Legend of Zelda Whatever happened to the Hero of Time?

[lanky_gunner]

Let's begin by stating we all know what happened to Link after Ocarina of Time. Navi left Link after setting the Master Sword back into the Pedestal of Time. Link met with Zelda to tell her the events that transpired and help imprison Ganondorf before he has a chance to strike Hyrule. He leaves Hyrule with the Ocarina of Time on a journey to find an "old friend", and that lands him in Termina.

I don't mean to say what happened exactly to our Hero of Time between the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. I ask the Zelda community about what is your thoughts and his adventure after the game?

Because we have no idea. We know what happens to Ganondorf after these events. In case you haven't played Twilight Princess yet...

Spoiler

He is sent to death by the sages. He survives the punishment through the Triforce of Power, kills one of the sages, and is banished to the Twilight Realm, where the events take place with the Twili.

Link is sent to Termina by the dealings with Skull Kid, he rescues the land from the Moon, and eventually defeats Majora. What happens afterwards?

Does he return to Hyrule to give the Ocarina of Time back to Zelda?

Does he eventually find his "old friend" and continue on his way?

Does he become a drifter who becomes the spirit through which sword techniques can be taught to his ancestors?

Does he stay in Termina the rest of his days to be the protector of that land?

Does he become the guardian of the Fierce Deity Mask?

Thoughts and opinions on this matter?

 

[Kuraudo]

I could have sworn that Link returned to Hyrule, or at least left Termina by the end of the game.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

Link comes back, and lives a normal life from that point on. Link returns to Hyrule after MM. And it is VERY likely that he or one of his descendants is the swordsman spirit who teaches the TP Link sword techniques. If you listen to the howling songs closely, they are all songs that the Hero of Time learned in his travels acrossed both Hyrule and Termina.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Doesn't it show Link sort of just disappear at the end of MM?

My memory is fuzzy, but I definitely remember someone just fading away.

 

[Life]

I think that's HMS, but I might be wrong

 

[lanky_gunner]

Doesn't it show Link sort of just disappear at the end of MM?

My memory is fuzzy, but I definitely remember someone just fading away.

It's never really known. He is seen back on Epona, but his destination or adventure is unknown.

It's why I wanted a community opinion.

Honestly, I think at some point he returns to Hyrule. How else would his spirit return as the mentor to TP Link? But when is the question, and does he keep his gear from MM when he ventures back?

It's just intrigued me we know what an Adult (or if what Shiggy says, a Teenage) Link looks like and acts, but he is eventually regressed back into a child. We know what happens to him as a child, but never what happens when he has a real childhood and grows up.

I hope we can venture into this deeper, either through fan works or even another Nintendo title (far fetched, but we may yet see the Hero of Time in action again).

 

[etecoon]

he became a skull kid

 

[Luigitoilet]

then he stumbled upon a time loop, went back in time, found Majora's Mask, took over Termina and got saved by HIMSELF

omfg, I should write a fanfic

 

[etecoon]

don't forget to throw in a time traveling killer robot

miyamoto would have wanted it that way

 

[Spire]

Well, consider that Link in Twilight Princess is descended from the Hero of Time. And consider that Ordon Village's culture is highly reminiscent of Lon Lon Ranch, the latter of which is absent from Hyrule by the time Twilight Princess takes place. The Ordonians are ranchers and farmers, and Ordon is south of southern Hyrule field which is the field that we venture around in OoT. Malon wished for a knight in shining armor to ride by, sweep her up and marry her.

If the Hero of Time became the Hero's Shade, then it would "fulfill Malon's wish for a knight in shining armor to wed her". Keep in mind, the Hero's Shade could be an ancestor of both the Hero of Time and Twilight Princess Link. Now that we know Skyward Sword Link predates the Hero of Time, there could be any number of ancient Links.

But consider this. In Twilight Princess, Hyrule Castle hosts a cemetery of its own. In that cemetery is a grave beneath a looming tree that says something along the lines of, "here rests the cursed swordsman". Could this be the Hero of Time's final resting place? Seeing as how the Hero of Time returned as a Stalfos, could he have endured some sort of curse?

Just some thoughts on the matter.

In summation, here is my theory: Upon returning from Termina, Link naturally aged to adulthood and sought knighthood in service to the Royal Family. At some point, he must have married Malon and moved the Lon Lon business southwards to the Kokiri Forest, his first home. Without a Deku Tree to watch over them, the Kokiri lost order and retreated into their dead deity, transforming into monkeys.

>> ..the monkeys we see in Twilight Princess over the course of a hundred or so years, just as they transformed into the Koroks ca. Wind Waker in the opposite timeline.

