- This article is about the A Link to the Past character. For the character's boss fight see Agahnim (A Link to the Past). For the Oracle of Seasons mini-boss, see Agahnim (Oracle of Seasons).
- "Ahah... Link! I have been waiting for you! Heh heh heh... I was hoping I could make Zelda vanish in front of your eyes. Behold! The last moment of Princess Zelda!"
- — Agahnim
Agahnim (司祭アグニム Shisai Agunimu?) is the primary antagonist for the majority of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Agahnim is a mysterious wizard (a priest in the Japanese original) who gained favor with the King of Hyrule, betrayed him and took over the throne of Hyrule. Ganon describes Agahnim as his alter ego, and after the wizard's eventual defeat, Ganon is seen rising from Agahnim's body. Agahnim's likeness appears as statues in the Dark World.
Biography[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Artwork of Link battling Agahnim
Although Ganon was able to steal the Triforce and transform the Sacred Realm into the Dark World, he still found himself unable to return to the Light World. In order to retificy this, he constructed an avatar that would work to undo the seal on the Dark World. Upon entering the Light World, that avatar would come to use the alias" Agahnim."
In the land of Hyrule, without warning, a series of sudden disasters occurred. The Kingdom of Hyrule despaired. However, Agahnim appeared and stopped the horrific events with his magic. In honor of his achievements he was made the King's royal adviser. Having gained the trust of the King of Hyrule, Agahnim betrayed him and took control over all the Royal Guards. Using the armed forces of Hyrule, he pursued and captured the Seven Maidens, descendants of the Seven Wise Men who originally sealed the Evil King Ganon away to the Dark World. Princess Zelda of Hyrule was revealed to be one of the Seven Maidens. Agahnim planned to sacrifice them and send them to the Dark World to break the seal. Fearing that the prophesized Hero of Hylian descent would appear and stop him, he also took the three Pendants of Virtue and sent them away to his three dungeons in Hyrule, preventing the Hero from gathering all three and removing the Master Sword from its pedestal.
However, on the eve of her sacrifice, Princess Zelda, from the depths of the castle dungeons, contacts a young boy named Link via telepathy. The courageous youth finds a way into Hyrule Castle and rescues her from her imprisonment. They escape through a hidden passage, leading to the nearby Sanctuary. Enraged, Agahnim tells the people of Hyrule that Link has kidnapped Zelda, ordering civilians and military alike to keep an eye out for him. Evading capture, Link is told of the Master Sword, the only weapon with the power to defeat the evil wizard. He braves the three dungeons, retrieves the Pendants of Courage, Power, and Wisdom, and retrieves the Master Sword. However, Princess Zelda's hiding place is discovered, and she is taken away by Agahnim's soldiers. Link breaks the seal on Hyrule Castle with the Master Sword and ascends Hyrule Castle Tower in order to stop him from sacrificing her, but he is too late — she is sent to the Dark World. Link battles Agahnim, and after a hard-fought battle, Agahnim appears to be defeated. However, he manages to retreat to the Dark World, taking Link with him.
In the Dark World, Link learns of the imprisoned Seven Maidens, and rescues them one by one. After Link rescues the seventh Maiden, Zelda and the other Maidens use their power to break the seal on Ganon's Tower. After braving the dangerous tower, Link confronts Agahnim once more. After Agahnim's ultimate defeat, Ganon escapes to the Pyramid. After a final showdown with Link, Ganon is defeated, and Link uses the power of the Triforce to undo Ganon's evil deeds.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Non-canonical appearances[]
Non-canon warning: This article or section contains non-canonical information that is not considered to be an official part of the Legend of Zelda series and should not be considered part of the overall storyline.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga[]
A younger Agahnim from the manga
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Agahnim the priest from the manga
In the manga based on A Link to the Past, Agahnim is presented as a seperate character from Ganon. He was a friend of Link's father. While his friend wanted to be a swordsman, Agahnim wanted to be a magician. They both supported each other in their goals. However, when Link's father told Agahnim about how the Triforce can grant one's deepest desires, Agahnim, though thinking it was a myth, couldn't resist its lure, and studied darker magic and learned how to break the Seal of the Sages, being recruited to Ganon's services during his practices. With that, Agahnim spiraled down into corruption. When confronted by his friend, who told him to destroy the research for being evil, Agahnim kills him and his wife.
