The Hero of Time: A tale of isolation, tragedy, and loss

In Hyrule, there echoes a legend held dearly by the Royal Family. The legend tells of a young boy who waged a myriad of battles across the ripples of time, saving both the land of Hyrule and Termina. The boy, known as Link, possessed a courageous soul, saving countless lives while healing the pain of others. But for Link, walking the path of a hero also meant living a life of isolation, tragedy, and loss.

During his life as the Hero of Time, he made countless sacrifices that were ultimately forgotten. Upon his death, he lamented the fact that he was not remembered as a hero. His story is kept alive and passed down by the Royal Family, who venerates his legacy for many generations to come.

The Boy Without a Fairy

Though Link’s story begins in the Kokiri forest, his fate was already sealed in the pages of destiny. He experienced great hardships and loss beginning at a young age. To start, he never knew his biological parents. Link’s father died fighting as a Hylian knight in the Hyrulean Civil War. His mother sought refuge inside the Kokiri Forest from the ongoing war. She surrendered her son to the guardian of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, before tragically passing away. Sensing that Link was a child of destiny whose fate would someday affect the entire world, he accepts Link as one of his own.

The only family Link ever knew was the Great Deku Tree, who served as a father figure to the children of the forest: the Kokiri. The Great Deku Tree came to love and acknowledge Link as one of his children. For the first time in his life, Link would receive unconditional love and support.

Link is raised as a Kokiri, but some of the other children are not so trusting or accepting of him. Link is shunned and ostracized. See, the Kokiri have all been bestowed their own guardian fairy from the Great Deku Tree. But Link does not have a fairy, and therefore is subject to torment and bullying from his fellow peers, such as Mido. This ridicule causes Link to wonder why he does not have a fairy like the others. In his mind, he is no different than the other Kokiri. Link feels alone, but not for long, as there would be one person willing to be his friend.

Link befriends a Kokiri girl named Saria, and the two slowly form a tight-knit bond with each other. Saria is Link’s number one fan, always there for support, even defending him from Mido’s insults. Though, deep down, Saria knows that Link is different from her and the others. Like the Great Deku Tree, she knows Link is different because there is something special about him. His differences do not bother Saria in the slightest, as she cares unconditionally for Link.

While still a young child, Link begins having strange, prophetic dreams about a castle and an evil man on a black horse. One morning while Link is still sleeping, he is awakened by a frantic Navi the fairy. She informs Link that the Great Deku Tree has appointed them as partners and that he is requesting Link’s presence immediately. This is all too sudden for Link to understand, but surely it must be important if he is being called to see the Great Deku Tree. After all, it is quite the honor for one of the Kokiri to be cordially invited to speak with the forest guardian himself. Saria is ecstatic to see that Link has finally been granted his very own fairy partner. Unbeknownst to Link at the time, Navi’s presence was related to the ominous dreams he had been experiencing lately. It was a grim teaser of what was about to come, as his life was about to change forever. It would never be the same.

Navi guides Link to meet with the Great Deku Tree, who reveals that he was cursed by an evil man from the desert, Ganondorf, for refusing to hand over the Kokiri Emerald. With his dying breath, he tells Link to make his way to Hyrule Castle to meet with the princess herself. Link must leave the only place he ever knew behind, to save a land he had never seen before. This is all too much for Link, a mere child, to handle. His mind is swirling with all sorts of emotions. After all, he just witnessed the death of his father figure — his first tragic loss. And now, he is suddenly instructed to leave the forest, but this was forbidden for the Kokiri to do so. This stirs great confusion within Link, because any Kokiri would die if they left the forest — or so he believed.

Link is perplexed by this revelation but obliges to avenge his father figure. Upon leaving the forest, Mido stops Link and immediately blames Link for the death of the Great Deku Tree. Link knows that news would spread quickly among the other Kokiri, providing more pressure on him to leave the forest as soon as possible. Though it is not Link’s fault for what transpired, he cannot help but feel guilty. With a heavy heart, he says goodbye to the only place he ever recognized as home.

Saria waited for Link on the bridge, as she knew the day would come where Link would eventually leave the forest. She gifts Link the Fairy Ocarina as a gift of their friendship together. Link treasures the precious memento from his only friend, but ultimately runs away, as he isn’t sure how to properly convey his emotions. Aside from the Great Deku Tree, Saria was the only other person to show pure love and kindness to Link. He does not have time to process the whirlwind of emotions right now, as it was instead time for him to become a hero and fulfill his destiny — whether he wanted to or not.

