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- Jan 29, 2012
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Lost ancient civilizations with far more advanced technology than the present age is a common theme in various fantasy media. Some examples include The Dark Tower novels by Stephen King, the Okami video games, and the video game Skies of Arcadia, among others. And now, with the release of the last three major console Zelda games, it seems that The Legend of Zelda is incorporating one of my favorite fantasy ideas into its mythology.
Beware: there are big spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and especially Skyward Sword ahead. Also, I include some information from A Link to the Past as well near the end, so if you don't want to know anything about that game, don't read that paragraph. It's not a big spoiler though, just analysis of a line of text in the game.
The idea of an advanced ancient civilization that thrived in Hyrule’s past has been hinted at in The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and most prominently in the recent Skyward Sword. With Skyward Sword’s release, The Legend of Zelda seems to be firmly incorporating the idea of a technologically advanced ancient world into its mythology. This is a theme that I clearly love, and the idea and mystery of it stirs my imagination.
In The Wind Waker, Link travels to the Tower of the Gods, an imposing citadel supposedly built by the gods to test the Hero of Legend. Yet while traversing this dungeon with its futuristic markings that remind me of a computer microchip, neon lights, clockwork Armos Knights and laser-equipped Beamos sentries, not to mention its mechanical boss Gohdan (or “God Hand” if you rearrange the letters, a very fitting name), I got the idea the last time I played through Wind Waker that there might be more to the story here. The King of Red Lions tells Link that the tower “is a place that the gods of the ancient world prepared so that they might test the courage of men.” Is it possible that these “gods” of the ancient world are actually humans from ancient times, who might in the present be thought of as gods because of their vast knowledge and advanced technology? Some people believe that extraterrestrials visited human beings in the distant past and gave civilizations like the Egyptians knowledge and advanced technology, and that these aliens are actually the “gods” of these cultures. This is kind of the same idea as that.
In Twilight Princess, we get more information about an ancient civilization. When Link heads to Faron Woods to find one of the shards of the Mirror of Twilight, he meets his old mentor, Rusl, who tells him of an ancient temple in a hidden grove. Rusl tells Link that “the ancestors of the Hylians created the temple... Signs of their civilization--ancient, but very sophisticated--are everywhere.” This temple, of course, turns out to be the Temple of Time. The Temple of Time’s inner chambers glow with sophisticated architecture and technology. In fact, the dungeon as a whole shares a lot in common with the Tower of the Gods. Both feature many of the same enemies: Beamos, Armos, as well a Darknut for a mid-boss. Both are a tall tower. And finally, both dungeons share a similar element in that to ultimately solve them you need to use magic to command and manipulate statues. In fact, the Tower of the Gods rises out of the ocean directly above Hyrule Castle in the Wind Waker. Before rising out of the ocean, it’s logical to think that the Tower was right next to Hyrule Castle, just as the Temple of Time is in Ocarina of Time. The Tower of the Gods and the Temple of Time could in fact be one and the same!
Now, upon entering the Temple of Time, Link meets Ooccoo, who says “At last... This is it! This is where I've been trying to get to! The ancient technology of our people sleeps in this place.” This implies that the ancient people Rusl spoke of are in fact the Oocca, and that it was they who built the Temple of Time. Inside of the Temple of Time, Link finds the Dominion Rod, which he later uses to reach the City in the Sky, the advanced, floating capital of the Oocca. It appears that the Oocca possess sophisticated technology. They also live in the sky and are rumored to be closer to the gods than the Hylians and rumored to have been involved in Hyrule’s creation. Perhaps the Oocca are the “gods” who created the Tower of the Gods? This would make sense if the Tower of the Gods is the Temple of Time, or related to it somehow. As a side note, Link also finds the Spinner in Twilight Princess, which the game calls an “ancient machine”. This technology could have been built by the ancient civilization/Oocca. There are numerous spinner slots in the Oocca’s city, which lends credibility to this theory.
