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Deku Lord
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The Zelda fan universe is a strange creature to think about, we have widespread agreement, widespread disagreement and an overall tension about anything Zelda. Now to be sure the timeline is the biggest of these problems, an ultimate seemingly unreachable object that every devout fan desires to learn the truth of. We’ve got our split timeline believers (who’ve been proven right by the all powerful deity of Nintendo), and our linear timeline believers (who like to hang around in the new no-fly zone of timeline-ists) and then within the rungs there are the no timeline believers. Now writing as a fan, I’m all for the official split-timeline, it makes partial sense in its being apart of the Zelda world. However, being true to this focus of an article, I have a grand chunk of information to share. There are misconceptions in the people and seemingly, the biggest one is the Imprisoning War. (First mentioned, and only mentioned, in A Link to the Past)
-The Belief: Just about 100% of the time that I have gone around the great internet I have seen one of the saddest things in my life, this belief. The Imprisoning War is almost unanimously declared the events of the Ocarina of Time video game released for the N64 some odd years ago. My favourite saying in life (as of 10 seconds before writing this sentence) is for everyone to pay attention to detail, pay attention to context. If those who believe this had, you just might feel a tad bit ashamed.
-The Truth: Once upon a time there existed a manual, a manual brimming with fascinating information about a kingdom’s past. In fact, this long history packed together in those small pages was the first true backstory to a land we had been used to for just over half a decade. The manual was that of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Allow me to quote the fabled typed over version of the manual on EDN.
The Imprisoning War I do not know what Ganon wished for from the Triforce. However, in time evil power began to flow from the Golden Land and greedy men were drawn there to become members of Ganon's army. Black clouds permanently darkened the sky, and many disasters beset Hyrule. The lord of Hyrule sent for the Seven Wise Men and the Knights Of Hyrule, and ordered them to seal the entrance to the Golden Land. The Triforce, being an inanimate object, cannot judge between good and evil. Therefore, it could not know that Ganon's wishes were evil; it merely granted them. Suspecting that Ganon's power was based on the Triforce's magic, the people of Hyrule forged a sword resistant to magic which could repulse even powers granted by the Triforce. This mighty weapon became known as the Blade of Evil's Bane, or the Master Sword. It was so powerful that only one who was pure of heart and strong of body could wield it. As the Seven Wise Men searched for a valiant person to take up the Master Sword, Ganon's evil army swarmed from the tainted Golden Land into Hyrule and attacked the castle. The Wise Men and the Knights Of Hyrule combined forces to wage war on this evil horde. The Knights took the full brunt of the fierce attack, and although they fought courageously, many a brave soul was lost that day. However, their lives were not lost in vain, for they bought precious time for the Seven Wise Men to magically seal Ganon in the Golden land. All of Hyrule rejoiced at the victory that upheld peace and order over Ganon's evil and chaos. This war, which had claimed many lives, became known as the Imprisoning War in stories told in later centuries.
-The Truth Continued: Once you have read those two paragraphs I would like to direct you to the facts about the Imprisoning War. There are plenty of things to talk about with this actually, there are many defences, but as far as my research is concerned, there is no true defence. The Imprisoning War predates Ocarina of Time for the following reasons:
1. The Sages/Wise Men are literally called the Wise Men, truly a connection to the fact that they are all Hylian in nature. Take into account the reason if they weren’t, why wouldn’t that be mentioned and why name them collectively as Men? Now this is a valid point to make, there is an official artwork rendition of them surrounding a collecting seal, and the use of that is to make the fact that they are all human.
The picture can be found here.1. The Sages/Wise Men are literally called the Wise Men, truly a connection to the fact that they are all Hylian in nature. Take into account the reason if they weren’t, why wouldn’t that be mentioned and why name them collectively as Men? Now this is a valid point to make, there is an official artwork rendition of them surrounding a collecting seal, and the use of that is to make the fact that they are all human.
Or you can take into account all the descendant of the Seven Wise Men are maidens, Hylian maidens.
2. This is the more obvious point in the matter. The Master Sword was not forged until the onslaught of Ganon arrived through the corrupted Golden Land. There was no involvement of a Hero in the sealing of the evil being, but besides that, the Master Sword was forged in the middle of the War and a Hero was being searched out to wield it. This fact places it before the times of Ocarina of Time due to the Master Sword’s birth in legend and birth before the times of the Temple of Time in legend.
3. Another important point. Ganondorf finds the Triforce and the entrance to the Golden Land by accident alongside his minions who are thieves. We could go on to say that he betrayed them after getting the Triforce killing them all, etc. etc. but that's a different point to make in the future. If you recall, Ganondorf knew full well how to enter the Sacred Realm in Ocarina of Time, thus his reasoning for tracking down the Spiritual Stones. In Ocarina of Time, the title of King of Thieves, or by his name Mandrag Ganon, was no where to be found, he seemingly worked alone without the aid of his fellow Gerudo people as well, no group of thieves following his every whim. In the Imprisoning War, that still lacks a Hero, Ganondorf found and commanded the entire Triforce.
That’s right, Power, Wisdom and Courage all belonged to him, he had these virtues, unlike in Ocarina of Time where the Power of Gold broke into three pieces and fled to those worthy enough to own them. If that doesn't seal the deal, I have no idea what will. Maybe since he attacked Hyrule from this Golden Land of his, maybe that might help, who knows? Oh and notice he was sealed into his tainted Golden Land with the Triforce alongside him. I don't recall that being a truth in Ocarina of Time, I only viewed the Power piece fly off into that precious blinding white void that latched onto the pixels of my TV for days.
-The Defense
If not in Ocarina of Time, then what about Twilight Princess? The answer is also painfully simple, that was the Twilight Realm, 6 human-like sages, and it's been placed officially after Majora's Mask, after the split occurs in the timeline Sadly that is all I can muster to bother thinking about for the Imprisoning War being defended. It has been placed as before the events of Ocarina of Time due to several factors, and it cannot take place after the split in the timeline due to it being the first introduction of Ganondorf, his accident of finding an entrance, and the creation of the Master Sword.
-Concluding
Now this is the easy deal of the War. It's a strange fact that I am beginning these series of articles with the most extensive and potentially the most ground breaking of all the ones that will grace the line of pieces of work. If you want to be introduced to what you will find, what you will have to work your head around in this area of EDN, stay tuned for the complementary article of the Imprisoning War Scandal. Evil's Bane. Here’s something to think about for a while during your wait.
As far as we are concerned, and as far as the legends are concerned, Ganondorf made no attempts to free himself from this predating event of Ocarina of Time due to the incapability of destroying the seal. His first attempt was using Agahnim for his bidding to help him come free of the Golden Land, after the events of Ocarina of Time and after when the timeline was officially split. So?
Until next time, this has been an article of Corrupted Legends, of The Life and Times of Hyrule and Co.
Written by Zeldaeinstein, my partner in writing the timeline articles on EDN.