Bane of Evil: Partie Deux

Part 2: Bane of Evil or a Barrier To Evil?
Ocarina of Time has the most well-recognized form of the Master Sword: it is the purple-hilted straight-edge blade I described in part 1. In particular this incarnation of the blade is similar to its forms in A Link To The Past and Twilight Princess. In OoT the Master Sword is unlocked through the completion of trials and opening the Door of Time with the Ocarina of Time, which is ultimately the archetypal trial to obtain the bane of evil. The archetypal image of light pouring onto the sword in its pedestal is one's first glimpse of it; this image is striking to someone used to the scene. Many years later I still have some graphic recollection of the scene.

Though being the bane of evil is a generic concept, the Master Sword seems lively and conscious in an esoteric way. The music that accompanies Link pulling the blade out is also quite memorable in its glorification of the action. Time travel, though important and cool, itself does not highlight anything notable about the blade; the context in which you use the blade, however, is quite fascinating. Link removes the Master Sword and unleashes evil upon the world, leaving once populous Hyrule Castle Town a Re-Dead wasteland. it is the bane of Evil, but it has the capacity to let evil wreak havoc once it is removed. To me the Master Sword transcends the archetype of the powerful weapon that can destroy everything through this particular flaw. This blade transcends the archetype of destroying all evil.

On that note, the Master Sword being pulled out allowed Ganondorf the main villain to transform Hyrule Castle Town into his backyard. He gained access to everything he wanted to control all at the hands of Link. The progression of the latter part of the game may have turned out differently if the Master Sword had been laid to rest. In the end, though the Master Sword created the damage it also defeated Ganondorf and let the Sages finally put him away. It allowed Ganondorf access to what he wanted but it ultimately led to his imprisonment. During the fight, one can use the Megaton Hammer, a hammer technically as strong as the Master Sword, but to deliver the finishing blow the Master Sword must be used. The blade is not just a very powerful weapon. It serves as a bane of evil that drives Ganondorf into his prison.

I described the Master Sword as conscious, but this claim cannot be truly verified without further description of the blade is given. One story that elucidates the blade's purpose as something beyond a "butcher's knife" is that of Twilight Princess, a game considered by many to be some sort of sequel to OoT. This incarnation is equally important. When Midna, one of the Twili, is struck down and nearly killed, she has Link take her to the Master Sword; the blade revives her, in a benign fashion, and restores Link to his human form. The Master Sword banishes the evil without destroying it, resulting in a physical representation of the magic used on Link.This scene demonstrates, at least to me, why the Master Sword exists beyond cliche; the sword can drive back and banish evil without simply destroying it. The blade seems to have a living consciousness, not as a great craft of man, but as something aware and living. The Master Sword goes beyond being an agent of murder: it is something admirable and unique, disparate from other blades.