- "An impressive-looking blade... But nothing more. Would you hear my desire? To take this foul blade... and use it to blot out the light forever!"
- — Ganondorf
The Sword of the Six Sages is a recurrent sword in The Legend of Zelda series. Originally belonging to the Ancient Sages, it is wielded by Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and cannot be used by Link. Ganondorf carries this around in a scabbard, holding it in the same manner as a cane or a staff, and uses it in combat against Link during the final battle. Ganondorf also refers to it as a "foul blade", proclaiming that while he wields it, he does so in disgust, and detests how the blade was used in an attempt to kill him. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link can wield it by using the amiibo Rune with the Ganondorf amiibo.
Description[]
The Sword of the Six Sages is a two-handed totally white sword. Its guard is ornately crafted and shaped, and the handle has distinct ridges, to provide its wielder with a stronger grip. Ganondorf is seen with a scabbard for the sword, but it is considerably cruder in design and is wrapped in bandages. The Sage of Water was able to levitate it by thought alone, as shown in his botched execution of Ganondorf. Ganondorf can freely switch between using one hand or two in battle, presumably by virtue of his unnatural strength. The sword is classified as a longsword in Breath of the Wild.
In Breath of the Wild, it is stated that the longsword is a holy weapon crafted by the Ancient Sages to seal a demon king, implying that it was created to not only wound Ganondorf, but to also seal him presumably to prevent him from being revived or reincarnated. Its holy nature also explains Ganondorf's referring it a foul blade as holy power would be foul to someone as evil as him and due to the wound it inflicted upon him that never healed. However unlike the Master Sword, the blade's holy power is not enough to deter Ganondorf from wielding it and only managed to wound him, indicating its holy power is weaker than the Master Sword which was forged from the Goddess Sword crafted by the Goddess Hylia and is imbued with the power of the three Sacred Flames and blessed with the power to repel evil by her mortal reincarnation the Spirit Maiden Zelda. However as it is a holy weapon, it is not effected by the Master Sword's power to repel evil even when wielded by the evil Ganondorf. Although holy in nature, it can be used to eliminate light if wielded by evil men, which is implied by Ganondorf's declaration that he intended to use the sword to blot out the light forever as his "desire", with the sky becoming dark after drawing his blade. Similarly intelligent monsters such as Bokoblins, Moblins, Lizalfos, and their skeletons reanimated by Ganon's power at night can also wield the blade despite its holy origins in Breath of the Wild if it is dropped and the enemy is unarmed.
However as it is a longsword originally intended by the ancient sages to be used against evil by righteous men it is still a powerful and dangerous weapon against evil that can be wielded practically by anyone while the Master Sword can only be wielded by a chosen few whom have proven themselves worthy or are destined to wield it. Presumably the sages crafted the blade to use against Ganondorf instead of the Master Sword because of this fact. The Ancient Sages crafting of the Sword of the Six Sages may have also inspired the misconception in Twilight Princess that they created the holy Master Sword which was noted by Princess Zelda when in fact it predates the foundation of Hyrule as a country and kingdom though its origins apparently became obscured over time. The blade lacks the Master Sword's ability to regenerate though it can be reacquired if it breaks or is discarded. Its scabbard is identical to the one used by Ganondorf in Twilight Princess presumably having been recovered with the longsword after Ganondorf was slain by the Hero of Twilight. The scabbard's cloth has design pattern identical to those featured on Gerudo clothing such as that worn by Ganondorf himself, which is fitting as the Arbiter's Grounds where Ganondorf's failed execution and acquisition of the longsword took place was located in Gerudo Desert where it was presumably forged thus ironically the sword itself was created in the same land where Ganondorf originated and was ultimately created for the sole purpose of putting an end to his evil which ended in disaster and lead directly to Zant's rise to power and invasion of the Light World as well as the curse placed upon the Twilight Realm's rightful ruler. The Arbiter's Grounds itself appear as mostly abandoned (save for the local hidden Korok) sand covered ruins in the southern portion of Gerudo Desert in Breath of the Wild.
