Princess Zelda (ゼルダ姫 Zeruda-hime?) is a fictional character in The Legend of Zelda series of video games. She is a member of Hyrule's royal family and plays an integral role in Hyrule's history. Though she is the eponymous character, the player controls the main protagonist, Link.

Zelda is usually kidnapped or imprisoned by Ganon, also known as Ganondorf. In some games, she appears as one of the sages. In Ocarina of Time and The Minish Cap, she displays other magical powers, such as energy blasts and force fields.

Creator Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that her name was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. Like Link, Princess Zelda has multiple incarnations in the series, portrayed between childhood and adulthood.

She has blue eyes and her hair is usually blonde, and she often wears brown boots, pearl-colored gloves, a white kirtle, a pink or purple bodice and a golden diadem. She is associated with the goddess Nayru and the Triforce of Wisdom. Most iterations of Zelda also have psychic or magical powers, such as teleportation, telepathy and precognition; for example, she can cast spells and create or undo barriers and seals.

Her alter egos also have their own abilities. Zelda is usually depicted as a right-handed person, except in the Wii version of Twilight Princess, where the game world is mirrored to the Nintendo GameCube version. Princess Zelda appears in most The Legend of Zelda games, often as a central focus of Link's quests.

To date, she has appeared in every game except Link's Awakening, in which she is briefly mentioned, and Majora's Mask, where she is only shown in a flashback.

Similar to 0 things you like: