Spoiler Link As a Kokiri

[Mandi the Beast]

I'm sure this question has been posed before but I searched the threads and couldn't find it. Sooo...

When the Deku Sprout explains to Link that he is a Hylian, he explains that "some time ago" a mother gave her baby to the Deku tree to save him from being a casualty of war, blah blah blah. And the Deku tree takes him in and raises him as a Kokiri. This raises some questions for me. When the Deku Sprout explains Link's past to him, since he is Hylian, that means that either no more than 18 years may have passed since this war, which, to me, does not align with the amount of time the Deku Sprout seems to imply has actually passed. That said, there are a few explanations I've conjured.

• Is Link's youth protected for ages by a spell to defy his biological reality?
• Could anyone enter the Kokiri Forest to achieve immortality?
• If so, would the person have to be a child because aging ceases only for children?
• Or, simply, have 18 years only passed?

 

[Chameleon]

I guess "Some time ago" could perfectly mean 12 years from that time (can't actually remember how old is young link in OoT). This however brings to mind something else: how does Link not realize he has not been an "eternal child" as the Kokiri were? I mean, he aged normally like any other Hylian. I would've had my doubts. Then again, I doubt Nintendo would go this deep into OoT's plot.

 

[Mandi the Beast]

Frankly, I'm not really interested in what Nintendo has to say. I think it's much more rewarding to come up with my own theories. I'm a writer and I use A LOT of symbolism but I want my readers to interpret my words in any way that makes them happy. The beauty of art is that there are infinite explanations. I see the Zelda series as nothing less than beautiful visual literature and I love to hear other perspectives.

 

[Chameleon]

nope I don't care if Nintendo had things in their mind or not, and I agree it's fun to understand the Zelda series as one sees fit. But I think I made my point over there

 

[Locke]

Ganondorf meeting with the King seems to suggest that it happened recently. On the other hand, the Zoras appear to have been allied with Hyrule for a long time.

 

[TriFiERCE]

Link was 9 in the start of the game, then 16 when the Deku Sprout told him that.

 

[Castle]

Link was 9 in the start of the game, then 16 when the Deku Sprout told him that.

Orly? I thought he was 10 and 17. The fact is Link's age is never given in OoT. We only know that the future is 7 years later.

But you're right linkerbelle, the times do not add up. Gorons and Zoras speak as if they had been allied with Hyrule for many years, possibly decades. Yet Link's delivery as an infant in Kokiri Forest supposedly coincided with the civil war and he is no more than an adolescent, 10-12 years of age at most.

This suggests that Link is much older than he appears. Maybe due to a spell specifically for him. Maybe due to the forest's magic. Perhaps the Kokiri are Hylian children, but yet Link is described as being "different" in that he is Hylian, not Kokiri, expressing a distinction.

Tough to say. I don't think Nintendo has ever employed a professional writer specific to the task on their Zelda projects with story always being so haphazard and minimal. The Zelda games and series is impossible to make sense of as it is. Apparently trying to make sense of things is our job

 

[Beauts]

How much do we know about the Civil War? Like, was it between all of the groups in Hyrule or were like some on one side and some on the other? I was kind of thinking the fact the spiritual stones lie with the Kokiri, Gorons and Zoras suggest that these three at least were on the same side as the royal family. Perhaps it was just the Gerudo who they had the civil war against (which would explain why they seem to be so ostracised and seen so negatively by normal Hylians. Like if Link wears the Gerudo mask everyones like "wtf"). Does the HH explain this?

Also, I was thinking about the fact Kokiri's don't grow up- but maybe they still start from being babies, as Link would have. There again, are there any babies in Hyrule? Also, time may not elapse the same way it does in the real world. Who knows, really? I'm guessing 'some time ago' was whenever child Link was a baby, so about 9/10 years before the game starts. I never thought they were referring to a really long time ago here. But perhaps the war was really long, and Link's mother gave him to the Great Deku Tree towards the end of the war.

 

[Castle]

Well, the Gorons and Zoras appeared as enemies in previous games in the series; the Gorons as rocks in ALttP and the Zoras as far back as the first game, so that suggests they were antagonists. Although, the word's still out on whether the enemy Zoras from previous games are the same as the friendly Zora from OoT. Same thing may be true for the Gorons as well.

The civil war roughly states that the people of hyrule fought against each other. By people do they mean Gorons and Zoras? Are they or were they at the time a civilized part of Hyrule or their own separate tribe or some sort of sub-state? Do they owe fealty to the King of Hyrule in OoT or are they some sort of alliance? All conjecture, but the answers to those questions could shed light on whether they took part in the war and if they were on the side of Hyrule and the royal family.

