Part III: Evidence From ALttP

This section follows the same format as the previous section. Note that I work off the assumption that many people in ALttP are mistaken, because they weren't first-hand witnesses of the events in OoT. The people in ALttP only know scattered, twisted legends about events in OoT, not the whole story.

This world is like the real world, but evil has twisted it.
- Bouncing pink ball on Dark World Death Mountain

In OoT, the OoT future was like the OoT past, but evil twisted it.

The place where you now stand was the Golden Land, but evil power turned it into the Dark World. The wizard has broken the wise man's seal and opened a gate to link the worlds at Hyrule Castle. In order to save this half of the world, the Light World, you must win back the Golden Power.
- Sahasrahla, after Agahnim draws Link into the Dark World

Previous theories would interpret this quote to mean that, when Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm and got the Triforce, he immediately proceeded to turn the Sacred Realm into the Dark World. This quote works into my new theory in the following way: evil power (Ganon's) did create the Dark World, but that power didn't turn the Sacred Realm into the Dark World until the Sages sealed Ganon. The truth of the matter is, Sahasrahla wasn't there when OoT happened, and neither was anyone else (except for Ganon). So it's quite possible that everyone doesn't know the details, because to an objective observer it appears quite literally that the Golden Land was turned directly into the Dark World.

I find it interesting that Sahasrahla considers the Light and Dark worlds as two halves of the same world. In my new theory, this is true in a way. The Light and Dark Worlds were originally two halves of the same world: one in the past of OoT, one in the future. The Sages' Seals split the world into two, keeping the Light World in Hyrule and moving the Dark World to the Sacred Realm.

The man who last claimed the Power Of Gold wished for this world. It reflects his heart. Yes, I came here because of greed for the Golden Power, and look what happened to me... To restore the Golden Land, a person worthy of the Golden Power must defeat the man who created this place...
- Tree in Palace of Darkness area

Previous theories would say that, when Ganondorf first got the Triforce, he wished for the Sacred Realm to be turned into the Dark World. But my new theory takes into account that one quote from OoT: "The resting place of the sacred triangle, the Sacred Realm, is a mirror that reflects what is in the heart... the heart of one who enters it... If an evil heart, the Realm will become full of evil; if pure, the Realm will become a paradise." According to my new theory, Ganondorf did wish for a world of darkness. He got it too, in the OoT future.

The way to restore the Sacred Realm (i.e. get rid of the Dark World) is to defeat Ganon. This says nothing about what happens to Ganon's monsters, however. Do his monsters disappear with his Dark World, or do they remain in the Sacred Realm? Also note that, in my new theory, restoring the Golden Land doesn't mean that the Golden Land becomes a paradise again. This depends on whether those who live in the Sacred Realm have good or evil hearts. So if Ganon's monsters stay in the Sacred Realm, the Sacred Realm is still a world of evil (i.e. the Dark Realm). If Ganon's monsters disappear, the Sacred Realm will become a paradise, because Link entered it. I think the first possibility is more likely, because it accounts for the existence of the Dark Realm and answers the question: where did Ganon get his army of monsters in LoZ? I also think it unlikely that the monsters would simply disappear. After all, they are living, breathing, creatures. It seems more fitting that they should wander for centuries in the void of the Evil Realm rather than simply disappear.

...This world used to be the Golden Land where the Triforce was hidden. But because Ganon, the boss of thieves, wished it the world was transformed... I'm sure he's intending to conquer even our Light World after building his power here.
- Maiden in the Palace of Darkness

Notice how this maiden also seems to think that Ganon directly wished for the Golden Land to be turned into the Dark World. Again, she wasn't there to see it, so how would she know? Ganondorf did wish for Hyrule to be transformed into a world of evil, and his evil wish was granted.

An interesting question is: why isn't Ganon content with ruling the Dark World, if it is a carbon copy of the Hyrule he wanted to rule? He wanted to rule a twisted version of Hyrule, so what's his problem now that he has his wish? The answer to this dilemma is that Ganondorf hates to see his sworn enemies (Link, Zelda, the Sages) living in peace in a world of light. He has his curse to fulfill. And remember that power corrupts. The more power one has, the more power one wants. Ganon isn't satisfied with ruling a twisted copy of Hyrule. He wants to rule the Light World also, and throw it under the same darkness.

Objects exist simultaneously in both worlds with similar shapes. If the form of a thing changes, it will affect the shape of its twin in the other world.
- Sahasrahla's tile message, in Swamp Palace

This quote is one of the most interesting I've seen, and really ties together the relationship between the Light and Dark Worlds. Remember earlier how Sahasrahla referred to the Light and Dark Worlds as two halves of the same world? This quote reinforces that concept. It is true that most objects exist simultaneously in the OoT past and future, in similar states. Changing the state of one thing in the past will change the corresponding object in the future. When the past and future became the Light and Dark Worlds, this same sort of relationship remained.

