Our world is one of balance... Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so, too, is there benevolence to banish evil.
— Zelda (Twilight Princess)
The Sacred Master Sword. The Blade of Evil's Bane, or the Sword that Seals the Darkness. A promising weapon within the Zelda series, thought to be indestructible and untouched by magical power that possessed contorted purposes, immoral evil. Although many Zelda games heavily suggest the Master Sword to be the ultimate weapon in their storyline and is normally required to defeat Ganon, it seems with each passing legend there's bound to be a demise to this sword's waning power.
Recently, Breath of the Wild showed that and Tears of the Kingdom proved it. The Master Sword has been rocked from its previous majesty, so have we been perceiving this weapon incorrectly?
I believe we can all agree that Tears of the Kingdom shared many convictions of past legends. Maybe Nintendo implied to rhyme each game from their genuine essence of what they made back in time to how they want it to be today. But do any of these repeated legends & games about a prolific weapon that can defeat evil actually line up with each other?
The reality is that this Master Sword does not have the finest history in the Zelda series. There's something off with this weapon - And we as fans, might be very wrong about the Master Sword entirely, and here's why.
The Spirit
'The sword spirit Fi. Conveying the words of the goddess to the hero, she was created by the goddess Hylia to serve as a guide. She appears in a metallic [like] form, awakening as needed and returning to [slumber] once her duty is complete.'
— Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia
Throughout the game of Skyward Sword, Fi is Link’s devoted companion. She is the personified essence of the legendary Goddess Sword. A creation for one purpose, to aid the Chosen Hero on his quest to cleanse the world of evil in its purest form, the Demon King Demise.
But according to Hyrule Historia and the game itself, Fi is the very spirit of the Master Sword. A continued consciousness of Fi was only directed from this game to Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom. Why this is the case is still unknown but let's back up to Hylia herself:
Hylia during the Ancient Battle with Demise, Hylia bestowed a Goddess Sword, within it, housed the very spirit of the primitive weapon. And the first hero from Skyward Sword seals away Demise within the Master Sword, Fi requests that Link end their relationship by returning the Master Sword into the pedestal, as her purpose in aiding the chosen hero in his mission is complete, and then falling into an endless slumber. But there's just one problem, Skyward Sword might have explained Fi well, but it doesn't help to portray the future iterations of Zelda.
Why I say this is mostly because Skyward Sword is perhaps one of the most polarizing Zelda games ever released. It has this reputation for many reasons but knowing that Skyward Sword makes a big leap to the mythology of the Master Sword's creation and it's spirit housed within it, lore-wise, Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild deem to portray a retrograde of past games and legends.
Although Fi does not appear in person in Breath of the Wild, she is referred to several times and speaks to Zelda on one occasion. She even refers to the sword's fable:
Legend says that an ancient voice resonates inside it. Can you hear it yet...hero?"
— Princess Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
After Link is nearly killed fighting off the Guardians controlled by Calamity Ganon, Fi speaks from within the Master Sword - signaled by the Master Sword glowing and their sound effect playing - and tells Zelda to take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection. And after completing the Trial of the Sword, while Link is observing the new power unlocked within the legendary weapon, Fi's sound effect plays and the Sword glows once more.
And at the end of defeating Calamity Ganon, Zelda mentions that she can no longer hear the voice inside the Master Sword, assuming it is because her own power has dwindled over the past 100 years, yet she accepts that- or at least for now.
And in Tears of the Kingdom - Link discovers a peculiar light in the Temple of Time, the Master Sword illuminates and Fi's sound effect plays, instructing him to position it in the light. After Link does so, the sword travels thousands of years into the past to meet Princess Zelda. Fi informs Zelda that Link is safe, having escaped Ganondorf's assault, and that she has traveled back in time to find Zelda and restore the Master Sword's strength.
When Link later retrieves the Master Sword from the Light Dragon where it has been recovering its power for thousands of years, Zelda refers to Fi by calling the sword "she" instead of "it".
"The Master Sword... Your sword... She is the key to destroying the Demon King."
— Princess Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
So let's state the obvious, like her fellow Sword Spirit, Ghirahim, Fi possesses psychic abilities, specifically telepathy. Curiously, Fi has an innate inability to comprehend human emotions despite being capable of detecting them, hence why we might see her react during dire times in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. And her name's translation Fi, could possibly be a reference to the commonly-used abbreviation for Fidelis, Latin for "faithful" or "loyal".
