Hyrule

is a fictional land portrayed in The Legend of Zelda video game series created by Nintendo and industry legend Shigeru Miyamoto. It is often used to refer to the Kingdom where the Royal Family of Hyrule presides, as well as sometimes the surrounding lands and world not governed by them.

Hyrule in the series

The land of Hyrule, first depicted in The Legend of Zelda, released in February of 1986 for the Famicom Disk System, was the mythical backdrop for the adventures of a boy-to-hero character, Link. Link battles his way through different areas and terrains of Hyrule and through nine dungeons. The player's quest in Hyrule was to reassemble the Triforce of Wisdom and rescue Princess Zelda who was being held captive by the evil Ganon.

In later editions of the Zelda series of games (for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance) more characters and mysteries of the land of Hyrule were unveiled and explained.

Many of the designated areas of Hyrule have appeared through the series, notably The Lost Woods, Death Mountain, and Lake Hylia. Several games in the series take place away from Hyrule: Link's Awakening (Koholint Island), Majora's Mask (Termina), and Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons (Labrynna and Holodrum respectively).

Formation of Hyrule

Hyrule was formed by the goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore (see The Three Goddesses). According to Hyrulean legend, Din created the physical geography of the realm, Farore the flora and fauna, and Nayru gave the laws of physics. Once the goddesses had completed their tasks, they departed for the heavens, and left behind them three golden triangles. Into these, they gave their power to govern all things; this became known as the Triforce. The Triforce resided in another realm from Hyrule known as the Sacred Realm.

The Fate of Hyrule

It is important to note that as described in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the land of Hyrule was flooded by "the gods" some time after the happenings of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The few survivors that remained after the flood sought refuge on the mountaintops of Hyrule, which appear to be islands in The Wind Waker. At the end of the game, Link sails off to find another land, presumably to establish a "new" Hyrule.

On the other hand, the king in The Wind Waker states, "But that land will not be Hyrule; it will be your land." Still, the Deku Tree in the same game states, "Forests have great power; they can change one tiny island into a larger island. Soon, a day will come when all the islands are one, connected by earth and grove."

Thus, at this time, it is not known if every game takes place in the same Hyrule, and therefore, there may in fact be more than one Hyrule, just as there are more than one Zelda and Link throughout the series. However, regardless of how many incarnations of Hyrule there are, they all share mostly the same locales as each other, though these locales sometimes are re-arranged with each title.

Demographics and government methods

There are several separate races in the Kingdom of Hyrule and its surrounding lands.

Gerudo

The Desert Wasteland, found in west Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, is governed by the Gerudo, an almost purely female race. Despite this, (implied by a Gossip Stone outside of the Temple of Time) Gerudo manage to procreate by coming into Hyrule Market Town. Only one male is born every hundred years according to Nabooru, the Lone Wolf Thief, Second-in-Command of the Gerudo and Sage of Spirit in Ocarina of Time. This male is then proclaimed as the Gerudo's king, and is venerated in what appears to be leader worship rituals, but the Gerudo are really more of a dictatorship, as apparent by Nabooru's remarks in Ocarina of Time where she is defiant and says she will never bow to such a wicked man.

Gorons

Making their home inside of mountains and underground are the Goron race. They usually reside in a locale known as Goron City. They mine rocks from caves for their race to eat. Goron City itself is usually an intricate labyrinth set inside Death Mountain, which is connected to the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time. The Goron government is a monarchy, with the Chief (also known as "Big Brother") ruling over the other Gorons who build passages throughout their domain. Their have been several leaders of the Goron Tribe throughout the series, most notably Darunia, the Sage of Fire.

Kokiri

The forest to the southeast in Ocarina of Time is governed by the Great Deku Tree, who watches over a realm of children that will never grow up called the Kokiri. The Kokiri are forest elves (or spirits) who take the form of children and are given life by The Great Deku Tree, who apparently also serves as the source of life in Hyrule, according to Ocarina of Time. This obviously conflicts with the creation of Hyrule story, but nonetheless, the account exists. There are notable Kokiri throughout the series, including Mido, a bully; Saria, the Sage of Forest and Link's friend; and Fado, Sage of Wind, who was killed by Ganondorf some time before the Great Flood. After the Great Flood, the Kokiri were transformed into the Koroks, though it is not explained how this exactly happened.

