Sheikah

The Sheikah (Japanese: シーカー族 SHĪKĀ) or the Shadow Folk is an ancient clan and a minor race of ninja-like warriors sworn to protect the Hylian Royal Family, even after death; as such they came to be known as "the Shadows of the Hylians". They were skilled in magical and combative art.

They were assumed that many have died during Hyrulean Civil War (see quotes below). The race grew more and more rare after the Imprisoning War, and were presumed extinct after the Great Flood.

Characteristics
The physical appearance of the Sheikah is similar to the Hylians, the only known difference between Hylian and Sheikah biology are their blood red eye color.

It can be presumed that the Sheikah are related to the Hylian race, due to their distinctive pointed ears and their ability to use magic, a notable despict of this is Sheik, which is the alter ego of Princess Zelda, a native Hylian. It is unknown whether she simply disguised herself or used magic to transform her shape, but Zelda, as Sheik, has the red eye color inherent of the Sheikah race. Not much is known about their lifespan or other details about their lives. There is no statement of a male Sheikah except Sheik whose sex is debated by many fans.

According to the official Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga (which is a non-canon source) the young Sheikah males pierce their ears as a traditional rite of passage.

The Sheikah maintain and pass on history and legends to their descendants. For untold ages, the Sheikah have spoken of the prophecy of the Hero of Time and how he would save Hyrule in a time of need.

Weaponry, Items and Artifacts
In the The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Sheik has a harp that he uses to teach teach teleport songs to Link. Another item that both Sheik and Impa use are the Deku Nuts, which are frequently used by the two to disappear out of Link's sight.

The strange stones known as Gossip Stones, are engraved with the Sheikah emblem. When spoken to while wearing the Mask of Truth these mysterious stones can give Link advice and background information on many things. It is possible that they were created in order for the Royal Family's to communicate with each other, as explained by Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. In the Zelda Universe, the Official web site of The Legend of Zelda series are named "Sheikah Stones" and it says that work as eyes and ears of Hyrule and Termina. .

The Mask of Truth is a mysterious mask shaped like the Sheikah Symbol. This mask has long been spoken of by the Sheikah, and it is possible that it was created by the mysterious race. When worn, Link can communicate with Gossip Stones and gain their knowledge.

Link must also, at one point, retrieve an object known as the Lens of Truth, which allows him to see things not visible to the naked eye as well as optical illusions. The Lens of Truth is similar in appearance to the Sheikah symbol.

Also in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess there are three items with the Sheikah emblem: The Howling Stones, the Wooden Statue and the Fused Shadows (check below).

The Sheikah Emblem
The emblem of the Sheikah resembles a human eye, with three triangles above it (as if to imitate eyelashes and/or symbolize the pieces of the Triforce) and something resembling a large tear drop running out from the eye. When the Sheikah emblem have color are principally red, this must be because the eyes of the Sheikah are of the same pigmentation.

In the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga (a non-canon source) the symbol was used before with a single eye until the betrayal of the Royal Family.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time


The Sheikah are first introduced in Ocarina of Time. The race is presented as a outcasts (specially to the Hylians) in the land of Hyrule, and the other races feared them, perhaps for this very reason. The few people who know of the race reveal little information about them.

The Sheikah eventually came to swear loyalty to the Royal Family of Hyrule and became their protectors. For generations, the Sheikah protected the Royal Family until most of them were killed off during the Hyrulean Civil War. In memory of their heroic deeds, a gravestone dedicated to the Sheikah was raised in Kakariko Graveyard.

Some time into the game, Link travels to Hyrule Castle and meets Princess Zelda. After being asked to gather the Spiritual Stones in order to save Hyrule from an impending evil talks to Zelda nursemaid, Impa, the first intoduced Sheikah in the game and one of the last remaining of her kind, who teaches him "Zelda's Lullaby", a tune known only to close allies of the Hyrulean Royal Family. She also recognizes the potential in Link to be the Hero of Time spoken of by her people.

