The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is finally out. Now that we've had the whole weekend to play it nonstop, it’s time to discuss the ending of one of the most divisive entries in The Legend of Zelda franchise.
Skyward Sword’s ending is unlike any other Zelda title, as the game reveals the origins of the hero cycle that's present in every other installment of the franchise. There’s a reason the hero’s spirit reincarnates every few hundred years to fight an evil that can never be truly defeated, only temporarily stopped. There’s also a reason why Zelda, Link, and Ganon (as well as other recurring villains) are doomed to fight forever for the control of the Triforce. Even if the quality-of-life improvements of the HD remake don’t fix every flaw of Skyward Sword, this is one of the most important installments of The Legend of Zelda franchise, with a story that reveals the franchise’s origin. And it all starts with a lazy boy’s heroic journey.
Link’s First Heroic Journey
Skyward Sword’s story begins at the world’s creation by the Three Goddesses — Nayru, Din, and Farore. After finishing their creation, the Three Goddesses departed into the heavens, leaving behind an object capable of making any mortal’s wish come true: the Triforce. The world met peace after its creation until deep cracks in the soil allowed demonic creatures to emerge from the depths of the earth. These creatures, lead by the Demonic King Demise, laid waste to everything on their way while trying to capture the Triforce and shape the world to their twisted will.
However, the Three Goddesses didn’t leave the Triforce completely unprotected when they left. The goddess Hylia stayed behind to oversee the Three Goddesses’ creation and make sure dark forces did not use the power of the Triforce. So, when Demise and his demonic army threatened all reality, Hylia commanded a vast army of all free people of the world to fight off the Demonic King. Demise was a powerful enemy, though, who could not be defeated by brute force alone. Weakened by the battle and incapable of destroying the Demonic King, Hylia sealed away the villain and came up with a plan to make sure future generations would be prepared for Demise’s return.
Hylia gave away her divinity and reincarnated as a mortal woman. As only mortals can use the power of the Triforce, Hylia wanted to make sure her descendants, such as Zelda, would guide a noble warrior to claim the Triforce and wish for Demise’s destruction. Before reincarnating into a human body, Hylia created the Goddess Sword to give the future hero enough power to fight against Demise’s hordes. Hylia’s last act as a Goddess is to send the surviving humans to the skies, to live above the clouds while the surface world recovered from Demise’s attack. The Triforce was also hidden in the sky to wait for a hero capable of using its powers for good.
Most of the details of this story were lost to time when we first start our Skyward Sword adventure. The people of Skyloft, the kingdom above the clouds, mostly forgot about the past myths, and many believe the Surface is only a made-up place. Nevertheless, Link doesn’t hesitate to accept his place as Hylia’s chosen hero and hold the Goddess Sword in his hands. At first, his goal is only to save Zelda, but as you uncover the secrets of the Surface, Link accepts his fate as the one who is destined to defeat Demise once and for all.
The End Is Just the Beginning
While chasing Zelda all over the Surface, Link awakens the power of the Goddess Sword so he can travel back in time and rescue his friend. After imbuing the sword with the power of three Sacred Flames, the Goddess Sword transforms into the Master Sword, a blade capable of repelling evil and altering the flow of time. Once the Gate of Time is opened by the Master Sword, and Link finally reunites with Zelda, the Hero finds out his journey is far from over: To make sure the Demonic King will never get free, Link must come back to the present, claim the Triforce, and wish for Demise’s destruction. Meanwhile, Zelda remains in the past, sealing her body away into a crystal, hoping that her slumber of thousands of years can hold Demise’s seal and give Link enough time to fulfill his mission.
With the Master Sword in hand, Link reaches the resting place of the Triforce: the Sky Keep. After beating many challenges to get the Triforce’s three golden triangles, Link finally wishes for Demise’s destruction. The Sky Keep falls from the skies and crushes the Imprisoned, the monstrous demon representing the weakened form of Demise. Zelda awakens from her slumber, and Link can now enjoy his time with his friend. It’s a happy ending that’s only achieved with a lot of struggle, but an ending that calls for celebration. At least it would, if Zelda was not immediately kidnapped and dragged back to the past.
During Skyward Sword, link fights against a villain called Ghirahim, a Demon Lord that wants to stop Hylia’s plan so that Demise can once again be freed to rule the earth. It turns out that Ghirahim is the spirit of Demise’s Demonic Sword, and once his master is destroyed in the present, the Demon Lord drags Zelda back to the past so that he can change the course of time. Ghirahim uses Zelda’s power to release Demise in the past, with the Demon King recovering his humanoid force. Link and Demise face each other in an epic final battle, taking place thousands of years before Skyward Sword’s main adventure, in a time when Hylia just sent Skyloft above the clouds.
Link is victorious against the Demon King, trapping his essence inside the Master Sword. However, the victory comes at a cost, as Demise curses Link’s and Zelda’s descendants with his final breath. The Demon King tells Link his rage will forever be reborn, to chase and destroy those with the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero. Demise’s curse traps both Zelda and Link in an eternal cycle. At the same time, the curse makes sure Demise’s evil will never be truly defeated. It’s Demise’s rage reincarnated that fuels Vaatii in the events of The Minish Cap, and later would use Ganondorf’s greed to transform him into the monstrous Ganon in Ocarina of Time.
After defeating the Demon King, Link leaves the Master Sword on a pedestal in the Sealed Temple in the past. Impa, Zelda’s servant from the Sheikah people, remains in the past to destroy the Gate of Time and make sure both the sword and the Triforce will remain safe. The Sheikah would be forever bound to protect the Master Sword and the Triforce, guiding the Hero of Time should Demise’s curse prove accurate and evil return to the land. As for Link and Zelda, they remain in the Surface world to establish the Kingdom of Hyrule.
With its ending, Skyward Sword lays the foundations of almost every other The Legend of Zelda title. This game explains the origins of the Master Sword, why Zelda and Link reincarnate across the ages, and how Ganon resurges to attack the Kingdom of Hyrule every few hundred years. Skyward Sword might not be perfect, but it’s undoubtedly an essential entry to The Legend of Zelda lore, making it an excellent adventure for fans of the franchise, despite its flaws.
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By: Marco Vito Oddo
Title: Skyward Sword Ending Explained: How the Legend of Zelda Begins
Sourced From: collider.com/skyward-sword-ending-explained/
Published Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:30:19 GMT
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