63 replies to this topic

[Achitka]

Yes, I'm sure this questions been asked at some point in time - I've just not run across it... so

Them Hylians are they Human, elves or something completely different?

[Vazor]

They're Hylians. They're their own race.

[Husse]

To put it one way: Hylians are LIKE humans, they sort of "devolve" into humans later, when Hyrule erodes to an unimpressive speck of land, like Egypt's fall or something.

You can tell a true Hylian, because, compared to the common breed of human being, they have long ears, sometimes the gift of foresight, are sensitive to the presence of evil, and can wield magic naturally. (As opposed to humans, who, when they are given magic, can hardly be expected to do anything good with it.)

The Royal Family, in WW and in LttP, are some of the last Hylians left, only in WW, Link and his family, and a few other folks also carry the noble Hylian blood.

But basically? Hylians are magic-infused humans. Like the animals in Narnia, though, they have special abilities only when connected to the land, and can devolve through ages into boring old humans.

[GJ Skywalker]

Husse pretty much nailed it.

The long ears are so the Hylians can hear messages form the gods (I think) and humans are also referred to as Hyrulians (I also think).

[Achitka]

Thanks, I appreciate the information!

[Fizzbit]

But what about Gerudos? They're pretty much the most human out of all the Hyrulian races.

[HD_Alex_HD]

They are hylans but link isnt a hylan.

[Husse]

Link is a Hylian, what Hyrule are you in?

And Gerudos appear to be the opposite of Hylians. Hylians are pale, Gerudos are dark-skinned, Hylians associated with good magic, Gerudos with evil, and Hylians are known as the blessed race...Gerudos are called cursed.

[FireHexer2]

I agree but in wich game you saw that Gerudos are exactly the opposite of Hylians?
If they're truly opposites, Link can't joins the Gerudos in OoT!

[Vazor]

Hey, quick question since I'm too lazy to remember, is OoT the only game in which real full-blood Hylians are at all common?

[Showsni]

I'd argue that they aren't full real blood Hylians in OoT. They like to think of themselves as Hylians, and they do have pointy ears still, but they have barely any of a true Hylian's powers, and cannot hear the gods.

[Vazor]

Well, that is true, but is there any other game where they even exist at that level?

[Showsni]

They're at least as good if not better in AoL (and thus LoZ) and ALttP. The sages in AoL are capable of magic, like full Hylians, and Sahasralah and the maidens also have very strong Hylian blood. This is still quite a small proportion of the overall population, though assumedly in AoL at least there are other people as high a level who we don't see/find out about, but possibly more than in OoT - where none of the 'Hylians' other than Zelda and Link show any kind of powers.

The knights in OoS claim to be Hylians, so it's possible there is strong Hylian blood in this era. But it's hard to tell.

[Hero of Slime]

OoT is the only game were the living people are even described as being Hylian. All other games just say that they are ordinary humans. The Hylian Knights in OoS might just be the name of the order, which does not mean that the Knights them selves are ethnicly Hylian. Rember at the Time of AoL there were no Hylians so I don't think that the creators were implying anything by giving people magic.

[FireHexer2]

I think that in every Zelda games, everyone who has pointy ears are Hylian.

Ordinary humans have round ears (you can see it in Twilight Princess).

[spunky-monkey]

Link is a Hylian, what Hyrule are you in?

Link is a Hyrulian and is not a pale-skin. The Hylian race and their magic and understanding of the Triforce "died" out a long time ago (see ALttP manual).

[Hero of Legend]

Link is a Hyrulian and is not a pale-skin. The Hylian race and their magic and understanding of the Triforce "died" out a long time ago (see ALttP manual).

No. The ALttP manual only says that the Hylian blood has run thin over the centuries. This does not mean there are no Hylians left. In fact, the very same manual says that the Hylians were known for their long ears. Thus everyone with long ears is Hylian. This includes every Link.

And for the record, there is nothing saying that Hylians are of any particular skin color.

[spunky-monkey]

Thus everyone with long ears is Hylian. This includes every Link.

