Many players have been asking themselves a particular question when journeying throughout the most recent Legend of Zelda game. That question is, how old is link in Breath of the Wild? The following article will explore how old Link is, as well as more useful lore-based information. Continue reading to find out about your favorite game character!
How Old is Link in Breath of the Wild?
Prior to being placed in the deep slumber in Breath of the Wild, Link was approximately 17 years old. However, as we know, Link was asleep for 100 years while Hyrule fought against Ganon. This makes Link around 117 years old in Breath of the Wild.
How do we know this? Well, although this is just an estimate, we have a few things to conclude our answer. First, Link and Zelda have always been implied as being the same age roughly throughout previous Legend of Zelda titles. A certain flashback memory that can be experienced in Breath of the Wild states that Zelda turns 17 right before praying at the Spring of Wisdom.
Spring of Wisdom
The Spring of Wisdom is part of a shrine quest in Breath of the Wild – named the Jitan Sa’mi Shrine. However, during the memory and in the lore of the game, Zelda ventures to the shrine for her 17th birthday. We also know that the location of the shrine – Mount Lanayru’s Summit – is not accessible to those under the Hyrulian age of adulthood.
This age is implied to be 17, as Zelda is able to travel to the summit on her 17th birthday as per the lore. Link is also allowed to escort her to the summit. We also know that in the game, Link is able to freely access Mount Lanayru without repercussion – although we will see why this is the case later.
Since Zelda is stated clearly at being 17 right before Ganon takes control of Hyrule, it is safe to assume Link is also 17.
Deep Slumber
Shortly after Link and Zelda travel to the Spring of Wisdom, the Great Calamity occurs. This is the catastrophic event that tore Hyrule apart, as Ganon gained control. We know from the game’s lore that Link collapsed during the Great Calamity, and was sent to the Shrine of Resurrection to recover. This is evident as he wakes up in the shrine during the opening scenes of the game.
Link was then induced into a deep slumber in the shrine, where he slept for 100 years. In terms of the question how old is link in Breath of the Wild, this would make him roughly 117 years old. As covered, we know that he is at least 17 prior to the Great Calamity, as he otherwise would not have been able to escort Zelda to the Spring of Wisdom. It is also mentioned many times during the game that Link was asleep for 100 years.
Biological Age
Despite being born over 117 years ago prior to the events of the game, Link isn’t quite biologically 117. As evident by his youthful appearance and stature, Link is still clearly on the cusp of adulthood and being a teenager. In all the prior Legend of Zelda titles, Link has always been this way.
It is clear that Nintendo wanted to portray Link as being at the sweet spot of being young, whilst also being grown-up enough to traverse Hyrule alone. As we can see by his appearance, Link has not biologically aged since his placement in the Shrine of Resurrection. He still clearly resembles a 17-year-old, much like he does in the prior Legend of Zelda titles.
Therefore, we can conclude that Link is technically around 117 years old during Breath of the Wild. Despite this, he still remains biologically as he did when he was 17 – before the Great Calamity.
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