...The Triforce will grant the wishes of whoever touches it, as long as that person lives... That is why it was hidden in the Golden Land. Only a select few knew of its location, but at some point that knowledge was lost... The person who rediscovered the Golden Land was Ganondorf the evil thief. Luckily, he couldn't figure out how to return to the Light World...
- Maiden in Swamp Palace

While the maiden betrays her lack of understanding of the true events (Ganondorf did figure out how to return to Hyrule, but he and his Dark World was sealed in the Sacred Realm), she does show how the people in the time of ALttP understood the OoT events. In their understanding, Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm and never left it, because they only knew bits and pieces of the story behind the OoT future, and it didn't make much sense to them. This will become important later on, in the next section, but let's not worry about this now.

As the wise men sealed the way to the Dark World, the Knights Of Hyrule defended them from the attacks of evil monsters. I heard that the Knights Of Hyrule were nearly wiped out in that battle...
- Maiden in the Village of Outcasts

Consider this interpretation of this quote: the Sages sealed Ganon in the Dark World in the OoT future, while the Knights defended Hyrule Castle in the OoT past. After the division of the world into Light and Dark Worlds, the time difference of seven years became meaningless. To future historians who knew nothing of time travel, all they knew was that the Knights were involved in a fierce battle with Ganondorf's army, and soon afterward the Sages sealed Ganon in the Sacred Realm. The fact that the Sages did so in the OoT future wouldn't make much sense to later historians, because they knew that the results of the Sages' actions happened in the OoT past.

Only a short time remains until the gate at the castle linking the worlds opens completely. If you defeat Ganon, this world will vanish and the Triforce will wait for a new holder.
- Maiden in Ice Palace

Once again, defeating Ganon would mean that the Dark World would disappear, because the Dark World was entirely Ganon's creation. Ganon created the Dark World with the power of the Triforce, so destroying him would end his evil work. Does this mean that, if somebody like Link or the great King uses the Triforce for good, his good works will disappear when he dies? I think not. First of all, the good users of the Triforce didn't use it for their own good; they didn't wish for immortality, for example. Ganon, however, always used the Triforce for his own ends. He used it to bring himself back to life as Ganon, and to become the King of Evil. So this implies that he relinquished his claim to legitimacy. If all of your wishes were used to serve yourself, then isn't it only just that your works would disappear when you die? The greedy men who were drawn to the Sacred Realm to join Ganon's army (and presumably turned into monsters) wouldn't disappear, because they have life and wills of their own. They probably had a choice whether to give up their life of servitude to Ganon and become normal again, or stay in the Sacred Realm as monsters and wait for Ganon's return. My guess is that most of them chose the later, which is why the Sacred Realm remained a void, the Dark Realm.

Ganon is waiting inside of his tower to pass through the gate linking the worlds. Once Ganon enters the Light World, it is unlikely that anyone can stop him. But if he stays in the closed space of this world, you can find him wherever he runs.
- Princess Zelda, after being rescued from Turtle Rock

This quote once again answers the question: "why would Ganon desire to rule two worlds, if his wished to rule a world of darkness and got that wish?" In the Light World, Ganon's power would be unlimited. In the closed space of the Dark World (possibly confined to the dark version of the kingdom of Hyrule?), Ganon's power and rule was limited.

The Triforce will grant the wishes in the heart and mind of the person who touches it. If a person with a good heart touches it, it will make his good wishes come true... If an evil-hearted person touches it, it grants his evil wishes. The stronger the wish, the more powerful the Triforce's expression of that wish. Ganon's wish was to conquer the world. That wish changed the Golden Land to the Dark World. Ganon was building up his power here so he could conquer the Light World and make his wish come completely true. But now, you have totally destroyed Ganon. His Dark World will vanish.
- The Essence of the Triforce

The Essence of the Triforce has the most authority to say what is and what isn't true, because it is obviously wise (containing the essence of the goddesses), and it has been around since the beginning of the world and has seen all of Hyrule's history played out. The Essence makes it clear that it was Ganon's wish to conquer the world that turned the Golden Land into the Dark World. He didn't wish to change the Golden Land into the Dark World, he wished to conquer the world (this is confirmed in OoT). This led to the Golden Land becoming the Dark World. His wish didn't come completely true because he only ended up conquering the Dark World, while the Light World remained out of his grasp.

An interesting side note: the Triforce doesn't merely grant the wishes that you tell it to grant. It grants even those desires that you wish for secretly. That is why it is so dangerous to use the Triforce. It requires someone with a balanced heart, because a balanced person will not harbor secret, twisted desires in his subconscious.

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