Show & Tell
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Keni
will byers stan first human second
taylor price
art blog(derogatory)
trying on a metaphor
pixel skylines
Cosmic Funnies
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❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
Not today Justin
i don't do bad sauce passes
h
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
DEAR READER
noise dept.
dirt enthusiast
祝日 / Permanent Vacation
Kiana Khansmith
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@loruleanhistorian
Question, did you do any more of the Skyward Sword that the main characters were zonai because I have not seen any new ones in a while????????????
I do! I must admit I am very proud of my Zonai/Aspect Impa, she was extremely fun to draw! The jade armor went so well with her color palette :D
The War Room Map
Rauru and the sages strategize the battle for Hyrule Castle from the safety of the temple in Tanagar Canyon—including the plan to fallback to the Depths, should their assault against Demon King Ganondorf fail.
From Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (Nintendo Switch 2)
To the Great Plateau
Tracing the path Zelda, Rauru, and Sonia took from the Forest of Spirits to ancient Hyrule Castle during the opening mission of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Bonus: includes the (approximate) path down to the plateau's main entrance.
Screen overlays the Great Plateau map from both Age of Imprisonment and Breath of the Wild, and drawing over the waterways and footpath using tools in Pixlr.
Beginning in a small clearing on the eastern edge of the Forest of Spirits, the path heads uphill slightly—and passes an unfinished Shrine—before it curves to the left and passes over a small river; over a wooden bridge.
From here, the road steers downhill and curves sharply, entering a small clearing where another Shrine awaits. After clearing the "shades" (those evil spirits of ancient malice) and rescuing the soldiers, Rauru and Sonia purify the area by activating this Shrine.
The road carries on eastward, rising slightly to a small shady plaza marked by two large, stone gates: a closed one to the north, and an open one to the south. The former leads on and down towards the main gate off the Plateau, while the latter leads up and onward to the Temple of Time—and to Hyrule Castle!
This gated road leads steeply uphill, curving slightly to the right. At the top, the path splits: to the left through a torii gate stands the grand staircase of the Temple of Time. Ahead, across a stone bridge, the castle path awaits.
To the Great Plateau
Tracing the path Zelda, Rauru, and Sonia took from the Forest of Spirits to ancient Hyrule Castle during the opening mission of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. Bonus: includes the (approximate) path down to the plateau's main entrance.
Screen overlays the Great Plateau map from both Age of Imprisonment and Breath of the Wild, and drawing over the waterways and footpath using tools in Pixlr.
The Secrets of the Zonai Ruins Today, let’s uncover the secrets of the Zonai Ruins! The following translation work is provided by me. Tears
The Secrets of the Zonai Ruins, Revealed?
Hyrulean History, or "The Events from the Age of the Gods to the Present-day"
SYMBOL LEGEND ‡ = Historical or contextual footnote † = Speculation; subject to debate ◆ = Transitional relationship between Demon King Ganondorf and Ganon
THE BEGINNING — THE CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
Hyrule is created by the Three Golden Goddesses.
The Triforce and secret stones are produced.
The world is entrusted to the Goddess Hylia.
——
THE AGE OF THE GODS — A long era in which a single race arose, flourished, and perished. Divided for convenience into three periods.
ZONAI BIRTH PERIOD
The birth of the people known as the Zonai—the closest race to the gods. † Zonai traits, such as their large ears and magical abilities, may represent a primordial form later inherited by their descendants—the Hylians (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, P.453).
The Goddess entrusts the Zonai with safeguarding the secret stones. ‡ Goddess worship likely originates within Zonai civilization. Goddess statues are among the oldest known structures in Hyrule (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, P.374).
The Zonai prosper on the surface.
The Depths are discovered and developed.
Zonai civilization advances rapidly. ‡ Due to the processing of “Zonaite”, a mineral deposit discovered in abundance in the Depths, both raw building materials and a new power source were extracted. With these developments, the Zonai civilization achieved feats of incredible engineering. One of these engineering marvels was the creation of automatons called “Constructs”. Steward constructs were the first of these robots designed, but many other varieties shortly followed suit (Source: Rauru, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom).
