Magician

The Magician is a character from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Never seen in-game, the Magician is mentioned in the game's prologue. He was the court wizard to the Great King of Hyrule, who attempted to grasp control of the Triforce of Courage.

Story[]

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

Before the King of Hyrule died, he separated the Triforce of Courage from the other two parts, and concealed it within the Great Palace, leaving behind the means for a new hero to unlock the secret path that would lead to its recovery. The only person in whom he confided his plans was his daughter, Princess Zelda.

The Magician learned that the Princess was aware of the secret, and told her brother, the new King. When she refused to impart the secret to either her brother or the wizard, the Magician cast a spell on her which left her in an enchanted sleep. The act of performing this dark magic brought about the Magician's death.

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 Adventure of Link manga[]

The Magician appears in the manga adaptation by Ran Maru, having an increased role as the main antagonist.

The Magician initially appears in the same backstory as in the manual, making a deal with the Prince and placing the first Zelda in an eternal slumber. Unlike in the manual, the Magician escapes from the Prince after being wounded by his sword. Link soon encounters the Magician in the present day during his trek through Death Mountain. Here, the Magician is in charge of a cult comprised of Ganon's minions, inciting their mission to spill Link's blood on Ganon's ashes, in order to revive their master.

After the death of the werewolf swordsman, Ganpu, Link has a nightmare of Hyrule under the oppression of the Magician. Just as the Magician is about to bring harm to Zelda, Link strikes his mask and unveils the Prince. Immediately afterwards, Link wakes up. After Link crosses the sea to Eastern Hyrule, the Magician unleashes a storm that wrecks his ship. The Magician then launches an attack on the town of Darunia, but fails. A second attack is launched after the taming of the River Devil, leading to the death of the current Zelda. This attack is successful as the Magician now has blood needed to revive Ganon. By mistake, his minions have obtained Zelda's blood, rather than Link's, making the revival incomplete.

In the final volume, the Magician starts an all-out attack on Link, having learned of the young hero's success in returning the crystals to the temples. After Link narrowly escapes Ganon, following the retrieval of the Triforce of Courage, the Magician attempts to steal the Triforce in the guise of one of the nursemaids. Link sees through the disguise and cleaves off the Magician's mask. Zelda I recognizes him as both Ganon and the Prince. The Magician reveals that he has been attempting to get the Triforce for countless centuries, rapidly decaying before Ganon bursts through his body and snatches the Triforce. With his dying breath, the Magician reveals that Ganon is his alter-ego, and that his revival was necessary for him to continue living. He soon realizes that his own ambitions were his undoing and passes away, after apologizing to his sister.

Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.

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.

Carock[]

The Magician is never seen in-game, but there are pictures of him in the instruction manual for The Adventure of Link. These pictures greatly resemble artwork for Carock, the boss of the Maze Island Palace. Though nothing ever confirms this, it is possible that the two share some kind of connection.

Alter Ego of Ganon[]

While it does not state it as fact, Hyrule Historia offers the suggestion that the Magician may have been an alter ego of Ganon, much like Agahnim from A Link to the Past, or at the very least that he was working under Ganon's command, citing his persistence in learning about the secrets of the Triforce as possible evidence of this.

Possession[]

In the artwork accompanying the scene where the prince and Magician are interrogating Zelda for the location of the remaining Triforce piece, the Magician is shown to be partially merged with the prince's shadow, implying that the Magician might have possessed the prince into interrogating Zelda.

Theory warning: Theories end here.