Did the Six Sages in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Actually Die?

[BlackFeet]

I know this game is "ancient", (I don't believe this'll be before too many's time) however I don't think this has been discussed here before...

This has always been a long-debated topic, as Nintendo intentionally made this idea ambiguous. While I won't say the memory of playing/beating this game is fresh in my mind, I'm pretty sure that I was always of the belief that the sages were killed. Every one of these characters (with the exception of Rauru) never left the temples they were in, and every time they're in grave danger, I don't think you ever see them in-person again. The next time you see them they are sages. It seemed clear to me that Nabooru was killed right in front of you; there was a noticable difference from the first time the witches cast a spell on her.

Believing that the sages died, this game really becomes a rather sad and grim story. It was always sad that Link and Saria never were on the same level before she became a sage. Link really had all the hoes... Anyhow that's my take on it, looking to hear additional viewpoints

 

[notPsychosiz]

I don't really remember the story. Thats a shame cause the n64 I bought was the gold one so thats the game that came with it.
I beat it several times (I think i had a master collection disc with it on gamecube also...) but all I remember is the owl, killing those gold spiders, the water temple, and jamming out on the ocarina not playing any particular song. And Epona?? Is that the horses name?

Killing chickens... running to town before it gets dark and zombies come out..

I remember the game vividly but barely remember any part of the story.


Those horse mechanics were
Way before the GTAs were open world... Zelda was beastin

 

[Responsible Allen Iverson]

I don't think any of them died. You probably need to play the game again.

 

[Arris]

I know in one of the alternate realities link dies and the sages all seal ganon away for a couple hundred years. I don't think they died but for all intents and purposes their old lives were officially over. the game didn't make it seem like they could go back out into the world after everything was all said and done.

 

[Ruck]

There were sages? shyt it's been that long that I don't even remember. I haven't played that game since 2000

 

[Rice N Beans]

I don't think they were killed. also I don't think you had to be dead to be a Sage. You also vitied the Temple Of Light in live-form.

Also the Link-Saria story. :chiefmj: Though not as gut wrenching as the Kafei-Anju storyline from Majora's Mask. But still a knee-taker.

 

[Chris Cool]

you could always use the ocarina to talk to sara.

 

[Dirty_Jerz]

I sort of thought they were dead too. Goron brother bbq'd fighting valvo, saria snatched up in the woods by those ghosts, the black assassin chick drowned in icyhot quicksand.:brooooklyyyyn:

 

[Wild self]

Yeah, I think that they died. You merely go to the temples to free their spirits that gave you power to defeat Ganondorf.

 

[QuintessentialBM]

This has intrigued me, so I decided to look up some answers. Here's the consensus....

Nintendo has made it so damn confusing that it's hard to interpret whether or not the sages actually died. An argument could be made for both scenarios, but paradoxes would also be created which Miyamoto, himself, would have to clear up.

The faction that believes that the sages died believe this to be so because Rauru is also dead and can only exist outside of the sacred realm in owl form (Kaepora Gaebora). The problem with this theory is that Zelda never died(or did she???) In addition, this theory would create additional potholes and missing links(pun not intended). What happened to the sages that helped Rauru build the Temple of Time? That would be the most important question. I'm leaning towards this theory because at the end, as already mention, you catch the sages looking down from Death Mountain at the celebration at Lon Lon Ranch, then they disappear. Of course, the Historia would have to be altered to accommodate this so it could be made clear instead of ambiguous.


The faction that believes that the sages never actually died believes this to be true because in the game itself, it explicitly states that the old sages died, therefore, having a need for new sages. This totally kills the first theory. It also states in the game that their powers had to be awakened, therefore, the need for the sages to die before undergoing their mystical transformation, is at most, conjecture.

So, we'll have to wait on Miyamoto to clear up the confusion.