Tag: mythology

This one was inevitable; I mean, what are dragons if not the single most well-known and popular mythical creature around? They show up all the time in modern fantasy stories and ancient myths alike, appearing in the beliefs and myths of many cultures worldwide. It seems everyone’s into large winged lizards with a little feline grace. Zelda, too, has an abundance of dragons, and more importantly their presence is rather obvious and not obscured like a lot of mythological elements…

“Psychopomp” is a really funny-sounding word that simply refers to a figure or entity who escorts deceased souls to the afterlife. Each psychopomp has different rules, behavior, treatment or transportation of souls, and indeed even send them to different afterlives. With legends about what happens when people die being so prominent in religions both old and new, it should be no surprise that the Zelda series takes a lot of influence from the many psychopomps featured in them. While of…

The Legend of Zelda series has always been about an eternal struggle: Good vs evil, the hero vs the villain. However, after so many years, the same story has been retold several times — often with a few changes — while the basic theme remains the same. After so many sequels, one may wonder if we are actually playing through various accounts of the same legend. Most old stories have a huge amount of variations as they’re being passed on…

Greek mythology is one of the single most well-known and frequently taught mythologies in the world, similar to that of its cousin, Roman mythology. Partly because its stories have survived so well and partly because it’s so old, it’s become extremely influential in the modern world and especially in fiction. Our planets are named after the Roman equivalents of its gods, and many of our favorite fantasy beasts come straight from its bestiary. Of course it’s no surprise that Zelda…

What does Zelda borrow or mimic from Celtic myths? Celtic mythology is responsible for such Zelda staples as Epona and Fairies, and there are a number of other notable and even shocking consistencies between the mythology and the Zelda series. Celtic myth is about warriors and heroes sent into battle instead of gods and spirits to save lands, fight evil creatures, rescue fair maidens, and discover magical artifacts. Zelda is modeled after fantasy tropes, and many of them date back…

In the first installment of Zelda and Mythology, I discussed Arthurian Legend and its similarities to Zelda. I have decided to do the promised sequel — about Celtic Mythology in general — at a later date, and instead we will be talking about mythical birds and the many references and similarities to them that can be found in The Legend of Zelda. Of all tetrapod vertebrates (animals with backbones and four limbs), birds are the most rich in species, so…

Joseph Campbell was one of the foremost literary critics of his time, and one of the most influential men of the 20th century. In his book The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Campbell outlined his unifying theory of mythology, one that has been referred to by many names – monomyth, cosmogonic cycle, the Hero’s Journey – and applied by many different artists since its publication. We’ve previously discussed how the Hero’s Journey can be seen in The Legend of Zelda….