Hyrule
From Lozwiki
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. Your 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.
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" after the happenings of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This is the only cross-platform reference to the same Hyrule in the series' canon. The few survivors that remained after the flood sought refuge on the mountaintops of the Hyrule, which appear to be islands in The Wind Waker. At the end of the game, Link sails off to find another Golden Land—another Hyrule. Therefore, there may in fact be more than one Hyrule, just as there are more than one Zelda and Link throughout the series. On the other hand, the king in The Wind Waker states, "But that land will not be Hyrule; it will be your land." On the other hand, 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."
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 was believed to have created the flora and fauna, and Nayru is believed to have given 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.
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 Vally, 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 centre of the field in which Lon Lon Ranch is located.
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's Fortress, Kakariko Village, Kokiri Forest and Zora's Domain. There is a great amount of trade between three of the settlements, however Gerudo's Fortress and Kokiri's 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.
Demographics and government methods
There are several separate races in Hyrule; however, most of them swear allegiance to the Royal Family of Hyrule.
Gerudo
The wasteland to the west 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 to have one-night stands. Only one male is born every hundred years. This male is then proclaimed King of Thieves by the Gerudo, and is venerated in what appears to be leader worship rituals, but the Gerudo are really more of a dictatorship.
Gorons
To the northeast lies the Goron City. The workers mine rocks below the city for their race to eat and thus get a portion of the rocks for themselves. The city itself is an intricate labyrinth set inside Death Mountain itself and is connected to the Fire Temple. The strongest Goron usually becomes the leader, and in Ocarina of time, it is Darunia. The Goron government is a monarchy, with the Chief (a.k.a. "Big Brother") ruling over the other Gorons who build passages throughout Death Mountain.
Kokiri
The forest to the southeast is governed by the Great Deku Tree, who watches over a realm of children who will never grow up. The Kokiri and the Great Deku Tree are pacifists, and have not participated in any of Hyrule's infamous wars.
Zora
The Zora govern an underground cavern, beneath a corrie lake to the east. They are ruled by a King who goes by the same name, and are completely self-sufficient. The Zora worship a great fish who resides in the lake above their cavern, known as Lord Jabu-Jabu, and believe their fate is tied to his.
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.
In The Legend of Zelda
A map of the Kingdom of Hyrule during The Legend of Zelda[edit] 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, which occurs immediately afterwards chronologically, towns were introduced. The lack of human activity could also be explained to the generations of wars between Hyrule and Ganon. This may have led to depopulation as people moved away from Hyrule or died in the wars, or even been transformed into monsters (as Ganon has had a fondness for such acts).
It should be noted that Zelda II's map contain a section in the southwest corner that is ostensibly identical to Legend of Zelda's map, which suggests that the first game takes place in that 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 LinkThe 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, Hyrule has long since been flooded and destroyed 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.
