The Legend of Zelda franchise serves as an example of how to build lore over time. An initial game with few characters has since turned into a sprawling multimedia empire. The story is replete with characters, conflicts, and mythology. One such important piece of newer lore involves one of the game’s deities, Hylia. A goddess who shares a naming theme with the kingdom the games often take place in, she is of great importance. However, it is often unclear where she fits into the lore established over the course of many other games. Let’s talk about the Zelda franchise and where Hylia fits into the lore.
Three Goddesses
Zelda‘s lore did not start with the promise of deities. In fact, the first time we may have encountered one in A Link to the Past, the sacred object known as the Triforce simply spoke for itself! It was finally in Ocarina of Time that we were introduced to three proper deities: Din, Farore, and Nayru. They were said to be the creators of the world and those who bestowed the Triforce to its denizens. They were distant and absent goddesses, heard of but never seen. They contextualized the trinity of ideas behind the Triforce, giving an understanding of its true nature. They also solidified the importance of Link, Princess Zelda, and Ganon as their proxies in recurring conflict.
In future games, the goddesses would be scarcely mentioned, if at all. The trio, called the Golden Goddesses, were just another backbone of the franchise. The primary conflict remained within the kingdom of Hyrule and the work that Link and Zelda did to keep it safe. Other demigods or important entities would emerge, but always as lesser beings. They were never on the level of the Golden Goddesses, never creating everything. They were instead stewards or guardians, entrusting others with power to help save the world from evil. We would not frequently call upon the great trio, as they sat in some heaven away from the affairs of mortals.
A New Goddess
The creators seemed to have an interest in building out their lore further as the series went on. 2011’s Skyward Sword is officially the first game in the timeline, setting the stage for everything that came after. It introduced a new backstory: While the Golden Goddesses left the world behind, they were not the only deities present in this tale. Another goddess, Hylia, remained behind to protect the people the Golden Goddesses created. A Demon King known as Demise sought to steal the Triforce left behind and use it to conquer everything. The legends say that Hylia whisked the people of the world to safety into a paradise in the sky known as Skyloft.
The people of Skyloft believe that Hylia laid waste to Demise, in turn destroying the surface. Many believe the world below is a myth, not something they could ever return to. However, a villain called Ghirahim emerges many years later and kidnaps a young girl named Zelda. Her best friend Link sets out to rescue her and learns the truth. Ghirahim is a spirit who inhabited the sword of Demise and seeks his resurrection. Zelda is a reincarnation of Hylia, who could not fully destroy Demise and needs her and Link to finish what she started. Through many convolutions and time travel, Demise is stopped after cursing Link and Zelda’s descendants to know the eternal struggle.
What This Means Going Forward
The lore of Hylia is important and has changed the fundamentals of the franchise. We learn that the establishment of Hyrule is born out of Hylia reincarnated as Zelda, who names the kingdom after her deific form. She and Link protect the Triforce, which will be a duty inherited by their descendants. Demise’s curse is the cause of Ganon’s desire to conquer, and to be constantly reborn. In Breath of the Wild and its sequel, there are statues referencing the Goddess, who is presumed to be Hylia. It remains unclear why knowledge of Hylia appears and disappears throughout the games. The simple answer is that the developers didn’t think of her before Skyward Sword.
There of course remain other curiosities. Tears of the Kingdom establishes an entity known as the Horned God, the enemy of Hylia. It is unclear if this is Demise or some other entity (Demise did not have horns). Who created Hylia is also a mystery. The Golden Goddesses granted her purpose to protect the Triforce but did not seem to create her. Hylia is the reason that Zelda has recurring powers over the light, but this isn’t something every incarnation displays. A lot of inconsistencies are born out of Zelda being told out of order, or the developers insisting we don’t think about it too hard. However, Hylia will be part of the tale going forward.
Final Thoughts
When the notion of another goddess was brought into Zelda’s mythology, it made a huge change in our understanding of the lore. Hylia did provide important context and explained exactly how the series began. While other games may have added more to this story that seems confusing, nothing is truly capable of erasing Skyward Sword’s importance. The presence of a deity who lives amongst the people in human form is common in a variety of mythologies. It makes the Zelda franchise richer and hopefully will be used to good effect in future installments.
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