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Prologue: Ab Aeterno.
(From the Beginning of Time.)

"No man can possibly know what life means, what the world means, until he has a child and loves it. And then the whole universe changes and nothing will ever again seem exactly as it seemed before."
--Lafcadio Hearn

In the beginning, when the Sacred Triumvirate was in the process of creating Hyrule, it came to Farore's attention that the life she was creating was in danger. The work of the sisters was still incomplete: Din still laboured to shape the planet, to separate the fire from the earth, and the water from the air; Nayru still wrote and changed her great Law which would bind and control the primordial chaos-force. The life which Farore's spirit had brought into being was very fragile: almost as fast as they were created, plants were killed by the violent upheavals of the new earth, and spirits were corrupted and destroyed by the remaining chaos-force. If life was to flourish as the Goddess of Courage intended, it would need a place in which it could take root and grow strong.

With this in mind, Farore created a vast forest. At her sister's request, the Goddess of Wisdom gave the place a Law all its own, to give it some protection from the remaining chaos which ran rampant on the infant world. Delighted by what was taking shape, Din the Goddess of Power made certain that developing life would have everything it needed: clean water, clear air, bright sunlight and rich earth. As a final touch, Farore wove a web of shadowy enchantments and phantoms through the trees, creating an incorporeal maze which sealed the forest from intrusion.

As the forest neared completion, Farore called upon those servants she had who were too powerful to be corrupted by the chaos-force. From among them she asked for a guardian to watch over and protect this new place. Immediately, an especially powerful spirit-- one who had grown to love the woods as he watched them grow-- came forward and begged for the honour. The Goddess of Courage gave the spirit authority over the forest and the magics surrounding it, and the freedom to command and change those magics as he saw fit. With this new power, the spirit travelled to an open meadow in the safest part of the forest, where he manifested himself as a colossal tree, towering over the other plants in the woods. Named the Great Deku Tree by Farore, he happily served as caretaker and warden of the forest from that moment onwards.

In this sanctum, safe from the turmoil of the still-developing world, life blossomed. Plants sprang from the soil, flowering in a multitude of vibrant colours and filling the air with soft fragrances. Animals appeared, from delicate and graceful birds to ferocious, gigantic reptiles to swift and cunning mammals. Spirits burst into life, changing and shaping themselves into a myriad of shapes and varieties, fairies and goblins and sprites and nymphs. Working from within the hidden garden of the Forest, Farore filled the world with diverse and incredible forms of life-- and planned still more. Her most powerful creations, the Hylian people who would act as stewards in the Triumvirate's absence, were still to come.

In his meadow, the Great Deku Tree began to feel a deep sadness. The responsibility of caring for the forest had not lost its joy, but the work was hard, and he desired some way to ease his burden; as well, he was unhappy that he would never be able to meet the Hylia, fixed as he was within the impenetrable enchantments of the woods. Eventually, he besought Farore for a companion to help him in his duties to the Goddesses.

He was struck with amazement by the reply: the Triumvirate would permit the Great Deku Tree to create his own form of life with the powers they had given him. The new members of the forest would be incorporated into Nayru's Law, becoming an irrefutable part of the Goddesses' creation.

Amazed and delighted by the opportunity he was given, the Great Deku Tree set to work at once. With the intention of creating a new kind of fairy-- for he admired them the most of all Farore's creations-- the Great Deku Tree took a new, small, unformed spirit and bent all of his power into it. He wove the magics of the woods around it, filling it with the essence of that sacred place. Finally, he poured into it all his love for the Goddesses, for their Law, for the world they were creating, and most of all for the forest from which life was slowly spreading across the land.

The result was not what he had expected.

