Sages
The Sages (referred to as The Wise Men in the original localization of A Link to the Past) are recurring figures appearing throughout the Zelda series. There are inconsistencies in their portrayals over the years, but they are usually portrayed as important figures in Hyrule with special powers who are connected with the mythology of the Triforce, the Master Sword and the will of the Three Golden Goddesses. They also are usually shown to consist of seven members (with a Princess Zelda as the seventh member and leader).
Background
A Link to the Past
The sages were originally mentioned in the backstory of A Link to the Past. After Ganon claimed the Triforce in the Sacred Realm, the King called together the seven sages and the Knights of Hyrule to seal off the Sacred Realm, which had become the Dark World. The sages at first tried to find a hero worthy of wielding the Master Sword, but the sages and knights wound up fighting off Ganon themselves. The Knights of Hyrule gave their lives to protect the sages while the sages completed the seal on the entrance to the Dark World, which imprisoned Ganon for the time being. The sages also handed down the prophecy of the Great Cataclysm, and the Pegasus Boots were also passed down their families.
Several centuries later, within the game's timeframe, Aganhim began capturing the maiden descendants of the seven sages and sacrificing them to open the seal of the Dark World. These maidens had all inherited their ancestors' power, but the decline of the Hylian bloodline caused their powers to be lesser. One maiden claimed that their powers would still be amplified by the power of the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule (of which Link was the only known descendant). The first six maidens who were captured and successfully sacrificed were unnamed, although one was a granddaughter of Sahasrahla while another was the granddaughter of the old man on Death Mountain. The seventh maiden was Princess Zelda, and Link managed to keep her safe from Aganhim's men for some time, but his men eventually attacked the cathedral and captured her. He then sacrificed her just as Link arrived.
Despite the implications of the sacrifices, the seven maidens were still alive within the Dark World and imprisoned within crystals. Each of them was held by a different monster imprisoned within the Dark World. One of the bosses, Blind the Thief, even impersonated a maiden to trick Link until Link unveiled the truth. After all seven maidens were rescued, their combined power was able to break the seal on Ganon's Tower. Once Ganon was defeated and Link claimed the Triforce, Zelda and the other maidens seemed to be restored to normal in the light world.
Ocarina of Time
There are two known generations of sages within this game. At first there were the ancient sages, who were concerned with protecting the Triforce and built the Temple of Time to close off the entrance to the Sacred Realm. They also established the Chamber of Sages as a gathering place within the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm. Little is known about this generation except that its numbers included Rauru. Kaepora Gaebora has also been described as a reincarnation of a former sage, but it is never made clear whether he is actually a form taken on by Rauru or if he is the actual reincarnation of a different former sage.
Link was held within the Chamber of the Sages during his seven-year slumber and was watched over by Rauru. Once he awoke, he was tasked by Rauru with gathering the six sages, by which he meant himself as well as five new sages. The other sages, each of which was of a unique species, were still unaware of their fates and would have to be awakened to it. Each of them were assigned to their own temple and had their own corresponding medallion with their element. After all six of the sages had gone to the Chamber of Sages, Princess Zelda revealed herself as the seventh sage and the leader of the seven sages. The sages were able to use their combined power to build a rainbow bridge through which Link could access Ganon's Tower, and in the end they were able to seal Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm after Link had defeated him. During the ending, six of the sages (Rauru was absent) traveled to Death Mountain in forms resembling fairies and then assumed their true forms, overlooking the festivities going on below at Lon Lon Ranch.
The Seven Sages
- Rauru - Sage of Light
- Saria (Kokiri) - Sage of Forest
- Darunia (Goron) - Sage of Fire
- Princess Ruto (Zora) - Sage of Water
- Impa (Sheikah) - Sage of Shadow
- Nabooru (Gerudo) - Sage of Spirit
- Princess Zelda - Leader of the Sages
The Wind Waker
This game contained a unique set of only two sages that had two generations: the Sages of Wind and Earth. These sages were originally appointed by King Daphnes Nohansen to offer prayers at their respective temples which would keep the Master Sword strong over the years for the day when the Hero returned. The Kokirki Fado was appointed the Sage of Wind, while the Zora Laruto was the Sage of Earth. Each of them also had their own musical instruments that they played with their prayers, and the king was known to conduct them using the Wind Waker. When Hyrule was flooded, Fado and Laruto were believed to be safe within their temples. However, at some point Ganondorf was somehow able to find and kill both of them. Their spirits still lingered within their respective temples however.