Hylians aren't even mentioned in Ocarina of Time and Link was told by the Deku Tree Sprout he was a Hyrulian. True Hylians can hear the gods with their long ears, but guess what? Link can't hear them!

One of the maidens from A Link to the Past said "even the seven wise men did not possess the power of the ancient Hylians". The reason is obvious - the original Hylians intermarried with humans and the other races until the magical blood was very weak. Hyrulians are NOT Hylians.

Edited by Ricky, 12 March 2006 - 11:33 AM.

[Hero of Legend]

Hylians aren't even mentioned in Ocarina of Time and Link was told by the Deku Tree Sprout he was a Hyrulian.

Oh, is that so?

You are a Hylian, and were always bound to leave this forest.

Naturally, I must be misreading something here.

Also, you might want to replay the game(s) if you believe that Hylians are not mentioned in OoT.

True Hylians can hear the gods with their long ears, but guess what? Link can't hear them!

Yeah... I'm sure the gods have a little chat with the Hylians every day around tea-time.

Seriously, have you ever thought that the gods might not speak to the Hylians unless it is absolutely necessary (Like when they told the people to seek refuge on the mountaintops in TWW's BS)? And is it possible that the saying that Hylians can “hear the voices of the gods” is not completely literal?

What are the “voices of the gods”? The only time this has been described is in the Japanese ALttP manual. Let's see what it says...

Accordingly, to repel an evil "kidnapping" of the Triforce, Hyrule's people were informed by a divine oracle to make an "expel-evil" sword.

See? The gods apparently sent a "message" to an oracle, who then told the others what must be done. This is much like... Zelda's prophesies, is it not? The ones she has in every game? And even Link had in OoT? Yeah.

One of the maidens from A Link to the Past said "even the seven wise men did not possess the power of the ancient Hylians". The reason is obvious - the original Hylians intermarried with humans and the other races until the magical blood was very weak. Hyrulians are NOT Hylians.

It is said that the Hylians could manipulate mysterious powers. The Seven Sages were also like that.

But, over the long years, the Hylian blood has faded, and even we descendants of the Seven Sages do not have strong powers.

Looks like the Sages had their Hylian powers after all.

Also, notice how she says the maidens do not have strong powers (But powers nonetheless)? Yep, the maidens are still Hylian, albeit not pure blooded.

But you were right about one thing – A Hyrulian (A being that lives in Hyrule) is not the same thing as a Hylian.

Edited by Hero of Legend, 12 March 2006 - 02:29 PM.

[FireHexer2]

What's are the differences between Hylian and Hyrulian afterall?

[Hana-Nezumi]

Hylian is a race. Hyrulean means "from or related to Hyrule".

[FireHexer2]

Hylian is a race. Hyrulean means "from or related to Hyrule".

Ok,

But what's the difference between Hyrulean who are «from» Hyrule and Hylians?

[Hana-Nezumi]

Well, Hyrulean is Hyrule with an "an" slapped on the end to make it a verb. So that means it could refer to anyone or anything from Hyrule. So, a person that is Hyrulean could be human, but a Hylian must be a person from the particular pointy-eared magic race.

I think Hyrulean can also be used as a noun meaning "A person from Hyrule" (Just like the word "American") but I don't think there is any official information on this. Or maybe it's Hyrulian with an i instead.

Edited by enchantedtoast, 12 March 2006 - 03:49 PM.

[spunky-monkey]

Naturally, I must be misreading something here.
Also, you might want to replay the game(s) if you believe that Hylians are not mentioned in OoT.

What the hell!? I've checked the Text Dump and it said "Hylian". Something is very wrong here...what version do you have? I have the N64 PAL version of the game and trust me, I've only replayed it some 20-30 times.

Yeah... I'm sure the gods have a little chat with the Hylians every day around tea-time.

Ummm, not quite right. Hylians can hear everything they say, not have an engaging conversation exactly.

Looks like the Sages had their Hylian powers after all.
Also, notice how she says the maidens do not have strong powers (But powers nonetheless)? Yep, the maidens are still Hylian, albeit not pure blooded.

