Saria


 * This article is about the Ocarina of Time character. For the location from The Adventure of Link, see Water Town of Saria.

Saria is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. She is a Kokiri girl, considered to be very pretty by her fellow Kokiri, who regard her as a motherly figure and the person that they turn to for advice. Because of her kind-hearted nature, she is very well-liked by the people of her village, especially Mido, who developed a deep fondness for her. She is also Link's best friend, an outsider among the Kokiri, resulting in a powerful bond which seems to elicit feelings of jealousy from Mido, causing him to shun Link the majority of the time.

Like the rest of her people, Saria physically appears to be no older than the age of ten and wears the typical green garb of the Kokiri. She has bright blue eyes, but her most famous trait may be her vibrant green hair, held in place by a dark green headband that she always seems to wear. Her hair color is a very rare trait shared by few other characters even within the series continuity, save for Farore, the Oracle of Secrets in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.

Being one of the Seven Sages, Saria's fame became so great that a stained glass window featuring Saria is found in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. A town named after her also appears in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The Wind Waker also features a Kokiri boy named Fado, the Sage of Wind, whom she may bear some relation to.

Biography
Saria appears for the first time when Link exits his house after having been summoned to an audience with the Great Deku Tree by Navi. She initially expresses great excitement towards Link's meeting with the Guardian of the Forest, but senses trouble on the horizon and advises him to find the proper equipment just in case. After the Deku Tree tasks Link with the quest to find Princess Zelda, Saria approaches her friend as he is about to leave the forest. Although she appears to be greatly saddened by his departure, Saria assures him that she always knew that he was different from the other Kokiri. She then entrusts him with a Fairy Ocarina as a memento of everything that he is leaving behind. At a loss for words, she watches with a sorrowful expression as he exits through the tunnel leading into the larger Land of Hyrule.

After returning home from the initial stages of his quest, Link searches for Saria and eventually find her in the Sacred Forest Meadow. During their brief reunion, she has a premonition that the meadow will one day become a place of importance for the two of them, and teaches him "Saria's Song", which allows Link to contact her telepathically. He later plays this song for the troubled Goron leader, Darunia, which raises his spirits. Link can contact Saria at any given point beyond this time, during which she give helpful hints and expresses joy upon hearing how much Darunia loved her song.

During Link's seven year absence, Saria sensed the spirits of the forest calling for help from within the Forest Temple and immediately went to investigate, but was ultimately captured by the creatures inside. Link awakens after having been sealed inside the Temple of Light and finds that Hyrule has fallen into disarray. Before he can depart from the temple, Link meets the mysterious Sheik, who vaguely describes the upcoming quest and tasks him to awaken all the Sages of Hyrule, even dropping a hint that Saria is the first of the sages. Upon traveling back to Kokiri Forest, Link finds Mido blocking the entrance to the deeper part of the Lost Woods and plays Saria's Song to the Kokiri leader as proof that he knows Saria. Recognizing the upbeat tune, Mido tells him that Saria traveled to the Forest Temple to investigate the recent chaos. After braving the many dangers of the Forest Temple and defeating Phantom Ganon, Link allows his old friend to awaken as the Sage of Forest. She tells him that, being a sage, she cannot be with him and accept the fate thrust onto them both. Saria then gives Link the Forest Medallion, adding her power to his. If Link talks to Mido after this, he will tell Link that Saria really liked Link, possibly to the point of love. However, this is never elaborated upon.

Saria works together with the other five Sages to create a bridge over the lava moat outside Ganon's Castle so that Link can enter and defeat the Evil King once and for all. She also appears inside the castle, breaking the Forest Seal and makes one final appearance with the other Sages as they watch the festivities following Ganondorf's ultimate defeat, sitting on Darunia's head.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga
In the manga based on Ocarina of Time, Saria is still the Sage of the Forest. Early in the story she claims that although Link does not have a fairy, he is still her very best friend. She gives Link her ocarina when he leaves the Kokiri Forest so that he will remember her, the ocarina is later crushed by Ganondorf. Saria is then trapped in a painting by Phantom Ganon and is released only after Link defeats Phantom Ganon.

Etymology
Saria's name may be derived from aria, which is an expressive melody usually, but not always, performed by a singer. This is plausible because all other Kokiri are named after musical syllables in the solfège scale.

Gallery
Salia Saria