Since Breath of the Wild came out in 2017, many have wondered why Princess Zelda remains a teenager after fighting with Calamity Ganon for over a century. A Legend of Zelda game would not be a Legend of Zelda game without raising more questions than answers, and BOTW hosts a reservoir of mysteries for savvy fans to solve. However, the enigma of Zelda and her age has been one question that has remained out of most people's grasps.
In the story of Breath of the Wild, the Kingdom of Hyrule bands together to fight off the rise of Calamity Ganon. When Link becomes mortally injured in a fight against a hoard of Guardians to protect the princess, Zelda and the Sheikah save Link by placing him in the Shrine of Resurrection to enact the Slumber of Restoration. Though this slumber lasts 100 years, Link remains the same age he was when he first entered the shrine because its properties essentially stop his aging process as he heals.
While Link healed, Zelda was in a constant battle of magic to keep Calamity Ganon contained in Hyrule Castle so that Link could destroy him after regaining his strength. Despite the strain this century-long struggle put on her, Zelda does not age either. She looks the exact way she did when placing Link into the Shrine of Resurrection 100 years ago, and knowing that she was actively battling one of the most evil forces in the world, there is no way she too could have been suspended in time like Link was in the Shrine of Resurrection. This strange phenomenon remains unexplained by the end of BOTW, leaving many to wonder how Zelda stayed young after all of this time.
The Theory That Zelda Absolved Herself From Time Explained
Though no concrete answers have arisen, fans seem to have organized around one possible conclusion. Namely, the magic Zelda uses to contain Calamity in Hyrule Castle suspended both of them in time, meaning that Zelda may have never aged at all during her time fighting the evil force. While this solution appears to wrap too nice of a bow on what appears to be a messy oversight in BOTW's lore, one fan has also found that Zelda sealing herself away from time is consistent with past games in the Legend of Zelda series.
The current theory behind Zelda's agelessness is that the princess created a magical barrier between Hyrule Castle and BOTW's Great Plateau so as to prevent Calamity Ganon from hurting the outside world. In doing so, Zelda may have separated Hyrule Castle from the BOTW universe's fabric of spacetime. This possible explanation elucidates Zelda's lack of aging by connecting it to her battle with Calamity Ganon while showing there was no time to to impact her age.
However, the theory still has its flaws. Namely, Link is able to cross the threshold between greater Hyrule and the castle without the use of magic. In other games, Link has to use the Door of Time in order to cross barriers of time and space. Of course, he has Zelda's guidance and watchful eye on him the entirety of his journey through Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, meaning Zelda could have purposely let Link into Hyrule Castle without explaining the magical work that went into making that a possibility for him. Additionally, when Zelda saves Link's life a century before the beginning of BOTW by using her magic, her power only affects subjects possessed by Dark Magic and Malice. Thus, Zelda's magical seal on Calamity Ganon may have only affected Dark Magic and herself as the of her powers, in turn letting Link remain unaffected.
Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess Confirm the BOTW Theory
Still, the theory that Zelda simply used Light Magic to seal away Ganon and herself appears too neat, especially because Breath of the Wild doesn't provide any explanation that suggests the theory's premise. One fan, time-travel in the Legend of Zelda series that validates the theory, however. Indeed, the Legend of Zelda series has a long history of split timelines, time travel, and time manipulation that extends all the way to the first game itself.
In Skyward Sword, the earliest game in the grander timeline of the Legend of Zelda series, Zelda places herself in the past in a similar way to BOTW. In this game, Zelda is revealed to be manifestation of the goddess of Hylia in human form, and she uses the power this fact grants her to seal herself in the past to prevent Ganon from terrorizing the present. Given that this is nearly the exact theory for BOTW's Zelda and her agelessness, it makes sense that later iterations of her character would use similar tactics to battle Ganon and King Demise.
Indeed, Zelda has used time manipulation numerous times to fight the forces of evil. Most notably, Zelda uses time travel in Twilight Princess to save herself and Link by time traveling and taking Link to the provinces of the Light Spirits. This shows that Zelda not only uses time manipulation as a way to keep Ganon at bay but to keep others safe. It is one of her most used tools that best works when in conjunction with her ability to transport to the Sacred Realm.
The connection between time travel and the Sacred Realm is important when considering the validity of the BOTW theory. The Door of Time is what enables Link to gain access to the Sacred Realm in Zelda: Twilight Princess' story, showing that part of accessing that mythic region involves either time travel or escaping time itself. Knowing that Zelda's ultimate goal in BOTW is to keep Ganon at bay by sending him to the Sacred Realm, the probability that she sealed herself from time to fight Ganon for a century is thus highly likely.
The mystery behind Zelda's lack of aging in BOTW appears sufficiently answered by fan speculation, although the answers provided are merely theories. However, fans may not have to wait long for more concrete details about Zelda's magic. With updates regarding Breath of the Wild's sequel hopefully coming soon, the specifics of the princess and her relationship with time should be made clearer.
