Hylia's Purpose

[Dragoncat]

In OoT, we were shown three goddesses that each had their own role in shaping the world, and they each had their own specialty. This is just like a lot of real world mythology, for example, the Greek god Poseidon made horses and the sea, and he was the god of the ocean. To recap:

Din made the earth, and is the goddess of power.
Farore made life, and is the goddess of courage.
Nayru gave the life forms intelligence, and is the goddess of wisdom.

In SS we are introduced to a fourth goddess, Hylia. But we never find out what her role among the other three was, what part of the world did she make, and what does she control?

I noticed that none of the triforce goddesses made water, and judging by the fact that Hylia has a lake named after her, maybe that was her contribution. I'm thinking she might be the goddess of time mentioned in MM. This would work, both time and water flow. Or she might be the goddess of war or something similar, because it looks like she is the only goddess who battled Demise and his forces. If the other three did, the people of Skyloft would worship four goddesses instead of just one.

Discuss.

 

[videogamenerd10]

This is just my theory, but I think Hylia created Din, Nayru, and Farore

 

[Heroine of Time]

As far as we know, Hylia's only purpose is to protect the Triforce. She's never mentioned in any of the several retellings of the creation myth, so I'm willing to bet she didn't have any part in that at all. Nintendo would have mentioned her helping create Hyrule in HH if she actually had some sort of domain. Being a goddess doesn't necessarily mean you had to make something.

Also, look at what Zelda says in SS. "It's impossible to know the true reason why the old gods created the Triforce. But I have a theory of my own." If she actually knew the goddesses and had any part in creating the world, or could contact them or anything, wouldn't she have just asked them, or wouldn't she know?

Unfortunately, no, I'm VERY sure Hylia's not a major goddess, and I wish people would stop treating her as such. It's possible that she's the goddess of time, but it's just as likely that she made absolutely no "contribution" of her own. It's mentioned in both the game and Hyrule Historia that she was appointed by the Golden Goddesses to watch the Triforce. So... I'm pretty sure that's her purpose.

 

[Random Person]

In TP we find this quote.

"Yes, according to legend, Hyrule was made by the Hylians, who, as we all know, are the closest race to the gods. But also according to legend, long ago there was a race even closer to the gods, and some say THESE creatures made the Hylians. When they created the people of Hylia, they simultaneously created a new capital, a city that floated in the heavens."

If Nintendo had any shred of continuity, I could easily say that Hylia was supposed to be the supposed "creatures" that created Hylians and their capital... but since this doesn't make too much sense AND TP also said ancient sages created the Master Sword, which according to SS is a big fat lie, it's difficult to say exactly what her purpose is in Hyrule. It seems to me that she's just a goddess that stumbled across Hyrule and decided to do stuff there (like Thor from Marvel). Although, if we consider that the original three created everything in Hyrule and Hylia is a being in Hyrule, we could guess that she was one of their creations as well. She may also be the creator of the Hylians if we believe Shad's quote. The bird is her symbol, just like the triforce is that of the original three goddesses.

This is just my theory, but I think Hylia created Din, Nayru, and Farore

This is highly unlikely considering the goddesses are refered to as "the gods of old" signalling that they were here much longer than Hylia.

 

[Ventus]

"It's impossible to know the true reason why the old gods created the Triforce. But I have a theory of my own." If she actually knew the goddesses and had any part in creating the world, or could contact them or anything, wouldn't she have just asked them, or wouldn't she know?

This is really what I want to say. In addition to that, I'd like to add that I do not consider Hylia to be a "goddess" in any regard; it really seems to me that it's merely the denizens of Skyloft, the two baddies of the series, and the whole "who can use the Triforce" retcon that regard her as a goddess.

I can't say that she is the goddess of Time, either, because if she really were...wouldn't she be able to do something within Skyward Sword at the very least (considering she wasn't thought up by MM)?

 

[Dragoncat]

So she's just there to guard the triforce? Makes a bit of sense, but I still think she created water. Water didn't just poof into existence by itself, if you believe the creation myths. And it only says Din made the earth. Earth = ground, water isnt included there. I'm willing to bet Lake Hylia was the first body of water, then she made the rest.

She is a major goddess in Skyloft. They probably don't even know about the triforce goddesses, which makes a lot of sense considering that the triforce goddesses just sat around and let Hylia do all the work. You'd think they would be a little concerned...their creations were being threatened too. The demons were ravaging Din's earth, killing Farore's life, and likely driving people insane, which Nayru wouldn't like. If they were worried, they didn't do anything about it.

But I can see her being a minor goddess after people move back to the surface. Using Greek mythology as an example again. There were major gods and goddesses that sat on Mt Olympus, and there were minor ones like Hestia, the goddess of the hearth.

 

[Random Person]

Found this quote.

"They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess. The power she guarded was without equal. Handed down by gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality. Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess. To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands..."

I assumed that Hylia was just doing things on her own, but apparently it was her job, appointed by the original three, to guard the triforce. This also proves that she respects the authority of the "gods of old."

 

[Triforceholder]

So she's just there to guard the triforce? Makes a bit of sense, but I still think she created water. Water didn't just poof into existence by itself, if you believe the creation myths. And it only says Din made the earth. Earth = ground, water isnt included there. I'm willing to bet Lake Hylia was the first body of water, then she made the rest.

Water is Farore's Domain. It is said that the Goddess of Courage created all the life of the land and since people are about 70% water that would be a hers.

She is a major goddess in Skyloft. They probably don't even know about the Triforce goddesses, which makes a lot of sense considering that the Triforce goddesses just sat around and let Hylia do all the work. You'd think they would be a little concerned...their creations were being threatened too. The demons were ravaging Din's earth, killing Farore's life, and likely driving people insane, which Nayru wouldn't like. If they were worried, they didn't do anything about it.

