Deity
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Deities,[1][2] also known as Gods,[3] or Spirits,[4] are powerful entities worshiped in The Legend of Zelda series. They vary from guardians of locations and races, to elemental spirits, to true immortals and demigods, or a varied mixture. A vast majority of temples located throughout Hyrule and other lands are dedicated to worshipping the different deities at different points in time.
Spirits are normally incorporeal and invisible, but they can speak to mortals by either inhabiting physical vessels or taking physical form. The form they take has been known to change depending on who they are communing with and when. Most choose to take the forms of animals.[4]
The Golden Goddesses
The most renowned of the divine are the omnipotent Golden Goddesses, alternatively known as the Gods of Old, who created the the world itself. They are most well-known in the mythology of the kingdom of Hyrule.
Guardian Deities
There are groups of several guardians who watch over specific tribes and areas throughout the history of Hyrule and its neighbors.
The Legend of Zelda
- Lynels are described as guardians of Death Mountain,[5] and more specifically as "guardian deities" in the Japanese manual.[6]
Ocarina of Time
- The Great Deku Tree is a "forest spirit" and the guardian of the Kokiri, the Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods.
- Lord Jabu-Jabu is a "water spirit" and the guardian of the Zora.
- Volvagia is the spirit of Death Mountain.[7]
Majora's Mask
- The Four Giants who watch over the land of Termina, and, according to Anju's Grandmother, created it.[8]
The Wind Waker
- The Great Deku Tree is a "forest spirit" and the guardian of the Koroks.
- Valoo is a "sky spirit" and guardian of the Rito.
- Jabun is a "sea spirit" and likely guardian of the Fishmen.
Twilight Princess
- Ordona the Light Spirit, the guardian of the Ordon Province, bordering southern Hyrule.
- Faron the Light Spirit, the guardian of Hyrule's Faron Province
- Eldin the Light Spirit, the guardian of Hyrule's Eldin Province.
- Lanayru the Light Spirit, the guardian of Hyrule's Lanayru Province.
- The Guardian Deities of the Twilight Realm.[9]
Phantom Hourglass
- The Ocean King, guardian of the World of the Ocean King.
- The servant Spirit, the Fairies who assist the Ocean King in protecting the Great Sea; they are Ciela, Leaf, and Neri.
Spirit Tracks
- The Mountain Goddess, guardian of the Goron race.
Skyward Sword
- Hylia, the original protector of the Triforce as entrusted by the Old Gods.
- Faron the Water Dragon, the original guardian of Hyrule's Faron Province.
- Eldin the Fire Dragon, the original guardian of Hyrule's Eldin Province.
- Lanayru the Lighting Dragon, the original guardian of Hyrule's Lanayru Province.
- Levias, the guardian of the skies.
Breath of the Wild
- The Seven Heroines, the protectors of the Gerudo people.
- The Lord of the Mountain,[10] which watches over animals.[11]
False Deities
Despite their immense power, and worshipers, these deities lack immortality and/or possess the ability to use the Triforce. For these reasons, they are not true deities.
- Ganondorf bears the title King of Evil and Dark Lord. He is worshiped as a god by the Gerudo,[12] the Deku,[13][14] and Zant.[15][16]
- In the German, Japanese and Latin American Spanish versions, Horned Statue claims that he is a deity of life and strength.[17][18][19]
Miscellaneous Deities
There are references throughout the franchise to deities that do not belong to any particular group; they either act on the Goddesses' behalf or are not affiliated with the three at all. The Golden Goddesses are creator gods with a vast array of roles and creations, and it is possible that many of the more obscure and unseen deities mentioned are simply titles belonging to the individual goddesses themselves.
Link's Awakening
- The Wind Fish, the creator of the dream world Koholint Island.
Ocarina of Time
- The goddess of the sands, an unnamed Gerudo goddess depicted by various statues in the Desert Colossus and the Spirit Temple. Due to differences in religion, the Hylians believe the goddess of the sands to be an evil deity.[20]
Majora's Mask
- The Goddess of Time, unseen.
- The Fierce Deity, from which the Fierce Deity's Mask is derived.
Oracle of Ages and Seasons
- The Season Spirits assist Din, an Oracle, in ensuring the circadian cycle of the seasons in Holodrum.
The Wind Waker
- Zephos and Cyclos are twin gods of wind. They once had a shrine dedicated to them to them, but it was destroyed by visitors.
- One of the Great Fairies is known as the Goddess of Fortune.[21]
Phantom Hourglass
- Golden Chief Cylos is a "wind spirit" very similar to Zephos and Cyclos.
Spirit Tracks
- The Spirits of Good, worshipped by the Lokomo
Breath of the Wild
- Malanya the Horse God, who revives fallen Horses.
