Hylian real world ancestors?

[JoeLink]

I have wondered that, if Hyrule was on Earth at one point, who were the ancestors of the Hylians? Well I have a theory that the Hylians were descended from ancient romans who were enslaved and saught freedom in a new land. My theory is that these people sailed through the Mediterranean Sea (which is also known as "The Great Sea".) and were guided to what would be Hyrule. Proof for this theory could come from the Temple of Time. In Twilight Princess, the temple looks like it was build in a roman style. In fact, the room where you fight the Darknut looks almost exactly like the Roman Pantheon.

In conclusion, I believe these romans sailed to Hyrule with the guidance of the Oocca, and settled there, in which they eventually became the dominant race of Hyrule.

Oh, and the Gorons and Zoras were already there, so the soon-to-be Hylians could've learned about the Triforce from them.

[Uximadesk]

Well pondered... that could explain the heavy roman influence that can be seen throughout the whole Temple of Time.
You're theory is good, but also creates a lot of new questions.
Does that mean that Hylians are actually evolved humans (Homo Hylius, anyone?)?
Is Hyrule then in the mediterranian?
What if the advanced technology of the ancient Hylians was actually from the atlanteans (IDK how you write that exactly)?
Could the lore have eventually mistook "The Oocca brought the Hylians" for "The Oocca created the Hylians"?

[MagmarFire]

Does that mean that Hylians are actually evolved humans (Homo Hylius, anyone?)?

I personally find it unlikely; creatures of any kind don't evolve that quickly.

Props for the binomial nomenclature, though. :D

EDIT: But then again, I guess that would depend on what you mean, exactly.

[JoeLink]

But only their ears would change. It doesn't take too long for one physical change to occur in evolution.

[MagmarFire]

But it wasn't just one physical change. Evidently, Hylians are adept to the magical arts, while "normal" humans are not (if you'd call that a physical difference). Besides, only one physical change would not warrant the need to label the creature as one of a different species entirely. For instance, we don't refer to Asian people as a different species, and nor do we refer to those of African descent as such.

[JoeLink]

The ability to use magic is not necessarily a physical change. For instance, Link doen't know how to use magic at first in OoT, he is granted magic by the Great Fairy. And Ganondorf, who is obviously human (Gerudo is most likely just a name for their tribe), is very adept in the magical arts. So I would say magic is more of a gift from a higher power, than an physical evolutionary trait. After all, magic itself is simply a type of aura, which all living things possess, and some can be taught to control this aura.

[MagmarFire]

You know, that actually makes sense. I didn't think of that. ><

But regardless, given the time span between the Romans and the Hylians (assuming they do lie in the same geologic timeline of Earth), I simply don't think there'd be enough time to change drastically enough; a time span like that, relatively small in its own right, would likely make all the possible changes made in that time frame be considered as insignificant regarding if the resulting change is enough to call the species "evolved" instead of "branched from" (the latter could be a form of the former, but it depends on the argument, I guess).

[JoeLink]

Well, just as "Rome wasn't built in a day", the same thing obviously applies to the kingdom of Hyrule. There was probably at least a century that passed before the founding of the kingdom, giving enough time for at least a tiny bit of evolution(namely the pointy ears).

[MagmarFire]

I don't deny that. I just don't accept that one change to be considered significant for the species as a whole.

[Uximadesk]

But when you think of it, how long did it take humans to branch out and develop features like larger nostrils, straight hair, blonde hair, etc? And even then, after thousands of years of being apart, Europeans where still able to breed with Native Americans.
Now imagine how long it would take to make a BIG difference like elongated ears and create a whole new species.
On a side note, JoeLink has a point, Gerudo CAN breed with Hylians/Humans, therefore, they are.

[JoeLink]

I kind of believe that the name "Hylian" is just a name to call the particular race of human. After all, a lot of other races call hylians humans. Examples of which are the gorons, Midna, and even other hylians(Fyer from TP is a hylian, and he refers that the Lakebed Temple is too deep underwater for "humans" to reach. But if Hylian is the name of the species, wouldn't he say that it's too deep for "hylians" to reach?). There is something to think about. :)

[cacturnerules]

I just thought of them like a different race. Like black, white, native american, asian... That hylian would fit into a category with those names.



Like they're technically humans, but they're a different type.

[HylianHero92]

Ugh. Has nobody noticed there are humans, normal humans, in Zelda? I mean, it's in the Compendium!

All of Outset Island in TWW is inhabited by humans (with the exception of Link and his family). The same can be said about Ordon Village in TP.

[MagmarFire]

My feelings on the Hylian/human debate are pretty much those from JoeLink and FR. Thanks for saving me some work, you two! :P

But when you think of it, how long did it take humans to branch out and develop features like larger nostrils, straight hair, blonde hair, etc? And even then, after thousands of years of being apart, Europeans where still able to breed with Native Americans.

Now imagine how long it would take to make a BIG difference like elongated ears and create a whole new species.

Certainly not in a few thousand years' time, if we're still assuming that the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Hyrule are actually in the same timeline. And even then, elongated ears, to me, is not a big difference. Personally, I think darker skin color is more of a difference than that, and even then, that hasn't created another humanoid species.

[Hi no Seijin]

Well I have a theory that the Hylians were descended from ancient romans who were enslaved and saught freedom in a new land. My theory is that these people sailed through the Mediterranean Sea (which is also known as "The Great Sea".) and were guided to what would be Hyrule.

This is where it all falls apart.  Ancient Rome grew from an agricultural community.  From what I remember of my Roman history and what I skimmed through the article, Ancient Romans were never enslaved.  As a matter of fact, they were the ones doing the enslaving.