The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was an innovator on many fronts. Not only did it bring the beloved series into the 3D world for the first time, but it also created gameplay mechanics which have been reused and imitated in many other games since. One element which is not mentioned as much is Nintendo's experimentation with deeper storytelling. Before Ocarina of Time, the series limited its plot to minimal in-game dialogue or relegated it to the instruction manual. Ocarina of Time brought it to the forefront, packing the game with swift but powerful cut scenes and memorable characters. Every part of the world it🌌 inhabits seems lived-in and hides details which tell us a little bit more about the legend itself.
On top of the game, we now have access to resources official and unofficial, as well as encyclopedias and interviews, to add even more characteristics to an already rich world. Such a trove of information can become overwhelming, and it’s easy to miss some of the smaller components of the story. We decided to focus on these to bring you a list of 25 little known facts about the lore behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. As you will see, a lot of the folklore shown in the game is darker than you might have remembered. Though heroism is often born from ﷽adversity, it seems like Nintendo made an effort to make this depiction of Hyrule extra gloomy.
25 The Beginning Of The Circle꧋ ✱
Ocarina of Time became the first game in the chronological order of The Legend of Zelda at the time of its release. Many games released later were revealed as taking place even earlier, with Skyward Sword being the current prequel to everything else. The game’s big bad is Demise, a Demon King who upon defeat swears that his spirit will be reborn in an endless cycle to try and get revenge on Link and Zelda’s descendant. His first known reincarnation, at least at the moment, is shown in Ocarina of Time. That game’s depiction of Ganondorf shows a simple King Of Thieves, as he is then known, who wishes to take over Hyrule but has yet to transform into the deformed Ganondorf. So while Ocarina of Time is no longer first in the timeline, it is still Ganondorf’s ꦡfirst chronological appearance♛.
24 ꧅ Raised By The Forest
Link’s origins are mentioned in a quick cut scene after conquering the Forest Temple. The Deku Tree Sprout mentions that Link was born during the Great War that tore Hyrule apart a little over ten years before the game’s events. His mother was wounded during a battle, and she escaped with her son into the Forbidden Forest. There, she entrusted Link to the Great Deku Tree before dying. As for Link’s father, his fate is never mentioned in official material, but internet theories usually have him pegged as a Knight for the Royal Family of Hyrule. No matter the truth about his father, Link’s life was off to a very tragic start, but thankfully th🌠e Great Deku Tree turned out to be an adept parent despite his complete inability to move.
23 Don’t 🐠Get Lost
While it is usually accepted that most monsters roaming the different dungeons and temples are there because of Ganondorf’s intervention, the evil king is not entirely respon🐭sible for every single bad thing that happens in Hyrule. The Lost Woods, near Kokiri Forest, have a spell on them which means certain doom for however decides to brave its treacherous paths. As the Kokiri themselves are so eager to tell you, if an adult becomes lost in the forest, they will be become a Stalfos. On the other hand, if a child gets lost, they will become a Skull Kid. The legend says that they are both stuck in the forest from that point on, which might explain why none of these creatures are particularly friendly.
22 The Darkest Timeline 🦹ไ
Though Ocarina of Time is no longer the earliest game in the series’ internal chronology, it remains the focal point of the entire timeline. In fact, the official timeline as shown in the essential book Hyrule Historia states that, with Ocarina of Time, the story splits into three distinct realities. One of them is particularly dark, since it stems from the fact that in that version, Ganondorf actually defeats Link in battle and proceeds to reign over Hyrule for years. This section of the timeline involves the especially bleak NES games, where the story starts with Ganon roaming free over a Hyrule left in ruins. As well, the timeline includes A Link to the Past, the GBC titles, and Link’s Awakening, all of which depict attempts to revive Ganon and its🎶 aftermath.
21 𝓰 A Hollow Victory
Even in sections of the timeline where Link defeats Ganondorf, it must be noted that nothing ever seems to go right for our hero. In none of the winning timeline does Link truly vanquish his foe, for he only manages to seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm. The Triforce is not reunited: the Triforce of Power remains with the Dark Lord, which explains how he is able to break free of the seal with ease every once in a while. As for the other parts, the Triforce of Courage remains with Link while the Triforce of Wisdom stays with Zelda. This is why the symbol glows on the back of their hands in the ending of Ocarina of Time, even though evil has been defeated.
20 Time Travel I🎉s Confusing
When Link is successful in getting rid of Ganondorf, he effectively splits the timeline in two further sections. That is because he gets sent back to the past to live his childhood, which 💟is its own reality. However, the timeline he leaves behind is deprived of the Spirit of the🌠 Hero since he has left to go back to his original time. The absence of the hero leaves Ganondorf free to attack the next time he breaks away from the Sacred Realms. When that happens, the Goddesses have to get creative, so they decide to flood the whole place, which successfully traps the Demon King underwater, but also destroys Hyrule. This timeline obviously gives place to The Wind Waker and its sequels.
19 ൩ You Have To Let Go, Man 💙
Finally, in the timeline where Link returns to his child self, his first order of business is to go back to Hyrule Castle to meet with Zelda. These events are depicted during Ocarina of Time’s credits. He warns her of Ganondorf’s plans, and the Gerudo King is executed without Link’s help because he is not yet an adult. This means that despite all of his memories, he grows up without being remembered as the hero he is. It is confirmed that the Hero’s Shade, the skeleton warrior that guides you through Twilight Princess, is the bitter spirit of the Hero of Time, who wishes to prove his worth by helping the current Link. His hope is that participating in Ganondorf’s downfall will once more enshrine him as the hero he was supposed to be. This knowledge makes Ocarina of Time’s ending very bittersweet all of a sudden.
18 A S🍌hared Heritage
The Temple of Time is an important part of Ocarina of Time for many reasons: it houses the Master Sword, sure, but it is also the only known door towards the Sacred Realm, home of the Triforce. We now know that the Temple of Time was built long before the events of the game by Rauru, the Sage of Light. But why does everything that matters seems to happen on that one tiny parcel of land? That’s because the Temple of Time is built over the ruins of the Sealed Temple of the Goddess Hylia from Skyward Sword. As you will remember, that temple houses a Gate of Time (source of that game’s frequent time travelling) and plays a pivotal role in establishing Hyrule once Link and Zelda move to the 🅰surface.
17 𝔉 ಌ One And The Same
The Temple of Time, portal to the Sacred Realm, also connects Ocarina of Time directly to another Zelda game. The Sacred Realm, which houses the Temple of Light, also becomes the Dark World in A Link to the Past, according to Hyrule Historia. The only part of the Sacred Realm we ever see in Ocarina of Time is the Chamber of the Sages, th🐷e ethereal place where Link sleeps for seven years. What does this mean? It means that when Ganondorf gets imprisoned in the Sacred Realm over and over, he is not simply held in limbo. He’s just thrown in a fairly comfortable mirror image of Hyrule, since it only becomes the Dark World when he corrupts it with the help of his Triforce of Power. The punishment does not seem so harsh after all.
16 ♔ The Many Lives Of Th༺e Sage
If you always thought that it was weird that an owl was allowed to talk, even in a game where you can put on a mask and discuss with stones, fear not. Kaepora Gaebora is not a simple ordinary owl. It has been confirmed t🌃hat your trusty guid🍒e, who appears whenever you feel aimless, is the reincarnation of Rauru, the Sage of Light and architect of the Temple of Time. So if you wondered why Rauru was acting so familiar to Link when he wakes him up after his seven year slumber, it’s because he’s basically been accompanying him for most of the game already. This theory had been floating around for a while, but was only confirmed with the released of Hyrule Historia.