The Hero of Winds met Laruto and Fado's ghosts. Link was appointed to finding successors to both of them. They each taught Link a song that would awaken their successors to their destiny as a sage. The Rito girl Medli turned out to be Laruto's descendant and was brought to the Earth Temple to offer her prayers as the new Earth Sage. Link also found the Korok Makar (the game being less clear about whether they are related by blood likely due to the unlikelihood of Kokiri reproducing) and brought him to the Wind Temple to act as the new Wind Sage. Each of them had instruments that were identical to the ones that Laruto and Fado had played (and in Medli's case, it was implied to be the very same instrument passed down her family line). With their prayers, the Master Sword was energized for that Link's big battle with Ganondorf. It is uncertain whether or not the sages continued to live and pray in their temples afterwards, considering that the Master Sword was then lost with Ganondorf's petrified body and that they were shown aboard Tetra's boat in the ending.
Twilight Princess
A set of six sages appeared in Twilight Princess, but they were all very different from the ones in the other games. They were identical floating spirits that resembled elderly men with masks. Each of the sages did have one of the medallions from the Ocarina sages as their respective emblems. These sages were based on the Arbiter's Grounds and had been appointed by the goddesses to watch over the Mirror of Twilight, apparently since ancient times (possibly connecting them to the generation of ancient sages mentioned in Ocarina). The sages were also described as servants of the royal family (and the American translation goes as far as to say that they tutored Zelda when she was young, but the Japanese version has Auru himself saying he was her tutor). They tried to pass judgement on Ganondorf after he was captured. They decided to impale him on the Master Sword, but Ganondorf survived due to gaining the Triforce of Power. One sage compared this development to some kind of "divine prank". After Ganondorf broke free, he killed one of their number (the Sage of Water) before they activated the Mirror of Twilight to seal him within the Twilight Realm.
The sages appeared before Link and Midna when they arrived to tell them about Ganondorf's sealing in the Twilight Realm and of Zant's shattering of the Mirror of Twilight. They passed one shard of the Mirror onto them and hinted at the locations of the other three shards while warning them about the power contained within them. The sages appeared again when the Mirror was complete and tried to apologize to Midna for setting Ganondorf loose in her realm and starting this crisis, recognizing her as the Twilight Princess.
The Shrine Maidens
They are identified as "shrine maidens" rather than sages, but this set of characters from Four Swords Adventures is unique due to the fact that they are based on the maidens from A Link to the Past combined with powers similar to the sages. There are six maidens, and they are led by Princess Zelda. The shrine maidens helped to maintain the seal on Vaati, which was upheld by the Four Sword. Each of the maidens had a specific color to their hair and magic which corresponded with the colors from Ocarina. They could also transform into fairy-like creatures. Zelda and the shrine maidens were all captured by Dark Link and were held within various dungeons, where they were imprisoned within crystals. The four Links were able to slowly rescue them all, and each shrine maiden would act as a guide in fairy form after being freed. At the end of the game, they were able to use their powers to seal Ganon within the Four Sword.
Trivia
- They may be inspired by the Saptarshi from Hindu religion, a group of seven rishis (sages) who were said to work under the guidance of God to uphold divine law.
- The seven sages from Ocarina are also depicted in stain glass windows in Hyrule Castle in The Wind Waker.
- Five of the sages from Ocarina share names with towns from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which gives the implication that the towns were named after the sages from an in-universe perspective.
- In Phantom Hourglass, a graveyard on the Isle of the Dead contains graves for six sages which reveal the path through the Phantom Corridor to the resting place of Brant of the Cobble Kingdom. They seem to be unrelated to Hyrule's sages.
- There are several discrepancies between the story of Ocarina and A Link to the Past's "seal war" which have caused debate as to whether or not they are the same event, although Ocarina originally was intended as a telling of the seal war. One notable continuity problem is that the maiden descendants of A Link to the Past are said to be blood descendants of the seven sages and are all Hylians, yet most of the sages that were shown in Ocarina are of different species (including ones that does not seem to be capable of individual reproduction, the Kokiri).
- It is believed that the sages were also involved in the creation of the Master Sword, although this will not likely be verified until Skyward Sword, which will show the origin of the Master Sword. Twilight Princess already describes the Master Sword as having been "crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages".
- A trophy for the sages of Twilight Princess appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.