For the first time in his life, Link is introduced to a completely different world after leaving Kokiri Forest. Vast wonders and mysteries awaited him throughout the land of Hyrule. Link soon realizes that his adventures would be full of relentless danger. Link’s fight with Gohma inside the Great Deku Tree was only the beginning, as there would be countless other creatures waiting for him along the way. He faces the risk of dying with each dangerous encounter when coming across formidable foes such as King Dodongo or Barinade if it were not for the aid of fairies to revive him upon death. It was all too much to bear, but Link kept pushing onward.

After risking his life to obtain the Goron’s Ruby and Zora’s Sapphire, he finds himself at the Temple of Time. It was time to put an end to this and return to Kokiri Forest. Link pulls the Master Sword from its pedestal. but doing so would give him the shock of his life, as more horrors awaited him in the near future.

Revelations and Life as an Adult

When Link comes to, he finds himself in the body of an adult, but this can’t be possible. After all, he is a Kokiri, or so he still believes. Link meets the Sage of Light, Rauru, who informs Link that he was sealed away for seven years until he was mature enough to become the fabled Hero of Time. Seven. Long. Years. By pulling the blade, Ganondorf obtained access to the Sacred Realm. While Zelda and Link had good intentions in protecting the Triforce, they fell right into Ganondorf’s trap, dooming Hyrule into a state of peril. Everything Link did and worked so hard to protect in the past fell apart.

Knowing that his friends such as Saria, Darunia, and Ruto had suffered for seven years, Link feels immense guilt. He could not save them while he was asleep for those seven years. He feels utterly useless, but Rauru states that by awakening the power of the sages, the evil can be sealed away. Ganondorf’s evil designs can be reversed once Link awakens all of the sages. Among the darkness and despair, there is hope. There is always hope. Link exits the Temple of Time, and what he sees next chills him to the core. Hyrule is in a state of complete desolation. ReDeads patrol the once lively Castle Town Market, and everything is in complete ruin.

Believing that his friends are possibly dead, Link embarks on yet another dangerous quest. Link’s first instinct is to hurry back to his old home, Kokiri Forest, to find Saria. Instead, he finds the place he once called home is inhabited by monstrous Deku Babas, Deku Scrubs, and Club Moblins. He also discovers that Mido had been spreading rumors about him being the cause of the Great Deku Tree’s demise, which was far from the truth. Unsurprisingly, Saria was the only one who defended Link and stayed loyal to him during his absence.

Link meets with his childhood friend, Saria, who has been waiting for his return after all these years. Sadly, it is anything but a happy reunion. Saria thanks Link for saving her and awakening her as the Sage of Forest, but she regretfully must say goodbye, as she now belongs to the Sacred Realm as a Sage. The Great Deku Tree was gone, and now Saria is leaving Link behind as well. Since Link had always had a longing for love and acceptance, he didn’t understand why his only friend had to leave forever.

He is transported back in front of the Great Deku Tree, where he meets the Deku Tree sprout. By speaking with the sprout, Link uncovers the truth of his origins. Suddenly, everything makes sense to him. Everything he thought and knew about himself was a lie. Link makes sense of the fact that he is not a Kokiri but a Hylian, and that his real parents are both deceased. The emotional hits just keep coming. Worst of all, it seems that Mido’s words were true after all. In his mind, Link was a fraud, who didn’t belong anywhere.

A Crucial and Split Moment in Time

According to Hyrule Historia published in 2011, Link’s final battle with Ganondorf results in three timeline branches: Downfall, Adult, and Child. No matter the timeline, Link did not receive the happy ending or recognition he truly deserved.

• In the Fallen Hero timeline, Link is defeated in his final battle with Ganondorf, which allows him to obtain the other remaining pieces of the Triforce. Zelda, with the help of the other sages, seal Ganondorf away into the corrupted Sacred Realm, also known as the Dark World.
• In the Adult timeline, Link defeats Ganondorf, and the seven Sages cast him away to the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf is sealed away within the corrupted Sacred Realm along with the Triforce of Power, but swears to one day exterminate Link and Zelda’s descendants. Link “dies” as a forgotten hero after Zelda sends him back to his original time to relive his childhood. Since he does not exist in this timeline anymore, Hyrule is left without a protector. Ganondorf eventually breaks free from his seal, overruling the Sages. He attempts to overtake Hyrule once again, leaving the goddesses no other choice but to flood Hyrule. The story of the Hero of Time becomes a distant legend that is kept alive by the residents of Outset Island.
• In the Child timeline, Link finally closes the Door of Time by placing the Master Sword back into the Pedestal of Time. He warns Princess Zelda about Ganondorf’s malefic intentions, therefore thwarting his plan and preventing the downfall of Hyrule under Ganondorf’s reign in the future. He is sentenced to execution before eventually being cast away to the Twilight Realm. Link is not remembered for his heroic deeds, and he does not fit back in with his original time after everything that transpired.

