The Sleeping Zelda, Revisited

In the early days of this site I was influenced greatly by Zelda HQ, a site that is now dying from neglect. One of the controversial things it maintained about the Zelda storyline is that the sleeping Zelda was actually Zelda I, the Zelda in Ocarina of Time. I even tried to disprove the Master of Hyrule, the originator of this theory, but I ended up accepting his point of view and integrating it into my site. My very first article, The Sleeping Zelda, shows the validity of this theory.

But now, thanks to a posting by Mariner, I have been shown a theory that explains more and makes more sense. This theory states that the sleeping Zelda came long before Zelda I in Ocarina of Time. I have always dismissed this theory solely on the basis that the Triforce could not have been taken out of the Golden Land and used before Ocarina of Time. However, now that I've gone and looked back at the evidence, I can't find any quotes that say for sure that this is impossible. So, I will proceed to compare the two theories and show that Mariner's is better.

One of the reasons why I like this theory is because it explains a great mystery. We know that Rauru, the Sage of Light, helped plan and build the Temple of Light and the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce. But why did the Triforce need to be protected? Why did the Sages, all of a sudden, realize that "although most of the inhabitants of Hyrule respected the Triforce, there were those audacious enough to plot to steal the relic and use its power for their own selfish ends" (Zelda64.com)? As far as I know, nothing explains why they did this. But the story of Zelda's enchantment fits right in. Picture this scene:

In ancient days, a great king used the whole united Triforce to keep the peace with the True Force, which explains why "the Triforce has become the basis for Hyrule's providence" (OoT manual, p.5). Perhaps he kept the Triforce in temples, since "some were said to house the Triforce itself..." (ALttP manual, p.4), and maybe the Triforce gave advice to the king, since it "was to guide the intelligent life on the world of Hyrule" (ALttP manual, p.3). When the king died, the Triforce passed to his son, but the prince's heart was not in balance, so he only got one piece. Before he died, the king had told his daughter Zelda why the Triforce would be split and/or where the pieces would be hidden. An evil wizard knew this, and tried to force Zelda to tell him where the Triforce pieces were hidden. The wizard failed, but when he put Zelda to sleep he forced the Sages to reconsider letting just anybody try to take the Triforce. The Sages realized that the Triforce could fall into the wrong hands, and responded by hiding the Triforce in its original resting place, the Golden Land, and sealing the entrance with the Master Sword and the Temple of Time. Over the years the location of the Triforce was forgotten because these select few neglected to pass on the knowledge. The Hylian Book of Mudora, however, kept a record of its location and how to get there...

Maybe now you can see why I like this theory so much. It explains the same stuff that my previous theory did and a great deal more. In addition to explaining why the Temples of Light and Time were built, it explains how the Sages knew enough about the Triforce and its properties to write so much stuff in the Book of Mudora. Since kings had controlled the Triforce, the Sages had experience with the Triforce's properties, and that's why they were able to write so much about it. Of course, the Hylia also picked up messages from the gods with their big ears, but that was only part of it.

People have tried to disprove my previous theory by saying that the sleeping Zelda looks different from the Zelda in OoT and that the OoT Zelda didn't have an older brother. There were also concerns about why the prince would look for missing pieces if Ganon was holding the Triforce of Power. While these aren't solid facts, and can in fact be shown to be invalid, they are rough spots in the theory. By adapting this new theory, I don't have to worry about these kinds of things anymore, because the new theory is a lot smoother.

Well, that's about all of an the explanation I have for now. If I think of more ways that this theory makes more sense, I'll add it to the article.