"The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy action-adventure video game series created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. The series' gameplay incorporates elements of action, adventure, and puzzle-solving games.
Since the original The Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, the series has expanded to include 18 entries on all of Nintendo's major game consoles, as well as a number of spin-offs. An American animated TV series based on the games aired in 1989 and individual manga adaptations commissioned by Nintendo have been produced in Japan since 1997. The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo's most prominent and successful franchises, selling over 75 million copies as of 2016." -Excerpts taken from Wikipedia

The Original NES version of
The Legend of Zelda.

Original version of Main protagonist, Link, from the NES title.

Link, as he appears in on of the series latest games, Hyrule Warriors.

"The Legend of Zelda takes place predominantly in a medieval Western Europe inspired fantasy land called Hyrule, which has developed a deep history and wide geography over the series' many releases. Much of the backstory of the creation of Hyrule was revealed in the games A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and A Link Between Worlds. Hyrule's principal inhabitants are pointy-eared humanoids called Hylians, which include the player character, Link, and the eponymous princess, Zelda who is the incarnation of the goddess Hylia." -Wikipedia

A screenshot from one of the later games, The Legend of Zelda
- Skyward Sword.

According to the in-game backstories, the world of Hyrule was created by the three golden goddesses: Din, Farore and Nayru. Before departing, the goddesses left a sacred artifact called the Triforce, which could grant the wishes of the user. It consisted of three golden triangles that each embodies one of the goddesses' virtues: Power, Courage and Wisdom. However, because the Triforce had no will of its own because it was an item, it could not judge between good and evil, and so would grant any wish indiscriminately. Because of this, it was placed within an alternate world called the "Sacred Realm" or the "Golden Land" until one worthy of its power could obtain it. The Sacred Realm can itself be affected by the heart of those who use the Triforce: those who are pure will make it a paradise, while those who are evil will transform it into a dark realm." -Wikipedia