Who was the first Link? Hylia's Chosen Hero (Legend of Zelda)

Skyward Sword mentions a "chosen hero" who fought long ago. Who was he?

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0:00 Intro
0:19 Hylia's Chosen Knight
2:07 Who was the Chosen Hero?
5:45 Causal Loop
7:08 Himekawa's Manga
7:53 The Grandfather Paradox
9:30 Time Travel in Skyward Sword
11:32 An Impossible Victory
14:58 Outro

#Zelda #LegendofZelda #SkywardSword

[protip]

I think the biggest indication that Skyward Sword's link *is* the chosen hero is Demise's surprise at seeing a human brave enough to stand up to him. If there had been a different chosen hero back in the Age of Hylia, he'd say "you remind me of him" or something, but when SS Link meets him, he's apparently the first human to stand up to him.

[SanctuaryReintegrate]

I think when it comes to silly time stuff, the Master Sword itself is the key. The Master Sword and its user have the ability work outside of stable loops, and make changes to existing ones. Time travel without the sword is limited to paradoxical loops, but the power of the Master Sword creates new possibilities. Basically, the sword has the power to bypass paradoxes. Though, when used carelessly, it can also slinter timelines apart like in OoT. I think the strongest evidence for the Master Sword being the key to abnormal time travel is the fact that the sword is the only thing that can hurt Demise, and often the only thing that can hurt Ganons to follow. Its ability is like poison to a being who gains immortality by being timeless. The sword can cut you today, yesterday, and tomorrow at the same time, so to speak.

[David]

Like others have pointed out in the comments it's very possible that since Hylia is the goddess of time she likely knew Link would eventually come about and made up those Legends and lyrics herself to give Link hints on where to go and what to do while becoming the hero of legend.

[finnishnin]

Theory: The Imprisoned is the reassimilation of Demise's body, his soul was sealed in the Master Sword and his hatred was reincarnated into Ganon and other villains. The Imprisoned is essentially a mindless beast all power, no finesse. It's slowly learning as it escapes each time but ultimately destroyed by the Triforce. Demise died in the past but his body reassembled itself in the future only to get destroyed once more permanently.

[AbeM.]

I suppose it’s also possible that Hylia described the chosen hero to her people, in order to set the traditions in motion. Her chosen hero is Link, and she knows how things will hopefully pan out, but the people passing down the tradition don’t really know what already happened or not. Like a reverse legend.

[HyruleGamer]

I've been thinking about this whilst replaying the intro!! Skyward Sword is just the first timeframe we PLAY off... not know of! That is bloody fascinating to me! Honestly I am very unsure and your view has opened my eyes!

[alakazavartin]

The zelda timeline is just a massive 4D chess board.

[jprophet]

Schrodinger's demon is now my favorite description of Demise.

[WindMageMaster]

I think you're confused. Demise is never killed in the past. He is sealed, as stated multiple times in the ending. The seal we try to maintain throughout the entire game IS Link's seal, hence it reacts to him the moment he comes down to the surface at the start. As for the Master Sword... it is either the sealing spike itself and is summoned back after Demise is crushed, OR Impa has hidden it in the temple. The pedestal itself does not appear in the past until Link has defeated Demise and Impa brings it out for Link to place the Master Sword. So, she can clearly move the pedestal. The tree is gameplay related, not really story related... HOWEVER... time shift stones DO alter the past and present, and Link uses a time shift stone to take a seedling to move it. The tree always grows, but the location is changed because of a time shift stone.

[MessedUpSystem]

This reminds me of the legend of Artorias from the first Dark Souls. During some parts of the game you hear about Artorias being a godlike hero that single-handedly faced and defeated the Abyss in the distant past, but when you go back in time you discover that he actually fell to the Abyss and the one that actually defeated Manus was your character, the Chosen Undead.

[darkron]

Noww that Zelti mention the zelda manga series would anyone love to see him cover them at some point, maybe like a review of them or diffrences from the games they are based on?

[paradoxxis]

My interpretation of the Imprisoned/dead Demise paradox issue is that the _timeline_ isn't split, but _Demise_ is. The game states that Demise's _consciousness_ is sealed within the Master Sword, but never what happens to his body and to his demonic power. We see it disintigrate, but that could very well be imagery of it being sealed...perhaps in the sealing spike in the Sealed Grounds, at the exact same location as the gateway to Demise's boss arena.

So, my interpretation is that Demise's mind was sealed in the Master Sword, which was, of course, being hidden by Old Impa the whole time, while the Imprisoned is what remains - his mindless power and strength incarnated as a massive beast.

[bgamer]

TL:DR
Demise to the laws of time: *Looks like I'm about to break the law*

[wanderyt]

Apart from the life tree, Sjyward Sword can still follow the closed loop time line. Here's my theory.
Consider this, Old Impa already knows how things went on in the past and knowing this, she keeps her mouth shut about the events. The Master Sword is kept in the temple and Impa is always in the temple watching it. At any point, we can safely assume that Impa 'hid' the Master Sword from Link when he first arrived so that its presence may not reveal any 'spoliers' for Link or Fi. It could also be that Demise's souls being sealed in the sword is also related to him being sealed in the pit. The remnants of his souls is what caused him to take the form of a massive pinecone and over time the Master Sword's seal on his soul weakened. However with Link arriving with the Goddess Sword, and striking the seal, it strengthened the initial Master Sword seal each time until the Triforce wish can finally finish him off for good. Impa has some magic up her sleeves. I'm sure a simple illusion to prevent the viewing of the Master Sword in the present is possible.

[andromedabear]

I think the idea of a proto-Link like in the comic could be an answer, he was quiet what the Hylia needed, but was an inspiration as to what would become THE HERO. It was also never covered about the red Loftwing being the mount of the Hero, and the future seal for the Hylian Royal family. And the reason Demise never fought him is because he died to give Hylia time to lift the islands; in a similar way that the Link fails timeline from OOT has Gannon sealed in the sacred realm.

[timdoesstuff]

14:40 Link's face basically sums up how I felt trying to piece this together.

[HoopsandHipHop]

Here’s my attempt at an explanation lol.

When Demise is defeated in the distant past, he initiates the curse that creates every susbsequent Zelda villain. So that curse is in effect from the distant past all the way up until the present day that Link returns to, which wasn’t the case in the present day before Link went to the past, since Demise hadn’t been defeated by him yet. This would leave plenty of time for other villains to rise up thanks to the curse, and leave the world in an overall similar state to how it was before Link went to the past.

[hallonkatt]

Okay, just throwing this at the wall to see if it sticks: Since all Links share a soul, they are in essence the same person. Couldn't that be why Sky-Link is referred to as the Goddess' Chosen Hero/Knight, since dragons and whatnot are semi-eternal and maybe somehow... can feel and recognise that Sky-Link possess the same soul as the ancient Hero?

[NBMATR]

My theory is that link creates the seal on demise when he defeats demise. The imprisoned is what's left after demise conscience is sealed in the master sword. So the rest of of the theory still works. As for the master sword maybe impa moved it or something idk how it got there

[marctaco]

In Majora's Mask, when you reforge the kokiri sword into the guilded sword, you are told by the smith that it now has power beyond time and space, and in Ocorina of Time, you are told that he who controls the Master Sword and Ocarina together becomes the master of time. It seems that there are many items and people who are too powerful to be influinced by time travel physics.