The Legend of Zelda may primarily focus on its namesake. However, an equally important part of the story hasn’t been covered as deeply. The Goddess Hylia has long been associated with the land that she’s the namesake of, but she’s only ever vaguely been mentioned in The Legend of Zelda lore.
But as Link again takes to the skies in Tears of the Kingdom, it seems Hylia may come into play courtesy of the Sky Islands. These floating archipelagos suggest a deep connection to Skyward Sword, a game that explains Hylia’s importance with the Kingdom of Hyrule and the Triforce itself. But there are many other things that players may not be familiar with in terms of Hylia’s influence on The Legend of Zelda franchise.
6 She's Never Physically Appeared In A Zelda Game
Despite Hylia’s importance to The Legend of Zelda, the Goddess of Light has never physically appeared in a game. Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild are the only two titles where her presence is truly felt, but she is also mentioned in titles like A Link To The Past, Twilight Princess, and The Adventure of Link.
In Skyward Sword, players only ever see Hylia through Zelda, who becomes the mortal embodiment of the divine being. Whereas in Breath of the Wild, Hylia is only seen through various statues throughout the kingdom, in addition to word of mouth from the different tribes of the land.
5 Hylia Was Entrusted With The Triforce
Skyward Sword was a lore-heavy game for fans of The Legend of Zelda franchise, providing the basis of how the Kingdom of Hyrule came to be. The game’s prologue explains that the Golden Goddesses Farore, Din, and Nayru created the universe, and the Triforce comprised Power, Wisdom, and Courage. They left the Triforce in the care of the Goddess Hylia, with the additional task of watching over the world they’d created.
But evil soon reared its head in the form of Demise, leading Hylia to take the people of the Surface World to the skies as the land beneath them was left to ruin.
4 Hylia Created The Three Dragons Of Hyrule
In Skyward Sword, it is revealed that Hylia created the Three Dragons to oversee The Surface, later known as the Kingdom of Hyrule. These dragons bear the names of the provinces they looked over: Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and Lanaryu Desert. These, in turn, are named after the Three Goddesses. Link has to find each of these dragons to receive their knowledge of the "Song of the Hero" to obtain the Triforce.
The three dragons of Breath of the Wild are different in that they are elemental spirits taking on the form of serpentine beings. But they are docile by nature, seemingly looking after the land of Hyrule like their ancestors.
3 BOTW's Zelda Has Dreamed Of Hylia
In Skyward Sword, Hylia took on a mortal form through Zelda. Since then, Zelda’s ancestors have all carried a divine connection to Hylia and possess mystical powers they must find within themself to fulfill their destiny. As such, each iteration of Zelda is the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, which can grant ultimate power when put together with the other pieces.
Zelda’s connection to Hylia was only ever explored in Skyward Sword until it was revealed in Breath of the Wild that Zelda dreamt “of a place consumed by darkness” where “a lone woman gazed at [her], haloed by blinded light.” The Princess could sense that she was “not of this world” but wasn’t sure whether “she was a fairy or a goddess” - only that “she was beautiful.” The woman spoke to her, but Zelda couldn’t hear her voice and was unsure whether this dream was a vision or simply a “manifestation of [her] fears.”
2 Hylia May Not Be The Source Of Zelda's Powers
Despite Hylia’s direct connection to Zelda and, therefore the Royal Family of Hyrule, Zelda differs greatly from her divine counterpart. While it’s commonly believed that the powers Zelda has are directly linked back to Hylia’s influence on her bloodline, there’s also a chance that Zelda may have found this through the Light Force, as mentioned in The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Like Hylia’s powers, the Light Force is also said to have been passed down through the Royal Family Tree, with each iteration of Zelda encompassing this all-important force outside of that given to her by the Triforce of Wisdom.
1 The Goddess Is Important To Hylians
The Three Goddesses created the land of Hyrule, but it was once ruled over by Hylia. And following the events of Skyward Sword - where Hylia moved the people of Hyrule to the safety of Skyloft – Hylians hold the Goddess of Light in the highest regard.
Thousands of years after the events of Skyward Sword, Hylians and the Sheikah tribe still pay tribute to Hylia. There are statues paying tribute to the Goddess in major towns across the region, and Sheikah Monks offer Link blessings in the form of Spirit Orbs in her name when he completes their challenges.