Impa was born in Kakariko Village, which was a Sheikah village long before the events of Ocarina of Time. According to the local townsfolk, Impa opened the town to anyone who wanted to enter it and helped the small town to grow. Her house stands there and is free for anyone to enter.

After Link awakens after having been sealed within the Temple of Light for seven years after opening the door to the Sacred Realm, Link is introduced to another Sheikah; Sheik, who is Princess Zelda alter ego, he/she helps Link in his quest for the Six Medallions needed to create a pathway to Ganon's Castle. Sheik teaches Link teleport songs to the Temples and tells him where to go next. It is unknown whether she simply disguised herself or used magic to transform her shape, but Zelda, as Sheik, has the red eye color inherent of the Sheikah race. Probably after Zelda was taken away of the castle by Impa, she learned from her maid of the Sheikah knowledge and techniques.

Link eventually defeats Bongo Bongo, the boss of the Shadow Temple (which is believed to be the temple of the Sheikah) and awakens Impa as the Sage of Shadow. She adds her power to Link's by giving him the Shadow Medallion. Impa and Princess Zelda aids Link in his final battle, sealing away Ganon to the Sacred Realm.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
While no Sheikah and the only mention of the race appears in the description of  when Link obtains the Mask of Truth in the direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, the Gossip Stones, Mask of Truth and Lens of Truth appear again in Majora's Mask. In this game, the Mask of Truth can also be used to read the minds of animals.

Kafei is also believed to be a Sheikah due to his red eyes and pointed ears.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
In Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, a character called Impa appears. However, she is not the same character as the Impa from Ocarina of Time. She helps Link in both games and is the nursemaid of Princess Zelda. There is no statement that this Impa is a Sheikah, but the games' official artwork indicates that she has red eyes and pointed ears.

The artwork of Veran from Oracle of Ages displays a symbol very similar to the Sheikah symbol on her dress. Additionally, a Gerudo symbol can also be seen.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
The Sheikah are presumed to be extinct in The Wind Waker, but the Sheikah emblem makes a small appearance in the Forsaken Fortress, where it can be seen inside the room at the top of the fortress, this time the eye is smaller and the eyeslashes and the tear drop are larger. Additionally, the human mailman Baito has the Sheikah emblem tattooed on his back. A stained glass window with Impa and the Sheikah symbol also makes a small appearance in the basement of Hyrule Castle.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, various appearances of Sheikah and their symbol occur. However, the word "Sheikah" is never mentioned in the game. At one point, Link is required to find the Wooden Statue that once belonged to Ilia, in order to restore her lost memory. This Wooden Statue is very similar to the symbol of the Sheikah race. When Gor Coron examines the mystical statue he points out that it belonged to an old tribe, that, in secret, protected the Royal Family of Hyrule. Link travels to the area north of the Bridge of Eldin and discovers a cave. With the help of Darbus, he breaks the rocks blocking the entrance to the cave and inside, he finds the Hidden Village. This village has a Hylian language sign that translated says Old Kakarico (probably the Kakariko Village from "Ocarina of Time" the "c" could be only an error). In the village, he finds an old lady called Impaz, who has pointed ears and red eyes. She explains that her name came from the founder of the Hidden Village, possibly Impa from Ocarina of Time. She also explains that she is the last member of her tribe. Link shows her the Dominion Rod and she tells him that her tribe had for ages passed down the legend of the "Messenger of the Heavens", the Oocca race and the Dominion Rod. She trusts the young hero with the Ancient Sky Book and tells him that she will pass down her knowledge.

Based on several comments made by Gor Coron and Impaz, the tribe has declined by several wars and monster invasion. It is very likely that the race is the Sheikah, although this is never confirmed as such in the game.