The sword's spirit is a faithful and loyal companion to help the heroes on their journey, and looking at the facts now from Tears of the Kingdom, why doesn't she show up in her humanoid form after the battle was completed? Why doesn't she show up physically in Breath of the Wild? Again, this links back to Skyward Sword's polarity, but those are some questions left to answer when we see and hear her throughout these recent Zelda games.
I wouldn't like to suggest she's trapped inside the sword, but maybe, there's a lot of confusion surrounding her role, we were perhaps wrong about the sword's spirit and..
The Corruption
Gloom. A substance that drains the life of its victims. It was unleashed when Ganondorf was resurrected underneath Hyrule Castle, nearly killing Link and drastically reducing his Life Gauge. Following the Upheaval, it was found in vast quantities in the Depths and around chasms on the surface.
Gloom has a viscous, ooze-like look similar to Malice, except Gloom is red-black rather than purple-black. Gloom is also more potent and injurious than Malice, as the damage it does is permanent. This element in question is responsible for the devastation and corruption caused by the Master Sword. When Zelda and Link first descend beneath Hyrule Castle to face Ganon, as the source of the right hand falls with the tear, Ganon's surge of Gloom sets out directly toward Zelda. This is when we see Link utilize the sword to shield himself from the corruption, but it fails to do so as the Gloom begins to drain Link's life energy and tarnish the blade.
As Ganon fires another stream of gloom, the infected Master Sword is flung at him, shattering the blade into pieces.
"Was that the sword that seals the darkness? A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me..."
— Ganondorf (Tears of the Kingdom)
The degradation of this sword has never been a full scenario in Zelda games; certainly, the blade can be dulled or even upgraded from its previous glory, but Tears of the Kingdom demonstrates that this blade does not endure. Although knowing that this is the sequel to Breath of the Wild, one can question the Trial of the Sword DLC, The Master Sword has a base damage of 30, and durability of 40. When you finish the Trial of the Sword's Beginning Trials, your base damage increases to 40 while your durability remains constant. So, technically, we can't tell if this event truly changes the events to Tears of the Kingdom because the durability stays the same, but nonetheless:
After the Upheaval event, soldiers state that the gloom resulted in the dullness of their weapons. (get quote) The iron and steel-like weapons have been dulled from the gloom's effect when Hyrule Castle lifted from the ground. The "mysterious gloom" is replacing traditional malice, infecting the various regions in unique ways. This we pretty much already know. Why it dulls weapons is still a mystery, but just goes to show how potent Ganon's evil power really is, and how the Master Sword could not withstand this particular substance.
It's a mystery to say the least for the Master Sword's corruption, but it's kind of nice to see Nintendo break the rules in terms of this type of weapon. Ganon destroying and corrupting the sword ends up showing a larger threat than we realize.
But one of the most crucial aspects we discover, and one that we may question that would happen with this weapon is:
The Restoration
The legendary Master Sword is passed down from generation to generation for each legendary Hero who wields it. The traditional characteristic of the Master Sword is having the power to defeat evil. Infused with the sacred flames provided by the Golden Goddesses and blessed with Hylia's power, the sword is ultimately effective against evil ones who even possess the Triforce.
The sacred blade may also dissolve curses involving powerful, evil magic and shatter magical barriers. It also has the capacity to confine the remnants of a demon. This enchantment, however, fails to endure.
A frequent motif for the Master Sword is a desperate need for restoration, which occurs in many Zelda games. Windwaker is an excellent parallel to Tears of the Kingdom.
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..."
— Ganondorf (The Wind Waker HD)
Later, Link learns that since Ganon murdered the original Sages of Earth and Wind, the Master Sword's edge has dulled and its Power to Repel Evil has faded. As such, Link must awaken the two new Sages in order to regain that lost power: his friends Medli and Makar. It is then explained that those Sages are necessary in order to pray to the gods for the Master Sword and the Hero who wields it, to restore its edge, and to keep it glowing with the power to repel evil.
When the sword is fully repaired, it shines with the ability to oppose evil, allowing Link to demolish the magical barrier that blocks his route to Ganon's Tower in Hyrule.