Finally, in Skyward Sword, we get the clearest picture yet of a highly advanced ancient civilization that once thrived in the land that would become Hyrule. This is fitting considering Skyward Sword is the earliest story in the Zelda chronology, so the ruins of this lost civilization are still “fresh” so to speak and not completely lost to the ages (which might explain why we don’t see many traces of the ancient civilization in future Zelda stories). In the Lanayru region of the Surface world which one day becomes Hyrule, Link discovers the ancient ruins of a lost civilization. This civilization built imposing metal structures, produced a mass assembly of sophisticated, highly intelligent robots, mined Timeshift Stones and seemed to have a thriving society. They built a facility to produce Timeshift Stones, a precious and mysterious resource that powered their machines. At the heart of this facility is a turntable with tram-tracks leading in several different directions, implying that Timeshift Stones were shipped to other areas (or that raw, unprocessed Timeshift Stone material was transported to the facility this way), one of which probably being a sea-port that the ancients also built. This ancient harbor, which judging from the ruined trams and tracks surrounding it, presumably once shipped and received goods (probably Timeshift Stones) to lands across the ancient sea. Despite it being so advanced, one day this civilization died out…but why? I have a few theories.
First off, let me connect the ancient civilization glimpsed in Skyward Sword with the one glimpsed in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. For starters, the Lanayru Mining Facility is full similar enemy types to the Tower of the Gods and the Temple of Time: Armos and Beamos, as well as a new type of advanced technology-enemy known as a Sentrobe. The Armos and Beamos we see here are the purest and most advanced versions yet, and make the ones seen in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess look old and rusted in comparison. Perhaps the Armos and Beamos seen in WW and TP’s original function was also as security drones for this ancient civilization. This in itself is pretty cool as it shows us the genesis of these classic Zelda enemies that have been around forever. There is also a Temple of Time found in the Lanayru province that is connected to the Lanayru Mining Facility and seemingly to the ancient civilization. Seeing as how this civilization clearly had so much involvement in “Time”, it makes sense that they built the Temple of Time seen in Twilight Princess. There’s a discretion here though, because the Temple of Time in the Lanayru region of Skyward Sword is actually a different Temple of Time than the one seen in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. This leads me into my next point of theory.
Just who were these ancient people? Consider this: since Fi informs Link that the Ancient Robots were mass-produced, and it is also logical to assume the robots did not build themselves, we know they had a builder. There are two possibilities as to who the ancient people were. One possibility is that the ancient civilization were the ancient Hylians who lived under the Goddess Hylia. Under the Goddess, these ancient humans thrived in an advanced society, where they built robots to help them live and mine Timeshift Stones, created the Lanayru Temple of Time to house the Gate of Time that Hylia created (we are told Hylia created the gate, although it’s possible the ancient civilization did), and enjoyed a sophisticated, almost utopian society under the radiance of Her Grace, the Goddess. This, as we know it, would be the earliest civilization of the world that the three golden goddesses built. But everything was thrown into chaos when THEY appeared.
As we are told in Skyward Sword’s intro, one fateful day the earth cracked wide and an army of demons and monsters emerged from the fissure, led by their creator, the demon king Demise. To protect her people, Hylia gathered the ancient Hylians on an outcropping of earth and sent it skyward. The robots, however, were left on the earth, and it seems that after Hylia sealed away Demise, these robots continued to thrive in a civilization of their own. When Link strikes a Timeshift Stone in Skyward Sword, he goes to an era in which the robots’ creators are seemingly nowhere to found, but the robots are very functional and are still mining Timeshift Stones and appear to have a society of their own. Also in this era, the robot Skipper sailed the seas with his robo-crew, protecting Nayru’s Flame on his ship. We know that the era that Link visits after striking a Timeshift Stone is after the demons appeared because we encounter Technoblins as well as normal red Bokoblins in this era. There are robots and monsters in this era, but not humans, which leads me to believe that it is after Hylia has created Skyloft and sealed away Demise (the robots appear to be at relative peace, so I assume it’s after the war with Demise, although it could be during it as the robots are still being hounded by Technoblins… but I just assume these are surviving monsters of the war without a leader). It could be the era that Link visits when he goes through the Gate of Time (which appears to be made up of tons of tiny Timeshift Stones) in the Sealed Temple.