ZONAI HEAVENLY PERIOD
The Zonai abandon the surface and ascend into the sky. ‡ During the war against Demise, land is lifted into the sky to protect humanity, separating the sky and surface (Source: Prologue, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword). † It is said that the Goddess forged a sacred blade to repel evil (Source: Great Deku Tree, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild).
Mining continues in the Depths via constructs.
The Zonai prosper in the sky. ‡ Goddess Hylia is reincarnated among her people (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Encyclopedia, P.008). † It is said that the Hylians can trace their lineage back to their reborn Goddess (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Encyclopedia, P.008). † Some Zonai may have descended to the surface, forming the roots of the Hylian lineage (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, P.453).
Surface tribes form independent communities. The Gerudo tribes establish their nation in the desert.
The birth of the Hylians.
The Zonai construct facilities (later called temples) across the surface to improve quality of life.
FOUNDING PERIOD OF THE KINGDOM OF HYRULE
The collapse of Zonai civilization unfolds. ‡ The Zonai faced an unprecedented crisis which decimated their population, the details of which have been lost to time (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, P.380) † It is speculated that a war over control of the secret stones may have been responsible. During this infighting, an advanced weaponized construct model was produced. However, these machines went berserk and turned on their makers, bringing the world to ruin (Source: Mineru, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment).
As their population declines, the Zonai survivors descend once more to the surface. ‡ Ongoing research suggests the Zonai descended together with their city, later known as the Great Sky Island (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, P.380).
The Zonai come into limited contact with the surface tribes, though their numbers continue to dwindle.
◆ THE DEMON KING Ganondorf is born among the Gerudo. He later transforms into the “Demon King”—an unprecedented threat opposed directly by King Rauru, one of the last remaining Zonai.
Rauru and Sonia, a Hylian priestess, are wed. ‡ This union is regarded as the origin of the royal bloodline, combining Zonai authority with the Hylian lineage (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, P.385).
Rauru and Sonia undertake the Pilgrimage of Light.
Hyrule Kingdom is founded, with Rauru and Sonia as its first king and queen.
Their castle is built upon the Great Plateau.
Princess Zelda arrives in this era bearing the Purah Pad.
The birth of the Demon King. Queen Sonia passes away.
The Imprisoning War: the allied surface tribes struggle against the Demon King for supremacy.
Rauru sacrifices his life to seal the Demon King beneath the land that will one day become Hyrule Castle. ‡ Rauru’s death heralds the end of the Age of the Gods. The Demon King’s hatred remains imprisoned, enduring far beyond this era (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Master Works, P.393).
The damaged Master Sword arrives through time.
Mineru’s spirit is preserved within the Purah Pad.
Princess Zelda leaves the Purah Pad with Mineru’s steward construct.
Princess Zelda swallows her secret stone, and transforms into the Light Dragon. The restoration of the Master Sword begins.
The Great Sky Island is raised into the heavens by the sages.
Construction of the next Hyrule Castle begins. ‡ This castle was built to safeguard the Imprisoning Chamber deep beneath the earth. It was feared that, should that site ever be disturbed, the Demon King’s hatred and rage would be revived, bringing calamity to the land (Source: Royal Hidden Passageway, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom).
——
LONG AGO — THE ERA OF MYTH
Hyrule prospers under the rule of the Hylian royal family.
◆ THE CALAMITY, GANON Over time, the sealed Demon King’s malice manifests as “Ganon”—a primal evil who takes the form of a Gerudo. The duty of resisting his evil dominion now falls upon the Hyrulean royal family and its heroes. ‡ His ambitions quashed, the Gerudo man transforms into Dark Beast Ganon. Ganon is sealed by the combined power of the sages and Hyrule’s princess (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Works, P.395). ‡ Princess Ruto of the Zora and Nabooru of the Gerudo are remembered as sages of this era. In later ages, the Divine Beasts Vah Ruta and Vah Naboris are named in their honor (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Works, P.361).
Ganon is resurrected and sealed many times…
MORE THAN 10,000 YEARS AGO
Hyrule Kingdom prospers under the Hylians. † Following the events of The Adventure of Link, the kingdom of Hyrule enters a period of bright renewal (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, P.109).
