Hyrule
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Hyrule (ハイラル Hairaru?) is a fictional land portrayed in The Legend of Zelda video game series created by Nintendo and industry legend Shigeru Miyamoto. It is often used to refer to the Kingdom where the Royal Family of Hyrule presides, as well as sometimes the surrounding lands and world not governed by them.
The kingdom of Hyrule is the setting in which most of the Zelda games take place. Commonly, Hyrule is seen in the middle of the map, with its neighbouring states surrounding it.
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[edit] Hyrule in the series
The land of Hyrule, first depicted in The Legend of Zelda, released in February of 1986 for the Famicom Disk System, was the mythical backdrop for the adventures of a boy-to-hero character, Link. Link battles his way through different areas and terrains of Hyrule and through nine dungeons. The player's quest in Hyrule was to reassemble the Triforce of Wisdom and rescue Princess Zelda who was being held captive by the evil Ganon.
In later editions of the Zelda series of games (for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance) more characters and mysteries of the land of Hyrule were unveiled and explained.
Many of the designated areas of Hyrule have appeared through the series, notably The Lost Woods, Death Mountain, and Lake Hylia. Several games in the series take place away from Hyrule: Link's Awakening (Koholint Island), Majora's Mask (Termina), The Great Sea in The Wind Waker, and Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons (Labrynna and Holodrum respectively).
[edit] Formation of Hyrule
Hyrule was formed by the goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore (see The Three Goddesses). According to Hylean legend, Din created the physical geography of the realm, Farore the flora and fauna, and Nayru gave the laws of physics. Once the goddesses had completed their tasks, they departed for the heavens, and left behind them three golden triangles. Into these, they gave their power to govern all things; this became known as the Triforce. The Triforce resided in another realm from Hyrule known as the Sacred Realm.
[edit] The Fate of Hyrule
It is important to note that as described in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the land of Hyrule was flooded by "the gods" some time after the happenings of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The few survivors that remained after the flood sought refuge on the mountaintops of Hyrule, which appear to be islands in The Wind Waker. At the end of the game, Link sails off to find another land, presumably to establish a "new" Hyrule. However, Link's exploits in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass have him tied up in finding and rescuing Zelda. What will happen to Link and Zelda and whether or not they will establish a new Hyrule during or after the course of the game is currently unknown.
On the other hand, the king in The Wind Waker states, "But that land will not be Hyrule; it will be your land." Still, the Deku Tree in the same game states, "Forests have great power; they can change one tiny island into a larger island. Soon, a day will come when all the islands are one, connected by earth and grove."
Thus, at this time, it is not known if every game takes place in the same Hyrule, and therefore, there may in fact be more than one Hyrule, just as there are more than one Zelda and Link throughout the series. However, regardless of how many incarnations of Hyrule there are, they all share mostly the same locales as each other, though these locales sometimes are re-arranged with each title.
[edit] Demographics and government methods
See also: Races of The Legend of Zelda series
There are several separate races in the Kingdom of Hyrule and its surrounding lands.
[edit] Gerudo
The Desert Wasteland, found in west Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, is governed by the Gerudo, an almost purely female race. Despite this, (implied by a Gossip Stone outside of the Temple of Time) Gerudo manage to procreate by coming into Hyrule Market Town. Only one male is born every hundred years according to Nabooru, the Lone Wolf Thief, Second-in-Command of the Gerudo and Sage of Spirit in Ocarina of Time. This male is then proclaimed as the Gerudo's king, and is venerated in what appears to be leader worship rituals, but the Gerudo are really more of a dictatorship, as apparent by Nabooru's remarks in Ocarina of Time where she is defiant and says she will never bow to such a wicked man.
[edit] Gorons
Making their home inside of mountains and underground are the Goron race. They usually reside in a locale known as Goron City. They mine rocks from caves for their race to eat. Goron City itself is usually an intricate labyrinth set inside Death Mountain, which is connected to the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time. The Goron government is a monarchy, with the Chief (also known as "Big Brother") ruling over the other Gorons who build passages throughout their domain. There have been several leaders of the Goron Tribe throughout the series, most notably Darunia, the Sage of Fire. In The Wind Waker, three traveling merchants are seen that are clearly of the Goron race, although they are never referred to as such. It is possible that the lack of land (and therefore rocks), coupled with the fact that deep water is deadly to the species, may have resulted in near-extinction of the Goron race by the time of The Wind Waker.
[edit] Kokiri
The forest to the southeast in Ocarina of Time is governed by the Great Deku Tree, who watches over a realm of children that will never grow up called the Kokiri. The Kokiri are forest elves (or spirits) who take the form of children and are given life by The Great Deku Tree. There are notable Kokiri throughout the series, including Mido, a bully; Saria, the Sage of Forest and Link's friend; and Fado, Sage of Wind, who was killed by Ganondorf some time before the Great Flood. After the Great Flood, the Kokiri were transformed into the Koroks, though it is not explained how this exactly happened.