I mentioned earlier that Rusl claims the Temple of Time was built by an ancient, sophisticated civilization. It appears that the ancient Hylians built a Temple of Time in the Lanayru region of Skyward Sword. But, it is also feasible to think that they built the Temple of Hylia to worship their goddess as well. And the Temple of Hylia one day becomes the Temple of Time in both Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Also, it’s possible that Hylia, who seems to have powers of clairvoyance and great foresight (In Skyward Sword, she sets detailed plans into motion that manipulate the future lives of Link and Zelda, as well as creates two gates of time that her reincarnation and chosen hero will one day use), instructed the ancient Hylians to build the Tower of the Gods and Gohdan to one day test a future hero. And if the Tower of the Gods is the Temple of Time/Temple of Hylia, it serves multiple purposes.
Another thing to note is that the Goddess Hylia herself’s creations seem to blend magic and advanced technology. These creations include the Gates of Time as well as Fi, the spirit of the Goddess Sword. If the Goddess passed on her wisdom to her people, than it makes sense that these ancient Hylians would have an advanced society and advanced technology. This also ties back to what I mentioned earlier about some people believing that extraterrestrials or “gods” passed on advanced technology and wisdom to human beings.
The other possibility about the ancient civilization’s identity (other than them being the ancient Hylians) is that they were an entirely different people than the Hylians that predated the rule of the Goddess Hylia. The reason I lean towards thinking they were Hylians though is because (in addition to the above information) they appeared to have created or at least maintained the Temple of Time in the Lanayru region, which is connected with the Goddess Hylia. Then again, it’s also of course possible this temple was created later and maintained by the robots who served Hylia… so whether the ancient civilization was comprised of Hylians or a far more ancient people is up for debate. I’m leaning more towards thinking it was ancient Hylians though.
There are holes in my theory of course. The most glaring being that Twilight Princess implies that the ancient civilization is the Oocca. But my theory still works because in a universe where fish people can evolve into bird people (Zora to Rito) over a couple hundred or thousand years, I think it’s also possible that some of the Hylians evolved into the Oocca. Perhaps some Hylians stay behind in Skyloft and eventually evolve into the bird-like Oocca and build the City in the Sky. I think this fits nicely because of Hylia’s connection with birds and bird symbols, as well as the Skyloft Hylians’ connection with the sky and birds. Add to this the fact that the Oocca are a hybrid of bird and human features and there you have it. Another hole is if the ancient civilization that created all the advanced technology of the Lanayru desert are the ancestors of the Skyloft Hylians, than why is the present-day Skyloft society so primitive in comparison? I have a few answers for this. Hylia sent the humans into the sky in a rush of desperation, and probably most of their machines and the materials to power and create them (such as Timeshift Stones) were left on the surface. Of course, they would still possess their advanced knowledge, so why wouldn’t they pass it on to their ancestors? Well, who knows? Maybe over time this knowledge was simply lost. Or maybe they decided to live a more simple and primitive life. Or perhaps because of the loss of their technology their society simply eventually naturally devolved. One detail of Skyward Sword that supports the theory that the ancient civilization of Lanayru are the Skyloft Hylians’ ancestors is Gondo, the scrap shop owner. An ancient robot has been passed down in his family for generations. Perhaps the ancient Hylians managed to take one robot to the sky with them, but over time Scrapper shut down without the oil from an Ancient Flower or any Timeshift Stones (which the robots claim power them) and the knowledge required to repair him was lost. Another hole is that in Ocarina of Time, Rauru tells Link that he and the other ancient sages built the Temple of Time. The Hyrule Historia also claims that Rauru built the Temple of Time. But Rauru and these sages are still part of an ancient people, and although they may not be part of the ancient civilization I am talking about, keep in mind that almost all the lore in Zelda’s mythology is legend, and by the time of Twilight Princess, the ancient Hylians, sages, and Oocca may have all blended together in the realm of legend to create one ancient civilization.
