Realms of Hyrule

These are the realms of Hyrule, although they do not all exist at the same time they are all visited by one of the heroes at some point. They have been added in chronological order with regard to the time of their creation.

You can also visit our Races of Hyrule section to see the different creatures which inhabit the world of Hyrule.

Ancient Hyrule
This is the Hyrule created by the three goddesses at the dawn of time. It was ruled over by the Hylian Royal Family who lived in, and ruled from, Hyrule Castle. Before the kingdom was formed, a great battle ensued between the peoples of Hyrule, and in the end the King came out victorious, unifying the land. The land and its inhabitants enjoyed an era of peace before the Gerudo King Ganondorf made his approach, seizing control of the Triforce of Power and using it to plunge the blessed land into an era of darkness. He ruled Hyrule through seven years before he was brought down by the legendary Hero of Time, and he was sealed by the Seven Sages in the Evil Realm. Some time after the Hero of Time had disappeared into the flows of time, however, the Evil King eventually broke free from his imprisonment and attacked the lands of Hyrule once again, and with no Hero to save the lands the Goddesses were forced to flood the land, sealing Ganondorf underneath the sea. Many, many years later, he was released from his seal and pledged to use the Triforce to bring Hyrule back from the depths of the sea, but his plans were thwarted by the new hero and King Daphnes of Hyrule. Thus the ancient land of Hyrule would be forever buried underneath the Great Sea.

Over a hundred years back, however, the Hero of Time returned to his original time and changed the course of history, thwarting the plans of Ganondorf. Thus the timeline split, and this land of Hyrule would exist parallel to the land that was plunged into darkness by the Evil King. Without Ganondorf to threaten the land and forcing the Goddesses to intervene, this land would prosper in the years to come, until it was assaulted by the forces of the Twilight King, Zant. In an elaborate scheme to return to power, Ganondorf – who had been banished to the Twilight Realm by the Six Sages – was able to use Zant and the Twili in order to return to the world of light and seize control over Hyrule Castle. However, the new hero and the Twilight Princess Midna managed to bring him down, and Hyrule would once again see peaceful times.

The Sacred Realm
The Sacred Realm is the golden land, and the resting place of the Triforce. The Dark Interlopers created the Fused Shadows in an attempt to gain control over the Sacred Realm, and as a result they were banished to the Twilight Realm by the Goddesses. During the history of Hyrule, Ganondorf has repeatedly been able to invade the Sacred Realm and claim the sacred power of the Triforce.

Termina
When Link first visited a land outside Hyrule, Termina was the destination. Because many of the persons and creatures he met here were very similar to the inhabitants of Hyrule, Termina is often thought of as a parallell world to Hyrule. However, in Termina, the races do not have a common ruler or Royal Family that runs the land, but they have individual leaders. The Terminians are more advanced than the Hyrulians, but do not seem to have the same faith in the gods as the Hyrulians do, and as a result of dark times the people have fallen inton evil circle of despair and hopelessness. Every year the inhabitants of Clock Town celebrate a big carnival. They do this in honor of the four great ones which, according to the legend, created the land, and still guard it. The Triforce is not mentioned when Link is in Termina, so it is believed that it does not play a part of their lives and history. During Link’s journey, he learns that Termina is three days away from being annihilated by the terrible moon that is staring down at the forsaken land.

The Great Sea
When the Goddesses buried the land of Old Hyrule under the ocean, those that survived formed a new civilization on the mountaintops that had in time begun more to resemble small islands. This civilization was made up of various islands that shared the common culture inherited by their ancient Hyrulian ancestors. Somewhere on the Great Sea, the people would once again find a land to call their own, under the guidance of the pirate Tetra.

Koholint Island
While ship-wrecked on a sea-voyage away from Hyrule, Link stumbled upon Koholint Island. The Wind Fish was the emperor of the Island, and Link couldn’t leave the island until he had freed the Wind Fish. This Island was infact inhabited by many people that resembled the inhabitants of Hyrule, and Link is still, after his departure, uncertain if the island was just a place he visited in his dreams.

Realm of the Ocean King
After Link and Tetra had brought down the King of Evil and put the old land of Hyrule behind them for good, they set their sights on new horizons. During their travels, they come across a cursed vessel known as the Ghost Ship, which abducts Tetra and transports both her and Link into an alternate dimension. Here Link learns that the Ghost Ship has been terrorizing the inhabitants of the various islands, and that he must help the them in order to gain the power to save Tetra from the evil Bellum. In this realm, there are races like the Gorons, the Anouki and the Yook.

New Hyrule
Sometime after Link and Tetra set sail once again, they came across a new land they decided to call Hyrule, in honor of the old country that was now dwelling at the bottom of the ocean. The new inhabitants would soon discover that the land was not ripe for the taking, however. An evil Demon King ruled the land, and Tetra and her crew had to battle the beast for dominion over this new Hyrule. With the help of the good spirits, they were able to lock the Demon King up, spreading his shackles across the landscape. These shackles would become known as the Spirit Tracks, and they were all connected to the same point – the Spirit Tower. The land would prosper under the rule of the new Royal Family, however after a couple of generations evil was once again on the rise, as Chancellor Cole plotted to bring the Demon King back by using the body of the young princess Zelda. New Hyrule saw the return of races like the Anouki and the Gorons, which dwelt in the Snow and Mountain Lands respectively.

Calatia
Little is known about the land of Calatia, despite its relatively close proximity to New Hyrule. The two countries are indeed adjacent, but are also divided by the Death Mountain Range, forcing any attempting travelers to sail across the Hyrulian Sea, westward around the cape formed by the southernmost peaks of the Range. This land is ruled over by a warrior queen during the period of LoZ/AoL who aids Link on occasions (see comicbook section). NOTE: This location is not canon to the games, as it appears only in the Valiant comics.

Labrynna
When peace reigned in Hyrule, Link was not free to rest. The Triforce called him to the land of Labrynna, as evil was stirring in this far-away land. Being allied with the evil empress, Veran, they take over the beautiful singer, and godess of time, Nayru. Labrynna is inhabited by the same races as Hyrule and Termina, but unlike Termina, Labrynna has their own inhabitants that are special for their land, and therefore the land is obviously not a parallell dimension of some sort, like Termina. The land of Labrynna was once ruled by Queen Ambi, who had ordered for a Black Tower to be constructed so that she could keep a watch for her lover who was lost at sea.

Holodrum
Located somewhere far from Hyrule, Holodrum is a very color and cheer-full land. Link was brought to Holodrum by the Triforce when General Onox used the powers of the Oracle of Seasons, Din, to mess up the Seasons in Holodrum. The land is very similar to Labrynna, but it is characterized by its own unique landmarks and inhabitants.

Subrosia
Subrosia is a land deep inside of the planet, and here lives the Subrosians. They are a peaceful race that can acces every land in Hyrule that they want, from Subrosia. The only known entrance for other races to Subrosia is in Holodrum.