They did do something about it. They created Hylia protector of the Old God's world and gave her powers unknown to any mortal to defend there land and the ancient artifact the Triforce.

But I can see her being a minor goddess after people move back to the surface. Using Greek mythology as an example again. There were major gods and goddesses that sat on Mt Olympus, and there were minor ones like Hestia, the goddess of the hearth.

She was a minor goddess from the beginning but she is better known by the people because she was pysically there more recently in there history. There are still records of her that haven't slipped into myths and legends while only scraps of information are left about the creators of the world.

 

[alexanderraimo]

She is a major goddess in Skyloft. They probably don't even know about the triforce goddesses, which makes a lot of sense considering...

This. People of Skyloft don't know of the Triforce or the surface, to them they only seem to know Hylia.

 

[Locke]

Water is Farore's Domain. It is said that the Goddess of Courage created all the life of the land and since people are about 70% water that would be a hers.

Equally (un)convincing arguments could be made about the other two goddesses. 71% of the Earth's surface is water, making it Din's responsibility. Hyrule isn't the Earth, but nor are Hylians (or other life forms) Humans. In the GDT's cutscene Nayru is seen creating the sun, atmosphere, and clouds (water vapor).

As several have said, Hylia is just a minor deity tasked to protect the Triforce of the Golden Goddesses, in much the same way as the dragons are even more minor deities tasked to protect Hylia's Song of the Hero. I believe that she is also known as the Goddess of Time, but that doesn't really mean anything.

 

[Justac00lguy]

I think the main points have been covered all ready....

Even though Hylia is referred as a "Goddess" she is never referred in the same kin of the 3 "Golden Goddesses" who ultimately created the world and left the sacrsd power known as the Triforce. So as said multiple times in this thread Hylias purpose is to watch over the Triforce, we don't know if she was created by the Gods themselves but she was ordered to guard the sacred power, now this could indicate that she is of a less power than the original Goddesses.

Their are many references to Gods and Goddesses throughout the Zelda games themselves such as the Goddess of the Sand, so maybe each race or province had a specific Demi God to watch over and protect. Maybe Hylia was the most trustworthy, as to why she was bestowed with this task. Hylias other purpose is to hand the Sailcloth to her hero of choice, this tradition was also carried on by Zelda, whomis the mortal reincarnation of Hylia.

 

[Wolf Sage]

So she's just there to guard the triforce? Makes a bit of sense, but I still think she created water. Water didn't just poof into existence by itself, if you believe the creation myths. And it only says Din made the earth. Earth = ground, water isnt included there. I'm willing to bet Lake Hylia was the first body of water, then she made the rest.

She is a major goddess in Skyloft. They probably don't even know about the triforce goddesses, which makes a lot of sense considering that the triforce goddesses just sat around and let Hylia do all the work. You'd think they would be a little concerned...their creations were being threatened too. The demons were ravaging Din's earth, killing Farore's life, and likely driving people insane, which Nayru wouldn't like. If they were worried, they didn't do anything about it.

But I can see her being a minor goddess after people move back to the surface. Using Greek mythology as an example again. There were major gods and goddesses that sat on Mt Olympus, and there were minor ones like Hestia, the goddess of the hearth.

Well... for starters, the basics were essentially covered in-game. Secondly... it'd probably be best to abandoned the Western world concepts of gods and goddesses to understand the predominantly Eastern world-based concept on which the Hyrule pantheon is based [as of WW?]. Greek mythology isn't the best analogy to use here; possibly the worst, to be honest.

So anywho... Hylia can be assumed to have ascended to the role of a deity; or rather, she had been chosen for divinity similar to the way that Link was chosen as the "hero."

Also... the term "earth" in this sense is not to be taken so technically. It is simply referring to the Earth (planet; whatever that means in Zelda) as a whole. When one refers to earth, they usually are referring to the biome in which life thrives, which encompasses an assortment of "elements", per se—forests, volcanoes, and even water, no less. My oh my, the power of words [and context]…

 

[Dragoncat]

it'd probably be best to abandoned the Western world concepts of gods and goddesses to understand the predominantly Eastern world-based concept on which the Hyrule pantheon is based [as of WW?]. Greek mythology isn't the best analogy to use here; possibly the worst, to be honest.

That is the mythology I know the most about. We studied it in high school, and then I read Percy Jackson...so yeah...I'm grasping for examples that I know. Which mythology do you think fits best, if any?

They did do something about it. They created Hylia protector of the Old God's world and gave her powers unknown to any mortal to defend there land and the ancient artifact the Triforce.

They gave her those powers, yes. But when Demise attacked the first time, they pretty much just said "We're busy, handle him yourself."

Hyrule isn't the Earth, but nor are Hylians (or other life forms) Humans.

Hylians are humans with pointy ears...

 

[Sir Quaffler]

I believe her main purpose is to guard and protect the Triforce, as already stated.

It seems as though she was appointed among the creations to become the Goddess of Time and to protect the Triforce, rather than being just some other being who stumbled into Hyrule after the three goddesses made it and decided to become a goddess there. Her main purpose being a minor goddess appointed as a guardian rather than a major goddess, her powers as a goddess of time are rather limited. She can see into the past and future and can predict certain events, but it's not as though she herself can control the flow of time (unless directly summoned, like in OoT and MM).

 

[felipe970421]

That is the mythology I know the most about. We studied it in high school, and then I read Percy Jackson...so yeah...I'm grasping for examples that I know. Which mythology do you think fits best, if any?

Japanese mythology, seeing how Zelda is made in Japan

Hylians are humans with pointy ears...

He meant that Hylians are different from regular humans