>> If you look at Ordon Village, the houses are built in old trees, many of which are reminiscent of homes seen in the Kokiri Forest. A stream runs through both the Kokiri Forest and Ordon Village. Conceptually, Ordon Village is the merging of Malon's culture with Link's home.​

If we consider the Hero of Time to be the Hero's Shade, then Link lost an eye at some point. His golden owl armor is either that which he was wearing upon dying, or ceremonial burial armor. To return as a spiritual Stalfos rather than a ghost strongly suggests that he became a Stalfos. Perhaps he finally became lost in the Lost Woods.

 

[Kuraudo]

There's a little hole in that theory of yours though. When the Great Deku Tree died and Link broke the curse over the Kokiri Forest seven years later by helping Saria awaken, the Great Deku Sprout took its place. So there is a Deku Tree to watch over the Kokiri still, no matter how young.

 

[Spire]

The Deku Tree Sprout only grew in the Adult Timeline, not the Child Timeline which incorporates Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

Another hole in your theory, concerning the stalfos knight being possibly someone other than the hero of time. The song's you learn as a wold are the songs that the hero of time learns. I'm pretty sure no other Link has learned the Song of Healing so far aside from TP and OoT/MM Link. And also OoT Link and the HMS are the only ones who went to Termina from Hyrule so it has to be the hero of time.

 

[Lore]

I REALLY think that there should be a game set after MM. The Hero of Time kinda needs some closure, in my opinion.

Hey, didn't Miyamoto say something about a post-MM game? I honestly can't remember, but I have a vague feeling that he did for some odd reason.

 

[etecoon]

miyamoto also wanted LCT to involve a terminator style time travel plot which would give link an excuse to use an assault rifle

jus sayin

miyamoto says a lot of things

The Deku Tree Sprout only grew in the Adult Timeline, not the Child Timeline which incorporates Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess.

I don't think it ever explicitly says that it didn't, nearly everything from the end of OoT to TP is unknown on that side of the timeline. we only know that link had some kind of conversation with zelda, and that ganondorf is captured and sent to the twilight realm. you can glean a few other details through implied hints, calligraphy, deductive reasoning...but the details are all pretty hazy. I think the forest temple strongly implies that there was a deku sprout

 

[Luigitoilet]

miyamoto also wanted LCT to involve a terminator style time travel plot which would give link an excuse to use an assault rifle

jus sayin

miyamoto says a lot of things

What??????

 

[Spire]

Yeah that's true. I totally forgot about that. I think it was revealed in an Iwata Asks interview.

 

[GwJ]

Just to clear up any confusions now, The Hero's Shade is NOT a Stalfos.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

Just to clear up any confusions now, The Hero's Shade is NOT a Stalfos.

Just to clear up any "confusions" now, NO ONE thought that he was.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Yeah that's true. I totally forgot about that. I think it was revealed in an Iwata Asks interview.

Really?

I remember something similar being said about Super Mario Bros, but I've NEVER heard of Link being originally planned to wield a machine gun.

 

[GwJ]

Just to clear up any "confusions" now, NO ONE thought that he was.

Yoooooou'd be surprised how many people think this:

After MM, Link got lost in the Lost Woods looking for Navi. He turns into a Stalfos and becomes the Hero's Shade. It's a very popular theory.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

That doesn't even make sense. Link's a kid in majora's mask. He'd turn into a skull kid not a stalfos. <.<;

 

[GwJ]

It is said that non-Kokiri who enter the woods become Stalfos upon getting lost.[8] However, there is speculation about whether or not Kokiri or Hylian children turn into Skull Kids. It is more plausible that the Kokiri turn into Skull Kids, due to the fact that they stay children for their whole lives, but also because Stalfos never appear within the Lost Woods, as well as that there already exist Stalchildren.

10chaaaaaarmanders

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

10chaaaaaarmanders

Um exactly my point? ^^;

 

[Luigitoilet]

lol, that doesn't prove either of you guys right or wrong.

 

[lanky_gunner]

The Deku Tree Sprout only grew in the Adult Timeline, not the Child Timeline which incorporates Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess.

Maybe the curse on Hyrule was lifted once Zelda and Link told the King of Ganondorf's intentions and had him imprisoned? It's likely because Ganondorf never actually conquered Hyrule in the child timeline that the events he fixed never actually took place.

Just to clear up any confusions now, The Hero's Shade is NOT a Stalfos.

I hope not. It seems like a sad ending to the Hero of Time.

Plus then we gotta explain his Golden Wolf form too.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

I say like someone else said earlier. He lived and died living as adventuring knight and maybe settled down with Zelda or Malon. Zelda and Link seemed close even after OoT in the child storyline.

 

[GwJ]

Um exactly my point? ^^;

No, I just debunked your post because the Kokiri turn into Skull Kids, not Hylian children. He wouldn't become a skull kid.

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

No, I just debunked your post because the Kokiri turn into Skull Kids, not Hylian children. He wouldn't become a skull kid.