Zora

The Zora are an aquatic race who dwell in the waters of Hyrule, sometimes in caverns. According to Nintendo of America, Inc.'s 1995 Online Interactive Adventure, the Zora were the first sentient beings to gain intelligence in Hyrule, but there is no conclusive evidence this is an official sentiment of the Zelda Team. In Ocarina of Time, the Zora are guardians of the waterways in Hyrule, and throughout the series they control passages in the waters that warp travelers to other locations. The Zora are a monarchy, ruled over by a being always known as King Zora, though it is not known if that is his true name. They usually worship a deity known as Lord Jabu-Jabu, a giant fish. Other notable Zora are Princess Ruto, daughter of King Zora in Ocarina of Time and Sage of Water; and Laruto, Sage of Earth, who was killed by Ganondorf some time before the Great Flood. It is believed by some that the Zora evolved into a race known as the Rito because Medli, a Rito in The Wind Waker, carries the same bloodline as Laruto, a Zora.

Rito

The "bird people" from Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker are called Rito. The Rito are actually "wingless" creatures who have existed for some time in The Wind Waker and worship the Wind Spirit Valoo, a giant dragon who presides over Dragon Roost Island, the Rito's homeland in The Wind Waker. The Rito gain their wings by confronting Valoo and taking a scale from him. Allegedly then, the Rito will magically gain their wings. Thus, this gives rise to debate as to whether or not the Rito are an evolved race, stemming from the Zora because of the connection between a Rito named Medli and a Zora named Laurto, or whether they are merely Hylians (the Rito have pointed ears) who survived on and are granted the ability to fly by a higher power. To be clear, if the Zora evolved into the Rito, they did not evolve into a winged specie - the Rito are naturally wingless and are born that way. There is no clarification that only Rito can grow wings thanks to Valoo, and even then, if true, there is no knowledge if the Rito are biologically enabled to grow wings or if it is just Valoo's discretion. Notable Rito are Prince Komali, son of the Chieftan, Medli, Prince Komali's caretaker and Sage of Earth, and Quill, a Rito Postman who helps Link in The Wind Waker on his quest.

Korok

Korok are the small plant-like creatures that inhabit Forest Haven in The Wind Waker. The Deku Tree revealed that the Korok are actually a new form of the Kokiri. Each year, they perform a ceremony in which the Korok children play music for the Deku Tree, and he grows new seeds. The Koroks then take them off to islands on the Great Sea in the hopes they will grow more land to re-unify the disconnected people and lands. The most notable Korok is Makar, a violinist and Sage of Wind.

Minish

The Picori, called the Minish by their own kind, are small beings that inhabit Hyrule, but came originally from another realm. They are very small and only reveal themselves to children, and their sole purpose in Hyrule is to make Hylians happy. Minish speak their own language, but with the help of a Jabber Nut, anyone can understand them. There are several Minish sages, the most famous being Ezlo. Other notable Picori are Vaati, Ezlo's apprentince who became one of the prominent villains of Hyrule, Ferari and Melari. The Minish are said to be responsible for the hearts and rupees that appear in pots, bushes and rocks, as well as the creation of many magical items in Hyrule. They are also responsible for creating Armos Statues.

Deku

Deku are plant-like creatures that can be friends or foes. Deku Scrubs are enemies who shoot nuts at intruders. Business Dekus sell and trade. Deku can be found everywhere in Hyrule. They do not seem to be ruled over by anybody in particular and there is not a Deku sage. However, in Majora's Mask the Deku King rules over all dekus.

Hyrule Royal Family

The Hyrule Royal Family itself rules the land to the north of Hyrule, and has a large army of soldiers to protect itself. The King rules the land, and his daughter, Princess Zelda, is next in line for the throne.

Hyrulean geography

In Ocarina of Time

A map of the Kingdom of Hyrule during Ocarina of Time

Physical Geography

The land of Hyrule in the time of Ocarina is very varied. The landscape is dominated by a large volcanic mountain range and its principle volcano, Death Mountain, in the northeast of the country.

