The Theology of … The Legend of Zelda (Part 2)

Last week, we dissected the overall theology of the Legend of Zelda franchise. But with 19 games in the series, the series’ spirituality can get quite a bit more convoluted. We know that you might be saying, “Hey, I don’t need to know anything about golden goddesses: I just want to know why Majora’s Mask is so strange,” or “What’s going on with Tears of the Kingdom, anyway?” 

Well, lucky for you, we’ve gone ahead and summarized the plot of each Zelda game along with the spiritual content you can expect to encounter in each one!

Of course, 19 summaries can make for heavy reading, so to give your eyes some relief, we organized the games based on their relative position on the Zelda timeline, which we’ve broken down into five sections. If you’d like to just read about a specific game, each section begins by informing you which games are contained within it. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

The Start of the Timeline to Ocarina of Time

The following section contains information regarding the following games: Skyward Sword, The Minish Cap, Four Swords, and The Ocarina of Time.

Skyward Sword (2011)

In the events of Skyward Sword, the first game in Zelda chronology (though the 16^th game released by Nintendo), we learn that demons, “born from the source of evil,” rushed out of the earth to search for the Triforce, hoping to use it for their evil wishes. A goddess, Hylia, helped humanity fight against them, sealing them away. Knowing that the seal would eventually be broken, Hylia chose to shed her divinity and become mortal so that she could use the Triforce if it was needed (as only mortals can use the Triforce). Hylia is reborn as Zelda, a girl with no memories of her divinity. Zelda blesses the Master Sword, a powerful weapon imbued with a spiritual power called the Light Force, which is “contained within all living beings” and drives back evil. Eventually, the demon king, Demise, does break the seal and tries to take the Triforce to rule the world for eternity. Zelda and a boy named Link slay Demise using the Master Sword, but not before Demise issues a curse: that his, Zelda’s and Link’s spirits would be forever trapped in a combative cycle throughout the ages (whether through their offspring or through other means). And it’s this curse that sets up the confrontations of the other games.

The Minish Cap (2004)

Following the events of Skyward Sword, the next game that takes place is The Minish Cap. This game tells of how a race of tiny creatures called the Picori teamed up with a young hero to save Hyrule by trapping evil forces in a chest. And 100 years later, an evil wizard named Vaati broke the chest open, hoping to obtain the Light Force that he believed was inside so that he could become all-powerful. He later learns that Light Force is passed down through Hyrule’s princesses and instead looks to siphon the energy from Zelda. Link teams up with Ezlo, a Picori who has been turned into a talking hat, to track down four magic stones that will turn his blade into the Four Sword, a sword that allows Link to split into four images of himself. With this, Link is able to defeat Vaati by sealing him within the Four Sword.

Four Swords (2002)

Over time, the seal holding Vaati in the Four Sword weakens, and Vaati breaks out with a mission to make Zelda his bride (a markedly strange change from his previous plans). Link uses the Four Sword to split into four images of himself again, and he re-seals Vaati and rescues Zelda.

Ocarina of Time (1998)

Up until now, we’ve followed a singular timeline with no issues. However, Ocarina of Time is what makes the Legend of Zelda timeline so confusing to understand, and you’ll understand why soon.

In the game, an evil king named Ganondorf seeks the Triforce, which is hidden in a place called the Sacred Realm. Zelda tasks Link with finding three Spiritual Stones that will allow him to go into the Sacred Realm and obtain the Triforce before Ganondorf can get it. She also gives him a magical ocarina (a sort of flute) to help him in his quest. A fairy, sent by a giant sentient tree that guards the forest, additionally guides the boy. However, when Link opens the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf sneaks in behind him and claims the Triforce.

This is when Link wakes up, seven years later. He meets Rauru, a Sage (magical people who protect the Sacred Realm and the Triforce), who explains that Link has been locked in the Sacred Realm until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword. Now, Link must recruit the remaining Sages in order to use their power to lock Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm forever.

Part of this quest involves Link fighting two witches at the Spirit Temple, which itself is located within a statue of the “Goddess of Sand.” There’s also a Shadow Temple which includes a ferry to another world (a likely reference to the Greek myth of Charon). Link may visit Great Fairies to obtain upgrades.

And here is where it gets tricky, because the Legend of Zelda timeline splits into three different branches dependent on Link’s battle with Ganondorf. In one (dubbed the “Fallen Hero Timeline”), Link dies in the battle, losing to Ganondorf. In the other two, Link beats Ganondorf, but because Zelda feels that Link was robbed of his childhood, he is sent back seven years prior so he can experience growing up. One timeline (the “Child Timeline”) follows Link after he’s been returned, and the other timeline (the “Adult Timeline”) follows the world after Link disappears to be sent back in time. We’ll divide the rest of the blog among those three timelines.

