Ancient Sheikah

Engineers of the Divine Beasts and Guardians who defended Hyrule, then were persecuted by the monarchy out of fear of their power.

The Ancient Sheikah were an advanced civilization in Hyrule that developed technology to protect the kingdom from Calamity Ganon. They created four enormous animalistic machines known as the Divine Beasts and an army of autonomous weapons called Guardians. Their work also included constructing shrines containing challenges ranging from puzzles to battles against robotic opponents, designed to assist Link when darkness returned. Their legacy remained hidden across Hyrule until the Great Calamity's return.

Quick Facts

Primary allegiance: Royal Family of Hyrule
Key technology: Divine Beasts and Ancient Shrines

Lore & Background

Ten millennia before the events of Breath of the Wild, the Sheikah race had developed Hyrule into an advanced civilization. When an ancient evil known as Calamity Ganon appeared, four warriors—ancestors of the Rito, Zora, Goron, and Gerudo—piloted the Divine Beasts to weaken the threat. These machines worked alongside Guardians, autonomous weapons built by the Sheikah. A princess of Hyrule—bearing the blood of the Goddess Hylia but not necessarily the same Zelda known 100 years ago—sealed Ganon away with the aid of her appointed knight.

The Sheikah also constructed shrines throughout Hyrule containing challenges that rewarded Spirit Orbs upon completion. One hundred years before the game, four new Champions—Revali, Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa—were chosen to pilot the Divine Beasts. During the Great Calamity, the Champions were killed by the Blights before Ganon fully manifested, while King Rhoam died in Hyrule Field while trying to reach the Great Plateau. Link was taken to a Shrine of Resurrection to heal for a century, where he eventually awakened as an amnesiac warrior.

Reader's Guide

To engage with Sheikah technology in Breath of the Wild, players must activate towers to reveal territories on the Sheikah Slate map. The Slate itself is a magical stone tablet used to mark waypoints, take pictures for the Hyrule Compendium, and utilize four abilities: creating remote bombs, manipulating metal objects, forming ice blocks, and stopping time. Shrines act as extended puzzles where players can earn Spirit Orbs; trading four orbs grants additional health or stamina points. The Divine Beasts serve as major story objectives that must be freed from Ganon's control to weaken him before the final confrontation at Hyrule Castle.