Hylian

This article is about the race. For the language, see Hylian Language.

Hylian
Link, an example of a Hylian
First appearance	The Legend of Zelda (1986)
Homeland	Hyrule
Preceded by	Hylia
Succeeded by	Humans
Distinctions	Long pointed ears
Notable members	Aryll Alfonzo Auru Beedle Cremia Dampé Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule Din Farore Gulley Irene Ingo Linebeck Link Malon Mutoh Nayru Niko Osfala Postman Princess Zelda Rauru Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule Rosso Sahasrahla Seres Shad Talon Telma Tetra Tingle

The Hylians, also known as the Hylia people (or simply the Hylia) are a recurring race in the Legend of Zelda series. They are humanoid creatures that worship the goddess Hylia, from which their name derives and by whom they were created. The Hylians are the original race of Hyrule.

Characteristics

Artwork depicting Hylians from A Link to the Past

Physically, Hylians resemble the other races of humans, and the only difference appearance-wise between them is the Hylians' long, elf-like ears that supposedly enable them to hear special messages from the goddesses, though Gerudo and Sheikah also possess pointed ears.

Hylian culture and architecture bears a strong resemblance to medieval Europe. The capital of Hyrule Kingdom is a stone castle, with a town surrounding it. Many of their villages are primitive and feature farms, windmills, and taverns.

Their heritage also gives them unique psychic and magical abilities. The Hylians have therefore given birth to many heroes through the ages, most notably the various incarnations of Link and Princess Zelda. Like Gerudo and Humans, Hylians can utilize witchcraft and ride flying broomsticks (such as Irene and her grandmother). Some Hylians like Link, Zelda, Sparrot, and Fanadi have prophetic abilities allowing them to see the future, have prophetic dreams, or sometimes even simply have a strong feeling something is about to occur. Some even use this ability to work as fortune tellers with the aid of crystal balls like Fanadi and Sparrot. For Link and Zelda, prophetic dreams usually occur when the forces of evil are growing in strength and the Great Deku Tree explained to the Hero of Time that this is normal for people with precognitive abilities presumably warning them of powerful evil threats and disasters. Additionally, various incarnations of Zelda and Rauru in Ocarina of Time are capable of telepathy, which they often use to communicate with Link.

While most Hylians are depicted as good, they are capable of being greedy, cowardly, or mean-spirited, though often these Hylians tend to be good people deep down and can sometimes rise above their negative traits.

Hylians in Breath of the Wild

In the early part of Hyrule's history, Hylians were the dominant and most populous of the general humanoid races, as shown in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In the Adult Timeline, the bloodline began to thin, and Hylians were replaced by humans as the most widespread humanoid species, becoming increasingly rare by the time of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; however, the majority of the Great Sea's inhabitants are still of Hylian descent. In the Child Timeline and Fallen Hero Timeline, it seems that the Hylians and Humans number approximately the same. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Hylians are again one of the most populace races in Hyrule even after the fall of Hyrule as a kingdom during the Great Calamity, and no humans appear, despite the presence of Koroks and Rito.

Pointed Ears

Hylians are said to have pointy ears in order to hear messages from the gods. Hylians are known to be a religious and spiritual people who worship Hylia, the Golden Goddesses, the Light Spirits, and other deities. Various incarnations of Link, various Hylian Sages, and the Royal Family of Hyrule all have strong ties to various Hyrulean deities and guardian spirits, as well.

Alternate Hylians

Terminan Hylians

Cremia and Romani, Terminan Hylians

Hylians in Majora's Mask are often called "Terminans" by fans; however, this is technically incorrect. "Terminan" could apply to anyone from Termina, including other races such as Gorons, Zoras, Deku Scrubs, etc. Since Termina is an alternate world to Hyrule, and the goddess Hylia is only known to appear in Hyrule, its inhabitants may have never known the term Hylian.

Lorulean Hylians

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

Princess Hilda, a Lorulean Hylian

The parallel world of Lorule from The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is also inhabited by Hylians or their Lorulean equivalents. Like the Hylians of Hyrule and Termina, they have pointy ears as well as psychic and magical abilities, though their eye and hair colors are darker than their Hyrulean counterparts. In some cases, the differences between counterparts are more striking; such as certain counterparts being opposite genders, an example being Hyrule's Shady Guy and Lorule's Thief Girl. Due to differences in history between Hyrule and Lorule, some Hylians lack a Lorulean counterpart such as Gulley, as the Lorulean Blacksmith and his wife have no children. In fact, none of the Seven Sages seem to have a Lorulean counterpart.

The Loruleans also are shown to be darker (though not outright evil) or possess a personality that is the opposite of their Hylian counterparts. For example, Ravio is a coward (the opposite of Link, who is courageous) and Princess Hilda plots with Yuga without realizing that he desired the Triforce for himself, showing her lack of wisdom.

It is also shown that some Lolians possess abilities or traits greater than their Hylian counterparts, as the Blacksmith of Lorule is able to re-forge the Master Sword Lv2 into the Master Sword Lv3, something that the Blacksmith of Hyrule admits is beyond his capabilities.

Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.