| “ | I can feel your light power within her. As well as my time power. | „ |
| ~ Queen Sonia |
| “ | Oh, your concern is very sweet, Zelda. But listen. You can focus your attention on returning home. After all, you possess more than power over time. You have a sacred power that can dispel evil. Both of these powers will help you protect your own era. | „ |
| ~ Sonia to Princess Zelda |
Queen Sonia is a major character in the 2023 action-adventure video game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
She is a descendant of the the first Zelda from the Sky Era and the ancestor of the Queen of Hyrule during the Era of the Wilds and her daughter, Princess Zelda. She becomes the first Queen of Hyrule, having founded the kingdom alongside her husband, Rauru. She was also a member of the Seven Sages, representing as the Sage of Time. As the Sage of Time, she possesses the Secret Stone that harnesses the power of time.
She is voiced by Yuuko Kaido in Japanese and Cherami Leigh in English, who also voices Lucy Heartfilia in Fairy Tail, Asuna Yuuki in Sword Art Online, Minako Aino/Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon, Sarada Uchiha in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Patricia "Patty" Thompson in Soul Eater, Chloe Cerise in Pokémon Journeys, and Shana in Shakugan no Shana.
Appearance[]
Queen Sonia is a dark-skinned woman similar to the citizens of Lurelin Village, with green eyes and long blonde hair reaching her legs. She wears a laurel wreath which historically symbolized peace, victory, or mastery and flower-based jewelry. She wears a white, blue, and red strapless Zonai dress with complex Zonai patterns. She's always barefoot with white toenail polish and an anklet on her right ankle. Her arms and legs are also decorated in white tattoos, with the Triforce seen within those on her lower arms.
Biography[]
After Princess Zelda is transported back in time to the period when Sonia and Rauru were in power as Hyrule's sovereigns, they take her in and teach her how to control her new powers via her Secret Stone in a way much more suited to Zelda's comfort compared to the stress she had been put under by her late father, King Rhoam. Zelda is also given a Zonai dress similar to Sonia's to wear, along with the corresponding jewelry and facial makeup to better blend in as her clothes from the era she came from would not fit in well in Rauru and Sonia's time period. It was around this time that Zelda supporting Sonia and Rauru was put to the test when Ganondorf, leading his Gerudo forces of vai warrior women, including Koume and Kotake, has them send a force of Moldugas to attack the Hyrulean forces. Seeing them coming after being alerted by the sentries, Rauru prepares a spell to counter them. With Sonia's guidance, she and Zelda bolster Rauru with their power from their Secret Stones, though Sonia is surprised by the stronger power coming from Zelda during that moment, but with their support, when Rauru opens his third eye, he unleashes a blast that wipes out the entire Molduga force in a single blow, to the shock of Ganondorf's Gerudo vai, while the Gerudo King himself realizes brute strength is not going to work and he needs to take this from a different angle.
As a result, he instead approaches Sonia, Rauru and Zelda under the surmise of pledging fealty to them. Despite his suspicion of Ganondorf, due to being the lone Gerudo male, or voe, born in 100 years, Rauru accepts Ganondorf's pledge and welcomes his forces into the Hyrulean Army. Princess Zelda expresses discomfort about Rauru's decision to take Ganondorf up on his offer and finds his name on its own to be suspicious, though they assure her that they are aware of Ganondorf's true nature, and they are doing that so they can keep a closer eye on him. Zelda agrees despite her skepticism.
Sonia, Zelda and Rauru hang out at the summer house where the princess expresses worry about her era falling into peril and shares some information about Link, who has accomplished many great feats, while wondering how she can return to her time. Sonia is amazed upon hearing of Link's accomplishments and assures Zelda she'll find a way to get back home.
