LoZ: Guardian Dragons

FINALLY! All four Guardian Dragons have been complete, from ref sheet to their mortal forms! I’m really happy with how each came out, but especially Rauru and Saria; Saria I designed essentially from the ground up since she didn’t actually have a dragon to correspond to her in Skyward Sword while Rauru was originally a Hylian in OoT, but I changed his race to Rito since he’s Kaepora Gaebora (the owl) and I wanted him to represent a race not seen in the original Seven Sages.

BUT YEAH! I finished the designs and now it’s time for a bit of headcanon! <:

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So as a bit of context: 

-In my headcanon there are 4 Goddesses: Nayru, Farore, Din, and Hylia, all of which are sisters (or at least that’s what to be believed). Nayru (Goddess of Water and Wisdom), Farore (Goddess of Wind and Courage), and Din (Goddess of Fire and Power) go on to create the Triforce while the final goddess, Hylia (Earth and Hope) remained to watch over the world they created before eventually being reborn as a mortal (Zelda being that mortal).

-Each goddess has a deity dragon that corresponds to what they represent and the element they control: Eldin to Din, Lanayru to Farore, Faron to Nayru, Ordona to Hylia/Zelda. It’s believed the dragons were created in order to aid Hylia in protecting the realm whilst her sisters remained dormant. As such, Guardian Dragons are nearly as old as the start of time.

-After the events of SS, the Guardian Dragons have all opted to take on mortal disguises to better observe the world as well as keep a lower profile in case Demise ever tried to seek them out to drain them of their power. In this way they’re better able to serve Zelda whenever she’s of need of their aid as well as keep a better lookout on any future dangers that arise. The four took on the forms of a Rito, Zora, Kokiri, and Goron respectively.

-Every time Link and Zelda start a new lifetime, each dragon takes it upon themselves to make the trek to meet them when they’re young and to grant them protective blessings.

Ruto: Her true name is Faron and she is the Guardian Dragon of Water. Ruto’s very short for a Zora, reaching about the average height of a Hylian instead of the typical towering forms the Zora are known for (but she stronk so it’s all good). A stubborn and rough lass in her youth, she has since matured into a far more gentle and nurturing figure, traits that serve her well under the guise of being the high priestess of the Faron Temple. None of the Zora that visit her know that she herself is their patron deity, something she finds kinda funny considering everything.

Saria: Her true name is Ordona and she is the Guardian Dragon of Earth. Saria is a special case among the Guardians in that her goddess is still physically active in the world in the form of Zelda. Zelda is Hylia reborn as a mortal, destined to reincarnate in a cycle till the ends of time. Saria, being her dragon, is connected to Zelda on a spiritual level and is fiercely protective of her in every lifetime the mortal goddess lives. Saria currently resides in the Korok Forest as its protector, known to mortals the “Forest Mother”. There are tales of a haunting song played on an Ocarina deep in the forest, a song often played to sooth terrified and lost children as much as it is a warning to those with malicious intent.

Darunia: His true name is Eldin and he is the Guardian Dragon of Fire. Of the dragons he’s probably the least subtle about his true nature to mortals that come across him: he goes so far as to allow himself firebreath even if such an ability isn’t really… well, possible for Gorons. Pair that with his fierce battle prowess and his deep love for storytelling and the Gorons have since begun to believe him as a “Vessel of Eldin’s Spirit”. they don’t know that he actually is Eldin though… well, all except Yunobo, who knows of Darunia’s true identity. I’d like to think that Eldin is the only Guardian Dragon who has once mated with a mortal and has descendants related to him: Yunobo and Daruk are two that hold his bloodline.

Rauru: His true name is Lanayru and he’s the Guardian Dragon of Air/Lightning. He’s by far the most inconspicuous of the Dragons when it comes to hiding amongst mortals; he isn’t anyone of notable social status or political power among the Rito, he is simply just an elderly owl who lives in a small, modest shack. No one suspects him as a deity because he gives no one a reason to suspect as much, and he’s honestly a bit exasperated at his fellow dragons choices when it comes to their own disguises: the point is to remain hidden, isn’t it? He can’t quite fault them for their slightly more looser approach given the long span of peace they’ve seen (the longest any of them have witnessed in many millennia), but he swears something in his bones tell him something will be coming.

His suspicions aside, he really enjoys his time with the Rito and has even took on a job as a teacher to the youngsters.

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Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there ya have it! <: I hope I explained my headcanon well enough there, but if I’ve confused ya in any way please feel free to ask for clarification! In the meantime I hope ya’ll enjoy! uwu

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