The Master Sword

Throughout the various games that the Master Sword has appeared in, it has had many roles. I am going to do an analysis of it's history and how each role it's had would have come into effect. Please note, this thread is going off of the Wise Men's timeline theory, so if you don't agree with it, you'll probably disagree with this .

Origin:
The origin of the Master Sword was told in the ALttP Manual as being forged at the time of the Seal War. But the properly translated version of the manual reveals it's TRUE origins.

Originally Posted by Translated ALttP Manual

The Triforce itself cannot judge between good and evil. That is because only the gods can do that. However, it could not be assumed that only a good person would get their hands on the Triforce. For that reason, the people of Hyrule were told by the gods to make something that would repulse any evil that may kidnap the Triforce: the blade of evil's bane. It was called the Master Sword, and it is said that only a true hero could use it.

So the Master Sword was forged by the Hylians because they were told to by the gods, and they forged it long before the Triforce was first found. It was sort of a like an emergency weapon in case the Triforce did get into evil's hands.

Ocarina of Time:


In Ocarina of Time, the Master Sword was wielded for the first time, and its strength was at its most powerful. But the Master Sword played another role in OoT than just to be wielded by the Hero of Time to give Ganondorf a good beating. The Temple of Time, where the Master Sword is located, was built to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm.

Originally Posted by Rauru

I am Rauru, one of the ancient Sages...
Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm...
This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light...
The Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces. The Master Sword--the evil- destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time--was the final key to the Sacred Realm.

So the ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to house the Master Sword and protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm. But this quote also tells that as well as the other keys to the Sacred Realm (the Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time) the Master Sword was a key. The final key. But not the same type of key. Unlike the Ocarina and Spiritual Stones, which only opened the Door of Time, the Master Sword opened the gateway to the Sacred Realm. But only the Hero of Time could remove it from the Pedestal of Time.

Originally Posted by Rauru

The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch....
Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" can pull it from the Pedestal of Time....
However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time....
Therefore, your spirit was sealed here for seven years.

Removing it from the Pedestal of Time must have opened the gateway to the Sacred Realm, and if Link hadn't of been sealed away in the Chamber of Sages for seven years, he would have been able to pass through that gateway.

After Link has weakened Ganon/dorf enough with the Master Sword, the seven Sages sealed him away in the Sacred Realm.

Twilight Princess:
Since this game isn't yet released, and no information about the Master Sword has been revealed, I can't say much. Although this game may feature the Master Sword losing it's power. I will update this section of the thread once TP is released, so check it again when TP comes out.

The Wind Waker:


The Master Sword again serves as a key in TWW, but in a different way than in OoT. In TWW, the Master Sword has been relocated from the Temple of Time to Hyrule Castle (although TP might explain this), where it is hidden inside a chamber that Ganondorf has no knowledge of, and is surrounded by stained glass windows of the OoT Sages, large statues of Knights and a mural on the floor of people bowing down to the Master Sword. The gold coloured pedestal the Master Sword sits in is similar to the design of the Pedestal of Time, but it is much smaller. Link has to prove to the gods that he's a Hero and worthy to wield the Master Sword by defeating Gohdan in the Tower of the Gods.

Originally Posted by Laruto

O great hero, chosen by the Master Sword!

Originally Posted by King of Red Lions

Oh! What is this? There, on your hand--the Triforce piece now dwells within you! It is the Triforce of Courage--proof that you are indeed the true hero.

Link has to prove he's a true Hero and worthy of wielding the Master Sword before he can remove it from its pedestal. First the Hero of Time, now the Hero of Winds. It seems that you have to be a true Hero to be able to pull the Master Sword from its redestal.

When Link draws the Master Sword from its pedestal in TWW, the frozen Hyrule beneath the waves regains colour and time starts again. Whilst it was frozen, Hyrule Castle looked like it was being attacke by Moblins and Darknuts, as pillars lay broken on the floor. Later on when Link confronts Ganondorf, he explains how the Master Sword has served a s a key.

Originally Posted by Ganondorf

My name is Ganondorf...
And I am the master of Forsaken Fortress. By the way, boy... When you drew that sword of yours out of its pedestal...
Did you by chance notice how all of the monsters frozen in time down there suddenly began stirring again? Do you understand precisely what that
means? ...I highly doubt you do. Foolish child. While that sword is indeed
the blade of evil's bane, at the same time, it has long played another role...
You see, it is also a sort of key... a most wretched little key that has kept the seal on me and my magic intact! By withdrawing the blade, you have
broken that seal...

So the Master Sword keeps Ganondorf from using his magic. However, I think that this means that it only keeps him from using the Triforce of Power to do magic, because we see in OoT that he has magic abilities before getting the Triforce of Power.

At the end of TWW, Link embeds the Master Sword into Ganondorf's head, thus killing him, and turning him to stone (I don't care what anybody says, even if it is Ganondorf, having a large piece of metal through your brain is gonna kill you, with or without a piece of the Triforce). The next game to feature the Master Sword is ALttP.