So there's a sub-race of Hylians as well? btw the maidens said they can make up for this loss by combining their powers with the Hero's courage which proved to be just enough to break that mighty seal to Ganon's Tower. Not quite "Hylian" after all I suppose.

But you were right about one thing – A Hyrulian (A being that lives in Hyrule) is not the same thing as a Hylian.

I'm not sure right now, obviously you don't call a Zora, a Gerudo, or a Goron a Hyrulian. I think it only applies to the descendants of the Hylians.

[Hero of Legend]

What the hell!? I've checked the Text Dump and it said "Hylian". Something is very wrong here...what version do you have? I have the N64 PAL version of the game and trust me, I've only replayed it some 20-30 times.

I too have the PAL version. I also own the PAL GC OoT/MQ version. And I have actually seen the original Gold Cart NTSC version being played from start to finish. Needless to say, Link is a Hylian in all of them.

I find it hard to believe that your game actually says different. Are you sure it says Hyrulean? You could always talk to the Deku Sprout again just to make sure (He repeats that part)...

Ummm, not quite right. Hylians can hear everything they say, not have an engaging conversation exactly.

That is an assumption. There is nothing indicating that the Hylians hear everything the gods say. They just have the ability to hear them.

It is much more probable that the gods actively have to speak to the Hylians for them to hear it, and that they only do so when it is absolutely needed, such as during the flooding of Hyrule. And yes, the King of Hyrule does say that the gods told them to seek refuge.

So there's a sub-race of Hylians as well?

I don't think so. She is probably talking about the special power of the Sages (See OoT) in addition to the powers shared by all Hylians.

btw the maidens said they can make up for this loss by combining their powers with the Hero's courage which proved to be just enough to break that mighty seal to Ganon's Tower. Not quite "Hylian" after all I suppose.

Why not? It's pretty much the same as OoT Link and the Sages.

I'm not sure right now, obviously you don't call a Zora, a Gerudo, or a Goron a Hyrulian. I think it only applies to the descendants of the Hylians.

Hm... Well, I'm fairly sure Nintendo issued as statement about this. IIRC, they said that anyone from Hyrule is an Hyrulean (As Ganon says in FSA, BTW).

Edited by Hero of Legend, 12 March 2006 - 05:55 PM.

[spunky-monkey]

I too have the PAL version. I also own the PAL GC OoT/MQ version. And I have actually seen the original Gold Cart NTSC version being played from start to finish. Needless to say, Link is a Hylian in all of them.

I find it hard to believe that your game actually says different. Are you sure it says Hyrulean? You could always talk to the Deku Sprout again just to make sure (He repeats that part)...

I'm positive. My N64 PAL version says Hyrulian, while yours says Hylian and other people on other Zelda forums have complained about this oddity as well that Hyrulean comes up instead. Damn you Nintendo! >_<

[Showsni]

Are there different PAL versions? I need to go and replay mine and see what it says...

In any case, it makes mroe sense for the OoT era people to be Hyrulian/Hyrulean rather than Hylians.

To summarise:
The Hylians were a race of people, with pointy ears, skilled in magic. I think they were originally nomadic - but many settled in a specific area of the world, which became known as the land of Hyrule, due to the large amount of Hylia.
Later, anyone from the land of Hyrule became known as a Hyrulean or Hyrulian.
The Hylian bloodline has survived to the present day, but it is weaker as they have intermarried with non Hylian, thus thinning the blood.

[Hero of Legend]

...

Meh, it’s not like this matters anyway. TWW still says the people of OoT were Hylian. That's all the proof I need.

In any case, it makes mroe sense for the OoT era people to be Hyrulian/Hyrulean rather than Hylians.

Well, maybe if you have a timeline like that...

Edited by Hero of Legend, 13 March 2006 - 02:24 PM.

[Veteran]

I haven't gone back to the game to check, but I was under the impression that Link was a Hylian in OoT, with regular folks in Kakariko and the Castle Town being Hyrulians.

In fact, I'm positive the Deku Sprout says something like "...Yes, you are a Hylian and were always destined to leave this forest.".


Now, are Sheikah a whole different race? There's a question.