The Great Deku Tree's first creation took the shape of a Hylian child, and surpassed all other things in the forest in beauty. Farore's sacred spirit, which charged the world with life, burned in her like a flame, and her eyes shone with a deep wisdom even in her earliest days. The Deku Tree did not have the powers of the Goddess of Courage, and his creation was flawed; however, those imperfections, her naivety and openness, only added to her ultimate perfection. The fairies of the woods adored her; they gave her a name in their own language, a name that has long been forgotten, meaning "imperfect and perfect." The Deku Tree selected a powerful fairy to watch over her, to act as a guide, mentor and guardian. When, accompanied by her fairy partner and dressed in Farore's green, she was she was at last presented to the Triumvirate, they were delighted with her as well – especially the Goddess of Courage, who was called "Grandmother" by the new spirit.

Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,
Now the sun is laid to sleep,
Seated in thy silver chair,
State in wonted manner keep;
Hesperus entreats thy light,
Goddess excellently bright.

--Ben Jonson. "Queen and Huntress."

In time, the Great Deku Tree created for his first child eight siblings, four brothers and four sisters, each with a guardian fairy partner. As the children lived, they watched the Triumvirate weave the world together, and by watching and remembering learned things that none have been able to discover or understand since. Time passed, and other forest children were created by the Deku Tree, each with a fairy partner and the same imperfections possessed by the First. Because they were born of spirits and magic from the forest, their vitality was bound to it, and they could not leave it without losing strength and fading from life; within their boundaries, though, they flourished. Many of these children achieved great things, but none were ever able to equal in wisdom, power or majesty the nine Eldest-- just as none of the Eldest could ever compare to their First Sister.

Of the Eldest, one of the earliest to be created has been remembered as Bookish Akiyin. Akiyin was fascinated with language. She was quick to understand any new tongue she heard, and loved learning and creating new languages and forms of writing. She was the first to give names to the Kokiri Forest Children, her race, and to the Kokiri Forest itself, the safe haven of life within the far-spread and dangerous Lost Woods. The Bookish One created a language that was used always as the first tongue of the Kokiri; each child born thereafter into that race was given a name in that language by his or her peers, with the exception of the First of the Eldest, who was named by the Great Deku Tree.

Akiyin had a twin brother, Akonin the Skilful. Akonin enjoyed working with his hands. By listening to the Goddess of Wisdom, he learned how to shape both the earth and the things that could be drawn from it. From his hands came tools, fabrics, pottery, and sculptures. When burrowing beneath the surface lost its interest, the Skilful One began delving deep into the earth, creating vast underground caverns with carven walls, lit by glowing gemstones uncovered from the rocks.

The twins learned from others everything they could and would teach anything they knew; their sister, Tisuuma Secret-Keeper, sought to learn only what no-one could teach and few should know. The Secret-Keeper traveled into the dark and hidden places between the trees, seeking to learn about things that could break or restore the balance of forces the Goddesses had created within the Lost Woods. When she did learn a secret, she guarded it fiercely, using her knowledge only in the defence of the Kokiri race and the Triumvirate's forest.

These three of the Eldest are remembered as the Learners: they spent their lives improving their knowledge and using what they knew to better the Kokiri. They preferred to stay within the boundaries of the Kokiri Forest, leaving only to practice or improve their chosen disciplines, or while in the company of Nayru. The next three favoured the companionship of Din, and were often found roaming abroad. They are remembered as the Sentinels, for they were-- and in part, still are-- the protectors of the Kokiri from things against which they had no other defence; from the beginnings of their lives, they were also the most dedicated defenders of the First of the Eldest.

The most fondly remembered is Alvardi the Guardian. He was a fighter and a hunter, often travelling into the Lost Woods to bring back meat to feed the Kokiri. With the help of Akonin, he created weapons with which the Kokiri could defend themselves and hunt, and taught the other Forest Children how to use them. None of his siblings could match Alvardi in a test of physical prowess, or could equal him in combat against beasts or spirits. The dark-eyed Guardian travelled all over the Lost Woods in companionship with the First; when not exploring, he patrolled the edges of the Kokiri Forest with his brother Asrapheli, warding off or destroying threats to the Kokiri.

