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Mythical Historicism as Orientation in The Legend of Zelda

Figure 3.1 - Link learns to conduct the wind

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Chapter Three: The Legend on the Wind's Breath “The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them, but the hero did not appear. Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate. What became of that kingdom? None remain who know.”
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Released in 2004, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is the most recent game in the narrative chronology of the series in relation to those discussed in previous chapters of this report. While its release precedes that of Skyward Sword by seven years, the Link of The Wind Waker is several generations removed from the original hero from Skyward Sword. The Wind Waker has a precarious placement on the overall timeline for The Legend of Zelda series as it takes place after a division that results in a multitude of outcomes. As illustrated in Chapter Two, once Link and Zelda have defeated Ganondorf, Zelda laments the loss of Link’s childhood. This happens after he has been trapped in the Temple of Time for seven years to acquire the strength and ability to fulfill his destiny. In an attempt to remedy this, Zelda sends Link back in time to live out his childhood. This creates two realities: one in which Link lives out his childhood in peace, and another in which Link is in the Temple of Time.

Thus, The Wind Waker operates under the division in which Link is sealed in the Temple of Time for seven years. Initially, when the land becomes vulnerable to an evil being, the hero of time appears and defeats this entity. Generations later, the evil returns once more to threaten the land. Unfortunately, because Link was sealed in the Temple of Time, he was unable to appear and prevent the evil being from conquering the land. As a final act, the Gods flooded the kingdom in order to protect future generations. When players are introduced to the land in which the narrative of The Wind Waker unfolds, the earth consists only of isolated islands – the result of the flooding that had taken place before. As such, The Wind Waker serves as the only game analyzed here in which the negative consequences of actions in previous games are readily apparent.

An Absent Hero
The Wind Waker begins with a fable explaining the origins of the legend surrounding the ancient Hero of Time who appeared to save the land from an evil entity. Players are introduced to Link on Outset Island through the eyes of his younger sister Aryll who loans him her beloved telescope as a gift for his birthday.[1] Upon looking through the telescope, Link is shocked by the image of a massive bird known as the Helmaroc King carrying a young girl in its talons. A ship is following suit in an attempt to rescue the girl by shooting the Helmaroc King with cannonballs. Eventually, the ship makes contact, causing the bird to drop the young girl into the mountains just above Link.

Concerned for her wellbeing, Link quickly makes his way towards the mountains. Link manages to locate the girl who introduces herself as Tetra. Relieved that she is unharmed, Link begins to make his way back towards his home from the mountains. As he begins to cross a short bridge, Link is overcome with terror at the sight of his sister Aryll being taken by the Helmaroc King. They quickly fly over the ocean and Link can do little more than watch as his sister cries out for help. Upon realizing that the ship seen earlier belongs to Tetra and her crew, Link asks to board the ship in search of his sister. Donning the traditional green clothing from his village, a sword, and the shield acquired from his grandmother, Link sets sail with Tetra in search of Aryll.

Tetra and her crew transport Link to an island known as the Forsaken Fortress. While the original plan had been to launch Link into the Fortress inside of a barrel, a miscalculation causes Link to fall into the water. By doing so he loses his sword and shield. Therefore, before he can begin to search for the Helmaroc King and Aryll, Link must first locate his missing sword and shield. After stealthily navigating the Forsaken Fortress and retrieving his weapons, Link manages to find Aryll in a large cage. Link is quickly startled as he realizes there are two other young girls in the cage alongside his sister. Unfortunately, before Link can set them free, the Helmaroc King captures him and takes him to a ship atop the Forsaken Fortress. A mysterious man motions towards the water and the Helmaroc King tosses Link into the ocean below.[2]

After a brief black out, Link awakens inside of a small boat. Link is momentarily alarmed upon realizing the boat can speak and introduces himself as the King of Red Lions. The King explains that the mysterious man from the Forsaken Fortress was Ganon, the evil of which legend speaks. As such, the land is once again being threatened by dark magic. The King of Red Lions offers to accompany Link on his journey to defeat Ganon and rescue Aryll. The pair immediately travel to Dragon Roost Island – home to Valoo, a dragon and spirit of the skies who lives atop the peak of the large mountain on the island. After disembarking, the King of Red Lions gives Link a sacred instrument known as the Wind Waker. As the name suggests, the Wind Waker can utilized to control the wind which is incredibly useful for navigating a world engulfed by water.

