Hylian Crest
The Hylian Crest is a common engraving or depiction of an archaic bird , usually beneath the Triforce, and can be seen on the Hylian Shield, around Hyrule Castle, and at the Temple of Time. A variation of the crest with a Triforce in the place of the bird's head is commonly used to represent the Royal Family of Hyrule. The bird crest has also been used to represent the Hylian race as a whole, as it is the crest over Rauru's stained-glass window in The Wind Waker.
Appearances
The depiction of a winged figure below the Triforce first appeared in Template:ALTTP, where the design of Link's shield featured a birdlike design below the Triforce. Another birdlike figure guarded the doorway of the Sanctuary as well. A similar winged figure also appeared on the Hero's Shield in The Wind Waker.
The familiar red bird crest first appeared in Template:OOT, on the Hylian Shield. As the shield was used by the Knights of Hyrule,[1] it is possible that the bird may symbolize devotion to the Royal Family or to the Hylian people. The bird also seems to grasp a piece of the Triforce in its talons, perhaps signifying dedication to the protection of the Sacred Realm or the realm of Hyrule. This same design appears on young Princess Zelda's dress. A design resembling the Royal crest also appears on her dress as an adult, and at Hyrule Castle.
By The Wind Waker, the crest was over the gates of Hyrule Castle and used in Rauru's stained-glass window. This crest was also prevalent in Twilight Princess, appearing at Hyrule Castle and on the uniforms of the Castle Guards.
A variation of this crest appears in Spirit Tracks, but substituting an upside-down triangle for the Triforce in its design. It is visible on the front of the Spirit Train as well as on Anjean. This modified crest appears to be the national symbol of the New Hyrule, to distinguish it from the ancient one destroyed during the Great Flood.
Possible Candidates
It has been speculated that Kaepora Gaebora from Ocarina of Time whom is an owl, and the Helmaroc King from The Wind Waker which is a large Kargarok, may be such birds, but neither of them lead Link to the Triforce itself, and are not similar in physical structure to the bird depicted in the symbol around Hyrule Castle, the Temple of Time, or even the Hylian Shield.
Kaepora Gaebora
Kaepora Gaebora does however lead Link about Hyrule as an experienced traveler, and if one goes with the theory that the owl is actually the Sage of Light, Rauru, in a transfiguration, the argument could be made that since Rauru exists only in the Temple of Light, located in the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm, he could have in fact led Link to the Triforce, located in the temple, through use of his bird form, if, at the time, the Triforce had been returned to three parts. However, this does not happen in Ocarina of Time and cannot be considered as fact, just mere fan speculation.
The Helmaroc King
The Helmaroc King has even less connection to the Triforce, only acting as a minion of Ganondorf, doing his deeds as he demanded, despite its uncanny eagle-like appearance. Of what we know based on The Windwaker, the Helmaroc King has no contact with the Triforce, and when the Triforce is revealed at the end of the game, the Helmaroc King had already been long defeated.
Ooccoo
The most plausible connection in a canonical Zelda game to the Hylian Eagle is Ooccoo, the strange bird that helped Link on his quest through the temples in Twilight Princess. Ooccoo and others of his race can speak Hylian and are hinted to be ancestors of the Hylian race, and with the Hylian eagle symbol seen on the Hylian Shield, Hyrule Castle, and in the Temple of Time (in Hyrule Castle), one could consider the Hylian Eagle symbol representative of the Hylian race. Living in the City in the Sky, Ooccoo is technically in the closest place reachable by Link so far to the point in the sky where the Goddesses left the world, leaving the Triforce in their place. According to Shad, the Oocca race are the closest to the goddesses, even closer than the Hylians. However, Ooccoo simply does not resemble the bird depiction in the Hylian Shield, despite its connections to the possibility of being the Hylian Eagle, resembling more of a chicken-like structure. In this game as well, despite all of this evidence, Ooccoo does not lead Link to the Triforce, and these theories must be considered as extrapolation, not fact.
Other plausible, yet unlikely candidates:
- Argorok, the boss of the City of the Sky in Twilight Princess - highly resembles that of the symbolic eagle, with red skin and large extended wings, but has no known connection to the Triforce.
- Kargaroks, the small birds around the world of The Wind Waker - they also seem to have no connection to the Triforce, are not present at the end of the game when the Triforce is revealed.
References
- ↑ "This is a big, heavy shield just like the ones Hylian Knights use. It can stand up to flame attacks!" — Bazaar owner (Ocarina of Time)