The Legend of Zelda is known in part for its recurring elements in the series' many games. Link and Zelda themselves are tools of fate, members of lineages destined to combat Ganon, the oft-returning incarnation of the Demon King Demise's anger. Many Zelda games craft a unique version of Hyrule, telling different, but similar stories involving these expected elements. The narratives of The Legend of Zelda often include a people known as the Sheikah, yet they remain mysterious even after their many appearances and allusions.
The Sheikah are chiefly known for being guardians and protectors of the Hyrule royal family, and Princess Zelda in particular. They most often have red eyes and white hair, though these traits are not universal within the tribe. Sheikah women named Impa are most prominently featured in this role, caring for Zelda and mentoring Link across many Zelda titles. Impa, and likewise the Sheikah, play a divinely ordained role in the series, appearing from the earliest game chronologically, Skyward Sword, to the latest, Breath of the Wild.
Despite their importance throughout The Legend of Zelda, the Sheikah are rarely shown as a prospering culture and seem to remain mysterious even to other denizens of Hyrule. Aside from their connection to the Hyrule royal family, the Sheikah are known for their advanced technology and powerful relics, best demonstrated by the Sheikah Slate and the many, buried, Sheikah structures throughout Hyrule in Breath of the Wild.
The Legend Of Zelda's Sheikah In Skyward Sword
Association with the mysterious Sheikah tribe is usually denominated by the Sheikah's recognizable symbol - an open eye with three triangles above and a teardrop below. In fact, the symbol appears more prominently than the actual members of the Sheikah tribe. Impa is the Sheikah who appears in the series the most, and even she is frequently only given the role of Zelda's nursemaid, with the Sheikah Tribe only explicitly involved in Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild.
As the game takes place first on The Legend of Zelda's timeline, Skyward Sword helps delineate the importance of the Sheikah tribe. Like many games released before it, Impa is the lone member of the Sheikah depicted. Because of Skyward Sword's excursions through time, Impa is shown as both elderly and youthful. In the past, Impa joins forces with Link and Zelda, claiming her goal is to "protect [Zelda] and aid the fight to prevent the world's destruction."
When the Demon King Demise is defeated at the end of Skyward Sword, his spirit is trapped inside the Master Sword. Impa then reveals her role as a member of the Sheikah tribe in the destiny of Hyrule: to watch over the Master Sword in its pedestal, and prevent Demise's return at the behest of the Goddess Hylia. She mentions that the Sheikah are "the goddess's chosen guardians," and alludes to her playing a generational role similar to Zelda's in Hyrule's eternal struggle against Ganon, telling Zelda, "You and I will surely meet again someday."
The Legend Of Zelda's Sheikah In Ocarina Of Time
The first prominent role of the Sheikah tribe, in terms of The Legend of Zelda's release order, came with Impa's role in Ocarina of Time. Child Link, sent to Hyrule Castle by the Deku Tree, encounters Impa after sneaking through the Hyrule Castle gardens and discussing Ganondorf's imminent rise to power with Princess Zelda. Impa, fulfilling her divinely inspired duty, helps guide Link on his journey, and acts as a protector to Zelda, shepherding her away from the castle on the eve of Ganondorf entering the Sacred Realm and obtaining the Triforce of Power.
Though the only other perceived member of the mysterious tribe in Ocarina of Time is Sheik (actually Princess Zelda in disguise), the Sheikah have a prominent footprint in Hyrule. Kakariko Village was once a Sheikah settlement, but at some point was opened up to the "poor folk" of Hyrule by Impa, according to one Hylian villager. Sequestered behind Kakariko Village's graveyard is the entrance to the Shadow Temple, the door of which bears the Eye of the Sheikah. The Shadow Temple, filled with torture devices and bloodstained walls, implies a dark past for the Sheikah tribe in their service to the royal family.