A Link to the Past:


How the Master Sword got from Ganondorf's stone remains at the bottom of the Great Sea at the end of TWW to the surface and into the Lost Woods in ALttP is unknown. But one idea is that the Great Sea partially drained, but not completely, explaining why Hyrule is an island in FSA and AoL. Since FSA and ALttP are the same Hyrule, it can be assumed that ALttP's Hyrule is an island too. Since Ganondorf's remains are at the top of Ganon's Tower at the end of TWW, the partial draining of the Great Sea would have exposed it to the surface once again.

The pedestal that the Master Sword rests in in the Lost Woods in ALttP could have been carved out of Ganondorf's stone remains, and hidden where evil would have difficulty getting to it. To support the fact that the Master Sword was under the Great Sea for some time, look at the colour change between TWW and ALttP. In TWW, it has its original blue colour, but in ALttP it is red and brown. This could be attributed to the Great Sea rusting the hilt of the Sword, because the sea is full of salt and metal reacts with salt.

Before Link could draw the Master Sword out of it's pedestal in ALttP, he had to gather the three pendants and prove he's a Hero.

Originally Posted by Master Swords Pedestal

The Hero's triumph on Cataclysm's Eve wins three symbols of virtue.
The Master Sword he then retrieves,
Keeping the Knights line true.

Originally Posted by A Link to the Past

I am indeed Sahasralah, the elder, one of the descendants of the Seven Sages.
... ... ... what? Link, is someone so young as you seeking the magic-repelling sword! But it's not the case that just anyone can use that sword. Only the "Hero" who has defeated the three monsters and obtained the three crests can become its master, as the Hylians passed down ... ... ...

Again, Link must prove himself a true Hero before being able to wield the Master Sword.

The Master Sword's role in ALttP was pretty simple: it was the blade of evil's bane and was needed to defeat Agahnim and Ganon. It didn't have any secondary roles like in OoT and TWW, as it wasn't a key to anything. We can determine that the Master Sword was found again between FSA and ALttP, as FSA still uses TWW Hylian, but in ALttP, the HYlian on the pedestal is not seen in any games before it and isn't understood in ALttP.

That's the history of the Master Sword so far. Basically it was made as an emergency weapon, but ended up being wielded by great Hyrulean Heros and thwarting evil on many occasions. But before it could be wielded, one had to prove themselves a true Hero and worthy of carrying it. I will update this when TP comes out, and I'm hoping it will explain some things that happen to it between OoT and TWW.

Please note: the partial draining of the Great Sea idea is LionHarted's, and the ALttP MS pedestal being carved from Ganondorf's remains is Master of ALttP's. Full credit to them for those ideas.

That's all great, but I would make one alteration. The Master Sword was not an identical key in the same respect as the Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time. The Spiritual Stones and Ocarina of Time opened the Door of Time, which was the main passage to the Sacred Realm. The Master Sword was placed behind the Door as the final key for a special purpose. The Master Sword was put in place specifically so that the Hero of Time could fulfil the prophecies of his coming and seal away the evil (only the Hero of Time could pull the Master Sword as quoted in OoT). If the Master Sword was not placed as the final key, then when the Door of Time was opened by Link, Ganon would have taken the Triforce and Link, as a child, would not have been able to defeat him. It was the Master Sword that sealed Link's soul in the Sacred Realm, allowing him to grow up and become the Hero of Time.

Interesting, I had always assumed that the master Sword was converted into the Picori Blade at one time, but it is just as likely that the 'Light Force' and 'Picori Blade' are just Minish knockoffs of the Triforce and Master Sword.

To simplify what jhurvid said:
The Master Sword is a key on things (entrance to Sacred Realm, Ganon's power, etc.), and the Ocarina and Stones are keys to things (Door of Time).

EDIT: I guess this sort of fits, but the official art for the Four Sword (the weapon) from FS looks like this:
. I guess that doesn't rule out the Four Sword being involved in making the multiple Links in the PH art.

jhurvid, I've edited those things into my post (don't know why I forgot to mention that only a Hero can wield the Master Sword. Must have been one of my slow days), so it's all good now.

Originally Posted by LionHarted

EDIT: I guess this sort of fits, but the official art for the Four Sword (the weapon) from FS looks like this:
. I guess that doesn't rule out the Four Sword being involved in making the multiple Links in the PH art.

Ah, but the opening sequence of Four Swords aswell as all the other artwork showing the Four Sword have it in its traditional appearance, so that artwork is invalid. I would like to see a connection between PH and the Four Sword saga, but let's get back on topic about my history of the Master Sword.

I think you'll find the FS saga reflects a lot of concepts from the other game series, but they have to be different because the emphasis on multiplayer changes the entire context of the storyline.