While Alvardi enjoyed the vibrant colours of twilight, Asrapheli Star-Lover enjoyed the cold fire and delicate light of the moon and stars. He rarely went out in the day, or even into the Kokiri Forest, preferring the solitude and beauty of the Lost Woods at night. Star-Lover used plants in the Woods to darken his hair, and Akonin wove tiny silver jewels into clothes of black cloth for him, so when seen from a distance he looked like a piece of the starry sky come down to the earth. Asrapheli avoided the other Kokiri: he sought the company only of the other Eldest, and especially of the First, for none of his siblings were as fond of her as he was. In spite of the little time he spent among them all the Kokiri knew of him, and felt comforted by his vigilant presence.

The last of the Sentinels is Rowana the Red. Rowana was beautiful even in comparison to the other Eldest: her eyes were a brilliant sapphire blue, and her long golden hair seemed to catch and reflect the sunlight. Instead of the green worn by the other Kokiri, she dressed in red as bright as the rubies Akonin drew from the ground. The Red One was an aesthete, and did everything she could to bring more beauty into the Kokiri Forest: she collected flowers, painted and wove great tapestries, and composed marvellous works of music. She loved the magnificence of the Lost Woods, and would travel into them often; her magnificence and warm manner were enough to charm even the beasts of the forest, and she gained many animal and spirit allies who helped repel from the Kokiri forest anything that would mar its beauty. From the animals and spirits she befriended she learned of the diseases of the woods, and of the medicinal herbs and plants that could cure them; she became in time the greatest healer the Forest Children have ever known.

The Kokiri are creatures of spirit; in those early days, they were aware as no other creatures were of their Grandmother's living soul filling the world, and none felt that creative essence as strongly as the last three of the Eldest. They were perhaps closest to the Goddesses in appearance and thought; certainly they were more closely connected to the forest then any spirit that existed then or after, with the single exception of the Great Deku Tree. They are remembered as the Royals: they were the greatest leaders of the Kokiri, and Farore's favourites. Ruhako and Zokotees were the youngest of the nine Eldest; the last of the three was the First.

The Kokiri speak little of Ruhako the Gardener, but no other of the Eldest is held in such high esteem. Unlike the other Kokiri, she had not been created from an infant spirit. Her essence had existed in the forest since the first trees were grown, and in her corporeal form her understanding of woodcraft and forest-lore rivalled even that of the Great Tree. Even in a physical incarnation, she remained close to the ethereal world, and retained a power over the mystical essence of the forest her entire life. With her unrivalled knowledge of the woods, she helped the First lead the Kokiri in the labour of their most sacred trust: the support and sustenance of the Kokiri Forest and the life that was spreading from it. She is also remembered for her benevolence and empathy; it is said that she did not in her life speak a single word, yet her openness and strength of emotion were such that Kokiri could read her thoughts in her eyes and expression. Of the Eldest who have since departed, only the First is missed more than the Gardener, and only Zokotees is more lamented.

Zokotees was the last of the Eldest to come in to being. He was proud, and refused during his life in the Forest to accept any nickname or title; yet there have been few Kokiri so full of pride for their kin, race, and home, and only the Star-Lover cared more for the First of the Eldest. In all things Zokotees struggled to be like his Eldest Sister, and sought out her company more than anyone else. He toiled also in learning the crafts and arts of his Elder siblings, trying to attain perfection in everything he did; while he was never able to match each of the Eldest in his or her favourite discipline, he was able to match or overreach each one in all the others, so that only the First was his true superior. While all the other Kokiri in time became weary of their labour and needed to rest Zokotees never ceased working, and he would often force the others to their the end of their endurance, compelling them to push back their limits; he sought always to inspire in them the same fierce and unwavering determination that burned within himself, and always drove the Kokiri to strive for greater and greater goals. Despite being a hard taskmaster, Zokotees was for a long time held in the same regard as the Eldest herself. It is said by Kokirish scholars that the forest children could never have achieved the glory or greatness they later did without the spark of ambition that Zokotees kindled. That ambition and determination is Zokotees' undying legacy to the Kokiri, and endured even when all his other good works were brought to ruin by the direness and horror of his final years.

