Temple of Time
The Temple of Time from Ocarina of Time
First appearance	Ocarina of Time (1998)
Appears in	Ocarina of Time Twilight Princess Skyward Sword
Country	Hyrule
Region	(Ocarina of Time) Hyrule Castle Town (Twilight Princess) Sacred Grove (Skyward Sword) Lanayru Desert
Point(s) of interest	Door of Time

The Temple of Time (時の神殿, Toki no Shinden^?) is a recurring location in the Legend of Zelda series. Home of the Master Sword, it serves as the gateway between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. The Temple of Time was constructed in ancient times by the Ancient Sages to protect the Sacred Realm from evil.

Appearances Edit

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Edit

As Link approaches Hyrule Castle Town with all three Spiritual Stones, he sees the town in flames Princess Zelda escaping with Impa on horseback. Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time into the city's moat, meaning for Link to find it. Ganondorf appears shortly thereafter and confronts Link about the location of Princess Zelda and Impa, which Link refuses to reveal. After Ganondorf knocks the young hero down using his dark magic, he pursues Princess Zelda and Impa into Hyrule Field. Link retrieves the Ocarina of Time from the moat and telepathically learns the "Song of Time" from Princess Zelda. He then travels to the Temple of Time beyond Hyrule Castle Town's main square and enters the sacred structure the Ancient Sages built long ago. Here, he places the three Spiritual Stones on the altar and plays the "Song of Time" on the Ocarina of Time. The Door of Time opens, yielding access to the Master Sword, which serves as the final key to the Sacred Realm. Link approaches the Pedestal of Time and removes the Master Sword from it. With this, a rush of magical energy issues forth around the Pedestal of Time as the portal to the Sacred Realm is opened. However, Link is too young to wield the Master Sword, so he and Navi are sealed away within the Temple of Light for seven years until he is old enough to properly handle the Blade of Evil's Bane. Meanwhile, Ganondorf surmises that Link possesses the keys to the Door of Time and follows him into the Temple of Time, accessing the Sacred Realm through the portal Link opens. He then touches the Triforce, causing it to split apart, leaving him with only the Triforce of Power in an event known as the Great Cataclysm. Ganondorf returns to Hyrule with the Triforce of Power and uses it to subjugate the land to his will, ruling it with an iron fist for seven dark years, always on the lookout for the two other special people that now hold the other two Triforce pieces.

Link awakens seven years later in the Temple of Light, and the Sage of Light, Rauru, sends him to awaken the rest of the Seven Sages. Link successfully cleanses Hyrule's temples of evil and awakens the five other Sages, and upon his success, returns to the Temple of Time to learn that Princess Zelda, disguised as Sheik, is the final sage and the leader of them all. After Zelda reveals the truth of their possession of the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage and gives Link the Light Arrows needed to battle Ganondorf, the King of Evil finally finds her and imprisons her in a rose-colored crystal. As she rises into the air, Ganondorf telepathically challenges the Hero of Time to come to his home, Ganon's Castle, for a final showdown, using Zelda as the bait. Link accepts the offer and travels to the castle where he ultimately defeats Ganondorf and saves Princess Zelda. Shortly afterward, Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his childhood to regain his lost seven years. He then returns to Hyrule Castle in Hyrule's still-tranquil past and reveals the truth of what is about to happen to Princess Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Edit

Main article: Temple of Time (Twilight Princess)

During Zant's invasion of Hyrule, the Temple of Time is seen once again; however, it lies in ruins and is surrounded by the debris of what appears to have once been a city. It also appears that at some point, the Door of Time was moved from its original place guarding the Chamber of the Master Sword and installed as the main door to the Temple of Time before the Temple of Time fell out of mainstream knowledge. This would later enable a new Link to go back through time's flow to visit the Temple of Time as it had stood in the days of past. Whatever the reason, the Temple of Time fell into deep ruin and became a largely forgotten place to many. It would, however, remain the home of the Master Sword and the Pedestal of Time, despite the Sacred Grove's growing over the area surrounding it, and serves as the location of one of the lost fragments of the Mirror of Twilight.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Edit

The Temple of Time is located in Lanayru Desert. Link must travel through the Lanayru Mining Facility to gain access to it. Here, he is reunited with Zelda, but their time together is cut short when Ghirahim shows up. Zelda entrusts Link with the Goddess's Harp and, with Impa, runs through the Gate of Time, (which Impa destroys upon their entrance into it in order to prevent Ghirahim from following,) transporting herself to another time period in the past. Link must then find a way to activate the Gate of Time. It is implied the Sealed Temple in the Sealed Grounds becomes a second Temple of Time, given the Sealed Temple's incredibly similar layout to the Temple of Time from Ocarina of Time, the fact the Master Sword is placed in a pedestal behind a large pair of doors, and that the temple houses the only remaining Gate of Time.

Non-canonical appearances Edit

Link's Crossbow Training Edit

The Temple of Time serves as the location for Temple of Time: Ranger and Darknut Battle.