Back in the mists of time, before the era of The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link,
Hyrule was a land of fabulous palaces and magic. It was also a troubled land, and the divisions of
Light and Dark were tearing it apart. The origins of this conflict lay even deeper in the shadows of
time, with the coming of the Triforce and the greed of Ganondorf, King of Thieves.
To comprehend Hyrule and Link's desperate quest, one must first know the ancient legend of the
Triforce. In the Golden Land, where it was placed by the creators of the world, the Triforce
beckoned to people. Ganon and his band of thieves long searched for the secret entrance to the
Golden Land, eventually stumbling upon it. Then Ganon defeated his fellows for possession of the
Triforce.
In a period known as the Imprisoning War, the King of Hyrule brought seven wise men together to
seal the door to the Golden Land, for Ganon's evil power had been spilling forth, causing corruption
and darkness. The once peaceful land became a place of dreadful rumors of the coming of a magical
enemy. At this time the Master Sword was forged, but there was no hero valiant enough to wield it.
Before the wise men could seal off the Golden Land and the Triforce, Ganon's army surged into
Hyrule and besieged the castle. The Knights of Hyrule fought heroically, but the power of the
Triforce controlled their enemies, giving them inhuman strength. The battle raged back and forth
through the gate. Many foes fell in the tide of battle, but too many Knights also were lost. It seemed
that they were beyond hope.
Then, at the end of the day, the wise men finally succeeded in blocking the door to Ganon's Realm.
With the power of their master removed, the enemies fled or threw themselves into the moat. Hyrule
was saved and over the years the Golden Land, which then became known as the Dark World, faded
from the memory of people.
The people of Hyrule may have forgotten about the Dark World, but the master of that evil land had
not forgotten about Hyrule. Ganon brooded in his prison, surrounded by reminders of his fall. He
grew ever more bitter as the dark years passed like the wailing of cold winds on a winter's night.
Ambition burned in his eyes. He would find a way to wreak vengeance and claim total power.
