Are the Sages Dead?

[Chiraku]

The sages in ocarina of time all have a similar story before becoming a sage; they go into a temple, you might see them somewhere, and then you never see them again. Saria was plain never seen, Darunia disappeared after trying to fight Volvagia, Ruto disappeared after swimming someplace, Impa went into the shadow temple to track down Bongo-Bongo, and you saw Nabooru get zapped by Twinrova right infront of Link. Basically what I'm trying to say is... are the sages dead? And is that why they can't leave their respective temples for too long?

 

[figthersword]

I will say NO!. Why? because the sages are the protector of the sacred realm, so it's so impossible that the sages are already dead.

Here are some proof.

1. After princess ruto swim in some place there is no enemy tracking behind her.
2. If the sages are already dead, where's the remains of their body?
3. If you will going to analyze the game very deeply the lights of the sacred realm are protecting the sages against the dark powers.

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

Yes and No. There's two theories I have. One is that they're immortal, and the other is where they're mortal.
1) My immortal theory is that I think they're still hanging out in the Temple of Light, waiting for another reincarnation of Link to ask for help. And my mortal theory is that:
2) mabey they went on to be Sages in towns, like in the Adventure of Link, 6 out of the 8(?) towns were named after the Sages in OoT. And they lived great lifes, did great things, and then died happily in their warm bed, reminicing in what great lifes they had.
So, if they're immortal, they're not dead, and
if they're mortal, they're dead by the events in the most recent game, Spirit Tracks, because ST took place 100 years after PH, which took place about a year after WW, which took place 100 years after OoT?

Anyway, what sums that up is
Yes
and
No.

 

[Shadsie]

I think that there is no definitive answer to this - I believe that there are good arguments either way.

Personally, I'm using the "must die to be awakened" as a concept in my currently in-progress fanfic, The Rise of Evil. I just wrote chapter four, in which Ganondorf, in his quest to be evil rising faces the Sage of Forest (an original character for the story - since it's set in a made-up, non-canon era meant to be somewhere in the "gap" between some of the canon games). This whole "death to be awakened" came up for my Forest Sage.

In canon...

I think there's a lot of evidence for it in Ocarina of Time. As said, every Sage went into their respective temple to acertain what was wrong and/or to fight the monsters within. Considering how grueling those places were for the Master Sword-wielding Chosen Hero, and the fact that he encounters them in something of a mystic state, it makes perfect sense that in order for Link to "awaken" them, and for them to give him their full power, they'd been killed by the beasts of the temples. As far as remains go - well, the bosses of those temples *are* monsters. Can we say... burp? (Okay, so maybe Koume and Kotake would have just incinerated Nabooru or something, but still..) I think good evidence is also given by the fact that Rauru is as he is. I recall him telling Link something along the lines of his body having long decayed away while he remains in the Chamber of Sages. (Is this just in the manga or in the game? I haven't played OoT in a while). They also seem to be represented by motes of colored light and have other spooky, spirit-type properties.

However, in The Wind Waker, the Sages of Earth and Wind seem to be *powerless* because they are dead and in need of specifically *living* Sages to take their place. -- Perhaps this serves to refute the "Sages are dead" in OoT entirely, or, perhaps, the Wind Waker age simply had different rules regarding the Sages, in need of "living" powers rather than "dead" powers to charge the Master Sword.

It is an enduring mystery.

 

[Dud-a-Chum?]

I remember getting a sinking feeling in my heart when I found out Saria ended up being one. So, somewhere inside I must have assumed she was somehow dead or 'trapped'. In any case, I never perceived being a sage as a good thing for the sages themselves. I actually think they might be immortal, though. But in order to become immortal . . . maybe they had to die first? I honestly don't know.

 

[DuckNoises]

I never understood the reasoning to why the sages had to be dead for them to exhibit their powers. Here's something I posted in regards to a similar topic:

It's nothing fancy at all; here is the most appropriate definition for awakening:
"A recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of something." Essentially, Saria is a sage but she doesn't know it; she has a revelation when Link completes the Forest Temple and she realizes that she must now take on the duty of a sage. She was a "dormant" sage, not displaying sage-like traits, until her awakening after Link completed the Forest Temple. The Forest Medallion is a physical manifestation of her new-found power as a sage.
I don't think she dies or stays in the Sacred Realm permanently at all; in fact, if I recall correctly, Saria just sits outside the Forest Temple after she's given you the Forest Medallion.

I assume that all the other sages work in a similar fashion; they all appear again outside of the Sacred Realm, which seems to imply to me that they still exist outside and independent of the Sacred Realm.

However, in The Wind Waker, the Sages of Earth and Wind seem to be *powerless* because they are dead and in need of specifically *living* Sages to take their place. -- Perhaps this serves to refute the "Sages are dead" in OoT entirely, or, perhaps, the Wind Waker age simply had different rules regarding the Sages, in need of "living" powers rather than "dead" powers to charge the Master Sword.