Appearances[]
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Prior to Zant's invasion of Hyrule, the Ancient Sages sentenced the Gerudo king, Ganondorf, to death on the count of treason following the Hero of Time's return from the future Imprisoning War. The Sage of Water used the sword to impale him while he was chained to a rock in the Mirror Chamber at the top of the Arbiter's Grounds. This execution attempt proved unsuccessful, however, and Ganondorf emerged alive, strongly implied to be holding the Triforce of Power and using it to survive. He broke free of the chains binding him, killed the Sage of Water, and pulled the sword from his torso. The sword left only a large, glowing wound in its place. The sword was sent into the Twilight Realm along with Ganondorf. At some point, he acquired a scabbard for it and took to carrying it as a trophy from his slaying of the Sage of Water. Desiring revenge, Ganondorf wielded the blade as his sword despite considering it a "foul" blade from his perspective as it inflicted a magical wound upon him that never healed. However he planned to use the blade intended to kill him against his enemies as part of his desire to blot out the light of Hyrule recognizing it as a symbol of the sages failure.
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The Sword of the Six Sages clashing with the Blade of Evil's Bane
This wound would later prove to be disastrous for Ganondorf upon his return to Hyrule, as Link realizes that the wound is his weak point, and defeats him by repeatedly attacking the wound in wolf form during one of the final battles against Ganondorf in his beast form, and later finishes off Ganondorf for good in their final duel by running Ganondorf through the wound with the Master Sword. However the enchanted sword itself was capable of clashing with the legendary Blade of Evil's Bane though ultimately Link prevailed with his swordsmanship and the power of the Master Sword aided by the sword's enchanted wound. Upon Ganondorf's final defeat, the glowing wound on his chest fades away. The reason for this is unknown; it is however likely that since it is a magical wound, once he dies, it stops affecting his body.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild[]
- "The Six Sages are said to have forged this longsword to seal a demon king in the world where the hero fought against the beasts of twilight. The blade shines with a holy luster."
- — In-game description
In Breath of the Wild, the Sword of the Six Sages is a two handed sword which Link can acquire if the amiibo Rune is used with the Ganondorf amiibo of the Super Smash Bros. series. The treasure chest containing Sword of the Six Sages will only start to appear after Link has completed and freed one of the Divine Beasts, thus it will not randomly spawn until Link has completed at least one of the Divine Beast dungeons.
This marks the first time in The Legend of Zelda series that Link can actually wield the blade himself. It has a base attack power of 48 and a base durability of 50, these stats may change with a weapon bonus. Its in-game description implies that it is a holy sword that was originally forged by the Ancient Six Sages to execute and seal Ganon. It cannot regenerate like the Master Sword and can be picked up and wielded by unarmed Bokoblins, Moblins, or Lizalfos which is presumably a reference to Ganondorf's wielding the blade in Twilight Princess.
It can be thrown like most weapons thus cannot fire Sword Beams like the Master Sword. Also unlike the Master Sword Link may drop it if shocked by electricity or Shock Arrows though Unshockable armor or items that increase Link's shock resistance can be used to counter disarmament. It can also be mounted on weapon mounts in Link's House for safekeeping or storage there to clear up Link's inventory space. It lacks the ability to regenerate like the Master Sword though it can be reacquired through the amiibo rune if it breaks, is dropped, or discarded like all amiibo exclusive weapons, bows, and shields. Ironically, Link can wield the holy longsword against Calamity Ganon and Dark Beast Ganon thus allowing it to partially fulfil its intended purpose by wielding it against the current incarnations of Demon King himself, though Zelda is ultimately responsible for sealing him away once Link frees her by defeating Dark Beast Ganon which the longsword can contribute to alongside Link's other weapons such as the Bow of Light and Master Sword. It can also act as a two-handed backup holy sword when the Master Sword has to recharge its power. Like all amiibo exclusive weapons, it has no coresponding Hyrule Compendium entry.
Calamity Ganon's corruption of the Divine Beasts, Guardians, and use of ancient Sheikah technology originally created to combat him also resembles Ganondorf's use of the Sword of Six Sages in Twilight Princess as he takes weapons created by his enemies and uses their power for evil resulting in death and destruction of those who oppose him such as the Sage of Water in Twilight Princess and Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule as well as the four Champions in Breath of the Wild. Both are also used against Link though are no match for his skill and the holy power of the Master Sword.
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.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
Ganondorf is also seen with the blade in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. However, he only uses it as a taunt, and not in combat.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[]
Ganondorf once again uses the Sword of the Six Sages for his taunt in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. He also utilizes in one of his alternate versions of Warlock Punch. It is a strong attack with a large amount of start up lag however it has more range than the standard Warlock Punch. If Ganondorf fails to hit with the tip of the blade then it will deal less damage than a normal Warlock Punch.
Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.
Gallery[]
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