As a final note, in another Zelda game, A Link to the Past, Link discovers the language of an ancient people that he needs the Book of Mudora to decipher. In A Link to the Past, the old woman who Link meets in the elder Sahasrahla’s house in Kakariko Village tells Link that “Long ago, a prosperous people known as the Hylia inhabited this land... Legends tell of many treasures that the Hylia hid throughout the land... The Master Sword, a mighty blade forged against those with evil hearts, is one of them.” As we know, the Goddess Sword was forged by the Goddess Hylia or possibly her ancient Hylians, and the Master Sword was forged by the very first (as we know it) Hero as well as the first Zelda (due to her blessing). Link and Zelda in Skyward Sword are, by a Link to the Past’s time, very ancient Hylians. The legend told by the old woman in a Link to the Past about the Hylia being responsible for the Master Sword’s creation and enshrining fits fairly nicely with the events in Skyward Sword. This is just a neat little detail I picked up on while playing through A Link to the Past again.
So there you have it. Clearly, I am fascinated by the ancient civilization of Hyrule, and I only hope this mythology is expanded in further Zelda titles. I think that this ancient civilization's merging of technology and magic is perfectly suited to the world of Zelda. One thing I don’t ever want though is a concrete explanation for this ancient society. I don’t want all my questions answered, or all my theories either totally validated or totally debunked. The mystery is what makes this ancient civilization so fascinating to me, and it’s also so much fun to theorize!
Thanks for reading. Did my theories give you any new ideas? Do you like my ideas or totally disagree? Did I miss any important details? Also, let me know what your theories about the ancient civilization and everything else I discussed are.
Beware: there are big spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and especially Skyward Sword ahead. Also, I include some information from A Link to the Past as well near the end, so if you don't want to know anything about that game, don't read that paragraph. It's not a big spoiler though, just analysis of a line of text in the game.
The idea of an advanced ancient civilization that thrived in Hyrule’s past has been hinted at in The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and most prominently in the recent Skyward Sword. With Skyward Sword’s release, The Legend of Zelda seems to be firmly incorporating the idea of a technologically advanced ancient world into its mythology. This is a theme that I clearly love, and the idea and mystery of it stirs my imagination.
In The Wind Waker, Link travels to the Tower of the Gods, an imposing citadel supposedly built by the gods to test the Hero of Legend. Yet while traversing this dungeon with its futuristic markings that remind me of a computer microchip, neon lights, clockwork Armos Knights and laser-equipped Beamos sentries, not to mention its mechanical boss Gohdan (or “God Hand” if you rearrange the letters, a very fitting name), I got the idea the last time I played through Wind Waker that there might be more to the story here. The King of Red Lions tells Link that the tower “is a place that the gods of the ancient world prepared so that they might test the courage of men.” Is it possible that these “gods” of the ancient world are actually humans from ancient times, who might in the present be thought of as gods because of their vast knowledge and advanced technology? Some people believe that extraterrestrials visited human beings in the distant past and gave civilizations like the Egyptians knowledge and advanced technology, and that these aliens are actually the “gods” of these cultures. This is kind of the same idea as that.
