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Template:Character Princess Hilda is the princess of Lorule and is a principle character in A Link Between Worlds. As she appears as a darker, brooding Lorulean version of Zelda, Hilda guides Link through the land of Lorule so he may rescue all of the seven sages. Although, Hilda has an alternate agenda. She seeks to restore her broken kingdom, and will go to great lengths to do so.

Appearance

Princess Hilda has a similar appearance to Princess Zelda in A Link Between Worlds, but is very distinct. Hilda has a dark purple color scheme that matches her long dark hair. The Triforce patterns are designed on her attire. Hilda also wears earrings positioned upside down to reflect the appearance of the late Lorulean Triforce. In opposition to the Hyrulean Triforce being gold, the Lorulean Triforce appears black. Hilda's staff is also tipped with an inverted Triforce, although in this case, the Triforce pattern is inscribed on a tetrahedron shape. Aside from the difference in color scheme, her clothing is near identical to Princess Zelda's attire. However, Hilda's dress is sleeveless and includes a pair of long white gloves. Hilda also has red eyes, in contrast to Zelda's blue eyes.

Biography

Princess Hilda appears to be Princess Zelda's Lorulean counterpart. While her land is in a critical state of destruction, Hilda wishes for her land to have a hero. She believes Link is a suitable candidate for the job.[1] While Link is on his quest to save all the seven sages and Princess Zelda, Hilda can communicate with Link telepathically. During Link's quest to gain the Triforce of Courage, Hilda acts as a guide while he traverses Lorule.

When Link chases after Yuga to Lorule, he finds himself in Lorule Castle, where Yuga surrounds himself with the Paintings of the Seven Sages, using their power to obtain the Triforce of Power and merge with Ganon. Hilda appears shortly thereafter to restrain him and allow Link to escape.[2] She takes him to another dimension, where she explains that he must retrieve the Seven Sages who are now scattered across Lorule and join forces with them to defeat Yuga Ganon.[3]

She leaves him in a road near the Lorulean Blacksmith's house. After Link awakens, Hilda speaks to Link telepathically to explain the dichotomy between Hyrule and Lorule, and that Yuga Ganon's actions have caused Fissures to appear, linking both worlds.[4] She also explains that because of the ruined state of Lorule, Link cannot access all parts of it from within her kingdom, so the young hero must enter Lorule from equivalent locations in Hyrule.[5] Afterwards, Hilda acts as a guide, telepathically communicating with the young hero whenever he enters new parts of Lorule. When Link enters Lorule from the Sanctuary, she tells him that the Lorulean location was once a holy place, but has now become the opposite, and that something nearby will help him on his journey.[6] When Link enters Lorule near Turtle Rock, she tells the young hero that there is a fiery maze nearby, and that he must find a way to control the flames to find the Sage within.[7]

Upon entering Lorule near the Dark Palace, Hilda tells Link that he has entered an evil place where former Lorulean soldiers have been corrupted and now worship a terrible beast,[8] a fact which she laments over.[9] When Link enters Lorule from Rosso's Ore Mine on Death Mountain, where she tells the young hero that the Lorulean Death Mountain is covered in a perpetual winter and that Rosso is trapped there.[10] Upon entering near Misery Mire, Hilda tells Link that she senses the presence of a Sage in the desert, but remarks that Lorule does not have deserts. She tells the young hero that he must begin his search in the nearby Swamp.[11]

Occasionally, after Link saves a sage, Hilda is seen talking to Zelda's portrait in Lorule castle, commenting on how she hopes that their Hyrulean hero will succeed.[12]

After Link rescues all seven of the sages and reaches the throne room in Lorule Castle, Hilda informs Link that Lorule once had its own Triforce. The people of Lorule fought brutal wars over the Triforce, and in order to put a stop to the chaos Hilda's ancestors destroyed their Triforce completely. Although this was done with good intentions, the consequences were catastrophic; Lorule was not able to exist without the Triforce's power, and began to tear itself apart. Hilda couldn't bear to see her beloved kingdom rent to pieces, slowly dying, so when she discovered of the existence of another Triforce (Hyrule's Triforce), she schemed to obtain it so she could restore Lorule and protect her people from destruction; Link was nothing more than a pawn Hilda used to assist her in that goal. With that, she swiftly steals Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom and summons Yuga Ganon to take Link's Triforce of Courage by force, starting the final battle.

Yuga Ganon uses every ounce of his newly acquired powers in the ensuing battle, but is not able to defeat Link, collapsing to the ground after a fierce struggle. Hilda reappears, demanding that Yuga give her the Triforce of power to prevent Lorule form being undone; Yuga, however, reveals that he had never cared about what became of his homeland, and turns Hilda into a painting before fusing with her, granting him the Triforce of Wisdom before he fights Link for the last time. In spite of his now even greater powers, Yuga still fails to slay Link, and instead is felled himself, releasing both the Triforce pieces and a severely weakened Princess Hilda.

After the battle is over and Zelda is revived, Hilda, now at the end of her rope, prepares to attack Link in a last-ditch effort to save her kingdom; before she can, however, Ravio intervenes and reveals himself to be Link's cowardly Lorulean counterpart. He tells his princess that he knew that her plan to steal the Hyrulean Triforce was a bad idea, but he was too scared to confront them on his own; thus, he journeyed to Hyrule in search of a hero who could stop them. At first Hilda is furious at having a second servant of hers betray her, but soon realizes that she is perpetuating the chaos that caused her Triforce's destruction in the first place; horrified at this discovery, she apologizes to Link and Zelda and agrees to send them home. Along with Ravio, the princess takes the Hylians to what was once Lorule's Sacred Realm and use the last of Ravio's Bracelet's power to send them through a crack to Hyrule.