After that, Agahnim proceeded to cease the despair of Hyrule and earned the King's trust. Agahnim acted elegantly and noble, and the King gave him a high position within the kingdom, believing Agahnim to be a reincarnation of the seven maidens. While everyone else in the castle admired and worshiped the wizard, Zelda, however, saw greed and darkness in his eyes. After Agahnim's rise to power, he changed completely, and began ordering people around, acting as though he was the King himself, which led to the real King asking him to leave. Instead, Agahnim killed him right in front of Zelda's eyes and took over the entire kingdom.
During the night when Zelda telepathically summoned the hero for help, Link, while hiding in the corridors, saw his uncle being stabbed to death by Agahnim.
Agahnim also tried to kill Link when the latter was poisoned by a scorpion during his quest for the Pendants of Virtue in the Desert Palace, but was stopped by Ganty, an original character of the manga. Regardless, Agahnim managed to steal the Book of Mudora from Link, and was able to complete the spell to sacrifice Zelda to break the Seal of the Sages. Prior to sending her to the Dark World, he noted that he always wanted her as a slave. He then sent her and Link to the Dark World.
Near the final confrontation between the hero and the wizard, Agahnim captured Ganty and transformed her into Trinexx, and tried to use her to force Link's heart to fall prey to the darkness of the Dark World. However, all his efforts ultimately failed, and after being defeated by Link, Agahnim lost all of his magic powers. In a desperate attempt, Agahnim tried to beg Ganon to share a piece of the Triforce's power with him as a reward for his loyalty. Ganon instead killed him as he was deemed to have outlived his usefulness. Prior to his demise, Agahnim managed to mutter Zelda's name. His body was then subsequently melted by Ganon's corrosive blood.
Another difference is that in the manga, Agahnim was performing a ritual to resurrect Ganon, who was standing behind the altar like a gigantic statue, while in the games, Ganon emerged from Agahnim's defeated body.
Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.
Personality[]
Due to being an extension of Ganon, he shares his personality. He is power-hungry, manipulative, and self-absorbed. He presented several superficial instances of concern for the people of Hyrule simply so he could betray and kill the King of Hyrule, and also proceeded to frame Link for "abducting" Zelda. He proves himself to be enormously spiteful and vindictive, as shown when he allows Link to reach his floor in Hyrule Castle just so he could banish Zelda to the Dark World right in front of him. He also shares Ganon's cunning, as it is heavily implied that he had been the instigator of the natural disasters that he seemingly got rid of specifically to gain enough of the King's trust to be allowed access to Hyrule Castle.
Theories[]
Theory warning: This section contains theoretical information based on the research of one or several other users. It has not been officially verified by Nintendo and its factual accuracy is disputed.
Symbol[]
The eye symbol seen on Agahnim's robes in the game's official artwork is supposedly the emblem of Agahnim. In the game, this symbol can be seen on the floor near the sealed entrance to Hyrule Castle Tower and at the entrance to the room in which Agahnim sends the Seven Maidens to the Dark World. This symbol is strangely reminiscent of the Sheikah Emblem. Also in the manga, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time-Part 2, Sheik mentions how the Sheikah symbol was originally just an eye and the tear was added after one of the royal families betrayed the Sheikah, which could mean that Agahnim's symbol is the original symbol of the Sheikahs. However, as the game was released before The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it could be merely coincidence that the two symbols share similarities. However, in the Temple of Fire in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the symbol appears on the floor of the boss chamber and in the room outside, implying a connection.
The eye symbol could also have a connection to the "eye" bosses (i.e. Kholdstare, Arrghus, and Vitreous), making it a common theme among Link's enemies in the game. It is not explained why eyes are significant to Agahnim.
Soul Calibur II involvement[]
In the backstory for Link in Soul Calibur II, it was mentioned that his involvement in trying to stop the Soul Edge was started when he had investigated various natural disasters that plagued Hyrule, and learned an evil wizard had been responsible for them, only to learn that the wizard did so under the influence of the Soul Edge. The wizard may have been Agahnim, since it was implied in A Link to the Past that Agahnim had instigated the natural disasters that he removed from Hyrule specifically to gain access to Hyrule Castle as part of his agenda to unlock the seal to the Dark World in a similar manner to the wizard in the backstory.
Theory warning: Theories end here.