In Twilight Princess, we get more information about an ancient civilization. When Link heads to Faron Woods to find one of the shards of the Mirror of Twilight, he meets his old mentor, Rusl, who tells him of an ancient temple in a hidden grove. Rusl tells Link that “the ancestors of the Hylians created the temple... Signs of their civilization--ancient, but very sophisticated--are everywhere.” This temple, of course, turns out to be the Temple of Time. The Temple of Time’s inner chambers glow with sophisticated architecture and technology. In fact, the dungeon as a whole shares a lot in common with the Tower of the Gods. Both feature many of the same enemies: Beamos, Armos, as well a Darknut for a mid-boss. Both are a tall tower. And finally, both dungeons share a similar element in that to ultimately solve them you need to use magic to command and manipulate statues. In fact, the Tower of the Gods rises out of the ocean directly above Hyrule Castle in the Wind Waker. Before rising out of the ocean, it’s logical to think that the Tower was right next to Hyrule Castle, just as the Temple of Time is in Ocarina of Time. The Tower of the Gods and the Temple of Time could in fact be one and the same!
Now, upon entering the Temple of Time, Link meets Ooccoo, who says “At last... This is it! This is where I've been trying to get to! The ancient technology of our people sleeps in this place.” This implies that the ancient people Rusl spoke of are in fact the Oocca, and that it was they who built the Temple of Time. Inside of the Temple of Time, Link finds the Dominion Rod, which he later uses to reach the City in the Sky, the advanced, floating capital of the Oocca. It appears that the Oocca possess sophisticated technology. They also live in the sky and are rumored to be closer to the gods than the Hylians and rumored to have been involved in Hyrule’s creation. Perhaps the Oocca are the “gods” who created the Tower of the Gods? This would make sense if the Tower of the Gods is the Temple of Time, or related to it somehow. As a side note, Link also finds the Spinner in Twilight Princess, which the game calls an “ancient machine”. This technology could have been built by the ancient civilization/Oocca. There are numerous spinner slots in the Oocca’s city, which lends credibility to this theory.
Finally, in Skyward Sword, we get the clearest picture yet of a highly advanced ancient civilization that once thrived in the land that would become Hyrule. This is fitting considering Skyward Sword is the earliest story in the Zelda chronology, so the ruins of this lost civilization are still “fresh” so to speak and not completely lost to the ages (which might explain why we don’t see many traces of the ancient civilization in future Zelda stories). In the Lanayru region of the Surface world which one day becomes Hyrule, Link discovers the ancient ruins of a lost civilization. This civilization built imposing metal structures, produced a mass assembly of sophisticated, highly intelligent robots, mined Timeshift Stones and seemed to have a thriving society. They built a facility to produce Timeshift Stones, a precious and mysterious resource that powered their machines. At the heart of this facility is a turntable with tram-tracks leading in several different directions, implying that Timeshift Stones were shipped to other areas (or that raw, unprocessed Timeshift Stone material was transported to the facility this way), one of which probably being a sea-port that the ancients also built. This ancient harbor, which judging from the ruined trams and tracks surrounding it, presumably once shipped and received goods (probably Timeshift Stones) to lands across the ancient sea. Despite it being so advanced, one day this civilization died out…but why? I have a few theories.
First off, let me connect the ancient civilization glimpsed in Skyward Sword with the one glimpsed in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. For starters, the Lanayru Mining Facility is full similar enemy types to the Tower of the Gods and the Temple of Time: Armos and Beamos, as well as a new type of advanced technology-enemy known as a Sentrobe. The Armos and Beamos we see here are the purest and most advanced versions yet, and make the ones seen in Wind Waker and Twilight Princess look old and rusted in comparison. Perhaps the Armos and Beamos seen in WW and TP’s original function was also as security drones for this ancient civilization. This in itself is pretty cool as it shows us the genesis of these classic Zelda enemies that have been around forever. There is also a Temple of Time found in the Lanayru province that is connected to the Lanayru Mining Facility and seemingly to the ancient civilization. Seeing as how this civilization clearly had so much involvement in “Time”, it makes sense that they built the Temple of Time seen in Twilight Princess. There’s a discretion here though, because the Temple of Time in the Lanayru region of Skyward Sword is actually a different Temple of Time than the one seen in Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. This leads me into my next point of theory.
