Summary
The Force Era epoch centers on the concept of the Force, a mystical essence representing the vital energy of all life forms and regarded as an endless source of magical power. The era is noted for illustrating the bond between the Hylians and the Minish (also known as Picori), diminutive beings unseen by adults, who once bestowed upon a heroic figure a sword and the light force to vanquish darkness.
Throughout the Force Era, Hyrule was in a state of tranquility and flourishing, partly owing to the Minish Cap and the essence of the Force. This period encompasses the narrative of the Minish Cap, in which the hero, Link, is tasked with stopping the sorcerer Vaati from capturing the Light Force, a potent energy Vaati intends to use for his ascension to divinity. Assisted by Ezlo, a Minish transformed into a cap, Link sets out on a mission to reconstruct the Picori Blade (later known as the Four Sword), defeat Vaati, and bring peace back to the realm.
The Force Era plays a crucial role in the "Legend of Zelda" chronology as it explores the beginnings of pivotal series elements, like the Four Sword, and the persistent motif of a malevolent force aiming to exploit a significant power for evil ends. This era underscores the perpetual battle between light and darkness in the franchise, underscoring the themes of heroism, the strength of friendship, and courage.
Events
The Light Force
The Hero of Men
In the first major event to happen since the kingdom of Hyrule was established, the world was engulfed by evil beings and shrouded in darkness, It was then that a tiny Picori descended from the sky bringing a golden light and a sword. Using the sword, the Hero ofMen sealed the evil beings away in the Bound Chest and brought peace to the world once again. The golden light was the Light Force.
The Royal Family and the Picori
After sealing away the evil beings, the royal family of Hyrule became the careful overseers of the sword, which became known as the Picori Blade. Furthermore, the royal family kept the existence of the land of the Picori, the Minish Realm, hidden. In gratitude to the Picori, the people held a Picori Festival once a year.
The Sword-Fighting Tournament and the Picori Blade
Legend said that every hundred years, a Secret door would open up, and the Picori would pass through and enter the world of the humans. The customs of the Picori Festival had continued for many, many years. Among them was a sword-fighting tournament. The awards ceremony was held in front of the Picori Blade and was the only chance to see the blade.[1]
Unexpected Evil at the Picori Festival
Evil Unleashed at the Picori Festival
For the one hundredth year of the Picori Festival, there was an unusually grand celebration. In the customary sword. fighting tournament, an unknown man named Vaati was the victor. Vaati believed the Light Force was in the Bound Chest. He broke the Picori Blade to unseal the chest and found that it did not contain the Light Force at all. The evil that had been sealed inside poured forth from the chest. Vaati turned Princess Zelda into stone and headed off in search of the Light Force.
The Secret of the Picori
The curse placed on Princess Zelda could only be broken with the sacred power of the Picori Blade. The tribe of the Picori, also called the Minish, were the only ones able to fix the Picori Blade, and they could only be seen by children. Therefore, Smith, the great blacksmith, proposed that the king of Hyrule enlist the help of the young Link. Tte king told Link where the Minish dwelled. Then, with the broken Picori Blade and the Smith's Sword in hand, Link set offin search of their land.
Ezlo
On his way to the Picori's home in the Minish Woods, young Link met Ezlo, a man suffering from a curse. Link came to learn that Ezlo had been a Minish sage and Vaati had been his apprentice. When Vaati put on the Mage's Cap made by Ezlo, he gained evil powers and cursed Ezlo by changing him into the shape of a cap.[2]
The Minish Village and the Four Elements
Link and Ezlo Head to the Minish Village
Feeling responsible for Vaati's actions, Ezlo teamed up with Link and set off for the portal to the Minish Village. The Minish were so tiny they could easily fit into the palm of a grown human's hand. When Link entered the portal, he shrank down to their size and gained entry to the Minish Village in the woods. In order to break the curse on Zelda, Link needed to repair the Picori Blade and use its sacred power. There were four elements hidden around the world that Link needed to obtain and then place on the pedestal in the Elemental Sanctuary to restore the sacred power to the blade.
Vaati Subverts the Kingdom
Still on a quest to obtain the Light Force, Vaati took control of the king of Hyrule and had him order his soldiers to search for the Light Force. Vaati learned from the legend of the Wind Tribe that when the Four Elements were collected and placed in the Elemental Sanctuary, a holy sword would be born, and the path to the Light Force would open. Knowing that Link was collecting the Four Elements, Vaati waited until a time when he could take the elements from Link.[3]
Hyrule Restored
The Elemental Sanctuary
After collecting all of the Four Elements, Link placed them on the sacred pedestal. The Picori Blade became infused with sacred power and transformed into the Four Sword, which gave the wielder the ability to split into four identical copies of himself. Simultaneously, a door beyond the pedestal opened, revealing the legend that the Light Force dwelled within the princess Zelda, generation after generation.
The Wrath of Vaati
After Vaati followed Link and learned about the Light Force, he took Princess Zelda to the roofof the castle and, little by little, extracted what he could of the Light Force from her body in order to transform himself. Link stopped the ritual, but Vaati was Still able to use the power of the Light Force to transform into Vaati's Wrath. Using the power of the Four Sword, Link destroyed Vaati's Wrath and broke the curses on Princess Zelda and Ezlo.
Princess Zelda Restores Hyrule
The battle between Link and Vaati 's Wrath brought Hyrule Castle down around them. Ezlo gave the Mage's Cap to Princess Zelda, who, with the small amount of Light Force left within her, made a wish to restore Hyrule to its original condition. Not long after, the door to the Minish Village began to close, but before it shut, Ezlo presented Link with a green cap and then returned to the Minish Village.[4]
The Seal Is Broken
Peace was fleeting in Hyrule. Vaati, presumed dead, suddenly reappeared, and terror returned to the land. Vaati occupied the Palace of Winds and kidnapped every beautiful young woman in Hyrule, one by one. That was when the Hero, carrying the legendary Four Sword, appeared. Tapping into the sword's power, the Hero's body split into four, and the combined power of the Heroes was enough to defeat Vaati. Vaati was sealed in the Four Sword and enshrined in the Elemental Sanctuary.[5]
The Resurrection of the Wind Mage
For generations, Princess Zelda and her descendents looked after the sealed Four Sword, but a day came when the seal began to weaken. When Princess Zelda went to check on the seal, it broke. Vaati escaped his prison, kidnapped Zelda, and took her to the Palace of Winds.[5]
Link Draws the Four Sword
Link witnessed the resurrection of the evil Vaati. Shortly after, a fairy appeared to Link and instructed him to draw the legendary Four Sword. As he did so, he split into four. Ihe Great Fairies said that they could help Link get to the Palace ofVVinds, but he first had to prove his courage by defeating dangerous foes and collecting rupees.[5]
The Palace of Winds Reappears
Vaati, who has no memory of his life as a Picori, goes on a mindless rampage. With the ability to manipulate the wind, Vaati calls himself the Wind Mage, and takes over the Palace of Winds.
Vaati kidnaps Princess Zelda to make her his bride in commemoration of his resurrection, not to obtain the Light Force.[6]