Prologue: An Ancient Legend
Of the many legends that the people speak of, one in particular seems to always stand out and turn heads. It tells of a Golden Power, a wicked desert man who coveted it, and a great hero who swore to defend it. It is none other than the legend of the Hero of Time.
Long ago, a Golden Power known as the Triforce lay hidden within a vast and prosperous kingdom. Unfortunately, the power of the Triforce proved too tempting for a certain vile man from the desert named Ganon. This man obtained the almighty Golden Power, and with his control of the strength it possessed he worked to create a kingdom of darkness for himself on the foundation of the prosperous kingdom. It seemed as though the people, who were at the mercy of the evil being, had no one to turn too, but just as they had begun giving up hope…
…A boy cloaked in garments colored of the forest suddenly appeared. He wielded an enchanted sword capable of smiting evil of any form, and with it in hand he sealed the mighty Ganon away. The boy had the ability to travel through time, which he used in his conflict against Ganon. The people were not sure what to make of this confounding ability, and thought that he was surely a hero sent by the gods themselves. They dubbed this valiant young warrior The Hero of Time, and looked up to him for his incredible courage.
The Hero of Time disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared that fateful day, but soon after his disappearance came a day when a foul wind swept across the kingdom. The spell holding Ganon to his prison, the seal that was supposed to remain for all time had broken, and the vile man was again free to resume his evil plot. The people believed that their beloved Hero of Time, the boy who most certainly had been sent as a savior by the gods before, would once again come to their aid. However, when the hero did not appear, the people felt betrayed. Still, they knew they had to turn somewhere, and so with heavy hearts they turned to their gods for help.
A hundred years later, the memory of the kingdom from the legend has long since escaped the thoughts of the people. The legend of the great hero is a different story though. Talk of the Hero of Time has allowed the legend to endure the flow of time. It fact, the people of the village situated on Outset Island have established a custom of dressing boys in a replica of the garb once worn by the hero for the duration of the day on which they become the same age as the Hero of Time. For a boy named Link, that day has arrived.