The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Storyline

I had a friend of mine ask me what the storyline actually is for Ocarina of Time. He heard that it was a pretty good game, so I gave him the five minute run down. As I was describing this game, I realized that the storyline is more consequential and complex than I thought. It has a story of creation, the power of good and evil, and character based leadership. I’ll share my rendition with you here.

The Creation of the World

There was a time when the world was nothing, merely universe. Then, three goddesses gave life to the world. Before Link or Zelda enter the picture, Din, Farore, and Nayru bless it. Din, goddess of power, creates the Earth, rock escarpments and soil. Farore, goddess of courage, gives green to the lands, fostering forests and undergrowth. Nayru, goddess of wisdom, gives the world a sky, blossoming blue over everything.

A Kokiri

Link is born, a Hylian boy who is raised by the Kokiri. The Kokiri are forest children who never grow up, caretakers of the vast forest. The spirit of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, has an illness that threatens his life. Link acquires a sword, and shield, and eradicates the evil from the Great Deku Tree. With his dying breath the tree grants Link the Kokiri’s Emerald, spiritual stone of the forest. Link is tasked to leave the forest to the land of Hyrule, and quest to find the Princess Zelda.

He finds her in the palace of Hyrule, where she beseeches him to find two more spiritual stones. Zelda has had a vision: One day, Ganondorf, an advisor to her father the King, will bring tragedy upon Hyrule Kingdom. By gathering these stones, they may prevent that vision from coming to pass.

Link obtains each stone after eradicating a curse from a place of significance to the race that guards it, similar to the Great Deku Tree. The curses are each the responsibility of Ganondorf, King of Thieves. Hailing from the Desert, Ganondorf is the first King born to the Gerudo people in 100 years. While infiltrating the good graces of the King of Hyrule, he curses these three beings, bringing ill fortune to their lives.

Link earns the second spiritual stone from the Goron people. For defeating the monsters guarding the Goron’s only food supply, their leader Darunia gifts the Goron’s Ruby to Link. Then, with the guidance of his fairy, Navi, Link seeks to find the Zora people, at Zora’s Domain. The Zora have a great Lord, named Jabu Jabu, who is infested with an evil curse. Their Princess, Ruto, has entered the stomach of Jabu Jabu to heal him. She gets trapped inside by the evil that Link seeks to vanquish, so he saves her and gains Zora's Sapphire in return.

Returning to Hyrule Castle

Link learns from his fairy guide Navi that he needs to go to the city of Hyrule to bring the spiritual stones to Princess Zelda. When he arrives, the front gate is closed. It lowers, and to Link’s amazement he must leap out of the way. Princess Zelda herself and her Sheikah Guardian Impah are riding on horseback, fleeing from the evil Ganondorf. He has made his move for power to overthrow the royal family. As they lock eyes, Zelda hurls something with all her might into the city moat.

After Zelda throws the item, Ganondorf himself plows into view on his dark horse. He interrogates Link about her whereabouts, but makes no progress. Link draws his sword in answer, exhibiting courage in the face of evil. Merely knocking Link aside, Ganondorf continues in pursuit of Zelda. When Link later dives into the moat, he discovers that it is Zelda’s Ocarina she tossed away. Embedded in the Ocarina when he picks it up is a memory of Zelda, recorded by the Princess herself. She has taught him the Song of Time.

Zelda’s Quest Creates Link’s Destiny

Link goes to the Temple of Time, where he knows he is meant to be. He had no idea the spiritual stones would hover on a pedestal made for them. Playing the Song of Time, the song resonates in the chamber with the three spiritual stones; the Kokiri Emerald, The Goron’s Ruby, and the Zora’s Sapphire. Each has been divided and safeguarded for a reason; to decrease the likelihood that one such as Ganondorf would access the very chamber Link was about to. A great door opens, revealing the large room.

Entering the chamber, light shines down upon the Master Sword, the gateway to the Spirit Realm. Zelda intended for Link to use it to destroy any future evil. When Link draws the sword, the effect is not what she intended. By opening the chamber, Link unknowingly gives Ganondorf access. Instead of pursuing Zelda, he has followed Link and can now access the Spirit Realm.

A World Out of Balance, and the Spirit Realm

When Link draws the Master Sword, he enters the Spirit Realm and is sealed away for seven years. As this happens Ganondorf also enters the Spirit Realm. The Spirit Realm is where the legendary Triforce is supposed to be guarded by seven Sages. It was created by the three goddesses, and represents balance. They left it behind when they ascended into the heavens. If one who is evil touches it, then the world will prosper in perfect balance as the goddesses intended. If one who has evil intentions touches it, then the world will fall to that evil as it also falls out of balance. They left it behind after they created Hyrule, guarded by the Sages. Only one Sage is present at the time that Ganondorf arrives. He touches the Triforce, only something unexpected happens. It shatters into three pieces.

As each goddess represented one share of the Triforce, those qualities now manifest in Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf.

