Princess Zelda

"Ganondorf, pitiful man. Without a strong, righteous mind, he could not control the power of the gods."

Article by: Paul Watkins (watkinzez)
Pictured from: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (as mascot #28), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (as mascot #94)
Created by: Nintendo
First appearance: 1986

Bio

An oft-made mistake made by newcomers to the Zelda series is they figure that the game's protagonist, Link, is the one named Zelda. Nonetheless, the series is in fact named after the damsel in distress presented throughout. Princess Zelda is the one who holds the Triforce of Wisdom in the original NES game, an object of divine powers. When Ganon, King of Evil, claims the realm of Hyrule as his land, Zelda shatters the Triforce into eight pieces to prevent it falling into the wrong hands. Before she is taken by Ganon she commands her nursemaid Impa to find a hero of the land, one who will save Hyrule.

Zelda is of pure heart, her descendants guarding the Triforce from evil. Her abilities are often presented as magical, gifted with the power of foresight throughout her line. Unlike her equivalent character in the Mario series, Princess Peach, Zelda is seen to be of strong will, and an important character towards saving Hyrule numerous times. Her role in Ocarina of Time saw her precognition unveiling Ganondorf as a threat to Hyrule, sending off Link on his quest.

Throughout the games there is more than one Zelda and Link, each forming a separate line whose offspring play their role to protect Hyrule. As such, there are many conflicting stories on the relationship between the two. Though some romantic tension has been shown in the series, most of the interaction has been implied and often comes to nothing.

The Princess has never been a playable character in the main series, but makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee along with her alter ego, Sheik.

Selected game appearances

NES

• The Legend of Zelda (1986)
• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987)

Super NES

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)

CD-i

• Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (1993)

Nintendo 64

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000)

Game Boy Color

• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (2001)
• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001)

GameCube

• Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002)
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (2004)

Game Boy Advance

• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004)

Wii

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)

Nintendo DS

• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009)

Nintendo 3DS

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013)

Wii U

• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

Nintendo Switch

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

References

• Wikipedia - "Princess Zelda"
• Zelda Universe - "The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia - Princess Zelda"
• Zelda Wiki - "Princess Zelda"