There is one Kokiri whose power and wisdom has never been matched, even by Zokotees. Over the vast length of her life she was given many names: she was known as the First and Eldest, the Lady of Summer, the Imperfect One, and the Forest Queen – but she is most often remembered as Mikkuo, the name given to her by the Great Deku Tree. She appeared to be the youngest of her siblings, but was in fact the oldest by far: the Sacred Triumvirate's work was only beginning when she first drew breath, and she walked alone under the trees for untold ages before the other Eldest were given shape. She was adored by the Kokiri, particularly by the Eldest, especially by Alvardi and Zokotees, and above all by Asrapheli. Having seen the world in its very first beginnings, Mikkuo knew things about the way it worked that not even the Learners could realize, even discovering how to escape the Forest and live beyond the trees. The vibrancy of her spirit, perhaps, was too great to be contained within the small Kokiri Forest.

In time, it seemed as if it could not be contained even within Hyrule, for the world seemed to her to be losing some of its intrigue and mystery. There was a time, so long ago that only the Kokiri have record of it, when the Imperfect One, impatient of waiting for the Triumvirate to finish their creation and bored of the parts she was able to explore, begged Farore to give her a way to push back her horizons.

The response, delivered by the smiling Goddess of Courage, left her as shocked as her father had been ages before.

If she could wait until Hyrule was complete – and find her own way to get there – then the Goddesses would allow her to enter into the heavens, and would there raise her to the status of a lesser deity, like the Great Deku Tree before her.

Mikkuo was awestruck and delighted. Entering heaven was, of course, challenging, but it was not impossible for someone who had watched the Goddesses as long as the First Eldest and knew how they worked their magic. The powers she could achieve as a deity would make her of more use to the forest than she could ever be as a forest fairy. And she would not go alone, for so great was the Kokiri's love for their Eldest Sister that they promised to follow and serve her.

Within the Forest, the Kokiri were organized into several Houses, each with one of the Eldest as leader. Each House performed a different service for the forest children: Akiyin's House kept books and records, Alvardi's House dwelt in the Lost Woods and consisted of hunters and fighters, Rowana's House was made up of musicians, artists, and healers. Only Asrapheli chose not to lead, counting himself a part of the House of his brother the Guardian. The Kokiri's bosses and teachers were a part of Mikkuo's House.

TheImperfect Oneherself was the race's leader. Only Zokotees felt anything close to the devotion that Mikkuo had for the forest. She created many beautiful gardens in the Lost Woods with Ruhako, and explored deep along its paths with Alvardi and Asrapheli. With Akiyin she created names for the living creatures in the woods; there was one bird, pure white with a gold crest and a song that blended joy and sorrow, which she was so fond of the Kokiri named them after her, calling them mikos.

Time passed. In Hyrule the Goddesses forged, formed and wrote, daily growing closer to the completion of their labours and the realization of their plans. In his meadow, the Great Deku Tree wrapped the forest magic around the Kokiri, protecting them. In the Kokiri Forest, the fairy children strove to keep the balance of the forces within the Woods. Within their Houses, the Eldest grew, and Mikkuo worked to prepare herself to open the way into the heavens. All things were perfect.

But all things change. The Kokiri would carry the scars caused by the dreadfulness of Mikkuo's ruin until the end of the world.

--excerpt from The Legends of Elves and Fairies,
by Old Good Nature Linno

As from the power of sacred lays
The Spheres began to move,
And sung the great Creator's praise
To all the blest above,
So when this last and dreadful hour
This crumbling pageant shall devour,
The trumpet shall be heard on high,
The dead shall live, the living die,
And music shall untune the sky.

--John Dryden. "Song for Saint Cecilia's Day."

Notes and Triva:
-- The names of each of the Eldest are based on real names found online. Mikkuo is an anagram of Kumiko, meaning "eternal beautiful child."
-- Next time: beginnings of many things; Saria's family and friends; an exploration of the Lost Woods by the Narrator