Everything We Know About Ocarina Of Time’s Civil War

The parameters of Zelda the games are almost uniformly kingdoms in crisis, as the series is primarily about a showdown between good and evil destined to recur through the ages. THE Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time sees Ganondorf plunge Hyrule into chaos as Link’s adulthood, but even the seemingly flourishing realm of Link’s childhood shows signs of trouble; there are a lot of subtle indicators Ocarina of time Hyrule is suffering the consequences of a war that ravaged the kingdom not even a decade before the game began.
Ganondorf is the immediate threat in Ocarina of time, so the issues that precede the game’s narrative are rarely mentioned. Players assume the role of Link raised as a Kokiri and share his ignorant worldview. When Link leaves his forest house all he knows is that “a desert villain“tries to harness the power of the Triforce, and is advised to seek the”Princess of DestinyAs the Child Link continues on his journey to retrieve the Spirit Stones, he travels to remote corners of Hyrule, where hints of the ineffective reign of the Royal Family can be seen.
Princess Zelda, heralded as the Princess of Fate by the Great Mojo Tree, represents a potential turning point in the governance of the Kingdom of Hyrule. As the deadly reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, Zelda is Ganondorf’s paradigm of good for fighting evil. She is roughly the same age as Link, which means she too was born during or shortly after the war that consumed Hyrule before. Ocarina of time. While the game doesn’t explicitly address the skill of its family predecessors, Ocarina of timeThe s cadre involves Hylian rulers of questionable morals and effectiveness.
What Ocarina Of Time Characters Actually Say About The Hyrule Civil War
Few details are expressly confirmed on Ocarina of timeThe Hyrulean Civil War. The conflict is only directly mentioned by Deku Tree Sprout, who informs Link of his true Hylian heritage once players are done. Ocarina of timeThe forest temple. Even in this conversation, the war is only briefly touched upon:
“Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule united this land, there was a fierce war in our world. One day, to escape the fires of war, a mother Hylian and her baby boy entered. in this forbidden forest. The mother was badly injured … Her only choice was to entrust the child to the Mojo Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest. “
Additional references to the Hyrulean Civil War appear in additional real-world texts, such as History of Hyrule and The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, but these are also light on the details. Deku Tree Sprout’s lyrics at least confirm that the war was recent, having only passed since Link was old, and also clarify the political status of Kokiri Forest in relation to the war.
The Great Mojo Tree, one of the ZeldaThe most important recurring characters in, are the guardian spirit of the forest and the Kokiri who inhabit it. Link’s mother likely brought her baby there because she knew it was a neutral place safe from the devastation of the Hyrulean Civil War, and the Hylian child was only allowed to stay because “The Mojo tree could feel that [Link] was a child of fate, whose fate would affect the whole world. “Link and Sheik seem to be the only foreigners allowed to enter and exit the Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods freely.
Ocarina Of Time’s Shadow Temple Could Be Sheikah’s Torture Chamber
Although THE Legend of ZeldaThe Sheikah tribe has remained a mystery throughout the series until its prominence in Breath of the wild, environmental indices in Ocarina of time suggest that they were involved in dark deeds during the Hyrulean Civil War. Cocorico Village – birthplace of Ocarinais a real Sheikah character, Impa, and described by a Hylian soldier as once a village of Sheikah – home to the Temple of Shadow. There, Link is stopped by a spirit in one of the crypts that says: “Shadow Temple … This is the bloody story of Hyrule’s greed and hatred.“The massive symbol of Sheikah on the entrance to the dungeon implies that this bloody story relates to Sheikah’s service to the royal family.
In the Temple of Shadow there are many torture chambers, guillotines, and pools of blood. These may be the relics of a conflict much further in Ocarina of time past, but it is not unreasonable to assume that enemies of the royal family may have been brought to the village of Kakariko for questioning during the Hyrulean Civil War. The entrance to the Shadow Temple remains hidden, but rumors have surely spread throughout Hyrule about what happens to those who disagree with the Royal Family.
Ganondorf’s rise suggests discontent over Ocarina’s Hyrulean civil war
Although the King of Hyrule consolidated his power at the time Ocarina of time begins, he does not hold it for long, despite sufficient warning of Ganondorf’s impending coup. It is unclear what role, if any, the Gerudo played in the Hyrulean Civil War, but the King of Thieves is clearly aware that the current power structure can be overturned.
The Gerudo are desert warriors and thieves whose population is almost entirely female. Only one male is born from the Gerudo each century, and he becomes the de facto king. If the only male Gerudo in 100 years emerging from the wilderness to swear loyalty to the King of Hyrule wasn’t suspicious enough, Princess Zelda also warned her father of the visions she had of Ganondorf’s power and the destruction of Hyrule. The king technically unified the country through civil war, but Ganondorf’s rise could be emblematic of disgruntled populations in the aftermath of the conflict.
Zora and Gorons appear sanctioned in Ocarina’s post-war Hyrule
Ocarina of time‘s Castle Town has a notable shortage of non-Hylian people. The Kokiri are nurtured and protected by their forest, and the Gerudo seem hostile to everyone, but the Zora and Gorons seem oddly reclusive despite their vibrant cultures during Link’s childhood. Zora’s estate is hidden behind a waterfall, accessible only after playing a song passed down through generations of the royal family. Princess Ruto appearing in Lake Hylia proves that they are able to roam freely beyond the domain, but their cultivation is essentially inaccessible to anyone who does not know “Zelda’s lullaby“, a song which, according to Impa,”Only members of the royal family are allowed to learn. “
Even more worrying is the situation of the Gorons. Cave dwellers are only found on their The Legend of Zelda home, Death Mountain, which is only accessible by the Death Mountain Trail. The entrance to said trail is closed behind a gate, which is posted by a Hyrulean guard at all times. To be cleared through the gate, Link must bring express written permission from a member of the Royal Family.
While not much is explicitly known about the Hyrule Civil War, this collection of post-war Hyrule observations indicates how and why the conflict arose. In its wake, marginalized communities appear to be largely separated from Hyrulean culture, with Hylians literally dancing the streets of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s Castle Town, while the Gorons live behind a locked and guarded gate.
About the Author