Link and the Princess re-enter their world in the Sacred Realm with their Triforce straight ahead. Zelda and Link look at each other, knowing they each have the same wish, and touch the Triforce together.

In Lorule, Hilda and Ravio have not moved. Suddenly an earthquake rocks them to the ground, startling them both. They watch in amazement as the Lorulean Triforce is remade above them, whole and intact once more. An overjoyed Ravio smiles hugely as Princess Hilda happily cries. Lorule's darkness is infused with light, and Hilda thanks Zelda and Link for gifting Lorule its rightful Triforce.

Trivia

  • Both the names Hilda and Zelda come from the same Germanic root element, "hild," meaning "battle."
  • Hilda is referred to as "Her Grace" by Yuga, the same title that the Goddess Hylia (the first Zelda and the ancestor of the rest) was also referred to as, foreshadowing that Hilda (Zelda's counterpart) is actually Yuga's master.
  • The Painting of Princess Hilda bares some similarities to the stained glass window depicting Princess Zelda with the Light Force from The Minish Cap.

Etymology

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in Other Regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese ヒルダ (Hiruda) Hilda
French-speaking countries French Princesse Hilda Princess Hilda
Federal Republic of Germany German Königin Hilda Queen Hilda
Italian Republic Italian Principessa Hilda
ERROR: You must enter a country code. Korean 힐다 공주 (Hilda Gongju) Princess Hilda
Spanish-speaking countries Spanish Princesa Hilda Princess Hilda

Gallery

References

  1. "We have need of a hero, and your Link is superb." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  2. "Oh, Hero of Hyrule, I can hold the beast at bay for only so long. It should prove enough time to bid you a most sorrowful welcome to my kingdom. Welcome to Lorule. My name is Princess Hilda, and I have failed you in every way. I knew Yuga planned to slip into your world to abduct Zelda and the Sages. I...I couldn't stop him. Now he has used them to summon the Demon King and siphon his power. Yuga's appetite will soon consume our worlds. Hyrule and Lorule--the beast's for the taking. I cannot hold him back much longer. So...I must see you to safety." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  3. "Ah, here we are... A moment more of safety, Link. Though Yuga is slipping his bonds, I will try to keep you safe from him as long as I can. I'm afraid I must ask you to do what I cannot--defeat the beast. To do that, you must awaken your full potential, Hero of Hyrule. I sense that the paintings of Hyrule's Seven Sages are being sent to the far corners of Lorule. You must steal those paintings back. The secret to Yuga's defeat lies in uniting your friends! Farewell, Hero of Hyrule... We shall meet again..." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  4. "Can you hear me, Hero of Hyrule? It is I, Princess Hilda. I wanted to warn you about the kingdom in which you've found yourself. My Lorule may remind you of your own home. But, in fact, our kingdoms are as different as night and day. Worlds apart, as they say. But Yuga's scheme has forced our two kingdoms close together. So close, they are now connected." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  5. "What's more, the Seven Sages you seek are spread across my land, locked away in dungeons. But because parts of Lorule have long crumbled away, you cannot get to them from where you now are. To reach them, you must first find a way back to Hyrule. From various parts of your world, you can reach the same parts of mine. Now, one more thing. I have welcomed you to Lorule, but my kingdom...? It ISN'T so welcoming to strangers. Farewell--and be careful out there, Link." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  6. "Welcome back to the Lorule Kingdom, Link... Where you stand now was once a holy place. Now it could not be further away from such a thing. However, nearby sleeps something that will help you on your journey. A thorough search will behoove you. So say I, Hilda of Lorule..." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  7. "Welcome back to Lorule Kingdom, Link... Not far from here is a maze built to contain the power of fire. You must find a way to control the flames. I also sense a strong presence in this vicinity. No doubt it's a Sage. Go now. Only you can help. So say I, Hilda of Lorule." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  8. "Welcome back to Lorule Kingdom, Link... You have entered a truly evil place. You must find the Dark Palace. There you will discover a Sage in desperate need of your help. Please...go quickly to the rescue. So say I, Hilda of Lorule..." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  9. "You are nearing the Dark Palace. It is home to the followers of a great and terrible beast. They were once soldiers from Lorule Castle. Now they revere a foul being and cower here in this temple. I accept the responsibility. I was too weak to protect them. They were all good people...my people. If they find you, they will imprison you. Please be careful. So say I, Hilda of Lorule..." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  10. "Welcome back to Lorule Kingdom, Link... This is Death Mountain. Here it is always winter... Somewhere buried under the ice is a ruined hall. A Sage with a soul as formidable as a boulder awaits your help there. You must hurry, though... His spirit will not last forever with such accursed ice everywhere. So say I, Hilda of Lorule..." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  11. "Welcome back to Lorule Kingdom, Link... You find yourself near a swamp that is a dread and rotting place. Within it I sense...the very faint presence of a Sage. And, how odd...I sense also desert sand near this Sage. But there is NO desert in Lorule! Furthermore, I foresee that you must bring an item into a temple there that will give you control over sand. I say again that there is no desert in Lorule. I do sense the start of your path is here though. How baffling. So say I, Hilda of Lorule..." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
  12. "Oh, lovely Zelda. Can you begin to comprehend how lucky you are? Such legends! Such heroes! We had legends. We had heroes. Lorule had hope. But all that is gone. Lorule has only me now. And YOUR hero, of course. And if the Hero of Hyrule fails me...? Oh, but I must have courage! He will succeed, or all is lost." — Princess Hilda (A Link Between Worlds)
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