Link quickly discovers that Dragon Roost Island is inhabited by the Rito – a race of bird-like people who serve as the postal service for their people. Rito Chieftain, a king of sorts for the Rito laments a problem their tribe has been having lately. In Rito culture, it is customary for Ritos to journey to the top of Dragon Roost Island to receive a dragon scale from Valoo as a rite of passage upon reaching adulthood. However, Valoo has become violent in recent weeks and this makes it impossible for young Ritos to approach him. The young prince Komali is particularly impacted by this and vows to be indebted to Link should he be able to calm Valoo.

Figure 3.1 – Link learns to conduct the wind using the Wind Waker[3]

Before attempting to travel towards the peak of the mountain, Link is approached by a young girl named Medli, who is studying to be an attendant to Valoo. Thanks to Medli’s invaluable knowledge of both the geography of the area and the dragon, Link is able to travel to the top of the mountain and reach Valoo safely.[4] Upon reaching the summit, Link discovers a large arachnoid creature lurking just beneath Valoo. The creature had been tormenting Valoo by pulling on his tail. This caused his sudden change of temperament. After defeating the creature, Valoo feels instantaneous relief and is thus able to fulfill his role in the customary ritual for young adult Ritos. As a reward for allowing Prince Komali to complete this ceremony, Komali presents link with Din’s Pearl – one of three Goddess Pearls Link must locate to advance in his journey to defeat Ganon.[5]

The narrative of The Wind Waker can be divided into three main quests: the search for the three Goddess Pearls, the search for the descendants of sages from the wind and earth temples, and the final battle with Ganon. After receiving Din’s Pearl from Prince Komali, Link travels to Forest Haven in search of Farore’s Pearl. Once there, Link meets the Great Deku tree who pleads with link to locate a missing Korok, a forest based race of small plant-like creatures, named Makar. To do so, Link must travel into the Forbidden Woods and defeat another boss who accidentally swallowed Makar when he wandered into the Forbidden Woods. After successfully saving Makar, the Great Deku Tree rewards link with Farore’s Pearl. Thankfully, the third Goddess Pearl is given to Link by a water spirit with whom The King of Red Lions was previously acquainted.

Each of the Goddess Pearls must be placed on a sacred altar as seen in Figure 3.2. Once all three of the pearls are in place, a beam of light bursts forth from each altar and raises the Tower of the Gods from below the ocean’s depths. The King of Red Lions escorts Link to the Tower of the Gods and Link begins to traverse the labyrinthine structure. After navigating several rooms, monsters, and bosses, a portal opens in the ocean nearby. The King of Red Lions informs Link that a special item is hidden in the castle below the Tower of the Gods. This item must be acquired before Link can continue on his journey to save Aryll. Hyrule Castle, at the bottom of the ocean, is filled with monsters that seem to be frozen. Eventually, Link stumbles upon what The King of Red Lions was referring to, the Master Sword.

Figure 3.2 – Nayru’s Pearl atop the sacred altar on Southern Triangle Island.[6]

Upon retrieving the Master Sword, the castle springs to life. Thus, Link will have to defeat all of the monsters that had previously been frozen before returning to the King of Red Lions outside of the castle. Because the Master Sword is the most powerful sword in existence, this previously impossible ordeal is arduous at best. With the Master Sword in hand, Link and the King of Red Lions return to the Forsaken Fortress to confront Ganon and rescue Aryll. Tetra and her crew arrive in time to rescue Aryll and the other girls locked away with her while Link battles the Helmaroc King. As Link moves forward to battle Ganon, Tetra momentarily enters the room in an attempt to distract Ganon. Tetra is seized by Ganon whose piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Power begins to glow. Before the significance of this can be fully explained, Prince Komali and another Rito fly into the room and rescue Link and Tetra.