The Child Timeline

In this timeline, we follow Link back to his original timeline to grow up as a child. The games that are on this timeline include Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess and Four Swords Adventures.

After Link returns to his original timeline, he is able to convince the royal family of Ganondorf’s future treachery, and Ganondorf is sentenced to execution. Link then sets off to find his fairy friend from Ocarina of Time.

Majora’s Mask (2000)

While on this adventure, Link is attacked by the Skull Kid who wears a creepy mask that has the power to bring about the end of days. Indeed, when Link chases after him, he arrives in Termina, a parallel world threatened by a moon that will smash into the land in three days, killing everyone. Using a variety of magical masks to change his form, Link ends the curses left on the land by Skull Kid and saves Termina from the crashing moon.

The player also learns that Skull Kid has been corrupted by Majora’s Mask, which is a sentient mask of pure evil that was once used in bewitching rituals. Link fights the Mask itself—which is presumably the physical form of some greater malevolent entity. Link also has the option to wear a “Fierce Deity Mask,” which is an ambiguous mask of power apparently connected to some sort of entity.

Twilight Princess (2006)

In Twilight Princess, Ganondorf is set to be executed for his crimes. But because he is in possession of the Triforce of Power, he survives, and the Sages instead banish him to the Twilight Realm—another parallel world where a Twili person (a person who inhabits the Twilight Realm, of course) named Zant lives. The Twili, who used dark magic, were banished to the Twilight Realm by the Light Spirits, massive celestial beings that guard the lands. Ganondorf convinces Zant to invade Hyrule, and the land is covered in “twilight,” a.k.a. dark magic, that turns people into spirits or monsters. Link is changed into a wolf, and he teams up with a Twili woman to save the day (literally) by reviving the Light Spirits. Link must defeat Zant and Ganondorf, the latter of whom possesses Zelda’s body during the final boss fight. In their time of need, Zelda prays to the four Light Spirits, and they grant Link and Zelda the power they need to ultimately defeat Ganondorf.

Players should also note that one dungeon full of undead creatures requires Link to go around collecting the souls of ghostly “Poes.” Link may visit a Great Fairy to get upgrades.

Four Swords Adventures (2004)

Many years later, a new version of Ganondorf is born, and he uses a magical mirror to create a dark version of Link, who kidnaps Zelda and a few other maidens. Ganondorf also wields a magical trident, the inscription of which promises its user the power to become the King of Darkness. Link uses the magical Four Sword to split himself into four once again, which (once again) releases the old evil wizard Vaati onto the world. Link defeats both Vaati and Ganondorf (who has turned into the demon Ganon), and Ganondorf is sealed inside the Four Sword, too.

The Adult Timeline

In this timeline, we follow the timeline that Link left behind. The games that are on this timeline include The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks.

The Wind Waker (2002)

After Zelda sends Link back to his original time (in one conclusion to the Ocarina of Time), the story of his heroism fades into legend. And eventually, when Ganondorf returns because of the cursed cycle, the land is threatened once more. The people of Hyrule wait for Link to return, but when he never does (due to being sent to another time), the king of Hyrule instead prays to the golden goddesses for intervention, and the goddesses flood the world, sealing away Hyrule and Ganondorf and leaving only the tops of the highest mountains left.

In true Ganondorf fashion, the flood cannot contain him, and Ganondorf escapes to the surface, killing a couple Sages along the way. He commands a minion to kidnap girls with pointed ears, hoping that one of them will be Zelda. And if he gets Zelda, he’ll also obtain the Triforce of Wisdom. But when he kidnaps a new Link’s sister, Link heads off to rescue her and stop Ganondorf. He sails about in a talking boat, and he controls the wind by using a magical conductor’s baton. Link must obtain “Goddess Pearls,” which let him access the Tower of the Gods. This Tower contains statues of the Golden Goddesses. Link teams up with a girl named Tetra and her pirate crew, and he restores power to the inert Master Sword. The Triforce plays a particularly pivotal role in this story.

Phantom Hourglass (2007)

While sailing, Tetra (who we met in Wind Waker) boards a ghost ship and is spirited away, and Link falls overboard trying to rescue her, washing up on an island. Link gets a new fairy companion, and he rescues various spirits (which correspond to the Triforce’s virtues of power, wisdom and courage) to help him in his quest. He also obtains the phantom hourglass, a magical device that protects its user—its sand is made from Life Force, a power within all living beings. Link must craft a magical sword to fight phantoms and a giant beast that drains Life Force from people.