However, later, when Sonia is alone with Zelda, who wanted to speak with her in private, Zelda suddenly draws a Gerudo dagger and flings it at Sonia while taunting her for being far too trusting. However, something intercepts the attempt on Sonia's life, and Sonia reveals she knows that the Zelda who tried to attack her is actually a puppet of Ganondorf, as the real Zelda reveals herself to be the one that stopped the attempt on Sonia's life, revealing that she and Sonia were aware of the attempt the whole time. After Zelda sends the dagger back to sender before breaking her spell and causing the dagger to clink to the ground in front of the fake Zelda, the fake Zelda laughs before dissipating into Malice, revealing she was really Phantom Ganon, a decoy to divert Zelda and Sonia's attention. With their attention diverted thanks to Phantom Ganon, and their guard lowered, Ganondorf personally makes his move and strikes, mortally wounding Sonia from behind, snatching her Secret Stone as it is swung upwards as the Hyrulean Queen fell, whimpering in pain, taking it for himself. After Sonia collapses, Zelda rushes to her aid in horror as Ganondorf smiles psychotically and cackles maniacally. Shortly thereafter, he corrupts Sonia's Secret Stone and places it on his forehead, the power granted to him by it allowing him to summon the Blood Moon and transform into a stronger, Gloom-fueled version of himself, the Demon King, as he summons his forces all over Hyrule: Bokoblins, Moblins, Lizalfos, Hinox, and Lynels.
| “ | Ganondorf: You are too late, Rauru. You took for granted the godlike power you had in your hands. Do you now see the potential you squandered? As for her... She is merely the first victim of your arrogance. You tried to control me, Rauru, and you will die knowing that you failed! King Rauru: GANONDORF! Zelda: King Rauru! Queen Sonia needs you! |
„ |
| ~ Ganondorf mocking King Rauru for thinking he could keep him in check and pointing out that his mistake indirectly cost Queen Sonia her life. |
Rauru arrives to discover what has become of his wife, and as Ganondorf taunts him over his flaws that allowed this to happen, an enraged and heartbroken Rauru attempts to attack him in revenge, but Zelda calls him back, reminding him that his wife needs him now, in case she was still alive. With no options left available to him, Rauru summons a shield to protect himself, Zelda and Sonia from Ganondorf's Gloom beam, buying Zelda time to use the Purah Pad to teleport herself, Sonia and Rauru to safety before the shield failed and Ganondorf's attack broke through. Disappointed that they escaped his wrath, Ganondorf knows that they won't be able to hide from him forever. Tragically, Sonia's wounds proved fatal, and she passed away some time after that, leaving Rauru devastated as he realized Ganondorf was right: he thought he could keep a better eye on his enemy by accepting his oath of fealty, but instead it cost him the life of his beloved wife and Ganondorf gaining possession of the Secret Stone of Time, allowing him to decimate Hyrule with his forces, showing no mercy to any of the races living there, even his own Gerudo kind.
Guilt-ridden by his failure to protect his wife, after taking some time to mourn at her grave following her burial, Rauru prepares to deal with Ganondorf personally to avenge Sonia and see to it that he does not threaten Hyrule for some time. Even when Zelda explains to him the truth of her origins as being from the future, and having seen Ganondorf's mummified corpse in the future awakening to regain his strength, showing that Rauru's efforts to stop him will be in vain as he will survive to Zelda's time period to wreck his havoc once more, Rauru accepts what destiny has given him, and tells Zelda that she and Link will be Hyrule's last option to stop him in her present when his own strength and power to subdue Ganondorf ultimately falters at that point in time. With those final words to Zelda, Rauru departs to prepare to make the ultimate sacrifice so he can be with Sonia again.
However, despite the best efforts of Rauru and the other Sages, including Zelda, Demon King Ganondorf is unstoppable. Rauru is forced to sacrifice his own life to subdue Ganondorf and keep him dormant for as long as his power can last. As a result, while he is reunited with Sonia in the afterlife, both continue to support Link and Zelda from beyond the grave as they work to stop Ganondorf in their own present. When Ganondorf is finally defeated, Sonia and Rauru use the last of their power to restore Zelda to her Hylian self from the Light Dragon she had become, along with fully healing Link's crippled arm, before passing peacefully on to the afterlife to join King Rhoam and the Champions.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ever since her appearance of Tears of the Kingdom's final trailer, Queen Sonia was thought to be the Goddess Hylia, which was proven false after her identity is revealed in the game.
- While the Queen of Hyrule was the first mentioned queen in the series, Sonia is the very first queen in the Royal Family of Hyrule in the entire franchise to make a physical appearance.
- Additionally, both queens have died, but under different circumstances: Sonia was intentionally killed by Ganondorf while the Queen of Hyrule lost her life with no indication of foul play involved, which may be instead due to natural causes.
External Links[]
- Queen Sonia on the The Legend of Zelda Wiki
- Queen Sonia on the Heroic Benchmark Wiki