Just who were these ancient people? Consider this: since Fi informs Link that the Ancient Robots were mass-produced, and it is also logical to assume the robots did not build themselves, we know they had a builder. There are two possibilities as to who the ancient people were. One possibility is that the ancient civilization were the ancient Hylians who lived under the Goddess Hylia. Under the Goddess, these ancient humans thrived in an advanced society, where they built robots to help them live and mine Timeshift Stones, created the Lanayru Temple of Time to house the Gate of Time that Hylia created (we are told Hylia created the gate, although it’s possible the ancient civilization did), and enjoyed a sophisticated, almost utopian society under the radiance of Her Grace, the Goddess. This, as we know it, would be the earliest civilization of the world that the three golden goddesses built. But everything was thrown into chaos when THEY appeared.
As we are told in Skyward Sword’s intro, one fateful day the earth cracked wide and an army of demons and monsters emerged from the fissure, led by their creator, the demon king Demise. To protect her people, Hylia gathered the ancient Hylians on an outcropping of earth and sent it skyward. The robots, however, were left on the earth, and it seems that after Hylia sealed away Demise, these robots continued to thrive in a civilization of their own. When Link strikes a Timeshift Stone in Skyward Sword, he goes to an era in which the robots’ creators are seemingly nowhere to found, but the robots are very functional and are still mining Timeshift Stones and appear to have a society of their own. Also in this era, the robot Skipper sailed the seas with his robo-crew, protecting Nayru’s Flame on his ship. We know that the era that Link visits after striking a Timeshift Stone is after the demons appeared because we encounter Technoblins as well as normal red Bokoblins in this era. There are robots and monsters in this era, but not humans, which leads me to believe that it is after Hylia has created Skyloft and sealed away Demise (the robots appear to be at relative peace, so I assume it’s after the war with Demise, although it could be during it as the robots are still being hounded by Technoblins… but I just assume these are surviving monsters of the war without a leader). It could be the era that Link visits when he goes through the Gate of Time (which appears to be made up of tons of tiny Timeshift Stones) in the Sealed Temple.
I mentioned earlier that Rusl claims the Temple of Time was built by an ancient, sophisticated civilization. It appears that the ancient Hylians built a Temple of Time in the Lanayru region of Skyward Sword. But, it is also feasible to think that they built the Temple of Hylia to worship their goddess as well. And the Temple of Hylia one day becomes the Temple of Time in both Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Also, it’s possible that Hylia, who seems to have powers of clairvoyance and great foresight (In Skyward Sword, she sets detailed plans into motion that manipulate the future lives of Link and Zelda, as well as creates two gates of time that her reincarnation and chosen hero will one day use), instructed the ancient Hylians to build the Tower of the Gods and Gohdan to one day test a future hero. And if the Tower of the Gods is the Temple of Time/Temple of Hylia, it serves multiple purposes.
Another thing to note is that the Goddess Hylia herself’s creations seem to blend magic and advanced technology. These creations include the Gates of Time as well as Fi, the spirit of the Goddess Sword. If the Goddess passed on her wisdom to her people, than it makes sense that these ancient Hylians would have an advanced society and advanced technology. This also ties back to what I mentioned earlier about some people believing that extraterrestrials or “gods” passed on advanced technology and wisdom to human beings.
The other possibility about the ancient civilization’s identity (other than them being the ancient Hylians) is that they were an entirely different people than the Hylians that predated the rule of the Goddess Hylia. The reason I lean towards thinking they were Hylians though is because (in addition to the above information) they appeared to have created or at least maintained the Temple of Time in the Lanayru region, which is connected with the Goddess Hylia. Then again, it’s also of course possible this temple was created later and maintained by the robots who served Hylia… so whether the ancient civilization was comprised of Hylians or a far more ancient people is up for debate. I’m leaning more towards thinking it was ancient Hylians though.
