Hyrule

Not to be confused with Camp Hyrule.

Hyrule
'The Legend of Zelda' location
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda
Created by	Shigeru Miyamoto
Genre	Video game
Information
Type	Principality
Ruler	Princess Zelda
Race(s)	Hylian

Hyrule (ハイラル, Hairaru) is a fictional setting in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, where most of the games take place.

Making its first appearance in The Legend of Zelda, many of the designated areas in Hyrule have recurring appearances throughout the series, such as the Lost Woods, Kakariko Village, Death Mountain and Lake Hylia. Several games in the series are set in lands other than Hyrule, including Link's Awakening, set on Koholint Island; Majora's Mask, set in Termina; Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, set in Holodrum and Labrynna, respectively; The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, both set on the Great Sea, a flooded Hyrule (although a large portion of Phantom Hourglass takes place in the World of the Ocean King, which is in another dimension); Spirit Tracks, in New Hyrule and Skyward Sword, set on Skyloft, a group of islands floating above the clouds.

Hyrule was formed by three goddesses (三柱の女神, Mihashira no Megami) Din (ディン), Farore (フロル, Faroru), and Nayru (ネール, Nēru). According to Hylian legend as depicted in Ocarina of Time, Din created the physical geography of the realm, Nayru created the physical laws to govern the land, and Farore created the races to uphold the law and the flora and fauna that inhabit the world. Once the goddesses had completed their tasks, they departed for the heavens, and left behind three golden triangles. In these, they put their power to govern all things; this relic became known as the Triforce. The realm itself was eventually named after its dominant race, the Hylia.

Hylian is a constructed language that first appears in A Link to the Past, where it is identified as "the ancient language of the Hylians". In A Link to the Past, its written form is composed of symbols that have to be translated by Link to progress in the game. In The Wind Waker, three spirits, the angler fish-like Jabun, the dragon Valoo, and the Great Deku Tree, as well as the King of Red Lions, can speak it. In Japan, an explanation on the Hylian alphabet was printed on the back of the instruction manual, showing the language written with a phonographic writing system, or syllabary, like Japanese. Since then three more Hylian scripts have been developed and/or deciphered for the public: the Old Hylian Syllabary used in Ocarina of Time, the Modern Hylian Syllabary used in The Wind Waker, and the Hylian Alphabet used in Twilight Princess. The first two are used for transcribing Japanese, while the last is used to transcribe English.

The currency of Hyrule and other areas is called the "Rupee" (ルピー, Rupī), and the coins resemble hexagonal crystals or gems, and come in various colors that determine value. In Oracle of Seasons, the Subrosian race accepts only Ore Chunks as currency, and in Four Swords Adventures, Force Gems are used rather than Rupees. Rupees are also absent in The Adventure of Link, which has no apparent in-game currency system. The original The Legend of Zelda only has flashing Rupees, worth one, and blue Rupees, worth five. In the original, they were called "Rupies," the singular being "Rupy"; this was later changed. Subsequent games introduced more colors and sizes for Rupees, each denoting a specific value. Generally, green Rupees have the least value, while huge gold or silver Rupees have the most. Phantom Hourglass introduced black Rupees called "Rupoor" that would steal a certain quantity of Rupees depending on their size. Rupoors have since reappeared in Skyward Sword.

Hyrulean geography

• Death Mountain (デスマウンテン, Desu Maunten) is a recurring area that first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda. It is often simply a mountain, though many other times it is an active or inactive volcano. In all its appearances, Death Mountain has many caves and dungeons, such as Ganon's lair in The Legend of Zelda, and the Goron City, the Fire Temple and Dodongo's Cavern (ドドンゴの洞窟, Dodongo no Dōkutsu) in Ocarina of Time.
• Spectacle Rock (メガネイワ Megane Iwa) is two large rock formations next to each other. It is usually associated with Death Mountain and has been a series staple since its debut in the original game. In Breath of the Wild it is located in the Gerudo Highlands instead.
• Ganon's Castle (ガノン城, Ganon-jō) has acted as the final dungeon and battleground between Link and Ganon in several games.
• The Great Sea (大海原, Ōunabara) is formed in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass after Hyrule has been flooded by a deluge. Only a collection of mountaintops are still visible above the water, and these form the 65 islands and archipelagos of the Great Sea. Due to the relatively small size of many of the islands, there are large expanses of ocean between each island. Due to the vast nature of the sea, most navigation requires the use of charts. On the islands of the Great Sea, local commerce is quite advanced. Most of the food is gathered from fishing and small farms, though there are also active merchant, salvage, and shipbuilding businesses. At least one continent resides out in the ocean on which the Kingdom of Hyrule was reestablished by Tetra. This is sometimes referred to as "New Hyrule" (although such terminology is never used in-game) to distinguish it from the original Hyrule that was destroyed at the end of The Wind Waker which is where Spirit Tracks is set.
• Hyrule Castle (ハイラル城, Hairaru-jō) is the home and seat of the royal family of Hyrule. The castle's first appearance was in A Link to the Past, the third game in the series. It is often a central area that Link must enter during his quest.
• Kakariko Village (カカリコ村, Kakariko-mura) is a village that first appears in A Link to the Past and has since reappeared in Ocarina of Time, Four Swords Adventures, Twilight Princess, A Link Between Worlds and Breath of the Wild. Kakariko is often portrayed as a prosperous small town with red rooftops and cuccos running around. However, in Twilight Princess, where the town is depicted with an 'Old West' type of look, almost all of the villagers have been kidnapped by Shadow Beasts, and the village appears similar to a ghost town. The Hidden Village, another location in Twilight Princess, has signs that translate from Hylian to say "Welcome to Old Kakariko".
• Lake Hylia (ハイリア湖, Hairia-ko) is a large lake located in Hyrule. In most games, it is fed by a river coming from "Zora's Domain", which is where the Zora race live. In Ocarina of Time there is a shortcut to Lake Hylia found in Zora's Domain.
• The Lost Woods (迷いの森, Mayoi no Mori) is a large, forest that appears in various titles. It's maze-like structure leads Link in circles unless the correct path through the forest is taken. Those who become lost in the forest are said to eventually turn into monsters. However, the forest also serves as a sanctuary offering protection to the child-like Kokiri and an orphaned Link during the events of Ocarina of Time. In a number of games it is the location of the resting place of the Master Sword. In Twilight Princess the Lost Woods is part of a region known as Faron Province.
• Temple of Time (時の神殿, Toki no Shinden) is the temple that houses the Master Sword in Ocarina of Time. It is one of the dungeons in Twilight Princess. To gain access to some areas such as the temple itself, the Master Sword is used as a key frequently throughout the dungeon. Another temple, also known as the Temple of Time, is a location visited in Lanayru Desert during the events of Skyward Sword.
• Skyloft (スカイロフト, Sukai Rofuto) is a collection of large islands floating above the clouds in Skyward Sword. The Goddess Hylia used the last of her power to raise what was left of the surviving Hylians along with a plot of land that was still free during the Great War with Demise. Below the clouds lies "the Surface". Found on the Surface are several locations visited in games that take place after the events of Skyward Sword: "Faron Woods" (Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild), "Lake Floria" (Breath of the Wild), "Eldin" (Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild), "Eldin Volcano" (Implied to be the series staple "Death Mountain"), and the arid "Lanayru Desert", which is seen as a fecund region in Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild. The "Lanayru Mining Facility" has blue Time-Shift Stones that the Hyrule Historia ties to the titular blue ocarina from Ocarina of Time.