The King of Red Lions escorts both Link and Tetra to Hyrule Castle. The King of Red Lions reveals his human form as the King of Hyrule and explains that Tetra is Princess Zelda reborn. The King unites part of the Triforce he had in his possession with a piece Princess Zelda had around her neck. This completes the Triforce of Wisdom and prompts Zelda to realize her true identity. Unfortunately, this revelation is not unique to Princess Zelda. When Ganon attempted to capture Tetra in the Forsaken Fortress, the piece of the Triforce he wields, the Triforce of Power began to glow. The glowing was a sign that another piece of the Triforce was nearby. Thus, just as Tetra and Link begin to understand her true identity as Princess Zelda, Ganon is also made aware that Tetra is indeed Princess Zelda and wields another part of the Triforce. In order to protect her and prevent Ganon from acquiring the Triforce of Wisdom that she wields, Princess Zelda remains in Hyrule Castle while Link and the King of Red Lions venture back out onto the Great Sea.

Link and the King of Red Lions sail towards Headstone Island in search of the Earth Temple. Expecting to meet the Sage of the Earth Temple, Link is instead greeted by the spirit of the ancient Sage, Laruto. Laruto teaches Link the Earth God’s Lyric and urges him to find her descendant by finding someone who is playing her instrument, a small harp. Laruto’s descendant is someone whom Link has already met: Medli from Dragon Roost Island. Upon traveling back to the Earth Temple with Medli, she has a revelation similar to that of Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle and she begins to fulfill her destiny by watching over the Earth Temple. The Wind Temple features a similar plight in which the ancient Sage, Fado is but a spirit and urges Link to find his descendant. Makar of the Koroks from Forest Haven travels to the Wind Temple with Link and recalls a distant memory from his ancestors. With this, he awakens as the sage of the Wind Temple and vows to watch over the temple moving forward.[7]

The awakening of the Sages also serves to restore power to the Master Sword enabling Link to battle Ganon and defeat him once and for all. Link must also recover the Triforce of Courage, which was destroyed and scattered throughout the Great Sea many generations ago. After visiting a myriad of islands in the Great Sea, Link finds eight separate shards of the Triforce and is able to piece it back together. With both the Triforce of Courage and the Master Sword, Link ventures back to Hyrule to confront Ganon. The journey through Ganon’s Castle is particularly tedious as is to be expected for the final battle of the game. Link must battle several bosses from previous temples before eventually gaining access to the area of the castle in which Ganon dwells. Upon entering the final room in the castle, Link immediately notices that Princess Zelda who has been captured by Ganon, is in a state of slumber.

With Zelda having been captured, Ganon is now one step closer to reuniting all three parts of the Triforce as Link wields the Triforce of Courage. As all three pieces of the Triforce begin to converge, the King of Hyrule quickly reaches it before Ganon can utilize it to destroy the world. Instead, the King wishes for hope, a future for Link and Zelda beyond Hyrule, and for the old kingdom to be permanently washed away. As the kingdom begins to flood, Link and Zelda battle Ganon before finally defeating him.[8] As Ganon is stabbed with the Master Sword, he turns to stone. The kingdom is nearly completely flooded as Link and Zelda begin to flee. The pair motion for the King of Hyrule to join them on their way to the surface of the Great Sea. However, the King of Hyrule declines, stating that he must stay with his kingdom as he has, “scattered the seeds of the future”.[9] As the kingdom is engulfed in water, Link reaches out to the King of Hyrule who does the same before Princess Zelda pulls Link away. As the two reach the surface of the Great Sea they are greeted by Prince Komali and the crew of Zelda’s ship. While the King of Hyrule made a great sacrifice, he did so in the hopes that Link and Zelda could create a new and better world for future generations.[10]

