Before I start, I’d like to state that this article is not meant to make light or make fun of any religions. These are just simple observations made about a game and you can take my insight as either entertainment, opinion or a joke. The bottom line: please do not get mad at GoGaminggiant.com, we mean no disrespect to any religions.
So with that in mind, let’s get on with the funny video game article.
Disclosures-a-plenty, from your friendly staff at G3
When you think of The Legend of Zelda, you think about heroism, courage and fearlessness. However, after years of playing the game, I started to notice underlying religious images in the Zelda series. Besides the plot centering on the “Goddesses” and the Tri-Force they created, there are odd moments of overt religious symbolism.
The first example starts with the newest Zelda video game; The Skyward Sword. When saving your game progress, notice how Skyward Sword differs since saving is no longer in the main menu, but instead at designated bird statues. To save, one must “pray” to save to have their progress saved by the Goddesses. So basically they’re saying that “praying” in Skyward Sword is used to save your life! Ok, so with that joke out of the way, we can all agree that the “saving feature” in Skyward Sword is different and it’s no coincidence that you’ll spend a lot of time honoring the Goddesses such as the opening ceremony…seems a bit clear now, am I right?
Also, the opening cutscene has an entire screen of people just praying to a glowing...orb.
Another example of religion in Zelda, more specifically Christianity and Catholicism, is Link’s original shield, which had a cross insignia on it. While it could mean a simple design, I think it still stands as REAL religious symbolism.
So now we have examples of Eastern and Western religion!
Think about it, in the NES and SNES Zelda games, Link totes around a shield with a cross and in A Link to the Past, Link literally picks up books that teach him prayers to be endowed with power and a clear path to one of his quests. In Ocarina of Time, depending on which version of the game you have, the mirror shield might have a crescent moon and a star, which is similar to the Muslim Flag/Insignia. So while western religions are shown in Zelda games from time to time, it looks like eastern religions are known to pop up as well.
Finally is a simple observation, and that is the Temple of Time looks an awful lot like a Victorian style church with similar archways and stained glass. So while this observation might seem a little simple, it could be due to the fact that it is so obviously similar to a church.
Yeah, that kinda looks a heck of a lot like a church.
Have you seen anymore religious undertones in Zelda games? Tell us about your finds in the comments section or check out our forums and start up a discussion.
