Daphnes Nohansen

King Daphnes in The Wind Waker.
Daphnes Nohansen
Species	Hylian
Relatives	Tetra (descendant)
Voiced by	Unknown
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule is a supporting character from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and the last known king of Hyrule in that game's time. He is more well known throughout the game as the King of Red Lions, the boat that Link rides.

Background

Daphnes Nohansen was king of Hyrule during its last age before the great flood. Despite his efforts, he was unable to fight off Ganon and his men, especially with no hero to aid them. As a last-ditch effort, the Hyrulians appealed to the Golden Goddesses, who chose to flood Hyrule while preserving part of it within a bubble at the bottom of the ocean within which time was frozen. Other Hyrulians were chosen to evacuate to the mountaintops where they would rebuild civilization on the Great Sea. King Daphnes was among those who remained in Hyrule and was frozen in time with Ganon. Prior to this it seems he split the Triforce of Wisdom in half, keeping one piece for himself while entrusting the other piece to his daughter Zelda to pass down her family line. They also each had a Gossip Stone which could be used for telepathic communication.

He wished to seek out a new hero should Ganon arise again. Although his body was frozen in Hyrule, he was able to possess a boat and made it appear to be alive. The boat became known as the King of Red Lions and sailed the Great Sea in search of the next hero. After Ganon returned, the King followed Link during his journey to the Forsaken Fortress, and after Link was tossed away by Ganon, the King of Red Lions caught him and brought him to Windfall Island. He offered to help Link become a hero if Link first brought him a sail so he would be able to properly sail the seas. Link was successful, and the King ferried Link back and forth across the Great Sea so that he could collect the three pearls, which were used to reveal the Tower of the Gods. Throughout the journey, the king gave Link much advice and also used his Gossip Stone to communicate with Link in dungeons without explaining how, as Tetra had given Link her Gossip Stone.

Atfer Link completed the trials in the Tower of the Gods, the portal to Hyrule was opened and Link was able to draw the Master Sword, which also unfroze time in Hyrule. The king did not reveal his true self just yet. After Link was defeated by Ganondorf, and Ganondorf discovered that Tetra was a descendant of Zelda, Valoo was able to rescue them, and the King of Red Lions summoned both Link and Zelda to the chamber of Hyrule Castle which had contained the Master Sword. There he showed them his true form and the truth behind Tetra's past, giving her the other piece of the Triforce of Wisdom which transformed her into Princess Zelda. He then continued to guide Link as the King of Red Lions as he found the sages whose prayers were needed to power the Master Sword as well as the pieces of the Triforce of Courage, while Zelda remained safely in the castle. After Link accomplished, the King declared him the Hero of Winds. He later became discomforted when he heard reports that Ganon had disappeared from the surface world and wondered if he has discovered Zelda.

Once Ganondorf united the Triforce, King Daphnes arrived in time to make a wish on the Triforce before Ganondorf could. He wished for Hyrule to be completely destroyed and for hope to be given to the people. After Ganondorf was defeated, King Daphnes sent Link and Tetra to the surface in bubbles and remained in Hyrule to perish in the flood. In his last words to them he regretted living bound to Hyrule, saying that it made him similar to Ganon. He urged Link and Tetra to find a new land that they could populate and call their own.

The King of Red Lions

The King of Red Lions is the boat which Daphes Nohansen possesses. It is known as such due to the lion face sculpted on the bow of the ship. The small sailboat can sail swiftly through the water. Link can also use his items to use a cannon and a scavenging arm. In this form he also made many allies, including the Fishmen after helping them with unspecified problems. At the end of The Wind Waker, Link was seen still sailing in the King of Red Lions (although without Daphnes to possess it, it seemed to be a normal boat). Link was no longer using the boat in Phantom Hourglass.

The King of Red Lions appears as an unlockable Navigator in the non-canonical Navi Trackers.

In Other Zelda Games

Daphnes appeared as a playable warrior in Hyrule Warriors. He could be unlocked through Legend Mode in Legends and the Definitive Edition, and in the original game he could only be downloaded through a code from Legends. In the game, he used the Sail as a weapon, which involved using water elemental spells as well as some attacks where he transformed into the King of Red Lions. Within Legend Mode, he appeared as part of the Wind Waker arc, in which characters from The Wind Waker had been pulled into the dimension of Hyrule Warriors. King Daphnes worked with Link and the others to resolve the problem by aiding in the battles against the culprit, Phantom Ganon.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• In the Super Smash Bros. series, the King of Red Lions appears within the Pirate Ship stage that was first seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where it will occasionally appear trailing the pirate ship and can be boarded by the players. The King of Red Lions is also represented by a trophy and two stickers (one being of Daphnes himself) in Brawl and a trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, in addition to the ship appearing to the Pirate Ship level, the king appears as two stages of a Primary Spirit. The initial Spirit is an Advanced-rank Spirit of the King of Red Lions, and at Level 99, it could be enhanced into an Ace-rank Spirit of King Daphnes (referred to as just "King of Hyrule") which had the bonus effect of lengthening the duration of transformations.

Trivia

• He is the first king of Hyrule in the Zelda canon to receive an official name.
• A parody version of the boat, called the Prince of Red Lions, appears in Phantom Hourglass. The Prince is an ordinary boat that looks identical to the King of Red Lions and houses a boy dressed in Link's clothing who claims to be a hero.
• In Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, a part of Central Hyrule is named Mount Daphnes in reference to him. Tears of the Kingdom also contains a mine in the Depths beneath the aforementioned mountain, which was known as the Daphnes Canyon Mine, and a paraglider fabric for the King of Red Lions could also be unlocked by scanning one of the Toon Link amiibos.

See Also

• King of Hyrule