Era of the Goddess Hylia

Era of the Goddess Hylia

Games	Skyward Sword
Location	Hyrule, Skyloft
Occurrence	After Creation
Key Characters	Hylia, Demise
Related	Sky Era

The Era of the Goddess Hylia spans from Creation until the Ancient Battle when Hylia falls from power. During this time, the Temple of Hylia and the Temple of Time are constructed, each housing a Gate of Time. Known races of this era include Humans, Gorons, Kikwi, Parella, Ancient Robots, and Mogma. After the Ancient Battle, Hylia establishes the Sheikah tribe as servants who watch over the seal.

A mural in Fire Sanctuary depicting Hylia (center), the Temple of Time (left), and the Temple of Hylia (right)

The Triforce

For some time after the Creation, the people worship the Triforce and its guardian Hylia. However, the Demon King Demise seeks the Triforce for his own, aiming to take control of the world.

The Ancient Battle

Demise leads the Demon Tribe from the depths of the earth in an assault on the peoples of the surface, aiming to take the Triforce from Hylia. Fearing for the safety of her people and the security of the Triforce, Hylia gathers them on a small plot of land and sends it to the sky, beyond a Cloud Barrier, to protect them from the invading demons.

Then she joins forces with the remaining surface dwellers to combat the demons. After a long and fierce battle during which Hylia sustains grave injuries, the evil forces are sealed away. The location of the seal, henceforth known as the Sealed Grounds, is also the site of the Temple of Hylia, which then becomes known as the Sealed Temple.

Hylia's Two Plans

The seal wouldn't last forever, and Hylia isn't prepared for another battle should Demise escape. She devises two plans to prepare for a time when she could destroy Demise for good.

1. Choose a hero, and create Fi to assist him.
2. Renounce her divinity in order to use the Triforce.

The first plan is seen through the events of Skyward Sword. Fi, the spirit of the Goddess Sword, appears to Link, who eventually forges the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword in order to fulfill his mission. Her second plan, to use the Triforce, requires that she relinquish her divine powers and become mortal, since gods cannot use the Triforce. As things unfold during the Sky Era, the hero resulting from her first plan is the one to use the Triforce.

References

1. ↑ "One of the tribes that serve the goddess Hylia. They are blithe individuals chosen by the goddess to watch over the sealed Demon King. This role is passed on from one generation to the next.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 71
2. ↑ ^{2.1 2.2} "The old gods created a supreme power that gave anyone who possessed it the ability to shape reality and fulfill any desire. They called it the Triforce. In his thirst to make the world his own, Demise readied a massive army of monsters for war. He sought to take the Triforce for himself by force. The goddess feared for her people. She used her power to send both them and the Triforce into the sky on a slice of earth she cut away from the land. This floating rock became the new home of our people. In time, it came to be known as Skyloft." — Zelda, Skyward Sword.
3. ↑ "[Demise's] ultimate goal is to obtain the Triforce and take over the land with his demonic minions.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 71
4. ↑ "One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure. They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair... They burnt forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation. They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess.", Skyward Sword.
5. ↑ "To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands... the goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth. She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds.", Skyward Sword.
6. ↑ ^{6.1 6.2} "After a long and fierce battle, the goddess, Hylia, succeeded in sealing away Demise. However, soon after the demon king was imprisoned, it became clear that the seal would not hold long against his fearsome power. Hylia had suffered grave injuries in her battle with the demon king. She knew that if he broke free again, there would be no stopping him." — Zelda, Skyward Sword.
7. ↑ "With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away.", Skyward Sword.
8. ↑ "The goddess and the remaining tribes on the Surface battled for their lives against Demise. They were victorious, and they sealed him away.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 71
9. ↑ "And if the demon king were to free himself, it would mean the end of the world for all beings of this land. In order to put an end to the demon king, Hylia devised two separate plans and set them both into motion.", Skyward Sword.
10. ↑ "First, she created Fi. She made the spirit that resides in your sword to serve a single purpose: to assist her chosen hero on his mission. Her second plan...was to abandon her divine form and transfer her soul to the body of a mortal." — Zelda, Skyward Sword.
11. ↑ "...She made this sacrifice, as you have likely guessed, so that the supreme power created by the old gods could one day be used. For while the supreme power of the Triforce was created by gods, all of its power can never be wielded by one. Knowing this power was her last and only hope, the goddess gave up her divine powers and her immortal form." — Zelda, Skyward Sword.
12. ↑ "In an attempt to destroy Demise, the goddess Hylia tried to use the power of the Triforce. However, a goddess cannot wield its power. Thus, the goddess Hylia decided to renounce her divinity and be reborn as a human.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 71