The Hero's Shade...

[Valoo]

Hi, I'm new here (and it's beyond me why Valoo isn't already a username, probably because it's pretty unoriginal).

It's likely that the Hero's shade is the Hero of Time. Though there are obvious differences. The Hero's shade is taller and looks as if he is wearing armour of some sort. It is therefore highly unlikely that Link got 'lost' in the lost woods and became a stalfos. He possibly returned to Hyrule (with or without Navi), grew up, and fought as a knight in an untold battle - and this is a stretch - leading to the destruction of the Temple of Time. He would therefore establish himself as the 'hero' told in TP. If Link had never come back from Termina, he would never have displayed his heroic actions to the people of Hyrule (as he awakened the sages on the adult timeline). He then perished in the battle. However, he felt he had unfinished business, so decided to teach TP Link the sword skills he had learnt in the war.

When he called TP Link 'my son' (or something to that effect), he was probably just talking about their spiritual link.

 

[JuicieJ]

Hi, I'm new here (and it's beyond me why Valoo isn't already a username, probably because it's pretty unoriginal).

It's likely that the Hero's shade is the Hero of Time. Though there are obvious differences. The Hero's shade is taller and looks as if he is wearing armour of some sort. It is therefore highly unlikely that Link got 'lost' in the lost woods and became a stalfos. He possibly returned to Hyrule (with or without Navi), grew up, and fought as a knight in an untold battle - and this is a stretch - leading to the destruction of the Temple of Time. He would therefore establish himself as the 'hero' told in TP. If Link had never come back from Termina, he would never have displayed his heroic actions to the people of Hyrule (as he awakened the sages on the adult timeline). He then perished in the battle. However, he felt he had unfinished business, so decided to teach TP Link the sword skills he had learnt in the war.

When he called TP Link 'my son' (or something to that effect), he was probably just talking about their spiritual link.

I think the Temple of Time was supposed to have been left in ruins due to Ganondorf trying to take it apart to get to the Sacred Realm, but I may be wrong on that. That's just what I took from a quote from Aonuma talking about the time span in-between OoT/MM and TP.

 

[GoldenWolf12]

That would be possible if skward sword is the begining of the timeline. But only if Ganon was in the game since the Hero's Shade said he was one of the people who banished Ganon the first time around.

 

[JuicieJ]

That would be possible if skward sword is the begining of the timeline. But only if Ganon was in the game since the Hero's Shade said he was one of the people who banished Ganon the first time around.

What? He never said that. He just said that he accepted life as the hero. (Oh, and SS is the beginning of the "timeline".)

 

[TheMightyThor]

Could "Hero's Shade" actually be a "god"? There are three mentioned in OOT Din, Foaore and Nayru. Power of the Gods prevented Link from becoming a spirit but instead turned into a wolf in the twilight zones. If that is so then that could mean Hero's Shade is either powered by god or a god himself and i'm refering to his golden wolf form.

 

[Simon]

How is he an adult? MM Link is a child at the end of the game when he returns to the lost woods. The bloodline and Epona questions still stand as well. It just doesn't make sense.

EDIT: After reading JuicyJ's above post, if you mean that he grew up, had kids with Malon or whoever, then returned for some reason and then got lost, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. For one, why would he return in the first place? And even if he did, do you really think after going through there so many times he would get lost to the point he died in there? There's no way.

No, he was saying that the Hero's Shade isn't a Stalfos and that there is plenty of time between MM and TP for him to live a full life and die before TP Link comes along.

 

[Bétùm]

Interesting...

I have come to the conclusion that this problem is impossible!

No, but really I think that it could be either. For simplicity's sake, I like to assume that the Hero's Shade is the HoT.
However, when the Hero's Shade teaches TP Link the skills, he transports them both to landforms floating above Hyrule. He then jumps down, landing somewhere near where the two were floating over. To actually teach the skills, Link and he are sent to a cloudy plain. What with all this sky / floating-island stuff going on, who's to say there's not a connection to Skyloft?