Ocarina of Time also offered the first glimpse into the powerful, magical technology developed by the Sheikah. Completing the mask-trading sequence for the proprietor of the Happy Mask Shop awards Link the Mask of Truth, which is used to converse with the stones scattered throughout Hyrule that bear the Eye of the Sheikah. Link also comes into possession of the Eye of Truth, a magnifying glass in the shape of the Sheikah's symbol that reveals hidden and invisible objects.
The Legend Of Zelda's Sheikah In Twilight Princess
The confusing Legend of Zelda timeline splits at the ending of Ocarina of Time, and the prominence of the Sheikah appears to be dependent upon Link's success or failure against Ganon. In the timeline in which the Hero of Time is defeated by Ganon, long after the events of Ocarina of Time, Impa is shown in the original Legend of Zelda and Zelda II to be little more than Zelda's nursemaid, though she is privy to many secrets of the royal family.
The Sheikah are once again prominently discussed in one of the opposite timelines, in which the Hero of Time is triumphant. In what the Zelda website refers to as the "Child Era," Twilight Princess, as a sequel to Ocarina, takes place sometime after the Sheikah have all but been forgotten. The Hidden Village has a lone resident named Impaz, who claims: "My name comes from the great one who built this village so long ago." This quote, along with a sign by the town's entrance reading "Welcome to Old Kakarico [sic]" in the Hylian script, implies this was the same Kakariko Village built by Impa before Ocarina of Time.
The Goron elder, Gor Coron, says the Sheikah "tribe dwindled in the prolonged wars" before the events of Twilight Princess, but the tribe's legacy lives on through the Howling Stones which bear the Eye of the Sheikah. Utilizing similar imagery as the Gossip Stones from Ocarina of Time, the Howling Stones teach Link new combat techniques by way of the Hero's Shade, another direct connection to Ocarina of Time.
The Legend Of Zelda's Sheikah In Breath Of The Wild
The prowess of the Sheikah tribe is best depicted in Breath of the Wild, which takes place in a faraway future compared to the series' previous titles. Like other games, the tribe has dwindled in recent times, but Sheikah artifacts point to a once-powerful society. 10,000 years before the events of BOTW, the Sheikah saved Hyrule from the First Great Calamity - just one instance of "the Sheikah [saving Hyrule] time and time again," according to the ghost of King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule.
The Sheikah created the Guardians, Ancient Shrines, and Sheikah Towers Link encounters throughout BOTW, as well as the Sheikah Slate he is given at the beginning of the game. According to Cado, a Sheikah descendant living in Kakariko Village, "At one point, [Sheikah] technology was praised as the power of the gods... but eventually, the people turned on it. Turned on us. Our creations came to be viewed as a threat to the Kingdom. The Sheikah became outcasts, forced into exile." Though the Sheikah tribe lives in seclusion, two members, namely Impa and her sister Purah, play important roles in Link's quest against Calamity Ganon.
Because of their prominent role in the story of Breath of the Wild, the Sheikah symbol is frequently seen throughout the game, including an upside-down variation on the masks of Yiga Clan members. The Yiga Clan in Breath of the Wild offers the most dynamic narrative involving the Sheikah in the series, positioned as a splinter group with allegiance to Ganon. Cado tells Link that the Yiga Clan was born out of Sheikah who "fostered a hatred toward the kingdom that shunned them," and devoted their lives to "[eliminating] all who stand against Ganon."
Even though the Sheikah tribe is frequently alluded to or featured throughout The Legend of Zelda, it maintains a mysterious status. The events of the games typically take place when the population of the Sheikah is dwindling, as would have been the case in a post-apocalyptic Zelda spin-off that never saw the light of day. Perhaps this is because the Sheikah's prowess in combat, technology, and magic is so great that they can hold the evil power of Ganon at bay. A hero emerges in Hyrule only when the Sheikah are almost absent, even though Impa is still frequently present to carry out her divinely attributed duties throughout The Legend of Zelda.
Source: Zelda