Spirit Tracks (2009)

A new continent is discovered, and it is ruled by entities called the Spirits of Good. These Spirits sealed the demon Malladus into the earth using special railroad tracks. And just to make the prison extra safe, Malladus is furthermore locked in the earth using the Tower of Spirits. Link and Tetra eventually find the continent and re-establish Hyrule. Much later, a man tries to resurrect the demon king Malladus by getting rid of the train tracks. He also separates Zelda’s spirit from her body, hoping to use the latter as a vessel for the demon king. Link and Zelda’s spirit must restore the spirit tracks and defeat Malladus.

There’s a demon train and a place called the Dark Realm in this game. Link uses a couple magical items in his battle, including the Compass of Light and the Bow of Light, as well as the Spirit Flute (a magical item that does a variety of things). The game contains a tribe called the Lokomo, who are servants of the Spirits of Good and reincarnate when they die.

The Fallen Hero Timeline

In this timeline, Ganondorf kills Link in battle and successfully obtains the full Triforce. This section includes the games A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, The Legend of Zelda, and The Adventure of Link.

In this timeline, following Link’s death at the hands of Ganondorf, the Sages seal Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm with the completed Triforce, and he corrupts it into the Dark World while Hyrule remains in an uneasy peace.

A Link to the Past (1991)

A dark wizard takes over Hyrule and has been sending the descendants of the Sages into the Dark World in an attempt to break the seal on Ganondorf. He only needs to do the same to Zelda before he succeeds, but Zelda uses telepathy to call out to a new Link, and Link saves her. Link then grabs three pendants to unlock the Master Sword, which he then uses to defeat the wizard, but not before the wizard sends Link and Zelda into the Dark World. Link then defeats Ganon while in the Dark World and rescues Zelda, and he uses the Triforce to wish that Hyrule was restored to peace.

Link’s Awakening (2019)

Link’s ship is caught in a storm, and Link washes up on an island. The only way off the island is to collect a number of instruments to wake the Wind Fish within an egg on top of the island. These instruments are protected by the Nightmare, creatures of shadow. The island is actually just a dream of the Wind Fish, so when Link wakes it up, he wakes himself up too, and the island vanishes.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (2001)

Each of these two games tell half of one story.

The overarching story of the two games is based around Ganondorf’s surrogate mothers, two witches collectively known as Twinrova, who send agents to cause chaos in the land in order to bring Ganondorf back. In Oracle of Ages, the agent Link faces is Veran, a sorceress of evil who can possess anyone she wants. She’s later revealed to be an “evil demon fairy.” Veran possesses the Oracle of Ages, a prophetess who can control time itself.

In Oracle of Seasons, the agent Link faces is General Onox, a dragon who calls himself the “General of Darkness.” He captures the Oracle of Seasons, a prophetess who can control the seasons. Players will interact with a magical harp or magical rod.

The two games can be linked together via a secret password. Doing so will unlock the ending of the game: Zelda is captured by Twinrova to be offered as a sacrifice to resurrect Ganondorf into her as a vessel. When Link foils their plan, Twinrova sacrifices themselves as the vessel instead. But the rite goes awry, bringing Ganondorf back as a mindless beast. Link defeats Ganondorf and beats the game(s).

A Link Between Worlds (2013)

Similar to A Link to the Past, this one begins with a magical wizard named Yuga from another realm, Lorule (a sort of mirror version of Hyrule that got rid of its Triforce long ago), who kidnaps Sages in order to resurrect Ganondorf. He’s been turning people into paintings, and Link would likewise be a painting were it not for a magical bracelet that allows him to transform between his 2-D and 3-D forms at will. Yuga succeeds in his task and resurrects Ganondorf, and the two merge into one. Link must save the kidnapped Sages and defeat Yuga and Ganondorf. The Triforce plays a large role in this game.

Tri Force Heroes (2015)

Link goes to the kingdom of Hytopia, a land where every resident is obsessed with the latest fashion. However, Princess Styla is cursed by a witch to wear an ugly brown jumpsuit, and Link sets off to save her from the curse (as is foretold in a prophecy). Link defeats the witch and saves the day.

The Legend of Zelda (1986)

In the original 1986 video game, Hyrule is attacked by Ganon’s army, who invades and steals the Triforce of Power. Zelda splits the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces, hiding them in dungeons so Ganon, the Prince of Darkness in this iteration, cannot get to them. Eventually, Link sets out to save a now-kidnapped Zelda and reclaim the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. He then battles Ganon to reclaim the Triforce of Power.

