Tears of the Kingdom Developers Discuss Lore Surrounding Rauru’s Seal, Shrine Imagery
Posted on December 21 2023 by Rod Lloyd
One of the most striking images to come out of Tears of the Kingdom‘s 2019 reveal trailer was that of Ganondorf’s mummified corpse seized by a mysterious spiral of light and the ghostly arm of, as we know now, King Rauru. Because it was one of the few images presented to fans during the game’s protracted development period, that moment fueled years of the fan speculation, with many theorizing about the source and significance of that light and that arm.
In a recent interview with Japanese publication Nintendo Dream (since translated by Nintendo Everything), Tears of the Kingdom Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and Zelda Series Producer Eiji Aonuma discussed various aspects of their latest release, including the game’s depictions of Princess Zelda and Ganondorf. The conversation eventually turned to King Rauru and the imagery associated with his sealing powers.
In the context of King Rauru’s powers, the interviewer asked the developers about the spiral of light seen in the game’s trailers and cutscenes:
Speaking of Rauru, it was impressive when Ganondorf was sealed by a hand with a spiral of light coming out of it in the Dragon Tears memories. I thought it was also easy to find above the shrines, but what exactly is that light?
Fujibayashi: In that cutscene, Rauru used his sealing powers to draw out Ganondorf’s magic from his heart and purify it. The released purified magic became a spiral of light. Also, this has to do with the lore of Hyrule Castle, but the original Hyrule Castle was not at that location. We see Ganondorf sealed right under the place of Hyrule Castle in our heroes’ time, which was the best location to keep him sealed. It is like a “dragon vein”*. And Hyrule Castle is one part of the barrier that helps release Rauru’s purification of the evil magic.
* A Chinese Feng Shui concept involving subterranean rivers along Chinese mountain ranges providing resources throughout the region. Also commonly referred to as “Long Mai” or “Dragon Meridians”.
Hyrule Castle played a role like an air purifier! Princess Zelda must have been surprised too.
Fujibayashi: In the Dragon’s Tears memories, Princess Zelda says “Just as I thought, this place is different from the Hyrule I know”, but the original Hyrule Castle is not in the scenery. This is because the world after the Imprisoning War constructed as a strengthening seal for further reinforcement.
But the Hyrule Castle in Tears of the Kingdom is in a truly terrible situation…
Fujibayashi: Hyrule Castle collapsed in Breath of the Wild due to the Calamity and fell into disrepair. As a result, the seal on Rauru’s body in that underground sealing chamber started to gradually fall apart. That’s why only a hand was there when he was found. For that reason, the efficiency of Rauru’s purification began to fall and the seal on Ganondorf began to weaken.
Fujibayashi then explained how the spirals relate to Tears of the Kingdom‘s Shrines:
And that is why the shrines appeared on the surface?
Fuibayashi: No, the shrines themselves were built before Rauru founded Hyrule – before the Demon King Ganondorf appeared there were still a lot of evil beings, so Rauru and Sonia went around various places to calm things down. Shrines are placed above where a demon was destroyed so it will not reappear. This is why that spiral of light emerges from the shrine. Therefore, bathing in the remaining power of the shrines slightly cleanses Link of the demon magic.
Aonuma: There are Lightroots in the Depths as well. They’re like air purifiers in both the Surface and the Depths, aren’t they? I guess it is something like a talisman or a statue for protecting against demons.
On the subject of Shrines, Fujibayashi also shared about how his hometown of Kyoto informed their names and locations:
The names Lightroots and Shrines of Light are linked, or are they anagrams?
Fujibayashi: In Breath of the Wild, in order to verify the optimal size of the world, I investigated my hometown of Kyoto where I understood a sense of distance. As a remnant of that, in Tears of the Kingdom, the shrine names are taken from places in Kyoto. But for example, Nishiouji (a street in Kyoto) as Nishiouji is too on the nose, so the letters were changed to something like “Jioshinio”. Then the name of the connected Lightroot in the Depths is read backwards such as “Onishioji”. I think of Zelda as a series of discovery and exploration, so I think it will be fun to discover a real location if you notice it is a place in Kyoto.
For some reason, it also doesn’t feel very Japanese.
Fujibayashi: I asked a person who could come up with a unique intonation to create it for me. I think it’s not just a simple anagram but a feeling something is a little off, or maybe it is the flair of the staff who were in charge.
Much like hand imagery, the spiral plays an important part in the symbolism of Tears of the Kingdom, it seems. I may not be hugely invested in the lore of the Zelda series, but I do always appreciate the opportunity to read about the inspirations that drove developers’ creative decisions.
What do you make of Fujibayashi’s responses? Does this added context hurt or help your fan theories? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Nintendo Dream (via Nintendo Everything)
Rod Lloyd is the Editor-In-Chief at Zelda Dungeon, overseeing the news and feature content for the site. Rod is considered the veteran of the writing team, having started writing for Zelda Informer in 2014 as a Junior Editor. After ZD and ZI officially merged in 2017, he stepped into the Managing Editor role and has helped steer the ship ever since. He stepped up to lead the writing team as Editor-In-Chief in 2023.
You can reach Rod at: rod.lloyd@zeldadungeon.net