Ganondorf receives the Triforce of Power. Meanwhile, Link gets the Triforce of Courage, and Zelda gets the Triforce of Wisdom. Ganondorf uses his new power, seizing Hyrule Castle and Hyrule Castle Town.

When Ganondorf learns that Link has the Triforce of Courage, and Zelda the Triforce of Wisdom, he seeks out Link and Zelda so he can have all three manifestations of the Triforce. If he can unite all three of them then he can attempt to make the Triforce whole again and become the true King of Evil.

The Quest to Awaken the Sages

Link awakens in the Spirit Realm after seven years. Although he was safe from Ganondorf's search, Hyrule is transformed and only one Sage, Rauru, stands with Link to defeat him. Princess Zelda has gone missing, and the royal family’s castle has been overturned as Ganondorf's Castle.

Link quests to awaken all seven sages so they can set right the thievery Ganondorf attempted. Only together can all of the sages and Link destroy Ganondorf, source of evil, for good. He is instructed by Rauru, Navi, and a young person named Sheik of the Sheikah where to go next. With Impa and Princess Zelda still missing, this is all that can be done. He has already been to the Spirit Realm, which counts as the Temple of Light. In order, he next goes to the Forest Temple, Fire Temple, Water Temple, Shadow Temple, and Spirit Temple. Only then does he return to the Temple of Time. Now he has Rauru, Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, and Nabooru on his side. When Link returns to the Temple of Time, he meets Sheik one last time.

The Seventh Sage

Sheik transforms before Link’s very eyes. Instead of being Sheik of the Sheikah, now Princess Zelda herself stands before him. She has awakened as the seventh sage, leader of all the sages, and the Princess of Destiny. She reveals that Impa trained her as a Sheikah so she could hide in plain sight from Ganondorf. All these years, neither she nor Link were found. Letting her guard down, she tells Link everything. She even gifts Link the Light Arrows, designed to vanquish evil just as the Master Sword is.

Then, the ground begins to tremble - Link and Zelda are under siege. Before all Seven Sages can be united to defeat Ganondorf, Zelda is kidnapped by him. He seals her in crystal and transports her using magic to his castle. He doesn’t know of her gift to Link, but invites him to his castle to rescue her.

Rescue the Princess, Save Hyrule

Link goes to the castle. The six Sages who remain craft a rainbow bridge for him to cross. He enters the castle, runs into the main room, and sees the staircase leading to Ganon. The staircase is magically sealed off using the power of the six barriers. Each represents a location where Link awakened a Sage. Not only that, but earlier each Sage gave him a token of their friendship. None of the rooms can be entered without that token. The barriers are Forest, Shadow, Spirit, Fire, Water, and Light. Link solves the puzzles in each room and dismantles each barrier. Now he can enter the tower.

Link fights his way to the top of the tower. There are several guarded rooms with various enemies. He reaches the top, and enters the Throne Room where he finds Ganondorf. Ganondorf takes advantage of Link and Zelda, finally stealing the other two pieces of the Triforce from them.

Link enters combat with Ganondorf. After defeating him, Ganondorf's concentration on Zelda’s prison is broken. She is freed. In rage, Ganondorf collapses his own castle, striving to trap Link and Zelda inside. Zelda knows the castle layout extremely well. Shaking off her experience being kidnapped, she leads Link outside just in time.

Zelda Leads Them To The Final Battle

The entire time they attempt to escape, Link must defeat enemies for a second time that he defeated on his way to the top of the tower in the first place. As they rush outside, the remnant of the castle tower collapses. The entire castle has crumbled. Ganondorf is not finished with them yet. Realizing they are alive, he evolves into Ganon, the beast version of himself.

When Link approaches him, he creates a barrier of fire, blocking Zelda from approaching. He strikes the Master Sword from Link’s hand, forcing Link to fight him with his only other weapon: The Megaton Hammer. Until Ganon’s concentration is broken, Link has no means of reaching Zelda or the Master Sword through the barrier. The barrier is so strong that Zelda can’t simply send Link’s weapon to him. When Link downs Ganon, he is able to reach the sword.

Link, Zelda and the Six Sages Seal Ganon Away

After Link reaches the Master Sword, he has to best Ganon further. The fight could not have been won without Princess Zelda. Link breaks Ganon’s concentration for a second time. Zelda can now reach them. Ganon has taken a knee, out of breath. Zelda has had enough of this. As their leader, she calls on the power of the six other Sages. They hold Ganon in place, channeling pure energy through the Princess and the Master Sword. Link finishes him off with a final blow using the Master Sword. Then, defeated in battle, they are able to seal Ganon away into the Spirit Realm.

With Ganon sealed away, Zelda and Link are left to decide on the next course of action. Doing what she feels is right, Zelda asks Link to return the Master Sword to it’s pedestal in the Temple of Time. It is so he can have his missing childhood back, and Hyrule can have the future she wished for so long ago. When Link returns to his childhood, Hyrule Castle is restored, the Hyrule Castle Town is filled with lively townspeople, and Ganon never rises to power.