I always got the notion that separating the stones was a way to solidify an alliance. Not one single race had the keys to the Temple of Time. Each one had to relinquish their stone in order to access the sacred realm. That way no single race had complete access to the Triforce. This would suggest the Gorons and Zoras fought against the Royal Family. As for Kokiri's Emerald, I don't think the Kokiri possessed that one so much as the Deku tree did. As an ancient sage and guardian spirit the tree was granted the responsibility of keeping it safe.

The idea that the Gerudo would have served as likely antagonists in the civil war is obvious, as well, though. Somewhere I seem to remember it mentioned that the Gerudo held Kakariko Village until the Sheikah kicked them out and exiled them to the desert. IDK if this is considered "true" or if I am just imagining it. This would explain why the Gerudo are so territorial as well as why Gannondorf covets hyrule. He may be envious and spiteful that his people had been cast out. Why the Gerudo are not allies of Hyrule is up for debate, however. Likely they refused to join an alliance and pursued their quest for the triforce but were beaten by the allied peoples of Hyrule and cast out.

But none of that explains the discrepancy between Link's age and the time of the civil war. >.<

Who knows where Kokiri's come from or how they are "born." As forest sprites it may be something magical. Maybe they just appear. Obviously they have no parentage. The forest might somehow "spawn" them. From the trees, perhaps? There is evidence to suggest they are able to change their forms or suddenly evolve. It is heavily implied that the Koroks of Wind Waker were once the Kokiri of OoT.

I'm certain there are babies in Hyrule. They're just never shown.

Then again, do we know the life expectancy of a Hylian? Perhaps Hylians age slower?

Perhaps Link's orphanage was coincidental and took place years after the wars end due to events that were somehow related to the war?

 

[felipe970421]

Well, the Gorons and Zoras appeared as enemies in previous games in the series; the Gorons as rocks in ALttP and the Zoras as far back as the first game, so that suggests they were antagonists. Although, the word's still out on whether the enemy Zoras from previous games are the same as the friendly Zora from OoT. Same thing may be true for the Gorons as well.

AlttP was after OoT in the timeline

The civil war roughly states that the people of hyrule fought against each other. By people do they mean Gorons and Zoras? Are they or were they at the time a civilized part of Hyrule or their own separate tribe or some sort of sub-state? Do they owe fealty to the King of Hyrule in OoT or are they some sort of alliance? All conjecture, but the answers to those questions could shed light on whether they took part in the war and if they were on the side of Hyrule and the royal family.

As far as I know, there is no mention of any factions, it is generally agreed that it was over the triforce

I always got the notion that separating the stones was a way to solidify an alliance. Not one single race had the keys to the Temple of Time. Each one had to relinquish their stone in order to access the sacred realm. That way no single race had complete access to the Triforce. This would suggest the Gorons and Zoras fought against the Royal Family. As for Kokiri's Emerald, I don't think the Kokiri possessed that one so much as the Deku tree did. As an ancient sage and guardian spirit the tree was granted the responsibility of keeping it safe.

Speculation, however at the end of the war we clearly have an alliance between Gorons, Hylians and Zoras, while the Gerudo seem antagonized

The idea that the Gerudo would have served as likely antagonists in the civil war is obvious, as well, though. Somewhere I seem to remember it mentioned that the Gerudo held Kakariko Village until the Sheikah kicked them out and exiled them to the desert. IDK if this is considered "true" or if I am just imagining it. This would explain why the Gerudo are so territorial as well as why Gannondorf covets hyrule. He may be envious and spiteful that his people had been cast out. Why the Gerudo are not allies of Hyrule is up for debate, however. Likely they refused to join an alliance and pursued their quest for the triforce but were beaten by the allied peoples of Hyrule and cast out.

I don't recall that anywhere

 

[Beauts]

Thanks Castle and Felipe.

Personally I've come to the conclusion that the stones were seperated to stop the Gerudo getting the triforce. But who knows.

 

[Zorth]

AlttP was before OoT in the timeline

According to Hyrule Historia the only 3 games before OoT in the timeline are SS, FS and TMC.
Here is a link to the picture.

Although, the Zoras & Gorons that appear as enemies are all after OoT in the timeline. None of them appear as enemies in FS, TMC or SS.

 

[felipe970421]

According to Hyrule Historia the only 3 games before OoT in the timeline are SS, FS and TMC.
Here is a link to the picture.

Although, the Zoras & Gorons that appear as enemies are all after OoT in the timeline. None of them appear as enemies in FS, TMC or SS.

Yeah, sorry about that, it was a typo I already fixed