I love when you rank the Zeldas by how likely they are to do something or by some other metric! So, obviously I have to add my own to the mix! How rich/well-off are each of the Zeldas? I feel like I know the poor ones but that's about it 😅
Glad you’re enjoying the #lin thinks posts! I love writing them :)
And hey, that’s an interesting one!
Here are my current thoughts on:
Every Zelda’s Economic Status
(Approximately from poorest to richest :) )
Quick Guide to the Zeldas | The WV Zelda Timeline
We all knew who would be at the bottom of this list. Dawn lives at the end of the Great Decline and has, like, negative wealth. What little assets she does have (antiques, etc) are non-liquifiable because no one in her era wants to buy them. Any money she receives as a donation, tax, or tithe, she probably redistributes immediately to the people or spends on the rebuilding effort. By the way, Hyrule is also broke— his absolute max wallet size in Zelda 1 is 255 rupees, which is, according to the Zelda 1 markets, enough to buy like two and a half meals, or four candles. Good luck, Decline crew, you’ll need it. [1/10 money]
A Stable Commoner’s Lifestyle
Flora grew up rich, but little of that is left now, 100 years in the future. In TotK, she seems to be living a modest life in her bf’s house in Hateno, helping out the townsfolk with her knowledge, not her wealth. She’s employed as an volunteer elementary school teacher, which (presumably) doesn’t pay all that much in Hyrule. Idk if Purah is paying her for her research contributions, but it’s probably not a lot even if so. And she doesn’t get to keep anything she earned in AoI either. Oh, btw— Wild is filthy rich. But Flora isn’t, and that’s who we’re judging here. [2/10 money]
Sun is the headmaster’s daughter on Skyloft. She’s probably got a normal, adequate amount of money now— by the time of Wisdomverse, she’s employed at least part-time as a Knight of Skyloft, which is clearly a respectable position, and probably pays pretty decently. She’s also collected enough money to fund her surface expeditions, so she can’t be doing too badly. Being a literal goddess reborn probably helps with that 😆. [3/10 money]
Small Kingdom; Small Fortune
Dot’s era is one in which even the princess of Hyrule can take on an apprenticeship at a local bakery. Their wealth is smaller in scale, still near the start of the timeline— but that doesn’t make it less impactful! Overall quality of life is probably higher in this era than every other era except for one. But the royal family is still new-ish, and hasn’t yet had the chance to hoard wealth for millennia. [4/10 money]
Significant Wealth Impeded by a War Effort
Lullaby’s kingdom was doing great, and then the Hylian Civil War hit them hard. Then she had to fund the Third Imprisoning War to capture Ganon, and then the ongoing Civil War that’s happening at present in WV. She’s probably constantly managing her finances, making practical decisions on what efforts to keep and cut. She’ll eventually refill the kingdom’s coffers. That doesn’t leave too much wealth at the moment, though. [5/10 money]
Artemis’ kingdom is clearly incredibly wealthy. However, the Convergence War put a dent in her finances— and unlike the other Wielders, a network of lords and nobles shares the financial capital of Artemis’ nation, leaving her with less to her own name. She’s still rich. Just… less so than she would have been otherwise, and there are many others in her era who match her wealth. [6/10 money]
Stable Generational Wealth
Don’t let the name “Downfall Era” fool you— Fable does actually have quite a bit of wealth. Elegy set her up well after the Fallen Imprisoning War, and her kingdom has been growing steadily for all the years in between, with Ganon sealed away in the Sacred Realm / Dark World. Legend also reverses the adverse effects of ALttP after its over, and pretty much every other adventure in this era happens somewhere other than Hyrule proper (ALBW doesn’t really see Hyrule itself put into any significant danger). So Fable’s actually doing fine! She would be doing even better, but Ravio won’t pay his damn taxes. [7/10 money]
It’s called the Golden Era for a reason. Echo at present in the Post-Decline Era falls in the “Not a single rupee in sight” category, but she used to be quite rich in her home era. Multiple allied kingdoms to trade with, and a stable economy that has been steadily growing since Fable’s era and beyond, as well as, presumably after EoW, open trade with the Hytopians. Echo’s Hyrule is generous, though, and the King clearly prefers giving back to the people over accumulating wealth. He’s maintained the fortune he inherited, and channeled it back into the people of his kingdom. [7/10 money]
Stolen Fortune — Massive Wealth
Tetra has not only been stealing from the rich for years, she also spent her time in Ancient Hyrule picking the place clean. She’s actually accumulated tons of wealth, hidden in various caches, mostly ill-gotten. And since her era has tons of merchants, traders, and wealthy folks who are actually down to buy and sell antiques (the Wind Waker auction house), her stolen stuff can be sold and is actually worth quite a lot. [7/10]
Phantom lives in a thriving new society built upon Tetra’s fortune and the generosity of the rest of the races of New Hyrule. With the highest quality of life in all the eras, and a bustling infrastructure, trade, and industry between the four races, as well as the old wealthy folks of Hyrule and the clearly prosperous Lokomo, her world is set up for great things. [8/10 money]
The Pinnacle of Economic Success
It’s lonely at the top. Dusk has my vote for the richest Zelda we’ve seen yet. Her era has had multiple generations to compile a massive hoard of wealth on top of Lullaby’s already significant fortune, and generations of peace as well. Her soldiers have literally lost their edge from spending so long in peaceful times, which forced her to surrender to Zant immediately during TP. Hyrule Castle is intricate, sprawling, and… oddly empty. Dusk grew up amidst massive, isolating wealth, which makes her all the more keenly aware of the comforts of a small village, close friends, and family. She’s literally suffering from success. [9/10 money]
This was fun! I could honestly be swayed on a few of these, but I had a blast compiling my thoughts at the moment :). Thanks for asking!
(Previous q&a at #lin responds. More theories and analyses at #lin thinks!)
