Skyward Sword - Link and the Kokiri

If there is one person that I associate with the Zelda series, it is not the titular princess, Link, or any of his many companions. Rather, it is a lone Kokiri who in her own way saved the entire land of Hyrule. I am of course talking about Saria, the Sage of Forest and the person most precious to the Hero of Time. She is my most favorite character in the Zelda franchise. For that reason, I did ponder her possible appearance in Skyward Sword.

For many years I've clamored for her reappearance in another Zelda game, and I've been disappointed many times. A stained glass window just doesn't cut it. It's even become a joke in some circles. I am often greeted with "Saria will not be in the next Zelda game." Most would think I would give up, but hope springs eternal, and this time with Skyward Sword I believe she has a greater chance of showing up more than ever.

That belief fits in with this last article in the Skyward Sword Connection series. Like with Zelda's Lyre, I will focus on one particular item, this time the tunic Link obtains from the apparent Rauru. Many believed that the iconic tunic Link wears originated from the Kokiri garb that the Hero of Time wore, and as such believed it was thanks to the Kokiri that the tunic was passed down throughout generations.

With Skyward Sword however, all that changed when the 1st Link in existence was seen wearing the tunic. I was a bit disgruntled by this, since it meant the Kokiri were not the originators and were being pushed further into obscurity. Some time later though, I gave some thought to it and realized that the fact Link possessed the tunic in Skyward Sword pointed to a possible role the Kokiri could have in the story.

We know that the land below Skyloft is experiencing great strife, which is certainly affecting all of the races who live in the land. We've already seen Gorons, so other familiar races will definitely be there, including the Kokiri hopefully. Link will of course end up helping these races, eventually ending up in the Kokiri's forest. There he will slay the monsters sent by Ghirahim and his group.

Let's say that before this, the forest children had never seen anyone from the outside world. Link will be quite a sight for them, and his actions in saving them will leave an impression. Likely before Link arrived, the Kokiri wore clothes of their own design, crafted from leaves and vines. Grateful to Link, they will make and wear clothes modeled after his tunic in appreciation and remembrance.

The Hero of Time will eventually wear these clothes, and they will become engrained in Hyrule's history as the garb of the one who saved the kingdom from Ganondorf's evil. Upon thinking of this, I realized the Kokiri were responsible for the tunic's notoriety, as the Hero of Time would eventually overshadow Skyward Sword Link's legacy.

Indeed, it wasn't until hundreds of years later that Skyward Sword Link was brought up in Twilight Princess. At the time, many thought Ocarina of Time Link was the legendary hero mentioned in that game, and the tunic Twilight Princess Link received was his. However, Skyward Sword showed that it was in fact the hero from Skyloft, the inspiration for the Kokiri and the precursor to the Hero of Time.

The connection doesn't end there however. I believe one more connection will be shown, one very significant that could possibly be presented as a post credits scene. Many years later, an injured woman will arrive in the forest with a baby. That day, Saria will unknowingly repay Skyward Sword Link for saving her and the Kokiri by nurturing his descendant, who will become her most precious person and the next savior of Hyrule.

Skyward Sword - The Lyre and the Sheikah

For quite some time, many people wondered what Zelda's role would be in Skyward Sword, or how she would fit in with the story. There was only a small confirmation from Aonuma that she would indeed be in the game. I had a slight fear that she would already be a princess, but those fears were alleviated with Zelda's reveal at E3 2011. We know now that her role is that of a friend to Link, and that she is not yet royalty.

Already we have an interesting dynamic between her and Link and the hint that she will become a queen, but to me there is something about her more important than that. From the bird flying demo, we know that Zelda is in fact in possession of a Lyre, a musical instrument similar to a harp. This is very significant for one reason. Sheik, Zelda's alter ego in Ocarina of Time, also owns a Lyre that is identical in appearance to the one Zelda has in Skyward Sword.

 
Why is this significant? Let's first start with Link, who we know will eventually obtain Zelda's Lyre, possibly after she loses it when she gets attacked. Link will take the Lyre with him during his journey across the land below, keeping it as momento to drive him to rescue Zelda and likely use it to help him on his quest. I'm sure the Lyre has some sort of power that will aid him.

During Link's travels, he will meet many races who have their own problems to deal with, and I'm certain one of these will be the Sheikah. If there was ever time to expand on their history, this game is it. It is the origin story for all of Hyrule, and the Sheikah play into the history of the land. When Link meets them, they will be weary of him, but he will gain their trust by helping them when they are in need.

