I’ve been playing Echoes of Wisdom lately. Interestingly, its map is heavily based on A Link to the Past. It was basically just expanded, because of that, I was initially expecting it to be the same Link. It’s not though, it’s a new incarnation. I’m not complaining, it’s a great game. Nevertheless, it did get me thinking about the Link to the Past version of Link because, even if he’s not in Echoes, that Link probably has one of the most complete stories of the Zelda series. He appears in more games than any other Zelda series protagonist.

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is a central to the Legend of Zelda franchise. Nearly every game feature a new incarnation of Link, Zelda and Ganon/Demise’s hatred. At least they appear to, I reckon it’s more a spirit and host situation than conventional reincarnation. That would explain why multiple versions of the same character occasionally exist side-by-side. I’ve talked about his before.

Whatever the case, there have been several versions of Link. Often distinguished with a “Hero of X” epithet. The Link from Ocarina of Time is the Hero of Time, the Link from Skyward Sword is the Hero of the Sky, and so on. An interesting side note, it’s suggested in one of the official Zelda books that they’re not all called Link, that’s just how history remembers them. This is probably a reference to the optional names that most of the games have. I digress.

The Hero of Legend

Given the number of games he appears in, the Link from A Link to the Past is fittingly referred to as the Hero of Legend (HoL). Several Links have multiple games, but seldom more than two. The Hero of Legend has four (sort of), and he cameos in a fifth. While he doesn’t appear in Echoes of Wisdom, he has saved the world more than any other incarnation, earning the epithet, Legend.

A Link to the Past

The HoL first appears in A Link to The Past, a seminal game that established the Zelda formula. He’s introduced alongside his uncle, as the last descendant of the Knights of Hyrule (the knights are a clan in the Zelda games). Most of the Knights had been wiped out in the Imprisoning War, in which they helped the sages, trap Ganon in the Sacred Realm. The HoL is called into action by Princess Zelda, following her imprisonment, when Ganon’s minions impersonate the king and begin conspiring to revive/release him.

Interestingly, the Imprisoning War was meant to be depicted in Ocarina of Time, but the events of that game differ so drastically to the backstory described in A Link to The Past that they became separate events. Instead, the Imprisoning War is a brutal conflict that will take place immediately after Ocarina of Time, if that games Link is killed in battle with Ganon/Ganondorf. Then Tears of the Kingdom introduced another Imprisoning War, which is confusing, but I won’t get into that here.

Link’s Awakening

Anyway, after defeating Ganon, the HoL next appearance was in Link’s Awakening, in which he visits and then brutally destroys the island of Koholint. I didn’t frame that in a generous light. At the start of the game, Link is shipwrecked on the island, which turns out to be the dream of a god-like deity called the Wind Fish. At the end of the game, Link wakes up the Wind Fish, causing the island to disappear and allowing Link to escape.

There is some fan debate about whether the island was real. Did the dream physically manifest in the material world, or did the game take place entirely within the shared subconscious of Link and the Wind Fish? I can see it both ways, but I’m inclined towards the former. I think it explains why the HoL is able to coexist with another Link in A Link Between Worlds (which I’ll get to in a moment).

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages

The final entry to feature the HoL in a staring role was the Oracle series. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages see Link travel to the countries of Holodrum and Labrynna, to defeat various minions of Ganon. It was also possible to combine the games using a link code, playing one after the other. This unlocks a final chapter in which the villain Twinrova revives Ganon, Link then defeats him again.

It’s debatable whether the Oracle games count as one adventure or two. But since they are different games, set in different countries with different primary antagonists, I’m inclined to treat them as two separate adventures, despite the linked ending. I guess you could say 2.5 adventures. Regardless, that brings the HoL’s adventure count up to (at least) four. Making him the most accomplished Link. But that’s not his final appearance.

A Link Between Worlds

A Link Between Worlds, for the 3DS, is an interesting entry in the Zelda universe. It was originally intended as a remake of A Link to the Past, but the development team had a host of new ideas, so was spun off into its own game. It subsequently features an entirely new Link and Zelda, but is billed as a sequel to A Link to the Past. It has the exact same map.

The in-universe implication is that a relatively small amount of time has passed between the two games. Notably, there’s a character in A Link Between Worlds called Gramps. The character is primarily used for the games Street Pass functionality (a feature that allowed nearby 3DS’ to talk to each other). Gramps enabled players to fight battles against the ghost data of other players.

It’s heavily implied, however, that Gramps is the Hero of Legend. After defeating the requisite amount of Ghost Data, the player can battle against Gramps himself. It’s one of the hardest battles in the game, and Gramps has all the same moves and equipment as Link. Moreover, in the game’s credits there’s a brief shot of Gramps standing in the field whilst the Legend of Zelda Hero theme music plays. He’s also rumoured, in-game, to he’s been a great adventurer in the past. It’s fairly clear that Gramps is meant to be the Hero of Legend.

Reincarnation

The HoL’s cameo in A Link Between Worlds raises questions about the nature of reincarnation in the Zelda universe. If each Link is a reincarnation of the previous Link, how can the Hero of Legend, very much alive, coexist and interact with the hero from A Link Between Worlds?

As noted above, I’ve previously discussed this in a post on the Legend of Zelda’s reincarnation system. My theory, in summary, is that Link isn’t being reincarnated at all. At least not in the conventional sense. Rather, the Spirit of the Hero, referenced in several games, exists as a separate entity. In times of crisis, whenever the curse of Demise returns, the Spirit inhabits and empowers the person most worthy of its ideals. The idea that they’re not every hero is called Link might actually play into this idea, it reinforces the notion that they’re not the same person.

In that case, the Hero of Legend can coexist with another Link because, for whatever reason, he no longer has the Spirit of the Hero. That brings me to the timeline.

The Hero of Legend’s Timeline

When the Zelda timeline was first released, during Zelda’s 25th anniversary, it ordered the HoL’s games: 1) A Link to the Past, 2 & 3) the Oracle games, 4) Link’s Awakening. That made sense. The linked Oracle games conclude with Link sailing into the sunset. That could lead directly into the opening scene of Link’s Awakening, which sees him getting shipwrecked.

In a later version of the timeline, the order of the games was changed. A Link to the Past still comes first, but now the Oracle games are said to happen after Link’s Awakening. For the reasons above, I disagree. Not only does the ending of the Oracle games lead neatly into the opening of Link’s Awakening, the latter provides a handy explanation for how the HoL/Gramps can be in A Link Between Worlds.

By waking the Wind Fish and erasing Koholint, he went against the Spirit of the Hero’s heroic ideal, or something, and therefore lost it. The Spirit subsequently found a new host/candidate to empower during ALBW. This also, presumably, means no more world saving adventures for the HoL. I imagine he continues to have an exciting life, but he’s not going to be saving the world from Ganon/Demise anymore. That, in turn, would mean the Oracle games, where he does face Ganon, must take place before Link’s Awakening.

The Hero of Legend’s life.

The Hero of Legends overall story is, briefly, as follows. He was raised by his uncle and, as the last descendant of the Knightly clan of Hyrule, was empowered by the Spirit of the Hero to prevent Ganon’s revival. Afterwards, he traveled to the countries of Labrynna and Holodrum, saving them from respective threats and again preventing the return of Ganon. 

Whilst sailing back to Hyrule, however, he became shipwrecked on the manifested dream world of Koholint island. Escaping from the dream caused the island to be erased. The selfish act seemingly cost him the Spirit of the Hero. Nevertheless, he eventually made it back to Hyrule and started a family (seen in ALBW). In old age, he became a partial mentor to the hero who replaced him.

-Dexter