 

[Mastersworddude]

I think that the Hero's Shade is just that, the Shade of TP Link's spiritual connection to older Hero's. (Most likely the spirit of Link if you believe that each Link is a spirit reincarnated.) And because he is a "Shade" of Link he is in the form of a Wolf and turns into a Staflos form to teach Link the moves.

 

[HylianGirl]

Hi there! I'm new here, but I'm gonna put my two cents on this matter

The Hero's Shade is obviously a Link, but it's not really clear wich one, as it has been stated before. TP is a game that references a lot of OoT, but I also felt like it gives some hints about the upcoming SS (City in the Sky, ancient technology, poepl of the sky that decended to Hyrule, etc...) so I would guess he's one of them.

I do not see the similarity on the Hero's Shade's sword and the gilded sword either, but considering that the cannon TP is the GC one, it is clear that the Hero's Shade is left handed, and SS Link is the first cannonacly (is that a word?) right handed Link. Too bad, 'cause I didn't want the Hero of Time to be the Hero's Shade, but unless he is a Link from a game that doesn't exist yet, I don't know who else he could be.

About the skills, they didn't appear in OoT because it was the first zelda game made with poligons, I see them more of a gameplay caracteristic rather than Link's skills. It is understandable that they didn't put in OoT3DS 'cause the game combat wasn't made for those and it the 3DS version is just a more polished version, not an updated one, and also, the Hero of Time could have learned them later or somehting.

 

[Wulf young Link]

I have to say the hero's shade is most likely a link but idk which it is but his sword does resemble the biggoron's sword and his shield looks like a warrior sheild anyone agree

 

[Wolf Sage]

Maybe the Hero's Shade is an embodiment of multiple past Links? I don't have very much to back this up, though. Nintendo sure does excel at keeping stuff ambiguous...

I once heard a theory that Hero's Shade is (a) Dark Link, but I took that as hogwash...

 

[Squirrel]

Ok, here's what you're not understanding. The Stalfos form is not the Hero's Shade's true form. The wolf is. He could tranform into any shape he wanted to. A Stalfos is just the best one to turn into so Link wouldn't hold back.

It just doesn't make sense if the wolf was his true form. He was a person so when he died, he turned into a wolf? I doubt that. This is a game and they can do whatever they want but still, it's unlikely that the wolf is his true form.

 

[dizzy_me_up]

I actually think he was an old Skeikah. If you loose closely at his face on this helmet you will see the Sheikah symbol. I suggest looking around his eyes because the top part of the symbol stands out a bit more. Also, on thes stones where you howl songs to summon him (I'm afraid I forgot their name ) it's also the Sheikah symbol. This stands out a little more. The Sheikah were the protectors of the Royal Family. The Hyrule of yore he mentions could be the Hyrule from Ocarina of Time, and perhaps he was a servant that helped Zelda escape Ganondorf or simply protected Zelda or guarded her, thus giving him hero like qualities. Also, he only has one eye. Pretty sure Link never lost an eye. That doesn't really support much but it's still there for observation.

 

[Simon]

It just doesn't make sense if the wolf was his true form. He was a person so when he died, he turned into a wolf? I doubt that. This is a game and they can do whatever they want but still, it's unlikely that the wolf is his true form.

He died, the golden wolf is his true spirit form. Just like the wolf is Link's. If he just died and nothing happened then he'd be, well, dead he wouldn't just be able to get up and walk about and just be himself again.

 

[Wolf Sage]

If the the Hero's Shade's true spirit form is indeed a wolf, what is the basis behind it. Like, why is he a wolf? ...a golden wolf? Hmm...

It's most likely connected to the same reason why Link assumes his lupine form upon entering into twilight energy(?) (Twilight Realm). You know, the whole protected by the mark of the Goddesses (Triforce) and all that.