Legend of Zelda What happened to the Sheikah?

[Phantom7]

A very puzzling question indeed. The Sheikah were a "Shadow" tribe and close protectors of the Royal Family that once lived in the secreted village of Kakariko, but to escape from the war and violence of Hyrule, they mysteriously disappeared to another location (This "location" has been known to resemble the Hidden Village from TP). Thus, Kakariko was open to the public and became a prosperous town with mysterious traces of the Sheikah left behind in the Bottom of the Well and in the Graveyard. When Hyrule Castle was attacked by Ganondorf, Impa and Zelda escaped Hyrule and supposedly hid away in the hidden Sheikah settlement. When Link returned to Hyrule as an adult, he meets Sheik, who is truly Zelda in disguise, who mentions to Link that she is the "survivor" of the Sheikah.

So what was Zelda doing with Impa in the village of the Sheikahs? Or did they even go to a hidden Sheikah village? What does the evidence in the Bottom of the Well and the Shadow Temple suggest? How did the Sheikah become extinct before TP (Excluding Impaz)?

This is the place to discuss the many mysteries of Hyrule's darkest tribe, so theorize away!

References:

http://www.zeldawiki.org/Sheikah

http://www.zeldawiki.org/Bottom_of_the_well

http://www.zeldawiki.org/Shadow_Temple

http://www.zeldawiki.org/Hidden_Village

http://www.zeldawiki.org/Impaz

http://www.zeldawiki.org/Sheik

http://www.zeldawiki.org/Impa

 

[Masky]

The Sheikah aren't extinct in TP. There is at least one Sheikah remaining (Impaz).

As for how there are so few Sheikah left during TP, that actually seems to have happened before and during OoT, since in OoT the Sheikah have nearly died out.

The Hidden Village in TP is said to have been founded by Impa (from OoT). Since Impa did not found Kakariko Village and merely opened it to the puiblic, the Hidden Village must be a different village than OoT's Kakariko Village. Put that together with the question of where Zelda was hiding for 7 years in OoT, it makes sense that Impa created this village for Zelda to live in while in hiding from Ganondorf. It In TP it is explained that the Hidden Village served as a secret home for the Sheikah, so Zelda would have been living with other Sheikah, and would have basically been raised as a Sheikah.

As for what happened to the other Sheikah who were living in the Hidden Village, Sheik (Zelda) kind of explains it when she introduces herself as the "Survivor of the Sheikahs," implying that she's the last Sheikah (besides Impa obviously), meaning all of the other Sheikah are dead. This means that at some point during the 7 year gap, all of the other Sheikah in the Hidden Village died. It is said in TP that the Sheikah of the Hidden Village died in "prolonged wars". Since it can't be the Hyrulean Civil War (since this occurred before Impa could have founded the Hidden Village), it's likely referring to Ganondorf's wave of destruction during the 7 year gap. Probably Ganondorf discovered the Hidden Village at some point during those 7 years and killed the majority of the Sheikah remaining.

Even before OoT though, it seems like the Sheikah had already been reduced to lower numbers during the Hyrulian Civil War, since they are the protectors of the Royal Family and a Gossip Stone tells you in OoT (while you are Young Link), that the Sheikah were ALREADY thought to have died out.

As for the Shadow Temple/Bottom of the Well stuff... I hope someone else can post their ideas on that XD

 

[Dragoon Fighter]

The Sheikah aren't extinct in TP. There is at least one Sheikah remaining (Impaz).

As for how there are so few Sheikah left during TP, that actually seems to have happened before and during OoT, since in OoT the Sheikah have nearly died out.

It is implied that Impaz is a sheikah. I actually think Impaz's is not a true pure blood sheikah more like a sheikah hybrid. I could be wrong though...

The Hidden Village in TP is said to have been founded by Impa (from OoT). Since Impa did not found Kakariko Village and merely opened it to the puiblic, the Hidden Village must be a different village than OoT's Kakariko Village. Put that together with the question of where Zelda was hiding for 7 years in OoT, it makes sense that Impa created this village for Zelda to live in while in hiding from Ganondorf. It In TP it is explained that the Hidden Village served as a secret home for the Sheikah, so Zelda would have been living with other Sheikah, and would have basically been raised as a Sheikah.

I do not think she founded it for a place to hid zelda because TP is on the child time line not the adult. I agree with you that she founded it though.

As for what happened to the other Sheikah who were living in the Hidden Village, Sheik (Zelda) kind of explains it when she introduces herself as the "Survivor of the Sheikahs," implying that she's the last Sheikah (besides Impa obviously), meaning all of the other Sheikah are dead. This means that at some point during the 7 year gap, all of the other Sheikah in the Hidden Village died. It is said in TP that the Sheikah of the Hidden Village died in "prolonged wars". Since it can't be the Hyrulean Civil War (since this occurred before Impa could have founded the Hidden Village), it's likely referring to Ganondorf's wave of destruction during the 7 year gap. Probably Ganondorf discovered the Hidden Village at some point during those 7 years and killed the majority of the Sheikah remaining.

TP is on the child timeline though... How would ganon's seven years of destruction on the Adult time line affect it.

