Does Hyrule even have a prison?

[DuelMark]

I'm curious, since we never see anyone attack Hyrule without dying in the end. Arbiter's Grounds may have served that role, but by the time we finally see it, it looks abandoned. Not to mention, I could see someone like Ganondorf getting sent there, maybe even possible assassins, but not, say, a thief, or someone who does graffiti on the castle walls. Would Hyrule even have a place for criminals, both small time or big, near Ganondorf level evildoers, to be sent to? Maybe even an island to prevent them from escaping?

 

[Kylo Ken]

Usually, prisoners are kept in the castle's dungeon. I imagine that's where they'd send wrongdoers. But like you said, there's the Arbitar's Grounds AND there's the Shadow Temple from Ocarina of Time.

 

[octorok74]

Put them in the sewers with the giant spiders. If they survive a set amount of time then they are free. That's what I always thought was the Hyrule prison system.

 

[Fraxinus]

Yeah, Shadow Temple definitely comes to mind. I mean... there are all sorts of torture devices decorating the walls and floors of that place. So, that's not necessarily a prison per se, but more like... an asylum. Who knows what actually went on in there, but I'm sure it's haunted by the spirits of those who lost their lives there, ha. It's common for ghost stories to tell about old abandoned sanatoriums and whatnot having paranormal activity like that (whether or not that's actually true, of course, is up for debate), so it's fairly safe to say that's the case with the Shadow Temple. So, I'm somewhat certain that in Hyrule's early history, those who committed treason against the monarchy were likely sent there for... isolation.

And as Himura mentioned, castles usually do have dungeons. I'm sure those who've committed minor crimes will be held beneath Hyrule Castle. Hyrule--especially around the time period of Ocarina of Time--kind of has somewhat medieval values. Castle dungeon will hold criminals for punishment, sure, but in most cases that's a temporary thing. There are some instances in history where people would be left to rot in a dungeon, but I can't imagine that happening in Hyrule Castle. That's probably where the Shadow Temple comes in... It's a more permanent punishment.

Last but not least, the Arbiters Grounds, to me, never really seemed like a prison. More like a place for beatings/executions. Like, I could see people, in old practice, being tied up and scourged for crimes. The Gerudo Desert is pretty much abandoned at that point in time, so it's pretty out of the way. Optimum location for a place like that. Civilization won't have to hear screams or anything. How convenient.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

There's the fact that Hyrule Castle has a dungeon since all castles either in fiction or back during the medieval times had them. Shadow Temple did feel like an appropriate place when it comes to putting someone like thieves in there.

 

[Dio]

I'm curious, since we never see anyone attack Hyrule without dying in the end. Arbiter's Grounds may have served that role, but by the time we finally see it, it looks abandoned. Not to mention, I could see someone like Ganondorf getting sent there, maybe even possible assassins, but not, say, a thief, or someone who does graffiti on the castle walls. Would Hyrule even have a place for criminals, both small time or big, near Ganondorf level evildoers, to be sent to? Maybe even an island to prevent them from escaping?

The castle dungeons is probably where the lesser criminals go. Arbiters grounds would have been like a big death row for the serious offenders.

 

[Mrtorch]

Hyrule Castle does have a prison. Link is locked up in the dungeon of Hyrule castle in the beginning of Twilight Princess.

 

[snakeoiltanker]

The only Castle "Prison" I can say I have physically seen and remember, would be the cells under the Castle in A Link to the Past. You have to go down there to save Princess Zelda in the beginning of the game, and defeat a Ball and Chain Knight acting a guard. Other than that I would say the others who have posted here are onto something.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

twilight princess,link to the past,and minish cap pretty much show that there are prison cells in hyrule castle

and of course they're the obvious dungeons,so yes,hyrule does have prisons