The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker is the only game discussed in this report in which Link does not directly play an instrument. Instead, Link utilizes a device known as the Wind Waker to control the wind. The Wind Waker is essentially a conductor’s baton. This is further supported by several instances through the game where Link is told to conduct the wind or conduct Medli and Makar as they assume their roles as the sages of the Earth and Wind Temples respectively. As such, this terminology insinuates an association with the modern conception of a conductor’s baton. While quite common in contemporary ensemble conducting, a maestro standing in front of an ensemble on a podium to conduct was not in practice until the early to mid-nineteenth century. Prior to the nineteenth century, it was customary for an individual to lead an ensemble from behind a keyboard in the opera pit or the first violin desk. However, as the early generation of Romantic composers began to push the boundaries of orchestral and operatic writing, this practice quickly became unsuitable.[11]

The Wind Waker as a conductor’s baton is central to establishing a timeframe in relation to historical eras because of the manner in which Link utilizes it throughout the game. “Modern conducting combines at least three functions: 1) the conductor beats time with his or her hands or with a baton in performance; 2) the conductor makes interpretative decisions about musical works and implements these decisions in rehearsal and performance; 3) the conductor participates in the administration of the musical ensemble.”[12] Even in the instances in which Link conducts for Medli and Makar in the Earth and Wind Temples, Link solely employs the Wind Waker as a means of keeping time. At no point throughout The Wind Waker does Link engage in interpretive or administrative decisions surrounding performance practices. As such, the Wind Waker could have taken any number of shapes and did not necessarily need to resemble a traditional conductor’s baton so closely.[13]

Musical Analysis
The musical works from The Wind Waker are among the most diverse compared to others discussed throughout previous chapters of this report. While the pieces from Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time were built from smaller motifs or utilized the same five notes, those from The Wind Waker are in a multitude of keys and time signatures. The multiplicity in the construction of the six main pieces from The Wind Waker closely resemble current trends in western art music. When one considers that a number of the works were found inscribed on islands throughout the Great Sea, and had likely been there for generations, The Wind Waker begins to feel increasingly contemporary - perhaps even operating in a time similar to our own.

Piece	Dissemination	Function
Wind’s Requiem	Learned via Zephos[14]	Allows Link to change the direction of the wind
Ballad of Gales	Learned via Cyclos[15]	Allows Link to warp/teleport to different areas on the Great Sea
Command Melody	Found inscribed in the Tower of the Gods	Allows Link to control select objects and people
Earth God’s Lyric	Found inscribed on Headstone Island	Allows Link to access the Earth Temple, powers up the Master Sword
Wind God’s Aria	Found inscribed on Gale Island	Allows Link to access the Wind Temple, powers up the Master Sword
Song of Passing	Learned via Tott[16]	Turns night into day and vice versa

Figure 3.3 – Table discussing uses for works from The Wind Waker

As previously mentioned, the Wind Waker is employed to “conduct” the wind. Because the only way to travel between islands is to sail on the Great Sea, the ability to control the wind quickly proves to be invaluable. However, a curious aspect of Link’s conducting and use of the Wind Waker throughout the game is a lack of fundamental instruction as to how to conduct beyond merely pointing the Wind Waker in multiple directions in a particular order. While one would assume the wind merely follows Link’s movements of the Wind Waker, towards the end of the game, Link must conduct two tangible musicians, Medli and Makar. As such, Link must engage in a mutual communication in a manner unfamiliar to him. This may be explained by the fact that Link’s spirit is the same as that of the hero of legend. This spirit is simply reborn in Link and may be able to recall previous memories of engaging in musical practices from earlier games. This is similar to the instances in which Princess Zelda, Medli, and Makar recall memories from former lives.

