Laruto

"My name is Laruto. I am a Zora sage. For an age, I offered my prayers here in the Earth Temple, praying that the power to repel evil would ever remain within the Master Sword. And yet... unfortunately, due to Ganondorf's evil designs, the Master Sword you hold has lost this power. You must find the one who carries on my bloodline... The one who holds this sacred instrument..."

— Laruto

Laruto (ラルト, Raruto^?) is a character from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. She is a Zora and the former Sage of Earth, one of the sages responsible for maintaining the Master Sword's ability to cast down evil. While praying in the Earth Temple, she was assassinated by Jalhalla, King of the Poes, in order to prevent the Master Sword from presenting a challenge for the returning Ganondorf.

Her clothing bears the Mark of Nayru, likely due to its use as a symbol of the Zora.

Biography[]

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

Laruto was born in Zora's Domain and eventually became the Sage of Earth, just like Fado was the Sage of Wind, dedicating her life to ensuring that the Master Sword would always have the power to banish evil and that the legendary Hero could use it, should he return. However, the great evil that was sealed away at the end of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf, somehow managed to escape from his prison, and, since a new hero did not appear to challenge him, he began establishing dominion over Hyrule once more. However, Ganondorf had a lingering suspicion that a hero could eventually appear and challenge him; to this end, he ordered Jalhalla to travel to the Earth Temple and assassinate Laruto. Jalhalla and his minions conquered the temple, and successfully killed Laruto. However, the spirit of Laruto remained behind to ensure that a successor to the line of Earth Sages could be found.

Eventually, Link comes to the Earth Temple and encounters the spirit of Laruto. She tells him about her situation, and she asks Link to find her successor. Laruto tells Link he must find the one that holds the same instrument as her, a golden harp. Link then learns the "Earth God's Lyric", a mysterious song that has the power to awaken the Earth Sage within the new successor, from a large stone slab in the back of the cave. Shortly afterwards Link finds that the Rito, Medli, is the true successor, and together, they travel to the Earth Temple. Laruto helps Medli realize her true identity, and asks of Link and Medli to defeat Jalhalla and cleanse the prayer chamber of its evil presence. The two work together to brave the trials of the Earth Temple, and Link eventually finds and defeats Jalhalla.

The evil power now cleansed, Link and Medli play the "Earth God's Lyric" together, restoring the sharp edge of the Master Sword's blade. Laruto also appears again to play the song together with Link and Medli. Her purpose now fulfilled, she departs from the world of the living.

Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.

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.

It is possible that Laruto is a descendant of Princess Ruto, the Sage of Water during the events of Ocarina of Time, considering the similarity between their names and statuses as Zora sages. This theory seems likely, especially since an image of Ruto is seen in a stained glass window of Hyrule Castle, indicating she was still a legendary figure when Laruto was alive. A silhouette of the Zora's Sapphire can be seen on Laruto's robe. Alternatively, she was named Laruto in honor of the Zora princess and sage. Likewise, Medli, Laruto's descendant, carries item drops belonging to Princess Ruto when defeated in the Hyrule Warriors series, thus further hinting at a connection between Laruto and Ruto.

Theory warning: Theories end here.

Etymology[]

Her name is likely a reference to Princess Ruto from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Non-Canon References[]

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.