Among these Sheikah, there will be one that will be particularly grateful to Link, and that is Sheik. The two of them will form a bond, and he will help Link in the effort to save Zelda. Being a part of the Sheikah, Sheik could play a big role in the story, helping Link and also struggling to convince his isolated people to work with the other races to combat the major threat the land faces due to Ghirahim and his group.

Eventually, Sheik will garner the support of his people to take down the threat, and together the Sheikah will help Link in the battles he faces. When all is said and done, the Sheikah's service in helping to save the land will become known to everyone, and after Hyrule is founded, the Sheikah will join with the Hylians and forever be remembered as their loyal protectors.

Sometime after this, Sheik could be given Zelda's Lyre as thanks from her for all that he has done. He will keep it respectfully, and become known for his deeds in helping Hyrule's founders and being adept at playing the Lyre. Many years will pass, and Sheik will become a Sheikah legend, his Lyre being passed down to the next generations. Eventually though, the Great War will happen, and the relationship between the Sheikah and Hylians will be tarnished with bloodshed.

The secret of the Sacred Realm, now exposed, will form a rift between the races. Many Sheikah will die, and in the end, only a sole survivor will remain. Impa. The Lyre that once belonged to Zelda and Sheik will fall to her, and she will give it to the Royal Family to keep safe as a symbol of the bond between the Hylians and Sheikah.

Decades later, it will finally end up in the next Zelda's hands, after she learns of Sheik from her guardian Impa. Inspired by the tale, Zelda will take on the identity of Sheik to escape from her pursuer and use her ancestor's Lyre to once again aid the destined hero in his quest to rid the land of evil.

Skyward Sword - The Sage of Light

September 1st. This day marks the beginning of a two plus month wait till Skyward Sword's release, one that will certainly be difficult. My anticipation for the game is already through the stratosphere, and it is especially notable to me in that it is the first Zelda game that will be releasing near my birthday. No birthday present will be able to compare. Of course, that is a long time from now, so I have some time to present some theories about the game I've been eager to tell. 

With Skyward Sword so close and yet so far, I thought it would be perfect to start off Zelda Theories with a series of potential story elements that could be in the game, based off of what I observed in the trailers. I don't intend to say that any of my ideas will actually happen, but I just like the thought of them.

From the trailers released so far, I've noticed small little connections piecing Skyward Sword together with Ocarina of Time like yarn being sewn together. I'll focus on three of these connections  and detail what leads me to believe they will be developed in certain ways. For the first of this three part observation, I will start with the individual seen observing Link try on the legendary tunic for the first time.

 

Many have noticed this man bears striking resemblance to Rauru, the Sage of Light from Ocarina of Time, and rightfully so. I would bet any amount of money that he is in fact Rauru. However, there is still the small chance he could be someone else. For the purposes of this article though, let's assume he is Rauru. What would his place in the story be?

Skyward Sword details the creation of Hyrule and the creation of the Master Sword. Why is it necessary that the Master Sword be created? To repel evil and seal the entrance to the domain of the Goddesses. Phi's origins are unknown, but it is likely the Goddesses created her for the very purpose of becoming the seal to the Sacred Realm and a weapon to be wielded only by those who are worthy.

Let's assume that besides the entrance, the Sacred Realm itself is left unguarded. It too would need someone to protect it, and Rauru is that person. It's possible he is aware of Phi's destiny and even his own, which both involve the Sacred Realm. The Goddesses' actions involving them could very well be due to the state of the land below and the sinister intentions of the shadowy group Ghirahim is apart of.

Much like Ocarina of Time showed the other Sages, I believe Skyward Sword will present to us the events leading to Rauru's ascendance to the Sage of Light. He will work with Link to restore order in the land below, acting as a mentor and guiding him and Phi on their journey. As he does so, he will eventually be led to the Sacred Realm.

There within the center of the Temple of Light, he will reveal himself as the one destined to become the Sage of Light, and detail everything to Link about him and Phi. Zelda's role could also be expanded upon at this point.

There could even be a tragic element to it, like in Ocarina of Time. If Sages need to die before they can ascend, which I believe they do, then Rauru might be killed by Ghirahim or one of his associates, possibly for refusing to reveal the location of the Sacred Realm. After this, Link would get a vision from Rauru telling him where the Sacred Realm is.

Once he gets there, he will instruct Link on what he needs to do to help Phi become the Master Sword and stay behind to guard the Sacred Realm in the event Ghirahim and his group discovers it. This will set Link and Phi on the beginning of the march toward their respective destinies and lead to the eventual creation of Hyrule, born out of necessity to unite the people and protect the secret of the Master Sword along with the Sacred Realm.