Just because the kokiri turn into skull kids doesn't mean that only kokiri turn into skull kids. You debunked nothing. Unless you can clarify that, it's possible ANY child can turn into a skull kid in the Lost Woods.

 

[GwJ]

Hylians turn into stalfos.
Link is Hylian.
debunked?

 

[Luigitoilet]

who cares, stop going back and forth about this

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

Fine < .<

 

[etecoon]

But consider this. In Twilight Princess, Hyrule Castle hosts a cemetery of its own. In that cemetery is a grave beneath a looming tree that says something along the lines of, "here rests the cursed swordsman". Could this be the Hero of Time's final resting place? Seeing as how the Hero of Time returned as a Stalfos, could he have endured some sort of curse?

this is really just further evidence that link is in fact a tree IMO

 

[Spire]

this is really just further evidence that link is in fact a tree IMO

lolololol

THAT theory

 

[Luigitoilet]

I can't remember that from TP, but wouldn't the more likely meaning behind that be that the Hero is buried under the tree?

 

[Spire]

I can't remember that from TP, but wouldn't the more likely meaning behind that be that the Hero is buried under the tree?

Well that's really the point. He's buried there, in Hyrule Castle. Obviously he went on to serve the royal family throughout his life. The tree semblance I believe was utilized to reference the Hero of Time even more so since he grew up in the forest, under the watch of a tree. It's symbolic. Beyond that, he is literally buried in that graveyard, which tells us about some of his life beyond Termina. Why does it say "cursed" though? What curse befell the Hero of Time? We see who we assume to be our hero in the form of the Hero's Shade, a Stalfos-like being with one red eye who takes the form of an ethereal golden wolf.

On another note, the Hero's Shade wears golden bird (or owl) armor:

Just pointing it out as I find it interesting.

 

[etecoon]

yeah there's definitely hints that the hero of time had more adventures on the CT, I hope they make a game based on that someday. I tend to like most of the link's second(or in this case third...) quests more because they're free from the traditional plot with ganondorf and more free to make something original

 

[Super_Sonic8677]

Well Link is in a sense cursed if you think about it. He's a normal guy often times content with his normal life and is perpetually dragged out of it to constantly combat evils that may never truely fade away. He lives a miserable life if you think about it. The Hero of Time's life is in a sense worse still because he never had a good life.

As a child he was picked on and looked down upon as less than a kokiri by the other forest people, with Saria being one of his closest or maybe only friends. Constant nightmares plagued his every night of a truely dark day in Hyrule that he would actually experience down the road.

His parents are dead, if I remember killed by the very thing that haunts his nightmares. His father figure and the protector of the forest, The Deku Tree, must have been very dear to Link as it was to the other Kokiri, died before his very eyes.

And from then on, he's a homeless wanderer. He doesn't belong in the forest and when he comes back as an "adult" which even then he's still young at only 15-17, no one knows who he is even. All of his accomplishments are for naught as the world he knew as a child has been transformed into a nightmare. And due to his own actions at that.

You know in the game, Link goes through night and day without sleep, but thinking of Link in this way, how much sleep would he have gotten anyway? I doubt very much. As a child with the nightmares perpetually keeping him from sleep. And then as an adult, the consequences of his foolish actions and whether or not he'll turn the tides and fix everything in the end.

And then in Termina, in a search for his constant companion, who though she may drive us the players insane, was probably the one or one of the couple things keeping Link going even when it got really tough, Navi; He ended up in a world that was destined for anhilation in 3 days. Thanks to the Ocarina of Time he was able to repeat those three days, but think of how it felt even for you as the player, to watch the people go through their 3 days over and over, watching the unfortunate and sometimes sorrowfull events unfold over and over. What would that do to a person that was experiencing that for real? Such was Link's time in Termina and no matter how hard he tried, he could only truely ever help a few.

A couple never found each other, A child was taken away in the night and brought back shocked out of her life to the point she remembered nothing, a forest swamp that could slowly die off from the poison festering there, a mountain race forever lost in winter, and many other things and even if he could do it all even still, someone died just so that a "joke" could be played on him. The weight of that on Link's mind during his journeys..

And at the end of it all Majora isn't even destroyed, the hms knows the truth. Whether Link learns of it or not is hard to say. He leaves Termina and it's hard to say whether he ever comes accross Navi or not.

But Link's life story was bittersweet and with all that happened I would lean more towards bitter. He is a cursed swordsman. On his path to bringing light to the darkenss, a wake of destruction and misery follows him.

 

[GwJ]

I don't think that's the kind of curse the game refers to.

 

[etecoon]

MM especially makes a good point, I think experiencing termina would definitely leave a few mental scars...or one could even consider termina to be a manifestation of link's mental baggage. if not, I wouldn't be surprised if link returned to hyrule with post traumatic stress disorder or something along those lines