Construction of Zora’s Domain begins. ‡ Hyrule and the Zora jointly construct the East Reservoir Lake. The Zora vow to watch over its water levels thereafter (Source: Zora History, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild).
Calamity Ganon emerges. ‡ Known as both Great Demon King and Calamity, Dark Beast Ganon is considered to be his original form (Source: Hyrule Compendium, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild). † Great Demon King Ganon has been defeated by many heroes up to this point. Through successive resurrections, all trace of his humanity have disappeared, and he appears as a mindless beast of pure hatred and rage (Source: Hyrule Historia, P.106)
Ganon is sealed away by the hero and the royal family.
~10,000 YEARS AGO — ANCIENT HYRULE
Sheikah technology advances Hyrule’s civilization.
Ganon’s inevitable resurrection prompts the construction of relics such as the Divine Beasts and the Guardians.
Calamity Ganon revives.
Through their technology, the Sheikah assist the hero wielding the Master Sword and the princess with sacred power in sealing Ganon away.
The king of Hyrule at this time orders the abandonment of Sheikah technology, out of fear that its awesome power could be misused. ‡ The ancient Zonai civilization previously collapsed due to a misuse of powerful technology (Source: Mineru, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment)
The Sheikah relics are buried.
The Sheikah tribe is scattered. It splinters into various factions; the Yiga Clan later forms from a militant group.
~100 YEARS AGO — THE GREAT CALAMITY
Princess Zelda is born to King Rhoam of Hyrule and his queen.
Following a fortune-teller’s prophecy, preparations against Ganon’s resurrection begin.
The Sheikah are welcomed back into the royal court.
Excavations begin across Hyrule.
The queen of Hyrule passes away suddenly, a year before Zelda’s training would begin.
The Guidance Stones are discovered.
The Sheikah Slate is discovered by Zelda and Purah.
The Divine Beasts and Guardians are unearthed. ‡ Link, the son of a knight of the Imperial Guard, finds the Master Sword (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Master Works, P.370).
Four warriors are selected from among the tribes to pilot the Divine Beasts.
These pilots, together with Link and Zelda, are dubbed “Champions”.
Princess Zelda struggles to awaken her sealing power.
Calamity Ganon revives from beneath Hyrule Castle.
The Divine Beasts are seized—the Guardians as well.
The Great Calamity: The Champions fall. Hyrule Kingdom collapses.
Zelda awakens her powers protecting Link from a rogue Guardian.
Link, gravely wounded, is placed in the Shrine of Resurrection along with the Sheikah Slate.
The Master Sword is enshrined in the Korok Forest to heal.
Zelda restrains Ganon at Hyrule Castle.
A FEW YEARS AGO — SUBDUING THE CALAMITY
Zelda’s power begins to wane.
Link awakens at the Shrine of Resurrection.
Guided by the princess, Link takes up the Sheikah Slate.
Sheikah Towers emerge across Hyrule.
Ganon stirs in Hyrule Castle.
Control of the Divine Beasts is wrested back from Ganon.
Link recovers the Master Sword from the Korok Forest.
Link faces Calamity Ganon, who appears in an incomplete state.
Ganon is subdued.
Princess Zelda is freed.
RESTORATIONS AFTER THE CALAMITY
Hyrule Castle is left in a state of decay. ‡ The castle’s state was due to the damages caused during the Great Calamity 100 years ago. Because of this decay, the magic holding Demon King Ganondorf weakened (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom).
The Divine Beasts and ancient Sheikah relics vanish.
Restoration efforts begin across Hyrule.
Purah and Robbie develop the Purah Pad. ‡ Although this was a joint effort, Robbie is a bit grumbly that their device was named after Purah alone (Source: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom).
The Historical Survey Team (later, Zonai Survey Team) is formed by Princess Zelda.
Lookout Landing is established.
Leadership transitions occur among the tribes.
SEVERAL MONTHS AGO
Skyview Towers are constructed.
An outbreak of gloom emerges from beneath Hyrule Castle.
Link and Zelda set out to investigate.
Demon King Ganondorf awakens.
Link is gravely injured. The Master Sword shatters.