Also to Zeldagamer21, I'm not sure what more I can add. You've pretty much covered everything I can think of. Well done.

Originally Posted by jhurvid

Also to ZeldaGamer21, I'm not sure what more I can add. You've pretty much covered everything I can think of. Well done.

Heh, cheers . I just wanted to cover all the Master Swords history and what roles it takes on from game to game.

Can we at least get this thread onto page two? I worked alot on this thread, and I didn't expect it to flop on page one.

Well ZeldaGamer21, we know alot about the Master Sword and it's role throughout most games it is present in. How about looking at how it's role may play in TP???

By that token, and in light of recent discussion, I would look at the Master Sword's seal on Ganon's magic as more of a seal on the power to spread darkness than anything else.

Hmmm... If that is the case and Ganon's Dark World exist still during WW, then the removing of the sword allows the Dark World to start spewing out evil as it does in TP and FSA. But that means that the left over evil that escapes Hyrule once it is destroys, makes up for the explanation that the PH prologue says about Ganon's evil stretching across the sea elswhere.

Originally Posted by LOZ Historian

Well ZeldaGamer21, we know alot about the Master Sword and it's role throughout most games it is present in. How about looking at how it's role may play in TP???

I'll include the Master Sword's role in TP once its released, so stay tuned for more Master Sword .

Well, here's an interesting theory I once cooked up. Okay, so I was thinking hard about timelines, and about who had forged the Master Sword (I remember some conflicting ideas about who forged it) Anyway, while playing The Minish Cap, I noticed that the Sacred Picori Blade, before ol' Vaati snaps it, looks a lot like the Master Sword. And unless I've gone crazy, didn't Link only take the hilt half (or mabye it was the blade) to Festari, or whomever that Mountain Minish was? If that's so, then I've got two theories. A) The Picori Blade is really the Master Sword, and the Hylians mistook it and the Triforce for the Picori Sword and the Light Force. B) The Picori blade is an entirely different sword, that just happens to look the same.

Either way, my idea is this: The half that Link takes is forged into the White, and then later Four, Sword, whereas the other half ends up being reforged later into a New Master Sword.

Well, that's all the crazy theorizing for this post.

...

That was a bit... odd...

But I'll address your post anyway.

Originally Posted by Prince Dodongo

Well, here's an interesting theory I once cooked up. Okay, so I was thinking hard about timelines, and about who had forged the Master Sword (I remember some conflicting ideas about who forged it)

There is no conflicting ideas about the Master Sword's origins. There hasn't been since I proved what its origins were in an old thread called "Origin's of the Master Sword?" or something like that. The first part of this thread clearly states what the Master Sword's origins are, so there should be no conflicting ideas.

Originally Posted by Prince Dodongo

Anyway, while playing The Minish Cap, I noticed that the Sacred Picori Blade, before ol' Vaati snaps it, looks a lot like the Master Sword.

*sigh* Yet another person who seems to think that the Picori Blade is the Master Sword. This is impossible. Always has been, always will be. The TMC intro legend says that:

The tiny Picori appeared from the sky, bringing the hero of men a sword and a golden light.

As we know, the Picori did not make the Master Sword, so the MS can't be the Picori Blade. And no, the Master Sword's and Picori Blade's appearances are not that similar. The Master Sword is dark blue, whilst the Picori Blade is purple. The Master Sword's hilt is jagged, whereas the Picori Blade's hilt is smooth and round. Also, look at this image from TMC:

As you can see, the Picori Blade's blade goes slowly inward towards it's tip, whereas the Master Sword's blade is thin at first, then gets wider and goes straight until the tip of the blade.

Originally Posted by Prince Dodongo

And unless I've gone crazy, didn't Link only take the hilt half (or mabye it was the blade) to Festari, or whomever that Mountain Minish was?

You've gone crazy. If you play TMC and watch the bit where Link lays the broken Picori Blade on Melari's worktop to be reforged, you clearly see him lay BOTH halves of the Picori Blade on the table.

Originally Posted by Prince Dodongo

If that's so, then I've got two theories. A) The Picori Blade is really the Master Sword, and the Hylians mistook it and the Triforce for the Picori Sword and the Light Force

We know that the Master Sword was forged long before OoT, and we know that the Minish forged the Picori Blade. We know the Picori Blade became the Four Sword, and we know for fact that the Four Sword and Master Sword are two totally different blades.

Originally Posted by Prince Dodongo

Either way, my idea is this: The half that Link takes is forged into the White, and then later Four, Sword, whereas the other half ends up being reforged later into a New Master Sword.

Considering Link takes BOTH halves to Melari to be forged into the White Sword (which later becomes the Four Sword), and that there is only ONE Master Sword, your theory is about as likely as a giant meteorite being caught with a baseball glove.

Sorry, but there is no way in hell that the Master Sword and Picori Blade are one and the same. Case permanantly closed.