Why I mention the Master Sword in Windwaker's need for restoration, is because it is akin to a Sage restoring the power of the sword in Tears of the Kingdom. Zelda sacrificing herself to reclaim the sacred sword meant draconification. The legendary blade would cease to exist without her sacrifice, and Ganon's scheme would govern and eventually destroy Hyrule.
While I will get into more of the specific need for sacred power with this weapon, it's most likely that using holy magic to restore the sword to it's former glory. This makes sense primarily because it original was weilded and created by the Goddess Hylia. The need to restore the Master Sword, is to use her power, or something near to it.
I would like to suspect that the restoration for the Master Sword can be a multitude of reasons, while we know for sure that this sword can now be corrupted, we end up with a solution to heal this weapon. Although it comes with a sacrifice, not the best turn of events, but Tears of the Kingdom put such a high stake that this weapon could only defeat Ganondorf, so with dire threats comes dire measures...
The Sacred Power
The divine force was normally surging through the veins of a vessel from the royal line of ancient Hyrule. A holy strength that belongs not just to Hyrule, but also to the might of the Gods. Those who had the Triforce, as well as artifacts utilized at a given period.
The sacred power is really just the use of Force: Hyrule Historia even states that
The sacred power the gods gave to the world. It's the breath of life itself."
— Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 75
Skyward Sword fashioned the Master Sword with the golden goddesses' sacred flames. It is crafted and transformed to the Master Sword by employing Farore's, Nayru's, and Din's flames, and especially, the holy red flame from Din infused the blade with a divine power that repels evil. They are traces or manifestations of the Force, the divine power that resides inside all living things. Purifying the weapon in sacred power leads to it's strength. And in Tears of the Kingdom, the Great Deku Tree states this as well:
The sword will continue to gain strength if bathed in sacred power. The stronger that power, the more powerful the sword becomes.'
— Great Deku Tree (Tears of the Kingdom)
Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom is stated to possess this sacred power. Specifically the same that can dispel evil.
'You have a sacred power that can dispel evil'
— Queen Sonia (Tears of the Kingdom)
King Rauru and Sonia were known to be wielders of this specific power. The sacred power to dispel evil. The Power to Repel Evil is an ability to banish pure evil. It is most often used to defeat the games' primary antagonist, Ganondorf, though it has been shown to have other uses. For instance, in A Link to the Past, Link uses this power to reflect Agahnim's fireball spell. In Twilight Princess, once you find the place that holds the sacred sword, the power to repel evil pours out of the blade, driving out Zant's curse to Link and condensing it into a Shadow Crystal.
It is unknown whether the Triforce's power, which plays an integral role in creating the True Master Sword in Skyward Sword, holds any bearing on the sword's sacred power to repel evil. As is constantly shown, evil beings have no difficulties in using the Triforce, and the Triforce's connection to the Gods is shown to be completely impartial to those who use and wish upon it.
But knowing that this was used primarily for the Master Sword. So, as expected, Zelda pours her sacred power into the corrupted Master Sword - to be the ultimate weapon that defeats the Demon King.
why did the TOTK logo have a different part of the sword??
TOTK- What I also do not like is the clear time travel implications of this game, when Link sends the corrupted Master Sword to Zelda in the past, it implies there are either two Master Swords, or one would assume a new future would arise once Zelda receives this version of the sword. With Fi directing her to use her sacred power for years beyond count when Link receives it in the future. It's not right, the Master Sword almost takes priority over anything else in the game. Zelda sacrificing herself just for the weapon of evil's bane? Then the Link in Skyward Sword, venturing to all parts of Hyrule to obtain the three goddesses' flame would possibly mean for nothing. Or rather, their goddesses, who made the Triforce, their power wasn't enough to defeat this certain Ganon.
What I will tell you is that I won't sugarcoat anything for this story, it doesn't make sense. And perhaps that's okay, but we very were wrong about this Sword, and that perhaps the evil does win - but it doesn't win when there's time involved. What we should be looking at is a sacred power possessed by Hylia, which can manipulate time if needed - she herself could be the very essence of what created this sword, and an ouroboros to the cycle of restoring a blade that would threaten the very evil within Hyrule, the Master Sword...
But with that, we are going to wrap up, turns out we were very wrong about the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom. What do you make of Zelda's sacrifice and time manipulation? Let me know in the comments down below, thank you for watching, and I will see you in the next video.
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