There are holes in my theory of course. The most glaring being that Twilight Princess implies that the ancient civilization is the Oocca. But my theory still works because in a universe where fish people can evolve into bird people (Zora to Rito) over a couple hundred or thousand years, I think it’s also possible that some of the Hylians evolved into the Oocca. Perhaps some Hylians stay behind in Skyloft and eventually evolve into the bird-like Oocca and build the City in the Sky. I think this fits nicely because of Hylia’s connection with birds and bird symbols, as well as the Skyloft Hylians’ connection with the sky and birds. Add to this the fact that the Oocca are a hybrid of bird and human features and there you have it. Another hole is if the ancient civilization that created all the advanced technology of the Lanayru desert are the ancestors of the Skyloft Hylians, than why is the present-day Skyloft society so primitive in comparison? I have a few answers for this. Hylia sent the humans into the sky in a rush of desperation, and probably most of their machines and the materials to power and create them (such as Timeshift Stones) were left on the surface. Of course, they would still possess their advanced knowledge, so why wouldn’t they pass it on to their ancestors? Well, who knows? Maybe over time this knowledge was simply lost. Or maybe they decided to live a more simple and primitive life. Or perhaps because of the loss of their technology their society simply eventually naturally devolved. One detail of Skyward Sword that supports the theory that the ancient civilization of Lanayru are the Skyloft Hylians’ ancestors is Gondo, the scrap shop owner. An ancient robot has been passed down in his family for generations. Perhaps the ancient Hylians managed to take one robot to the sky with them, but over time Scrapper shut down without the oil from an Ancient Flower or any Timeshift Stones (which the robots claim power them) and the knowledge required to repair him was lost. Another hole is that in Ocarina of Time, Rauru tells Link that he and the other ancient sages built the Temple of Time. The Hyrule Historia also claims that Rauru built the Temple of Time. But Rauru and these sages are still part of an ancient people, and although they may not be part of the ancient civilization I am talking about, keep in mind that almost all the lore in Zelda’s mythology is legend, and by the time of Twilight Princess, the ancient Hylians, sages, and Oocca may have all blended together in the realm of legend to create one ancient civilization.
As a final note, in another Zelda game, A Link to the Past, Link discovers the language of an ancient people that he needs the Book of Mudora to decipher. In A Link to the Past, the old woman who Link meets in the elder Sahasrahla’s house in Kakariko Village tells Link that “Long ago, a prosperous people known as the Hylia inhabited this land... Legends tell of many treasures that the Hylia hid throughout the land... The Master Sword, a mighty blade forged against those with evil hearts, is one of them.” As we know, the Goddess Sword was forged by the Goddess Hylia or possibly her ancient Hylians, and the Master Sword was forged by the very first (as we know it) Hero as well as the first Zelda (due to her blessing). Link and Zelda in Skyward Sword are, by a Link to the Past’s time, very ancient Hylians. The legend told by the old woman in a Link to the Past about the Hylia being responsible for the Master Sword’s creation and enshrining fits fairly nicely with the events in Skyward Sword. This is just a neat little detail I picked up on while playing through A Link to the Past again.
So there you have it. Clearly, I am fascinated by the ancient civilization of Hyrule, and I only hope this mythology is expanded in further Zelda titles. I think that this ancient civilization's merging of technology and magic is perfectly suited to the world of Zelda. One thing I don’t ever want though is a concrete explanation for this ancient society. I don’t want all my questions answered, or all my theories either totally validated or totally debunked. The mystery is what makes this ancient civilization so fascinating to me, and it’s also so much fun to theorize!
Thanks for reading. Did my theories give you any new ideas? Do you like my ideas or totally disagree? Did I miss any important details? Also, let me know what your theories about the ancient civilization and everything else I discussed are.
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