[edit] Zora
The Zora are an aquatic race who dwell in the waters of Hyrule, sometimes in caverns. According to Nintendo of America, Inc.'s 1995 Online Interactive Adventure, the Zora were the first sentient beings to gain intelligence in Hyrule, but there is no conclusive evidence this is an official sentiment of the Zelda Team. In Ocarina of Time, the Zora are guardians of the waterways in Hyrule, and throughout the series they control passages in the waters that warp travelers to other locations. The Zora are a monarchy, ruled over by a being always known as King Zora, though it is not known if that is his true name. They usually worship a deity known as Lord Jabu-Jabu, a giant fish. Other notable Zora are Princess Ruto, daughter of King Zora in Ocarina of Time and Sage of Water; and Laruto, Sage of Earth, who was killed by Ganondorf some time before the Great Flood. It is believed by some that the Zora evolved into a race known as the Rito because Medli, a Rito in The Wind Waker, carries the same bloodline as Laruto, a Zora.
[edit] Rito
The "bird people" from Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker are called Rito. The Rito are actually "wingless" creatures who have existed for some time in The Wind Waker and worship the Wind Spirit Valoo, a giant dragon who presides over Dragon Roost Island, the Rito's homeland in The Wind Waker. The Rito gain their wings by confronting Valoo and taking a scale from him. Allegedly then, the Rito will magically gain their wings. Thus, this gives rise to debate as to whether or not the Rito are an evolved race, stemming from the Zora because of the connection between a Rito named Medli and a Zora named Laruto, or whether they are merely Hylians (the Rito have pointed ears) who survived on and are granted the ability to fly by a higher power. To be clear, if the Zora evolved into the Rito, they did not evolve into a winged species - the Rito are naturally wingless and are born that way. There is no clarification that only Rito can grow wings thanks to Valoo, and even then, if true, there is no knowledge if the Rito are biologically enabled to grow wings or if it is just Valoo's discretion. Notable Rito are Prince Komali, son of the Chieftan, Medli, Prince Komali's caretaker and Sage of Earth, and Quill, a Rito Postman who helps Link in The Wind Waker on his quest.
[edit] Korok
Korok are the small plant-like creatures that inhabit Forest Haven in The Wind Waker. The Deku Tree revealed that the Korok are actually a new form of the Kokiri. Each year, they perform a ceremony in which the Korok children play music for the Deku Tree, and he grows new seeds. The Koroks then take them off to islands on the Great Sea in the hopes they will grow more land to re-unify the disconnected people and lands. The most notable Korok is Makar, a violinist and Sage of Wind. It is not known if the Korok are related to the Deku.
[edit] Minish
The Picori, called the Minish by their own kind, are small beings that inhabit Hyrule, but came originally from another realm. They are very small and only reveal themselves to children, and their sole purpose in Hyrule is to make Hylians happy. Minish speak their own language, but with the help of a Jabber Nut, anyone can understand them. There are several Minish sages, the most famous being Ezlo. Other notable Picori are Vaati, Ezlo's apprentice who became one of the prominent villains of Hyrule, Ferari and Melari. The Minish are said to be responsible for the hearts and rupees that appear in pots, bushes and rocks, as well as the creation of many magical items in Hyrule. They are also responsible for creating Armos Statues. Finally, they were the forgers of the blade that would ultimately be reborn as the Four Sword.
[edit] Deku
Deku are plant-like creatures that can be friends or foes. Deku Scrubs are enemies who shoot nuts at intruders. Business Dekus sell and trade. Deku can be found everywhere in Hyrule. They do not seem to be ruled over by anybody in particular and there is not a Deku sage. However, in Majora's Mask the Deku King rules over all the Dekus of Termina. As Termina exists on a separate but parallel plane to Hyrule, however, it is unknown but highly improbable that this monarchy extends into Hyrule. Also, in Ocarina of Time there is a secret underground place in the Lost Woods where a group of Deku Scrubs preside under an Elder as he is referred to.
[edit] Hyrule Royal Family
The Hyrule Royal Family itself rules the land to the north of Hyrule, and has a large army of soldiers to protect itself. The King - Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule III - rules the land, and his daughter, Princess Zelda, is next in line to the throne. The Hyrulean Royal Family live in Hyrule Castle in The Ocarina of Time but once Ganon takes over, only the fate of Princess Zelda is known.
[edit] Hyrulean geography
[edit] In Ocarina of Time
[edit] Physical Geography
The land of Hyrule in the time of Ocarina is very varied. The landscape is dominated by a large volcanic mountain range and its principal volcano, Death Mountain, in the northeast of the country.
To the far west is a large area of desert, known as the Haunted Wasteland, bordered by a canyon, named Gerudo Valley, that is a feeder river for a large lake, Lake Hylia in the southwest.
Immediately east of Lake Hylia is a large woodland area, known as the Lost Woods. The major water source in Hyrule is the Zora's River, which starts at Zora's Fountain, flows through Hyrule Castle Town, and into Gerudo Valley, which ends at Lake Hylia.
The remainder of the country is occupied by a flat valley floor known as Hyrule Field, with a large hill in the center of the field in which Lon Lon Ranch is located.
See also Places in Ocarina of Time.