- Naydra, Farosh and Dinraal are the three Dragon spirits who serve the Springs of Wisdom, Courage and Power respectively.
Tears of the Kingdom
- The Zonai were said to be descended from gods.[22] The gods gifted them their Secret Stones.[23] When the Zonai first descended to the Surface, the ancient Hylians mistook them as gods.[24]
Objects
- Termina's Moon is said to have been feared and worshiped.[25]
- The Tuni Nut is worshiped by the citizens of Symmetry Village in Labrynna.[26]
- The Rod of Seasons is worshiped in the Temple of Seasons in Holodrum.[27]
The Majora's Mask manga by Akira Himekawa implies that Odolwa is the god of the Deku, though Odolwa may merely be a name for the Southern Giant they are known to worship in Majora's Mask.
Trivia
- The various divinities in The Legend of Zelda series seem to be based upon the Japanese concept of kami, rather than the more Western perception of a single omnipotent God. Like Hyrule's divinities, the kami are numerous, are tied to certain objects or locations, are worshiped at shrines, and vary in power. The Wind Shrine in The Wind Waker even features a torii gate, which are used in Japan to mark the entrance to a kami's shrine.
- The relationship between the Golden Goddesses and Hylia is reminiscent of the Japanese deities Izanami, Izanagi, and Amaterasu. Like the Golden Goddesses, Izanami and Izanagi were the gods who created the world. Like Amaterasu, Hylia is the most widely-worshiped god (at least in Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild) and the ancestor of the Royal Family.
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions  | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Names | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | ||
References
- ↑ The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords—Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Prima Games, pg. 5 (ALttP)
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 254 (OoA) & 259 (TWW | TWWHD)
- ↑ "And with the third toll of the bell, I will become like a god!" — Vaati (The Minish Cap)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 22
- ↑ "The guardian who attacks all those who come near Death Mountain." (The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 30)
- ↑ "デスマウンテンに近づく者を撃退する守り神。" (The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 29)
- ↑ "Residing within the Fire Temple in Ocarina of Time, Volvagia was a wicked dragon defeated by Link; in essence, it was the spirit of Death Mountain." (Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 22)
- ↑ "The imp was a friend of the giants since before they had created the four worlds." — Granny (Majora's Mask)
- ↑ "The guardian deities of my world are on our side, too!" — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 157
- ↑ "This noble creature watches over all animals that make their homes in the forest. Legends say this holy creature is a reincarnation of a sage that died on the lands it now protects. It has an acute awareness of its surroundings, so it seldom appears before people. It's sometimes known by its other name, Satori." — Hyrule Compendium (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "They say that Gerudos worship Ganondorf almost like a god." — Gossip Stone (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "I'm off to the Temple of Darkness to worship Lord Ganon! Oopipi!" — Deku Scrub (Four Swords Adventures)
- ↑ ""Ganon, Ganon," they chanted. It was as though they were...worshipping." — N/A (Four Swords Adventures)
- ↑ "This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you WILL respect it!" — Zant (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "It was then, in the thrall of hatred and despair, that I turned my eyes to the heavens...and found a god." — Zant (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "Ich... Ich bin eigentlich eine Gottheit des Lebens und der Stärke." — Horned Statue (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Hace mucho tiempo, yo era una deidad que otorgaba vida y poder." — Horned Statue (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "命と力を司る神･･･ それがかつての俺だ " — Horned Statue (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Beyond Gerudo Fortress and past the Haunted Wasteland are a goddess statue and the Spirit Temple. Because of differences in religion, the people of Hyrule say the Desert Colossus depicts an evil deity. Thieves loyal to Ganondorf and Nabooru use it as a base of operations, and experiments in brainwashing using magic are conducted there." (Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 45)
- ↑ "It was also said that whoever met with the Great Fairy who lived here was blessed with great fortune, so it came to be known as the Fountain of the Fortune Goddess." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "Long ago, my people, known as the Zonai, came from the heavens to the surface of the world. It was said they were the descendants of gods..." — Mineru (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "They bore treasures from these same gods--secret stones, capable of amplifying the abilities of those who possessed them." — Mineru (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "When your Zonai ancestors first descended upon these lands long, long ago, they must have seemed to be gods." — Ganondorf (Tears of the Kingdom)
- ↑ "The moon has long been considered a mystical body, which people have worshiped and feared. That alone shows how the moon has a cosmic influence that affects our daily lives." — Professor Shikashi (Majora's Mask)
- ↑ "The Tuni Nut is the city's symbol. We dutifully worshipped this nut." — N/A (Oracle of Ages)
- ↑ "Bring the Rod of Seasons that is worshipped in the temple!" — N/A (Oracle of Seasons)