If you are reading this article I should hope that you already have some idea of what the Master Sword is. Otherwise you might get majorly confused about the topics I am going to discuss. A short introduction to the sword might be nice, though. Also called the Blade of Evil's Bane, this sword made its first appearance in ALttP, a cameo appearance in Link's Awakening (this sword was only a dream, though), and its latest appearance in the prequel OoT. Without further ado, let's dive into the mysteries of the Master Sword.

Origin of the Master Sword
According to the ALttP manual, before the Imprisoning War began, when dark clouds covered Hyrule and many disasters occurred, the "people of Hyrule forged a sword resistant to magic which could repulse even powers granted by the Triforce." In addition, "As the Seven Wise Men searched for a valiant person to take up the Master Sword," Ganon's army attacked the castle, etc.

Of course, now that Nintendo has made OoT, we know that this whole account is completely wrong. In ancient days, Rauru, the Sage of Light, helped construct the Temples of Light and Time to guard the Triforce against evil. The Master Sword was forged in this same time period, and was put into the Pedestal of Time to seal the portal between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. When Link I opens the Door of Time, before Ganondorf has even entered the Golden Realm, the Master Sword is sitting right there, and Navi comments on this being the "legendary" Master Sword.

The ALttP manual's account of the origin of the Master Sword, as well as the whole account of the Imprisoning War, is wrong. Why is this account so mistaken? The ALttP manual explains the situation perfectly: "Many centuries have passed since the Imprisoning War... Memories of the vicious Imprisoning War faded over the generations..." So the Hylian scribe who wrote this account had forgotten the details, and was merely trying to explain things from whatever facts he could still remember.

Location of the Master Sword
We know from OoT that the Master Sword was first located in the Temple of Time, struck into the Pedestal of Time behind the Door of Time. At the end of OoT, we see Link leave the Master Sword in the same place and walk away. Whether the Door of Time ultimately remains open, and what happens to the Spiritual Stones, remains a mystery. It is pretty certain that in OoT's sequel, Majora's Mask, Link does not use the Master Sword.

The next game (chronologically) in the series, ALttP, has no Temple of Time, at least no where accessible in the game. The Master Sword has mysteriously been moved to a raised platform in the Lost Woods, and is stuck into a pedestal on which is inscribed "The hero will come on Cataclysm's Eve, bearing three symbols of virtue. The Master Sword he will then retrieve, keeping the knight's line true." Who or what moved the Master Sword, and when, why, and how did they move it? Presently, there is no explanation for this. In fact, the whole time period between the Imprisoning War and the Coming of Agahnim is messed up, if we look at the facts. According to Sahasrahla in ALttP, only three generations, or about 120 - 160 years, separate these two events. The ALttP manual, however, says that "many centuries have passed since the Imprisoning War..." I don't know which is right, but in my timeline I go with Sahasrahla's version of the story. In this same time period, Ganon, trapped in the Dark World, somehow obtains the other two pieces of the Triforce. None of this is explained anywhere, so I'll just stop right now.

The Power of the Master Sword
For such a cool, legendary, magic-resistant sword, it is surprising that the Master Sword is never the strongest sword in the game. In OoT, the Goron's Knife is easily twice as powerful as the Master Sword. In ALttP, on a scale of 1 to 4, the Master Sword is a 2. Two other swords are more powerful than the Master Sword in this game: (1) The Tempered Sword. According to the manual, the blacksmiths can temper the Master Sword to make it more powerful. (At the end of the game, however, Link returns the Master Sword to its resting place in the Lost Woods, and it doesn't glow orange like the Tempered Sword does. Yet another discrepany?) (2) The Golden Sword. This sword has no introduction, no past, nor anything to recommend it. It is merely a new sword given to Link by the Queen of Faeries, Venus. This doesn't even make sense - gold is a soft, heavy metal, very non-ideal for a sword. Maybe the Golden Sword is not really made of gold...?

It is also worth noting that the Master Sword in OoT and ALttP have different powers. In ALttP, when Link has full health, the Master Sword - and the two more powerful swords - shoot beams of energy when Link swings them. In OoT, however, the Master Sword doesn't do that. Why? I don't know... Maybe Link I didn't have that skill, but by Link II's day that skill had been passed down through the generations.

Appearance of the Master Sword
This is my favorite discrepancy in the various incarnations of the Master Sword. Compare the following images:

If you look closely at the handle, or hilt, of each version of the Master Sword, you will notice that they are all different. In the ALttP manual, the tip is metallic white, the handle is red, and the cross-guard (I hope I got this term right) is metallic white. On the title screen, the tip is metallic blue, the handle is red, and the cross-guard is the metallic blue. Only in ALttP and OoT in-game do the two swords look the same. (The Master Sword in the OoT logo and in-game look exactly the same.) Both swords have completely blue hilts. Additionally, the hilt of the Master Sword in OoT looks different from the hilt in the ALttP manual. Which version of the Master Sword is the right one? I don't know, but I'm putting my money on the OoT one, because this game is supposed to come earliest chronologically in the series.

Conclusion
If there were two Master Swords that would explain a whole lot. Here's an interesting theory: When Link I took hold of the Master Sword (the original one with a blue hilt) his spirit was kept safe in the Chamber of Sages for seven years. This gave Ganondorf a chance to enter the Sacred Realm and wreak havoc. The people of Hyrule, seeing the original Master Sword gone, forged another one, with a red handle on the hilt. The Sages looked for someone to wield it, but before they could find someone, Ganondorf and his army attacked the castle. Then Link, the Hero of Time, returned wielding the original Master Sword. At the end of the Imprisoning War, the original Master Sword remained in the Temple of Time forever (since no more time traveling was to be performed with it) while the new Master Sword was placed in the Lost Woods. Compelling theory, isn't it?