Sacred Realm

A depiction of the Sacred Realm in A Link to the Past.
Sacred Realm
Type	Holy land
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

The Sacred Realm (also known as the Golden Land in A Link to the Past) is a holy land that appears throughout various Zelda games. It is a mirror of Hyrule and acts as the primary resting place for the Triforce. There are also games in which it is corrupted and becomes the Dark World (or "evil realm").

Information

The Sacred Realm is known in Hyrulean mythology as the area where the Golden Goddesses left the world after creating it, and it is where they left the Triforce behind. It appeared to be located on another plane of reality and was known to reflect the heart of whoever entered it. One with an evil heart would turn it into a type of Evil Realm, while a pure-hearted person would make it into a paradise. The Sacred Realm was also connected to the sages in that it sent out messages which awakened new sages through their respective temples. During times when it was an Evil Realm, darkness would instead emanate from the temples and spread monsters. The entrance to the Sacred Realm was hidden, which is said to have inspired much war and bloodshed amongst Hyrule's people.

Appearances

Ocarina of Time

The ancient sages protected the entrance to the Sacred Realm by building the Temple of Time around it. There were several failsafes which required the Ocarina of Time and three Spiritual Stones as well as the ability to draw the Master Sword before the Sacred Realm could be reached. The Temple of Light was located at the center of the Sacred Realm, and it contained the Chamber of Sages, where all of the six sages gathered together. Link was able to open the gate to the Sacred Realm in Ocarina of Time, but he was then trapped within the Sacred Realm in a seven-year slumber due to being too young to be the Hero of Time. Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm instead and conquered the Sacred Realm. His dark heart changed the Sacred Realm into a world of evil known as the Evil Realm. The Temple of Light was the last stronghold which held out against Ganon's darkness. In the end, the sages were able to seal Ganondorf in the Evil Realm.

A Link to the Past

The backstory of A Link to the Past tells a similar story to Ocarina of Time. Blood was shed during the search for the hidden entrance to the Sacred Realm, but Ganondorf was said to have stumbled upon it by accident. Ganondorf found the Triforce and became Ganon. It was Ganon's wish for the world which caused the Sacred Realm to change into the Dark World, and the darkness seeped out into Hyrule. Unlike in Ocarina, Ganon kept the whole Triforce, and he never left the Dark World. This caused the sages to seal Ganon away within the Dark World to keep the darkness away. After being corrupted by Ganon's presence for centuries. This caused it to resemble a twisted version of Hyrule's landscape. In this game, the Dark World showed another special property in which anyone who entered it was transformed to resemble a creature or object that reflected their personality. It is uncertain whether or not this normally occurs in the Sacred Realm. One with a Moon Pearl could retain their original shape, and only a Magic Mirror could be used to escape back to the life world.

At the end of the game, Link claimed the Triforce after defeating Ganon. This caused the Dark World to be restored to a Sacred Realm.

Trivia

• Another similar realm is the Twilight Realm. Additionally, other games have mentioned an evil or dark realm, and it is uncertain whether or not this is the same as the corrupted Sacred Realm from Ocarina and A Link to the Past.