Daily Debate: What Place Best Represents the Evils That Plague Hyrule?
Posted on December 20 2018 by Sean Gadus
Like many larger than life stories, The Legend of Zelda series often focuses on the battle between good and evil. Evil can be defeated, but rarely destroyed. Evil is amorphous, a shapeless and seeming unstoppable force that finds ways to leech its way into the hearts of humanity.
With this in mind, what location in Zelda franchise best represents the evil that has eternally plagued Hyrule, Lorule, and the other locations seen within the series? What locations represent the pain, rage, violence, and evil that society has perpetuated against each other?
Dungeons often play a key role as representations of the evil in the world. The Arbiter’s Ground from Twilight Princess was a prison designed to house the most dangerous criminals in the kingdom. It is unclear though whether the terrifying and malevolent spirits that haunt the grounds are those who were condemned to die in the prison, or if the workers had fallen into darkness and violence themselves. The Ikana Canyon in Majora’s Mask is another great example of a place representing evil; only painful and sorrowful memories of the once grand society remain, standing as a warning to all.
For me, the location that best represents the evil within society is the Shadow Temple and The Bottom of the Well in Ocarina of Time. The blood splattered floors, monstrous enemies, and death machine clearly illustrate the darkest depths of humanity. Most importantly, the people of Kakariko live above these locations, their lives built on the dark secrets and shattered bones of previous generations. It’s a sad reminder that our lives are often built on the terrible things done by previous generations, things we fear we may repeat.
What location represents the evil in The Legend of Zelda series? Let us know in the comments below!
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Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. The final battle of Tears of the Kingdom is one of his favorite final battles in the entire series. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
