Legend of Zelda
A few years ago, a friend and I got really into the lore of the Legend of Zelda video game series. I subsequently have enough theories about the Legend of Zelda world that it deserves to be its own category.
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Zelda Theory. How Did Zonai Civilisation Fall?
Age of Imprisonment and the History of the Zonai. Spoilers for Age of Imprisonment Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment was released a couple of weeks ago, and it introduced a ton of new lore. Not just Zonai lore either, but Zelda lore in general. It’s also canon, which is cool. The previous Hyrule Warriors game,…
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Legend of Zelda Timeline Theory: Sheikah vs Hylians
The Sheikah Tribe is, by far, one of the most important factions in the Legend of Zelda series. They’re also known as the Shadow Folk, and they’re usually good guys. They oppose Ganon, they help out Link, they’re loyal to the royal family, and they’re allied to the Hylians. There’s a fair amount of in-game…
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The Real Monsters in the Legend of Zelda are the Hylians
Monstrous Hylians doing Monstrous things to Monsters. (This is a more coherent, edited version of an early post. The original is available here.) The good guys in the Legend of Zelda games may be doing horrifying things to the monsters. This article is more a joke than a theory, something unintentionally dark I noticed in Breath…
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Where are the Sheikah Warriors in Tears of the Kingdom?
Secret Sheikah Ninjas in the Legend of Zelda. An almost completely unsubstantiated Legend of Zelda theory. (This is a re-edit of an older post. Available here.) The ninja-esc warriors of the Sheikah Tribe have long been an important fixture of the Legend of Zelda universe. But they’re also a mysterious element. Breath of the Wild…
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The Life of the Hero of Legend: Zelda Timeline
I’ve been playing Echoes of Wisdom lately. Interestingly, its map is heavily based on A Link to the Past. It was basically just expanded, because of that, I was initially expecting it to be the same Link. It’s not though, it’s a new incarnation. I’m not complaining, it’s a great game. Nevertheless, it did get…
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What is the Majora’s Mask land of Termina?
Is Termina a parallel universe? Or is it a dream world or a nearby land? Majora’s Mask (MM) is easily one of the best games in the Legend of Zelda franchise. It’s also one of the few Zelda games to take place outside the Kingdom of Hyrule. The game sees Link leave the kingdom, after…
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Reincarnation in the Legend of Zelda
How does reincarnation work in the Zelda Universe? Reincarnation and eternal return are major themes in the Legend of Zelda video games. The three main characters, Link, Zelda and the villain Ganon/Ganondorf, are continuously reincarnated, cursed by the Demon King Demise to refight their battle over and over. That’s the elevator pitch right there. They’re…
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Legend of Zelda Theory: The Rito Explained
There are many factions and species in the Legend of Zelda universe. The Rito tribe (anthropomorphic bird people) are probably the most confusing lore-wise. They were reintroduced in 2017’s Breath of the Wild, having not been seen since 2003’s Wind Waker. It was cool to see them again, but it also created a continuity error…
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Legend of Zelda: Ultimate Zonai Theory Part 5 (Conclusion)
The Zonai explained Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Update for Age of Imprisonment The Kingdom of Hyrule and the Decline of the Zonai. This (increasingly impenetrable) series has been in limbo for a while; I’ve been in a sci-fi mood. But there isn’t much more to say. The last post outlined the…
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Ultimate Zonai Theory Part 4: The First Rupture
The previous entries in this series argued that Zonai civilisation began in the Depths, where they helped to keep thedDemon hoard imprisoned. Their civilisation flourished, and they built various temples and structures in the Depths-Surface trade hub of Eldin Volcano/Death Mountain in Skyward Sword. Then Zonai civilisation vanished in a great societal rupture, that also…
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Ultimate Zonai Theory Part 3
The Zonai of the Depths Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 In part 2, a rough outline of Zonai history was sketched. They originated in the Depths and built the various fire-themed temples of Skyward Sword in the natural Depths-Surface trade hub of Eldin Volcano/ Death Mountain. They then experienced a societal rupture (probably involving…
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Ultimate Zonai Theory Part 2
Origins, habitation and population movements. Part 1 Part 3 In part 1, it was argued that the Zonai King Rauru, in the flashbacks of Tears of the Kingdom (TotK), founded Hyrule between the events of Skyward Sword and The Minish Cap. There’s nothing particularly out there or groundbreaking about this conclusion, but the timeline was…
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Ultimate Zonai Theory Part 1
Introduction and Timeline Placement Part 2 Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) has thrown a spanner into the Zelda theory community. The Zonai, introduced in that game, are an entirely new element of the Zelda timeline, which complicates many old theories and established narrative details. The term Zonai was first used during Breath of the Wild…
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Return of the Deku Scrubs (mini post)
Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom looks awesome. I’m excited, I can’t wait to play it, and I can’t believe I haven’t talked about it yet. Alas, I’m in the middle of writing my MA dissertation, so this can only be a brief comment. I’ll probably make another, more substantial post about it in September…
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Nintendo Switch: The Ultimate Zelda Console
The Wii U was the ultimate Zelda console. Thanks chiefly to the eShop/Virtual Console, it could play an enormous library of Zelda games. It also had HD remasters of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess and the spinoff Hyrule Warriors. And whilst Breath of the Wild is a Switch game (the launch title, no less), it…
Thoughts and Fiction 