Princess Zelda falls, and travels into the past.
THE UPHEAVAL
The Upheaval: Hyrule Castle rises into the air, deep holes open, and ruins fall from the sky.
Unusual phenomena occur all across Hyrule.
The Zonai Survey Team investigates both the ruins and the newly-discovered Depths.
The monster-control crew is formed.
Link awakens on the Great Sky Island, and meets the spirit of Rauru.
The steward construct presents the Purah Pad to Link.
The decayed Master Sword travels into the past.
Four Sages awaken from among the tribes.
Mineru’s spirit awakens as the Sage of Spirit.
PRESENT DAY
The Master Sword is returned to Link, fully restored.
Demon King Ganondorf is defeated.
Princess Zelda’s humanity is restored.
Editorial Note: The boundaries between ages, eras, and periods presented here are provisional. As with all studies of Hyrulean history, interpretations may shift as new records, ruins, or testimonies come to light.
A helpful, compact guide to Hyrule’s history within the context of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Enjoy! ✨️
Origins of the Hylians
Part 2
Origins of the Hylians
Part 2
I only just got into the Legend of Zelda series a few years ago with BotW, and I absolutely love it. But every time I play through one of the older games, I discover connections to the newer games and find myself baffled by how many people just like, actively refuse to interact with some of the lore.
Like, the Zelda community is such an amazing place for community theorizing and conspiracies, and the people involved are so smart and passionate about this stuff. But then the moment I try saying "Hey, I think the Ancient Robots from SS and all the glowing-green robots from TP might be related to the Zonai Constructs from ToTK"
or "Hey the ancient guardians from those astral-realm trials kinda look like the Zonai, and also have 3 eyes??"
or "Hey, ancient mysterious flying islands with blocky Jomun-inspired architecture also appear in Twilight Princess and Four-Swords Adventures..."
"...Do we think the writers had this in mind for longer than we thought? Or maybe they're connecting older unanswered stories to try fleshing out the world's history?"
I'll definitely see a few people point these things out but then I see an overwhelming amount of people who just respond with "hmm. Nope. Can't." or "Stop putting so much thought into it it's not that deep."
Like omg who cares if it's not that deep? What happened to forcing Nintendo to retcon in the "three timeline" thing? Where's the pizzaz? Where's the imagination?
These games are so much fun to try connecting together
Call it now—the Zelda fandom will cherish Tears of the Kingdom within five years. I refuse to let anyone, especially YouTubers, sour my passion for this series! Tears of the Kingdom did more for me than I could ever put in a post—it’s a personal journey, not just a game. And calling it 'bad' is laughable when it’s clearly a work of art.
What blows me away is how it captures the feeling of an ancient, looping myth—a fairy tale whispered across generations. The Zonai lore, Zelda’s time-bending sacrifice, the Light Dragon’s mournful flight… it all feels like uncovering a lost legend. The Depths aren’t just a map layer; they’re the underworld of fables, a shadowy counterpoint to Hyrule’s light. And the sky islands? Pure storybook magic—like floating remnants of a god’s abandoned playground.
Even Ganondorf isn’t just a villain here; he’s the archetypal evil king from a fireside tale, oozing malice and grandeur. And Zelda’s arc? Heartbreaking in the way only myths can be—where love and duty twist into something timeless. The way the game plays with cycles (of ruin, rebirth, and Recall itself) makes it feel like you’re not just playing a legend… you’re living one.
So no, I won’t pretend this game is anything less than extraordinary. Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo weaving myth into mechanics, and history will remember it as the masterpiece it is.
Speaking of the Forgotten Temple, you can actually see the place where King Rauru gathers the other sages together. You can tell by the door. It is directly behind the Goddess Statue.
This means that the Goddess Statue was moved and placed in the Forgotten Temple long after the events of the Tears of the Kingdom’s imprisoning war. This is backed up by the fact that the temple itself had to be carved out a bit to fit the statue where it now sits.
This would mean that if this Goddess Statue is the same one from Skyward Sword, then it’s location in the Forgotten Temple is not where it came crashing down in Hyrule at the end of that game. It must’ve landed somewhere else entirely.