The Hero’s Continuing Hardships

Following the Child timeline, Link retains the memories of Hyrule from the distant future. After living through and enduring such traumatic events, it is not so easy going back to living life as a child. Though Zelda had good intentions by sending Link by to relieve his childhood, it was already gone. Link felt lost, like he didn’t belong anywhere now. Though Saria is still present in this timeline, Link already knows that she is fated to one day become a Sage. He could live out the rest of his childhood in the Kokiri Forest with Saria, but too much has changed in such a short period. Life will never be the same. Deep down, Link knows he would have to leave the forest eventually and begin a new life somewhere different. Change is scary, but that’s OK, because at least Link has Navi by his side to support him — or so he thought.

Navi’s purpose as a fairy was fulfilled, so her presence was no longer required. Since Navi was the only one to understand the trauma and hardships Link has lived through, he is left carrying a huge burden alone. Unable to cope with the loss of his beloved partner, Link becomes filled with grief, not knowing why his closest friend would suddenly leave without even saying a proper goodbye. He decides to embark on a personal quest in search of his dear friend. But, instead of finding the answers and closure he desired, Link would find himself confronted by the whims of fate once again.

Arrival to a Doomed Land

While venturing through a mysterious forest, Link is suddenly ambushed and knocked off Epona by a pair of fairies and a Skull Kid wearing a mysterious mask. While Link is knocked out, Skull Kid rummages through Link’s belongings, stealing his precious Ocarina of Time. When Link regains consciousness, Skull Kid takes off on Epona. Link gives chase but falls into a pit that transports him to a strange world — one that needs saving.

Skull Kid ridicules Link, hinting that Epona is gone forever, before casting a curse on Link. Link is horrified to see his new physical form, the body of a lowly Deku Scrub, in the reflection of a puddle. He wonders why bad things keep happening to him, as he truly felt cursed. Skull Kid mocks Link’s new form before leaving with the ocarina. Many questions circulated through his mind. “Where is Epona? Am I stuck like this forever?” Link heads off to find Skull Kid, where he finds himself in Clock Town. At first, Link recognizes some of the residents from Hyrule. But they do not recognize him, let alone his new form. It slowly hits Link that these people are not the same ones he met in Hyrule, but residents of a parallel world known as Termina.

To make matters worse, the dogs in Clock Town become hostile towards Link in his Deku form, barking and attacking him. Some of the townspeople, like the Bombers gang, are not so kind and accepting of Deku Scrubs either. He feels lost, hopeless, depressed — reminiscent of his days growing up in Kokiri Forest. But all hope was not lost, as there was one person who recognized Link and was willing to help him for a favor in return.

The Happy Mask Salesman teaches Link the “Song of Healing,” a magical song used to heal evil magic and troubled spirits, turning them into masks. As promised, playing the song returns Link to his Hylian form. Though Link’s Deku form was the result of evil magic, it is also true that Link himself is a troubled spirit who requires deep healing.

In return for helping Link, the Happy Mask Salesman begs Link to recover Majora’s Mask, believing that Link possesses the true strength and courage of a hero. Link isn’t left with any other choice, for the evil demon known as Majora would destroy Termina if he did not intervene. As if the burden of saving Hyrule wasn’t already difficult enough, now the fate of Termina, a place he doesn’t even know, lies in his hands. In his heart, Link knows he cannot fight destiny. The land of Termina needed a hero — even if this meant not being recognized for his heroic deeds once again. Link is truly selfless, sacrificing his own personal needs aside to help those in need of help.