To the far west is a large area of desert, known as the Haunted Wasteland, bordered by a canyon, named Gerudo Valley, that is a feeder river for a large lake, Lake Hylia in the southwest.

Immediately east of Lake Hylia is a large woodland area, known as the Lost Woods. The major water source in Hyrule is the Zoras River, which starts at the Zoras Fountain, flows through Hyrule Castle Town, and into Gerudo Valley, which ends at Lake Hylia.

The remainder of the country is occupied by a flat valley floor known as Hyrule Field with a large hill in the center of the field in which Lon Lon Ranch is located.

See also Places in Ocarina of Time.

Human/Hylian geography

Human activity in Hyrule has been somewhat limited. There is no evidence of farming on Hyrule Field (perhaps there was farming there at one point, but it is no longer fertile). The Hyrulean economy, judging from the state of Hyrule Castle, seems fairly strong, but dependent on fisheries and trade.

Several settlements have sprung up around Hyrule, the capital being Hyrule Castle Town, with the other major settlements being Goron City, Gerudo Fortress, Kakariko Village, Kokiri Forest and Zora's Domain. There is a great amount of trade between three of the settlements, however the Gerudo Fortress and Kokiri Forest are largely secluded. Goron City is also separated from the other settlements, being high atop Death Mountain and unreachable by many citizens.

The major human landmarks in Hyrule are Hyrule Castle and the temples that have been constructed around the kingdom.

In The Legend of Zelda

A map of the Death Mountain area in the Kingdom of Hyrule during The Legend of Zelda

Physical geography

By the time of The Legend of Zelda, the features of Hyrule have been significantly rearranged. Death Mountain is located in the north, as before, but the major body of water (possibly Lake Hylia) is now in the center of the land, the Lost Woods is in the southwest, a graveyard is in the far west, and the desert regions are in the northeast. A large portion of the map in the southeast is woods; there are no obvious plains. The large tree at the entrance to the first dungeon may be the Deku Tree (or rather, the Deku Tree may have been based on it), and is surrounded by water.

Human geography

Curiously, there is little sign of human habitation in the Hyrule of this age. There is no Hyrule Castle, and all the people Link encounters are elderly, and live in caves or dungeons. This is probably simply because at the time this game was released, they chose not to spend effort including such elements. In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which occurs immediately afterward chronologically, towns were introduced to the series for the first time. In-universe, a likelier reason for the absence of such habitations as Kakariko Village and Hyrule Castle would be possible warfare or conquest by Ganon, perhaps explaining why the center of Hyrulian government was relocated to the far north by the time of Zelda II. This may have led to near-total depopulation (the cemetery in the first game lies directly upon the site of Kakariko Village in Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past), as people moved away from Hyrule or died in the wars, or were even transformed into monsters, as Ganon has had a fondness for such acts.

It should be noted that Zelda II's map contains a section in the southwest corner that is ostensibly identical to The Legend of Zelda's map, which suggests that the first game takes place in that one small corner of Hyrule (which would explain the lack of human activity).

Races and governments

The only friendly creatures encountered in The Legend of Zelda are humans, in the form of old men, old women, and shopkeepers. There is a race known as the Zola which resemble and indeed have broken away from the Zora race from Ocarina of Time and Oracle of Ages; however, in this game they serve as water-dwelling enemies and have no evidence of government.

In The Adventure of Link

A map of the Western Continent of Hyrule during The Adventure of Link

The geographic features of the first game (and most subsequent games) are found in a relatively small area in the southwest corner of a more expansive Hyrule. Notably, Death Mountain, Spectacle Rock, the western graveyard, and Lake Hylia are apparent, and do not seem to be inhabited. The newly accessible expanded Hyrule appears to be divided by sea into two main continents supporting has at least six towns, evidently named after the sages from Ocarina of Time.

In The Wind Waker

In the time of The Wind Waker (set chronologically after the events of The Ocarina of Time, but before the first three games in the series), Hyrule has long since been flooded, and now lies beneath the ocean, with only a collection of mountaintops remaining above the water. These form an archipelago that later became known as the Great Sea, in a manner similar to Atlantis.