Figure 3.4 – Wind’s Requiem[17]

Figure 3.5 – Ballad of Gales

Figure 3.6 – Command Melody

Figure 3.7 – Earth God’s Lyric

Figure 3.8 – Wind God’s Aria

Figure 3.9 – Song of Passing

To conclude, the lack of a formal instrument in The Wind Waker makes this chapter an outlier of sorts among the previous two. However, in the way that The Legend of Zelda series invites players to imagine worlds where dragons roam free, islands exist in the sky, and boats have the ability to speak, The Wind Waker invites players to imagine a world in which the bounds of music making are less fixed than our own. In the same way that the legend of the original hero was said to have survived on the wind’s breath, the wind is personified as a magical being capable of producing music and reinvigorating the most powerful sword in the universe among other extraordinary things. Truthfully, if one were to examine each of the games discussed throughout this report for broader themes, the one constant is that music is its own form of magic capable of restoring memories, creating new worlds, and fostering peace.

[1] While Aryll is younger than Link in The Wind Waker, it is important to note that he is still a child.

[2] The mysterious man in question is later revealed to be Ganon, a reincarnation of the same evil being from Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time. This moment is particularly significant as it reveals that the Helmaroc King is controlled by Ganon.

[3] “Wind Waker HD Walkthrough.” Zelda Dungeon. Accessed November 20, 2016. http://www.zeldadungeon.net/the-wind-waker-walkthrough/.

[4] It is safe to assume that Link has never traveled beyond his home on Outset Island as he has just come of age at the beginning of the game. This combined with the fact that the Rito have the ability to fly make several areas of Dragon Roost Island inaccessible to those without a considerable amount of knowledge that can only be gained as a member of the Rito tribe.

[5] The name Din references the goddess of power, one of three goddesses who created the land and whose influence is seen in every game discussed in this report.

[6] “Wind Waker HD Walkthrough.” Zelda Dungeon. Accessed November 20, 2016. http://www.zeldadungeon.net/the-wind-waker-walkthrough/.

[7] The quest to find the descendants of the sages from the Earth and Wind Temples serves an additional purpose. The sages help to restore power to the Master Sword which lay dormant before having been rejuvenated by the Earth and Wind God’s lyrics, respectively.

[8] This last battle with Ganon serves to humanize him. Although the thought might seem unnatural considering that he is quite large and fighting with two children, Ganon makes comments that insinuate that his quest for power was originally meant as a way to provide resources for his people whom had been discriminated against in the kingdom of Hyrule. Unfortunately, Ganon was corrupted by the Triforce of Power and quickly began to abuse the strength it afforded to him.

[9] “Wind Waker HD Walkthrough.” Zelda Dungeon. Accessed November 20, 2016. http://www.zeldadungeon.net/the-wind-waker-walkthrough/.

[10] The narrative of The Wind Waker closely resembles that of the myth of Atlantis. The fictional island was initially mentioned in works by Plato as an allegory for the hubris of nations. Originally granted to Poseidon, Atlantis was eventually divided into ten cities each ruled by one of Poseidon’s sons. After a time, they began to be overtaken by a more human nature and as punishment for their increasing greed, the Gods submerged Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean. Ganon’s initial pursuit of the Triforce to conquer Hyrule was similarly punished by the Gods who flooded the Kingdom of Hyrule and protected it via the Tower of the Gods. For more information on the city of Atlantis as an allegory and veneration of a particular method of leadership, see Stegman, Casey. “Remembering Atlantis: Plato’s Timaeus-Critias, the Ancestral Constitution, and the Democracy of the Gods.” Political Theory, 2015, 1–21.

[11] Zaslaw, Neal, Leon Botstein, and John Spitzer. “Conducting.” Grove Music Online. Accessed November 20, 2016. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/.

[12] Ibid.

[13] For a reference to the shape of the Wind Waker, see Figure 3.1 above.

[14] Refer to appendix entry “Zephos”.

[15]Refer to appendix entry “Cyclos”.

[16] Refer to appendix entry “Tott”.

[17] The directions in which Link conducts are reflected in the melody of the top line of each of these transcriptions. For example, players must utilize patterns of directions ranging from up, down, left, and right in order to “conduct” with the Wind Waker. The pitch of C may be associated with moving the Wind Waker upwards in a vertical motion, while the following F may be associated with moving the Wind Waker to the left in a horizontal motion.