Link only has three days to save Termina before the Moon falls. Using the power of the Ocarina of Time and playing the “Song of Time,” he can travel back to the First Day before the imminent destruction of the town. By doing so, this dooms him in reliving the same three days each time, with only him and Tatl retaining memories. Link becomes trapped in a cycle, floating endlessly through time. He watches as the people he cares for die over and over again. The trauma and hardships were becoming more difficult to bear with each cycle. Link knows it was futile to let himself become attached to anyone he met, but he couldn’t help himself. He cares deeply for others, as it’s part of his nature as a hero. Though brave and admirable, Link’s young, innocent soul does not deserve all of the pain and suffering he has endured throughout his adventures. While the people of Termina deserve to be happy and free, so does Link.

On his travels to each of the four main regions of Termina, Link finds that many of the inhabitants are full of anguish and distress, desperate for any release from their pain. Using the “Song of Healing,” Link heals those who are dying or in great emotional suffering. In some cases, he is granted a mask that contains the soul of the deceased, such as Darmani III, Mikau, and even the Deku Butler’s Son. With these masks, he can possess their respective powers. When putting on one of the transformation masks, Link appears to be in pain, emitting a haunting, agonizing scream. After all, not only is Link hosting the soul of a dead person, he is harboring all of the memories that person experienced during their life, including the tragic, painful ones.

Harboring the soul and memories of a dead person quickly takes an emotional toll on Link’s psyche. This becomes more apparent when speaking to each of the Moon Children inside the Moon before facing Majora’s Mask. The Moon Children expose Link’s thoughts by questioning his identity, happiness, and even the people he considers to be friends. Questions begin to circulate in his mind as he reflects about himself and his life up to this point. What is Link’s true identity? Was he still considered a child, or an adult trapped inside a child’s body? Too many questions, so few answers.

Link defeats Majora’s Mask with ease and returns peace to the land of Termina. Just like in Hyrule, his hard work and bravery went unnoticed, with the exception of Tatl and the Happy Mask Salesman. He bids a fond farewell before embarking on the journey back to Hyrule. While he still possesses a desire to find Navi, Link knows he must start living for himself as well. The events in Termina caused Link to reassess his meaning and purpose in life.

EASING REGRETS AND MOVING ON

After the events of Majora’s Mask, it is unknown as to what exactly happened to the Hero of Time, as most of it is composed of fan theories and speculation — though some questions would later be answered in Twilight Princess. It is likely that he made the journey back to Hyrule, albeit a lonely one. He accepts that Navi is gone, appreciating the role she played in his life, even if it was only for a small amount of time. Though Link is satisfied in saving the lands of Hyrule and Termina, he cannot help but question his purpose and reasoning for existing. When Link was sent back in time, everything that he had previously accomplished had been erased, with no one to remember his legacy. He struggled to understand that life as a hero meant living a life deprived of gratitude, but he ultimately came to accept it. Link searches for a newfound sense of purpose in his life, realizing that he must pass on the skills that he had come to learn during his lifetime.

Not much is known about Link’s life once he returned to Hyrule, but at some point before his death, he entrusted several key items of his such as the Hero’s Bow to the Gorons and the Hero’s Clothes to the Light Spirit Faron, hoping that one day they would be of use to the next Chosen Hero. All of the secrets and knowledge he learned as the Hero of Time followed him to the grave before he was able to relay them to a new generation. As a result, his restless spirit was left roaming around Hyrule for what felt like an eternity, all while waiting for the next hero that would wield his blade — the Hero of Twilight.

The Hero of Time, now known as the Hero’s Shade, initially appears as a white wolf with a red eye to the Hero of Twilight. In the ether world, his true form resembles a ghastly, skeletal figure wearing aged, damaged armor. It is unknown how exactly the Hero of Time died, but judging by his knightly appearance, some speculate he became a knight for Hyrule like his father and died tragically in some kind of war. He may have also been killed as a result of a surprise attack by an enemy, resulting in his body withering away, never to be found (seeing how his armor is partly covered in leaves). Another theory is that the Hero of Time came face-to-face with Dark Link once again and lost battle with his formidable foe.

At first, it was only speculation that the Hero’s Shade is also the fabled Hero of Time. But Hyrule Historia solidifies this fact, as it states that the Hero’s Shade accepted life as the hero but became full of regrets since he was not able to pass down his secrets to “those who came after.” After successfully teaching the Hero of Twilight all seven hidden skills, the contrite spirit is finally able to find peace for himself, as his purpose was finally fulfilled.

Though the Zelda manga are considered non-canon to the games, the Twilight Princess manga by Akira Himekawa gives readers a more in-depth look at the Hero’s Shade’s character and background, giving fans a true sense of closure for the hero — the closure that he rightfully deserved. Rest easy, hero.