Mogma and the Miner's Set
Looking further into real-world ancient mythology, I came across legends of "giant gold-digging ants". These legends by greek writers tell of dog sized ants that dig up gold and are said to live in mountains and deserts. These legends got debunked by a french scholar, Michel Peissal, who claimed the legends were based off of the Himalayan Marmot.
The Himalayan Marmot is one of the biggest marmot breeds in the world (about the size of a small dog) and is known to leave gold dust and even gold nuggets by their burrows. They seem to be naturals at finding ore deposits.
How is this connected to Mogma?
Mogma are not necessarily canine- like. They are more accurately described as mole-like.
Most of the Mogma are primarily named after metal ores with a few exceptions, such as Tubert. Implying a culture around hunting for rare ore.
The Miners set helm looks ant-like with antenna and pinchers, but the boots of the set notably include paws. Rather than attributing this armor to Goriya like I initially thought, it makes the most sense for the Miner's Set to be linked to Mogma originally. I still link the Barbarian Set to the Goriya and still believe some Goriya may have also worn the Miner's Set and worked in the mines alongside Mogma, but the set seems to be originally built with poor Mogma vision in mind.
To sum it up, I think ancient Zonai employed some Mogma for their earliest mining operations before the constructs were invented because of their unparalleled ability to find treasured ore. I even think Zonai originally traded with Mogma for zonaite before mines were established.
The Zonai made the Miner's armor in the likeness of ants perhaps due to the Mogma's unique dedication to digging (for big treasure) even if it endangers them. They also lovingly made it out of zonaite. I say lovingly because only high-ranking people like the sages and royalty are depicted wearing zonaite.
The Miner's set is so sensory specific in design. Its easy to identify them in the dark with brightbloom baubles and seemingly also easy to hear them in the dark when the baubles clink along the chains. Mogma are implied to have bad eyesight when they constantly mistake Link for a bokoblin in SS.
Maybe these features to the miner's set are meant to function as identifying safety gear for when the Mogma run into travelers. Travelers or any other miners (including other Mogma) could identify them approaching in the darkness either by brightblooms or by chain-chime if their vision is too poor. Hyrulean OSHA approved!
Tldr: Miner's set is safety gear originally intended for poor Mogma eyesight and may not be indicative of anything darker. The fact it's made of zonaite implies they were a respected workforce. It looks ant-like to further relate to real world ancient mythology about ore digging Himalayan Marmots.
A more realistic theory about Ganondorf's ability to have offspring:
The round eared Gerudo women of Ocarina Of Time are descendants of Tears of The Kingdom Ganondorf.
🔸️In TOTK only Ganondorf had round ears, the rest of the tribe had longer ears. Only Ganondorf has round ear genes to pass on at this time period.
Let's speculate that TOTK Ganondorf is the Original and that Koume and Kotake resurrected him by placing a piece of his dormant soul into a new body, making what would become OOT Ganondorf.(The Depths being a spirit world lends to the idea they could.)
How could OOT Ganondorf even have Gerudo followers after TOTK Ganondorf massively betrayed the entire tribe?
TOTK Ganondorf possibly had a lot of daughters before he was sealed by Rauru.
His daughters would be more attuned spiritually to darkness and his round ears would pass on. Under the care of Twinrova, his daughters would slowly infiltrate the healing Gerudo nation over a few generations, continuing and expanding their lineage along the way.
Eventually, we end up with the round eared Gerudo Thieves population majority by the time of OOT because of Twinrova controlling the clan for generations. Perfect conditions to birth a new King and take on Hyrule again.
This may be why Gerudo Children by law, are sent to be raised in Gerudo Town under the rule of the female Chief.
Tldr: Twinrova used TOTK Ganondorf's direct descendants to infiltrate the Gerudo tribe generations after the Imprisoning War to regain chief control to betray Hyrule again, rebirth Ganondorf for OOT, and re-establish the Gerudo as Thieves reflecting Twinrova's glory years with totkdorf. The Gerudo would likely have the round ears until the genes for them weakened by the repeated addition of Hylian genes.
Aww hell yeah
Foreword The following are my translations from Japanese (or other languages, such as French). Including all of the developer and game quote