I think there are just new Sages for every new generation of Hero; the role of a sage is one that requires a successor, hence why a new one is required every time there is a new Hero, because the previous sages have likely since died. It seems that each Hero has their own respective individuals related to their lives who are destined to become Sages; this is why I figure that all the Sages are friends of Link who are integral to the main plot of the game.

 

[LozzyKate]

I think that the sages are dead. I think that when you see them as Adult Link, it is their spirits roaming free before they are rescued from the temple that they are stuck in. I truly believe that everyone one of the sages were trying to be the hero, since Link had been sleeping for seven years. This of course is excluding Saria I think that she was worried and concerned as to where Link was, so she went looking for him.

In regard to where their body remains might be, I can only come up with two possible theories. One, their body and bones decayed and disenegrated into dust (due to being in the open air) during the period of seven years. Two, their bodies just faded away as soon as their souls awakened as a sage.

Now, this may seem a little stupid, but I am literally going to disagree with everything I just said. I honestly think that there are multiple possibilities and scenarios explaining how the sages became sages and what happened to them. If there is the slightest possibility that they didn't die in that seven year period, then there is a simple explanation that I think is possible. I think that from the day that each every one of the sages were born, they were already sages. I think that just like Link, at a certain point in their lives they would be awakened as the sages that they are. If this were the case, then it would explain why the sages were already in the temples when you arrived there. Also, I think that maybe they got lost in there, since they probably felt like that had to be there, deep inside their souls.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

I did think about this, and it is possible. And Rauru probably died from old age. But Zelda, the leader sage, is still alive. Perhaps she only needs the power of the sages.

 

[STEVEN]

If you think that OoA comes after OoT then the sages may still live, we see darunia leading gorons in labrynna

 

[Destiny]

I will say NO!. Why? because the sages are the protector of the sacred realm, so it's so impossible that the sages are already dead.

Here are some proof.

1. After princess ruto swim in some place there is no enemy tracking behind her.
2. If the sages are already dead, where's the remains of their body?
3. If you will going to analyze the game very deeply the lights of the sacred realm are protecting the sages against the dark powers.

Well first of all the Sacred Realm exists out of time and space. Their spiritual forms could still be there.

How do you know Princess Ruto is being folowed by an enemy? Link encounters tons of enemys when he goes into the water temple. Ruto could have easily been killed.

Do you see the kings remains? Do you see the remains of the dead Gorons? Of course not, I doubt they would show you their remains.

The lights could have only protected their spiritual form, not their physical, And what are the Lights anyway? Proof that they exist?

 

[Mixtoplix]

You make a lot of sence!! :O maybe they really are just cute ghosts floating around in the sacred realm!!! ^^

 

[Chiraku]

Thank you for responding. I can understand that some of you do not believe that they are dead, but... fightersword... that response was... violent... But I know that some people ridicule somethings while others support them, for example, I don't believe the Ritos evolved into Zoras... though I do believe that there are connections. If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to say them. Thanks again to all the people who liked my theory

 

[dur.i.am]

It's an interesting question, and a hard one to answer, but personally, I don't believe that they died. It's mysterious that after we first see each Sage in their respective temples, that they just disappear and are not seen until Link destroys the evil that has trapped them within their temples...

I personally believe that it's quite likely that once each Sage attempts to defeat the evil within their temple, they are defeated and are trapped within the temple in a forced unconcious state and remain so until the evil is defeated by Link. It's quite a good explanation for why the Sages just disappear for no reason.

I don't believe that the Sages die though, because unless it's their spirit that ends up being sent to the Sacred Realm, how would they be able to pass on their power/symbol down to Link through the Medallions? It just seems a little weird that they can just die and still have so much power, and still be in a form of Limbo. The theory of them of the Sages dieing is still a decent theory if you add the idea that their spirits are released by the evil from within their temples when the evil is defeated.

Either way though, I believe the my own theory, and I like it, so I'll stick with that until it's proven wrong.

 

[ikilltoonlink]

The sages in ocarina of time all have a similar story before becoming a sage; they go into a temple, you might see them somewhere, and then you never see them again. Saria was plain never seen, Darunia disappeared after trying to fight Volvagia, Ruto disappeared after swimming someplace, Impa went into the shadow temple to track down Bongo-Bongo, and you saw Nabooru get zapped by Twinrova right infront of Link. Basically what I'm trying to say is... are the sages dead? And is that why they can't leave their respective temples for too long?

ummm no because at the end of oot you see them. there still breathing arint they (well i gess there in the sacred realm). but i think there like overseers they look down on hirule and watch the people. there kinda like guardians you know?