The Virtues of Zelda: A Reflection of Aristotle’s Teachings

The Legend of Zelda is a video game series about a courageous hero named Link, a wise princess named Zelda, and their quest to save the land of Hyrule from the powerful wizard, Ganon. Central to the story of a typical Zelda game are two magical artifacts: the Triforce, three golden triangles that together grant the wish of whoever possesses it; and the Master Sword, a magical blade with the power to vanquish evil. Each piece of the Triforce corresponds to a particular virtue—the Triforce of Courage, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Power—and only a person who has all three virtues in harmony can wield the entire Triforce. In order to draw the Master Sword from its pedestal, at least in some of the blade’s appearances, three pendants are required: the Pendant of Courage, the Pendant of Power, and the Pendant of Wisdom.

This conception of harmonious balance amongst virtues is similar to Aristotle’s conception of virtue. In his Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle begins his discussion by noting that all human activity has some goal, or telos, that it is supposed to accomplish. You turn on the game in order to play it, you pick up the controller or sit down to the keyboard in order to interact with the game. Some goals are just steps to achieving some other goal, and some goals exist for their own sake, as ends in themselves. Aristotle proposes that if there were some goal that everybody wanted to achieve, and it was an end in itself, then that thing would be “The Good.”

Aristotle thought most people agreed on what The Good was, and that was “eudaimonia“: a Greek word translated variously as “happiness,” “well-being,” or “flourishing.” For Aristotle, ethics were the means for people to properly achieve eudaimonia. In his ethics, Aristotle was more concerned with the characters of people, with their nature, than he was with their actions. Aristotle believed contentiously that good people would necessarily possess good characters and exemplify the virtues.

Just as with achieving eudaimonia, only a person who is pure of heart can obtain the Triforce or wield the Master Sword. In Ocarina of Time, Ganon is literally unable to possess the whole Triforce at first, as he has an excess of the virtue of Power, so he instead only obtains the Triforce of Power; the remaining two pieces go to Link and Zelda. In A Link To the Past, Ganon is shown to possess the entire Triforce, but it is said that only someone of pure heart can use the Triforce as intended. If someone with evil thoughts and intentions were to use it, the results would be disastrous. Similarly, besides the Silver Arrows/Light Arrows, the only weapon capable of harming Ganon is the Master Sword, which is also called “the blade of evil’s bane.” In each case, someone can only achieve eudaimonia if they possess virtue; it cannot be touched or possessed by evil.

Since the Triforce was placed in the heavens by the Goddesses to act as a symbol meant to inspire and guide the people of Hyrule, it is my contention that the Triforce is a metaphorical symbol for eudaimonia. If that is the case, we can assume that the Goddesses intended for every Hylian to find a harmonious balance between the three virtues personified in the Triforce.

But what of the Master Sword? If the Triforce is a symbol for eudaimonia, then what might the Master Sword represent? Well, it is important to note that, in addition to being a sword forged with the specific intent of vanquishing evil, the Master Sword also initially served as the final key to unlocking the Sacred Realm where the Triforce was placed. In order to obtain the Triforce, one had to also obtain the Master Sword. Furthermore, it is critical to note that Ganondorf waited until after Link drew the Master Sword from its pedestal before emerging to claim the Triforce, as he, being evil, could not touch the sacred sword. In this way, Ganondorf cheated and, already a thoroughly corrupt person, was unable to possess the Triforce in its entirety.

In A Link To the Past, Link has to collect the Pendants of Virtue to wield the Master Sword, which means that whoever is capable of wielding the sword possesses the proper balance of virtues. The Master Sword, then, acts as a final test before entering the Sacred Realm: only someone who possesses the proper balance of virtues can wield the Master Sword, and only someone who possesses the proper balance of virtues may use the Triforce in its entirety. The Master Sword is not only a symbol for the balance of virtues necessary for eudaimonia, but also a symbol of the virtuous person’s commitment to slay evil in all of its forms. The existence of the Triforce and the Master Sword was meant to remind the peoples of Hyrule that only through a harmonious balance between the three virtues could the world be kept safe and prosperous.

Aristotle believed that humans have a primary function, a fundamental nature that sets us apart from the other animals. He believed that this was our ability to reason, to act according to rational principles. To be virtuous meant not allowing our emotions or passions to cloud our judgement and interfere with our reasoning. Aristotle argued that a virtuous person was one who kept their passions under control, who didn’t lack virtue or indulge in it to the point of excess. If you felt too little fear you were reckless; if you felt too much fear you were a coward. A good balance, on the other hand, made you courageous.

Courage is Link’s virtue. As the “Juror of Courage”, Link is brave enough to venture into even the most dangerous situations, but never reckless enough to needlessly endanger his own life or the lives of others. The Great Deku Tree chose wisely to entrust the future of Hyrule into the hands of a mere boy when he said, “The future depends on thee, Link… Thou art courageous.“

The Deku Tree isn’t the only one in Hyrule who is wise, however. Wisdom is Princess Zelda’s virtue. Often she is shown to be the sole ruler of Hyrule Kingdom, and she is always portrayed as a wise and benevolent ruler. As the “Keeper of Knowledge,” she not only rules over an entire kingdom, but provides Link with the necessary information for him to complete his quest. Part of being wise means also recognizing the limits of your knowledge (something to learn from Socrates!). After Ganon is defeated in the Adult Timeline of Ocarina of Time, Princess Zelda confesses to Link that she was too naïve to protect Hyrule. “I was so young… I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm.“

Courage and wisdom are one thing, but without power one could not accomplish much of anything. Power is Ganon’s virtue, and he certainly has an excess of it! Able to curse people, raise an army of monsters, and destroy an entire kingdom, as the “Forger of Strength,” Ganon will do whatever it takes to obtain the Triforce and satisfy his craving for more power. He is certainly fearless like Link, and possesses much knowledge in the ways of the dark arts. However, Ganon is neither courageous nor wise. He is brash and reckless, as well as prideful and overconfident, shortcomings which often lead him to underestimate the resourcefulness of Link and Princess Zelda. After being defeated in his first battle with Link, Ganondorf can hardly believe his loss. “To think I was beaten by a mere kid… Link!“

The Zelda series displays these three virtues as the cornerstone of its world and the laws that govern it. As long as they remain in balance, the world is led to prosperity and peace; when the forces of evil throw them out of sync, however, that peace is shattered and a virtuous Hero is required to restore it. The Master Sword, and the Triforce which its bearer protects, reveals just how mighty those virtues can be against malevolent beings; at the same time, evils such as Ganondorf show how easily those same virtues can be corrupted. We, as much as Link, must maintain the balance in our own lives and hold all virtues at their rightful level, so that together, just as Link and Zelda and all the rest who aid them on their journeys do, we may all continue to strive for eudaimonia: the happiness in our lives.