Many other references to the Sheikah appear in the game. For instance, when Link first meets Princess Zelda, she is clothed in robes bearing the Sheikah emblem. When she appears again in her formal wear, the shoulder pads of her attire carry the Sheikah symbol, with blue gems representing the eyes. Fanadi also has the Sheikah symbol on her forehead - additionally, she has red eyes and pointed ears, so it is possible that she is in fact, a Sheikah. The symbol also appears on the back of Midna's helmet and above Zant's Throne. The Howling Stones found in the game closely resemble Gossip Stones. However, their function is different.

It has been stated that Sheik was originally slated to appear in Twilight Princess, however, this idea was eventually dropped. Sheik, in what was supposed to be his Twilight Princess appearance, appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The design of Sheik in this game is closely based upon Princess Zelda's appearance in Twilight Princess.

Sheikah in other languages
The word "Sheikah" only changes in japanese (シーカー族 SHĪKĀ) and in german where was changed to "Shiekah" because of pronunciation matters, but in the german version of "Majora's Mask when Link gets the Mask of Truth, it says "Sheikah".

In the spanish version of "Majora's Mask", when Link gets the Mask of Truth it says:
 * ¡Es la misma máscara de la que hablaba Sheikah!

In english: "It's the same mask Sheikah spoke of!", but refers to "Sheikah" as a person named like that, probably an error.

Earlier Games
The Sheikah are first introduced in Ocarina of Time, but in The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: Adventure of Link, there is a character called Impa, who is the attendant of Princess Zelda. There are no indications that this Impa is of the Sheikah race, owing to the fact that she does not have red eyes in the game's official artwork. This could be a retcon by Nintendo because there are certain similarities between Impa from Ocarina of Time and the one appearing in The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link. They both have considerable knowledge of Hyrule, Ganon and the Royal Family.

In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, the wizard Agahnim has an eye symbol (similar to the one that Veran from Oracle of Ages has) on his robes and throughout his lairs.

Dark Interlopers/Twili theory
Some fans theorise that the Twili race of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are connected to the Sheikah, as both are dark magic practitioners, possessing a very similar tribal symbol. Some even go as far to say that the Sheikah are the Dark Interlopers from whom the Twili are descended, as, being so close to the Royal Family, they would know much of the Triforce. Both the Dark Interlopers and the Twili have red eyes. The Sheikah symbol in the Fused Shadows and the one in Zant's Throne is regarded a as clue of this.

Bongo Bongo, The Sheikah
Bongo Bongo, the boss in the Shadow Temple is theorised to be (or have been) a Sheikah. This is beacuse a Kakariko elder near the Spider House states:
 * A long time ago... There was a man in this very village who had an eye they said could see the truth! Now usually, you have to train your mind's eye most strenuously to actually see the truth... But this fella, no, they say he had a different way of doing things... His house stood where the well is now...

This shapeshifter monster could probably be this person cause the fact that he have one eye and was living in the well. His house could have been sent to the bottom of the well, with artifacts (Lens of Truth, that can been found there, and the Mask of Truth). Probably was a Dark Interloper in the Hyrulean civil War and he was executed and sent (with his house) to the bottom of Kakarico water support. Another theory propose that he is a Twili, but he wasn't imprisioned in the Twilight Realm, instead it was put away in the Bottom of the Well. Is also possible that before they know about the Twilight Mirror they sealed Interlopers in distinct places.

The Sheikah Composer brothers
One of the Composer brothers found is Kakariko Graveyard says that the are from Kakariko Village, and they and the people born there, have to serve the Royal Family, and were assigned to study the mystic power of the family. They were possible (aswell as the early villagers) from the Sheikah tribe because is the only know race to have serve the Royal family. The Sun's Song is also questioned to be a Sheikah song (along with the Nocturne of Shadow), because it was composed by this brothers.

Sheikah/Sheikahs
The plural for Sheikah is debated, early in Ocarina of Time Impa says: "I am Impa of the Sheikahs". Using Sheikahs as many Sheikah but in the grave at Kakariko Graveyard says: "...The Sheikah, guardians of the Royal Family and ..." this time is used "Sheikah". It isn't know if this is a error or if are different Sheikah tribes or ranks