Even before OoT though, it seems like the Sheikah had already been reduced to lower numbers during the Hyrulian Civil War, since they are the protectors of the Royal Family and a Gossip Stone tells you in OoT (while you are Young Link), that the Sheikah were ALREADY thought to have died out.

As for the Shadow Temple/Bottom of the Well stuff... I hope someone else can post their ideas on that XD

I agree with this.

 

[Masky]

wait... yeah... ignore everything I just posted lol, next time I'll think things more through and spend more time on my posts lol

 

[Tacel]

I don't think that the Well of Three Features has much to do with the Sheikah's disappearance. It probably has to do with the origin of Bongo Bongo.

Unless every undead creature down there was a Sheikah.

 

[Spire]

The Sheikah are kind of like a culmination of Samurai, Free Masons, and Jedi. They're not necessarily a race of people, rather an order. Zelda became a Sheikah, yet she was a pureblooded Hylian.

 

[Lore]

I do not think she founded it for a place to hid zelda because TP is on the child time line not the adult. I agree with you that she founded it though.

TP is on the child timeline though... How would ganon's seven years of destruction on the Adult time line affect it.

Eh? Didn't they run and hide right after giving Link the Ocarina of Time? That would mean that it's on both timelines, right?

The Sheikah are kind of like a culmination of Samurai, Free Masons, and Jedi. They're not necessarily a race of people, rather an order. Zelda became a Sheikah, yet she was a pureblooded Hylian.

Yeah, that's probably it. I can definitely see them being like the Sith where there's always only one master and apprentice at a time.

 

[Phantom7]

Eh? Didn't they run and hide right after giving Link the Ocarina of Time? That would mean that it's on both timelines, right?

You might be jumping to conclusions too quickly here because Link was in Termina at this time. However, something could have happened to the Sheikahs during this period on both timelines anyway.

Yeah, that's probably it. I can definitely see them being like the Sith where there's always only one master and apprentice at a time.

That would be pretty cool, but realistically, that can't be the case. If the Sheikah were thought to have "all died out", how could there have originally be only two?

Here is what I think happened: Most of the Sheikah, as protectors of the Royal Family, were eradicated during the Great Hylian War, except Impa, who was destined to become the Sage of Shadow. Because they aided the Royal Family, the Sheikah became known as the shadows of Hylians. Since the Sheikah were all wiped out, Impa buried the dead in a tomb that lies within the Shadow Temple, AKA the House of the Dead. Impa then labeled the tombs with a message that hints at the Great Hylian War - Here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred. Impa then relocated to the Hidden Village of TP with the few remaining Sheikah and opened Kakariko to the public. During Ganondorf's 7 years of destruction, this hideout became the location in which Zelda learned the ways of the Sheikah and disguised herself as Sheik.

How the Sheikah were wiped out during the Great Hylian War, though, is unknown to me. But I think it has a lot to do with the Lens of Truth, Bongo Bongo, and the torture equipment in the Bottom of the Well and Shadow Temple.

 

[Lore]

Actually, Phantom, I was talking about modern sheikah when I compared them to th Sith.

Besides, there were a lot of sith around before Darth whatshisface killed all but two and created the law of two.

 

[Phantom7]

I guess that's true, but I wasn't considering details about the Sith that aren't mentioned in the movies.

Let's not turn this into a Star Wars discussion, though...

 

[Tacel]

With all honesty, I think that they all turned into cats.

 

[Dragoon Fighter]

With all honesty, I think that they all turned into cats.

Evidence ... wait ... Oh I get it (TP, lost village) Still I would like more evidence then that.

 

[TimeTemporal]

As for the Shadow Temple/Bottom of the Well stuff... I hope someone else can post their ideas on that XD

Perhaps the Lens of Truth is what nearly did the tribe in? Then they eventually captured it and hid it in the Well where nobody could ever use it against their stealthiness again. All the torture stuff could have been placed to show what did/could happen to their tribe if they lost their grip on the Lens... Or just scare people away from it.

 

[Professor :3]

sheikah are copied of naruto like red eye ninjas nice job zelda makers

 

[Luigitoilet]

sheikah are copied of naruto like red eye ninjas nice job zelda makers

Naruto? The manga that started in 1999, a year after Ocarina of Time?

 

[<π]

subscribed.

 

[GwJ]

You don't need to post to subscribe to a thread.

 

[Masky]

the sheiks were 3-stocked by metaknight

 

[<π]

but I need to type subscribe to let you guys know I did...

I've always been very interested in the history of the sheikah, (more OoT Zelda than anything) but I don't really have any incites...

i can say this "the last of the sheikah" doesn't necessarily mean that exactly. It could mean one of the few remaining. Impa obviously survived, there may be more unaccounted for sheikah working off in the shadows some where.

I like the little passage in the comic. where sheik says the tear comes from betral of the royal family or something. That idea has stuck with me for a while too.

OH!
The sheikah's symbol is on the fused shadows (Minda's helm) in TP... it appears in a lot of places too I think.

 

[AngryMoblyn1881]

I like to think of it like that anime movie "spirited away". I believe kakriko village maybe where they are hiding but only can be seen at night or if not. seen like you see the twili in TP. Yes? no? maybe so?