#loz1

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The Great Mothers of Hyrule, also known as the first Great Fairies, were guardians of the cardinal directions and symbols of protection for travellers. The Great Mothers were three guardians formed from the broken shards of the Golden Goddesses’ souls, left behind to protect the lands in their absence. Their appearances came about when a popular rumour of large fairies healing weary travellers and ruling over the rest of the fairies was passed around Hyrule. The guardians of Hyrule then changed their forms in accordance to the mythology, and became the three Great Mothers.

 The Great Mothers ruled over each direction, one being of the North and South, another of the East, and the last of the West. Each had names in accordance to their guardian spirit; Eldin, Lanayru, and Faron. Each guardian resided in a temple in their respective direction and region, and would heal injured visitors as well as give gifts of weaponry, magic etc to heroes on their journeys. It was also rumoured that each fairy had a rank in a hierarchy based on who’s magic stretched across the most land.

The Great Mother of the North and South, also known as Eldin, ruled over the space spanning the top, centre, and bottom stretches of Hyrule, and is supposedly the most powerful Great Fairy to live. Her magic protected all who were pure of heart (fairies, children, heroes etc), and allowed fairies to regenerate enough magic to heal without needing to sleep. She was also known as the Great Mother/Fairy of Life as she guarded the dead from those with ill intent, often making them invisible, also known as ghosts.

The Great Mother of the East was known as Faron, who ruled over the stretch of land from the centre of Hyrule to the entirety of the Eastern corners. She held the title of Great Mother/Fairy of Spirits, as her magic entailed her protecting the forests and its magical spirits from harm under her watch. Plants seemed to grow in almost an instant in he presence and any attempt to harm a forest or woodland close to her temple would result in failure. The closer one was to her presence, the harsher the punishment would be.

The Great Mother of the West was also called Lanayru, additionally titled Great Mother of the Celeste. This was due to her magic causing the lunar cycles and raising the Sun and Moon. She would also shine certain stars in the night sky the brightest to lead lost travellers in the right direction. This magic covered the land from the centre of Hyrule to the ends of Western Hyrule and far into the ocean separating the kingdom from its neighbouring countries. She is regarded as the second most powerful Great Fairy for this.

When the Great Mothers idly flap their wings in their sleep past a certain speed, the collective fairy dust creates a new fairy, who lays in the sacred waters until the Great Mother awakens to assign her a role and the colour her wings will glow. These fairies are always female, with the exception of one recorded tale of a fairy prince, and all possess healing magic. These fairy children take on the main features of the Great Mother such as wings, ear shape, and type of clothing. They are just larger than a needle and glow heavily in dark conditions. If one looks carefully when out in the sunlight, they are just able to see the true form of a fairy; a small Hylian-like girl with wings much larger than their bodies.

My first Zelda game was the first Zelda game, in its shiny gold cartridge. I never really got to play it much since everyone else in the household preferred Mario, Duck Hunt, Punchout, and then later on Ninja Turtles. On those rare occasions i got to play on my own, I remember how much fun i had just exploring! And oh man!  Those graphics! I loved fighting monsters, finding treasure and best of all, finding peace while living in a chaotic home. The land of Hyrule, as monster ridden as it was, was my mental sanctuary. While there, I could be on my own, just do my own thing, and do things at my own pace.