The Adventure of Link (1987)

Six years after defeating Ganon, a depiction of the Triforce appears on Link’s hand, and he’s taken to find a sleeping Zelda who was placed under a sleeping spell long ago by a wicked wizard in league with Ganon. Link is sent to place six crystals into statues across Hyrule in order to open the location that contains the Triforce of Courage. However, Ganon’s followers hope to kill Link, believing that sprinkling Link’s blood on the ashes of Ganon will bring him back to life. Link must also battle “Dark Link,” an evil reflection of himself. Link casts magic spells to heal himself, boost his physical abilities and fight enemies. Using the Triforce, Link will wake up Zelda.

Far in the Future

At some point far, far in the future, on either one or all of the timelines, we enter the world of Hyrule twice more. This section includes the games Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Both Breath of the Wild and the recently released Tears of the Kingdom are not officially on any of the three branching timelines. They even contain elements exclusive to each timeline, causing some to theorize that the timelines converge. Regardless, the two games are said to happen extremely far in the future compared to previous installments.

In this world, the kingdom of Hyrule is founded by a group of people called the Zonai, a goat-like people who have created vast technological advancements. This race came from the heavens and is said to be descended from the gods. They also have seven Secret Stones which amplify a user’s magical abilities. By the time the Zonai founded Hyrule, there aren’t many of them left, and they’re long gone by the start of both games. Hylians and Zonai were able to marry one another. The Zelda of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is a descendant of this merge. The Zonai created shrines to keep people safe from the monsters of the land.

Breath of the Wild (2017)

In Breath of the Wild, Link wakes up in a cave (called the Shrine of Resurrection) with amnesia. He’s been healing from a fierce battle that took place 100 years ago in which he was nearly killed. It’s the result of an event called the Great Calamity, a prophesized event in which “Calamity Ganon” would rise to take over Hyrule (as it turns out, the land of Hyrule is finally catching onto the whole “Ganon’s going to come back” thing). Well, Ganon was nearly successful, hijacking the technology made to combat him and turning it against Hyrule, nearly killing Link. But he was thwarted by Zelda, who used her magical abilities to seal him away for the aforementioned 100 years. Pretty soon, the spirit of the previous king of Hyrule appears to Link after he’s recovered and tells him that he needs to finish off Ganon before he can break the seal. Link does this by traveling the lands to reclaim four “Divine Beasts,” which are giant constructed machines that prominent humanoids from around Hyrule captained. When Link reclaims a Divine Beast, he obtains a magical power from the spirit of the person who captained it.

Throughout his journey, Link solves puzzles at many shrines that give him “Spirit Orbs,” which come from long-decayed Eastern-style monks. Link may trade four spirit orbs to boost his health or stamina by praying at various statues of the goddess Hylia.

Link may also encounter three dragon spirits, elemental creatures named after the golden goddesses. A “blood moon” rises once an in-game week, causing monsters to magically respawn. Finally, like in many other games, Link may visit great fairies in order to get upgrades.

Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

Not too long after Breath of the Wild, Link and Zelda investigate a mysterious substance called “gloom” which has been pouring out from underground caves and causing people to get sick. They come across the mummified corpse of Ganon, slain long ago by the Zonai (allegedly, the Ganon fought in Breath of the Wild was a creation of Ganon’s malice and the aforementioned gloom). And then, Ganon comes back to life, plunging Hyrule into chaos. Zelda is sent back in time to the era of the Zonai, and Link remains in the modern day, figuring out how to save Zelda and defeat Ganon once more.

Much of what was said for Breath of the Wild may be said here, too. However, instead of Divine Beasts, Link is recruiting the allegiance of various descendants of the original sages, who gain powers from their ancestor’s Secret Stone. They follow Link around as spirits and help him fight monsters. And swallowing any one such stone will turn the consumer into an immortal dragon. Instead of obtaining spirit orbs from Shrines, Link now obtains “lights of blessing,” which are likewise used to obtain stat boosts from goddess statues. Ganon also turns into “Demon King Ganon” and can also be faced as “Phantom Ganon” and a demonic dragon. A woman uses spiritual projection in order to stay connected to the physical world.

Conclusion

Whew! We’ve made it through every single Zelda that matters for the sake of our discussion. We hope that this summary of each game and its spiritual content will help you, and we’ll be sure to add to this blog whenever a new Zelda game hits the shelves.