[edit] Human/Hylian geography
Human activity in Hyrule has been somewhat limited. There is no evidence of farming on Hyrule Field (perhaps there was farming there at one point, but it is no longer fertile). The Hyrulean economy, judging from the state of Hyrule Castle, seems fairly strong, but dependent on fisheries and trade.
Several settlements have sprung up around Hyrule, the capital being Hyrule Castle Town, with the other major settlements being Goron City, Gerudo Fortress, Kakariko Village, Kokiri Forest and Zora's Domain. There is a great amount of trade between three of the settlements, however the Gerudo Fortress and Kokiri Forest are largely secluded. Goron City is also separated from the other settlements, being high atop Death Mountain and unreachable by many citizens.
The major human landmarks in Hyrule are Hyrule Castle and the Temple of Time, which is the only temple known to be built by Hylians.
[edit] In The Legend of Zelda
[edit] Physical geography
By the time of The Legend of Zelda, the features of Hyrule have been significantly rearranged. Death Mountain is located in the north, as before, but the major body of water (possibly Lake Hylia) is now in the center of the land, the Lost Woods is in the southwest, a graveyard is in the far west, and the desert regions are in the northeast. A large portion of the map in the southeast is woods, and there are no obvious plains. The large anthropormorphic tree near the center of the map (the entrance to the first dungeon) may be a deceased Deku Tree (or rather, the Deku Tree may have been based on it). Hyrule castle is not apparent, although its traditionally central location would correspond with the entrance to the fourth dungeon.
[edit] Human geography
Curiously, there is little sign of human habitation in the Hyrule of this age. There is no Hyrule Castle, and all the people Link encounters are elderly, and live in caves or dungeons. This is probably simply because at the time this game was released, they chose not to spend effort including such elements. In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which occurs immediately afterward chronologically, towns were introduced to the series for the first time. In-universe, a likelier reason for the absence of such habitations as Kakariko Village and Hyrule Castle would be possible warfare or conquest by Ganon, perhaps explaining why the center of Hyrulian government was relocated to the far north by the time of Zelda II. This may have led to near-total depopulation (the cemetery in the first game lies directly upon the site of Kakariko Village in Zelda III), as people moved away from Hyrule or died in the wars, or were even transformed into monsters, as Ganon has had a fondness for such acts.
[edit] Races and governments
The only friendly creatures encountered in The Legend of Zelda are humans, in the form of old men, old women, and shopkeepers. There is a race known as the Zola which resemble and indeed have broken away from the Zora race from Ocarina of Time and Oracle of Ages; however, in this game they serve as water-dwelling enemies and have no evidence of government. In The Minish Cap, the race of creatures known as the Minish were friendly wile link had the ability to become small.
[edit] In The Adventure of Link
In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, the geographic features of the first game (and most subsequent games) are found in a relatively small area in the southwest corner of a more expansive Hyrule. Notably, Death Mountain, Spectacle Rock, the western graveyard, and Lake Hylia are apparent, and do not seem to be inhabited. The expanded Hyrule is divided by sea into two main continents (called the Eastern and Western Continents) and supports at least eight towns. Five of the towns bear the same names of sages from Ocarina of Time (Rauru, Ruto, Saria, Nabooru, and Darunia). Another town, Mido, shares the name of a bossy character in Ocarina's Kokiri Forest. Since Ocarina takes place before Zelda II, the implication is that the towns are named after these characters. The namesake of Old and New Kasuto (the remaining towns) is unknown.
[edit] In A Link to the Past
In Zelda III: A Link to the Past, Hyrule's geography has changed once again. Death Mountain is still in the north, but the Lost Woods have moved to the northwest corner of the map. This was the first Zelda to feature Hyrule Castle in its entirety, and it is the central point of Hyrule. Lake Hylia is located in the southeast of Hyrule, and there is a large desert (possibly Gerudo Valley) in the southwest. Kakariko Village is located to the west between the Lost Woods and the desert. Zora's River is located in the northeast of Hyrule. Finally, the ruins of another palace lie in the east of the land.
[edit] In The Wind Waker
In the time of The Wind Waker (set chronologically after the events of The Ocarina of Time), Hyrule has long since been flooded, and now lies beneath the ocean, with only a collection of mountaintops remaining above the water. These form an archipelago that later became known as the Great Sea, in a manner similar to Atlantis.
[edit] In Twilight Princess
In the latest Zelda game, Twilight Princess, many locations are kept from Ocarina of Time and other games, although they have been completely redone. Hyrule Castle and Castle Town now sit in the middle of the map, surrounded by Hyrule Field, which has been broken up into multiple locations. Other locations include Kakariko Village and Death Mountain to the west, Ordona Province and Faron Woods to the south, and Zora's Domain to the north, and Lake Hylia, Gerudo Desert, and Peak Province to the east. Zora's River (which is only accessible through minigames) runs from Zora's Domain to Lake Hylia through a very deep gorge that partially surrounds the western section of Hyrule Field. Lake Hylia itself lies far below the eastern section of Hyrule Field. It should be noted that for control reasons the maps in the GameCube and Wii versions of the game were inverted; these directions are for the Wii version and must be flipped for the GameCube.
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