- "A long time ago there was an evil dragon named Volvagia living in this mountain. That dragon was very scary! He ate Gorons! Using a huge hammer, the hero of the Gorons... BOOOM! Destroyed it just like that. This is a myth from long ago, but it's true!"
- — Link of the Gorons
The Hero of the Gorons is a character mentioned in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Ages prior to the events of the game, Volvagia, a mighty dragon, lived inside Death Mountain and tortured the resident Goron tribe. Armed with the Megaton Hammer, the Hero of the Gorons travelled into the depths of Death Mountain and fought Volvagia to the death. The Goron emerged victorious and his story went down in legend. Also, the Megaton Hammer that he wielded was placed in the Fire Temple, where the Gorons worship the fire spirits.
During the game, Ganondorf revives Volvagia and threatens to feed the Gorons to the dragon if they do not surrender, as a warning to all those who may oppose him. Refusing to surrender, Darunia, who is revealed to be a descendant of the Hero of the Gorons, goes to the Fire Temple to obtain the Megaton Hammer and defeat Volvagia. He fails to find the hammer of legend, however, and is therefore, defeated by the mighty dragon. Link later comes along, however, and finds the Megaton Hammer. With it, he defeats Volvagia, and awakens Darunia as the Sage of Fire.
Interestingly, Link of the Gorons calls himself the "Hero of the Gorons" in an attempt to scare away Ganondorf's minions. It is unknown, however, whether he is referring to himself or if he is pretending to be either Link or the Hero of the Gorons.
Theory[]
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.
Possible Dynasty[]
Given his status as a legendary hero, it is possible that the Hero of the Gorons may have become Goron Patriarch during his lifetime (either before or after he defeated Volvagia) and/or lead to the title of Patriarch being passed down within his family all the way to Darunia.
Sage of Fire[]
Another possibility, is that the Hero of the Gorons may have also been his generation's Sage of Fire (as it has been implied that a Sage's position is inherited by their descendants and/or blood relatives). Possible evidence supporting this, is his Megaton Hammer is found within the Fire Temple, which may indicate it may be a legendary weapon traditionally wielded by the Sages of Fire. Of course, it may have been simply placed there out of respect and reverence for their Hero. Volvagia dwelling within the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time (in addition to his role serving Ganondorf) may have been its way of getting revenge on the Hero that had defeated it in the past, by desecrating the Fire Temple the Hero once presided over as Sage of Fire. Volvagia may also have desired to prevent the Hero's descendant, Darunia from awakening as the current Sage of Fire.
Allusions[]
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.
Darunia's Hammer moveset from Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors Legends was likely inspired by the Hero of the Gorons use of the Megaton Hammer (which appears as Darunia's Level 3 Hammer in both games). Of course, it could also be a reference the fact that Darunia had originally intended using the Megaton Hammer in Ocarina of Time to defeat Volvagia, but was unable to locate it and eventually decided to confront the evil dragon without it, leading to his defeat. The Hero of the Gorons use of the Megaton Hammer may also indicate a history of Gorons using Hammers as weapons (which would explain Darunia's use of them in the Hyrule Warriors series). Also given the fact that Darunia's battle with Volvagia is never actually depicted, it is possible he could have wielded a hammer (one that lacked the legendary properties of the Megaton Hammer) during his battle with Volvagia.
Possible Reference[]
In Linkle's Tale: Powers Collide story scenario from Hyrule Warriors Legends, Darunia is confident that he can defeat Volga due to having the legendary Magic Hammer (which is apparently another Hammer of legendary status). Darunia's antagonism towards Volga in the story may be a reference to the Hero of the Gorons and Volvagia. Of course, Darunia's antagonism may be the result of having been defeated by Volvagia in Ocarina of Time and Volga (who resembles and was modeled after Volvagia) simply reminds him of his past defeat (leading Darunia to recklessly attack Volga during the scenario as a misguided attempt restore some of his wounded pride by defeating Volga).
Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.
Theory warning: Theories end here.