referred to as the home of the Sheikah appears quite often, having a knack for avoiding complete destruction several iterations of the eponymous village have cropped up across the series. It is often the second largest settlement after Castle Town, or the largest if Castle Town is in a destroyed or non-existent state. It generally appears to be a gathering location for traders and travellers alike and is often found in close proximity to Death Mountain, although never close enough to be affected by the heat, or to the Lost Woods.
==Artifacts==
Perhaps one of Hyrule's more notable qualities are the numerous artifacts found across its lands, many of which are considered both sacred and powerful able to provide great power to those that can use them. The most notable of which being the Triforce itself, an ancient relic left behind by the Golden Goddesses with the intention of helping the people of Hyrule. Though much conflict has arisen due to the Triforce's presence the Kingdom persists as a result, the Triforce is capable of granting the user a wish and if their heart is balanced will remain as one, however if their heart is unbalanced then the Triforce will split apart seeking those who could possess it, with the piece most associated with the wish-maker remaining with them.
===Weapons===
Second only to the Triforce, the Master Sword is a blessed blade by the Goddess Hylia and imbued with ancient magic from Hyrule's long past that gives it the power to seal the darkness that infests Hyrule. The blade was forged in the Era of Sky from the original Goddess Sword and harbours the lingering spirit of Demise, the ancient Demon King whom cursed the lands of Hyrule. Its incredible power has been seen to be able to seal away evil entities or kill them outright as well as serve as a key protecting the Sacred Realm.
Though not as notable, another blade known as the Four Sword also exists in Hyrule, imbued with the power of the four elements of the land it was originally created by the Minish and known as the Picori Blade, the wielder of this blade will split into four separate individuals giving them power in numbers and the blade is known to possess sealing powers. The weapon's history is also closely tied to the Wind Sorcerer, Vaati, who appears particularly vulnerable to the weapon's might.
The last major weapon known to exist in Hyrule is the Bow of Light a powerful artifact that appears to be closely tied to the royal family as many incarnations of Princess Zelda are known to possess it. The Bow is seemingly as powerful as the Master Sword although lacks the sealing powers of the former but is effective at weakening dark forces. It is believed that the Bow is possibly lost in the Downfall Timeline as the appearance of Silver Arrows suggests that alternate methods of defeating the darkness were discovered. Notably, in the Adult Timeline the Bow of Light appears to be the only remaining artifact capable of sealing any form of Darkness as the Master Sword was lost to the Great Sea long ago and other weapons such as the Phantom Sword and Lokomo Sword are limited in their abilities.
===Musical Instruments===
Several Musical instruments are known to possess supernatural abilities throughout the Zelda series, although each only appears in one or two games they appear to be a common, recurring aspect of the land of Hyrule. The most notable of these types of artifacts being the Ocarina of Time a powerful musical instrument used most notably by the Hero of Time, the Ocarina's power is unknown and may be somewhat limited by its user as Link's experience with the instrument improved during Majora's Mask. What is known is that the instrument possesses the ability to teleport the user across Hyrule and other lands, hasten, slow or even reverse the flow of time, although the latter-most ability appears to be limited. As well as summon entities like Scarecrows or stun the undead.
During the Adult Timeline an object known as the Wind Waker, a conductor's tool appeared and is likely a relic of the ancient Hyrule, this item allowed the individual to conduct the wind itself and possessed many abilities from wind-based teleportation, time of day alteration, wind direction control and control of another. The artifact itself is likely still with the Hylians in New Hyrule although it hasn't been needed since the events on the Great Sea.
In the ancient times there existed the a musical instrument known as the Goddess Harp a divine object that was able to awaken one when used in specific locations. The harp's abilities seem to be less concrete than other musical artifacts although it is known to grant the user access to the mysterious Silent Realm.
==Currency==
In Hyrule the most common form of currency is the Rupee, these crystalline gems are found in many colours and appear to possess some form of magic as they can provide a protective shield with particular armour when worn. Green Rupees are the most common and worth 1 whilst Gold are typically the rarest and worth several hundred. The common Rupee denotations are; Green (1), Blue (5), Red (20), Purple (50).
==Appearances in Other Games==
===Kingdom Hearts===
This world is the staring world for Link's storyline in KH: A New Beginning (aside from the Awakening "tutorial" level), and the home of Link, Zelda, a young Ike (from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance), a young Tifa (from Final Fantasy VII), a tennage Basch (from Final Fantasy XII) and Vaati (but he is a good guy, at first). When Vaait opened a door to darkness in a part of the village where Link lives, he plunges the world into darkness. Zelda is kidnapped, Vaati vanishes, and Link is thrown into Ivalice after fighting a evil chameleon Heartless known as Stealth Sneak. A "mirage" hybrid (w/ Destiny Islands (Sora's home world)) version of this world appears in the End of the World area. In KH II: The Adventure Continues, the world appears in the dreams of Klixn, and in cutscenes, but will not be a playable world.
== Trivia ==
*Hyrule's currency, the Rupee shares its name with a currency common across much of South and South-East Asia.
Category:Locations
Category:The Legend of Zelda (series)
Category:Kingdoms
Category:The Legend of Zelda Locations