Daily Debate: Do You Think Levias, the Wind Fish, and the Ocean King Are Related?
Posted on March 25 2025 by Nicole Scott
There are many notable, mythological whales in the Zelda series. In the timeline, Levias from Skyward Sword is the undeniable first. He is a warden of the skies, tasked by the Goddess herself to guard the residents of The Sky from the horrors of the Surface below. Traveling down the path of the Fallen Hero, Link also encounters the Wind Fish’s dream of Koholint Island, another godly whale sitting atop Mt. Tamaranch. Finally, you have the unsuspecting Ocean King, who created the World of the Ocean King in an arguably similar way to how the Wind Fish created Koholint. Is it possible these creatures are related, either by being the same species or as reincarnations in different eras?
In pondering this idea, I discovered several fans posing theories and connections. The most interesting one I found is almost as far away from the Hero of the Sky as you could get — in Breath of the Wild. As part of the Leviathan Bones side quest, you discover skeletons of massive whale-like creatures in Hyrule’s various domains. Some people suspect these are one or all of the aforementioned whales of legend, but it could be coincidental. If this is true, then games past the Era of the Wild in the timeline, if they ever appear, could not feature a Leviathan-style creature, as they have become extinct.
The same query here could be made regarding the non-flying whales — Lord Jabu-Jabu, featured in Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Ages, and Echoes of Wisdom, and Jabun, featured in The Wind Waker. However, just like the connections between the other giant whales, there is no overt proof except for several implications that Jabun is a descendant of Lord Jabu-Jabu in the Hyrule Historia and the Prima Official Strategy Guide for The Wind Waker.
The inclusion of giant whales could also be rooted in their historical significance in Japanese culture instead of justified by Zelda lore. One of the Seven Gods of Fortune, Ebisu, brought whales to fishers to protect them, and some believed the creatures were gifts or manifestations of the deity. In the ancient times, these whales gave citizens an unprecedented amount of resources. So, they were harnessed with unending gratitude and reverence, as the massive creatures became symbols of prosperity and survival through difficult times. With this type of legacy, it’s no wonder they would become a staple throughout media.
Do you think there is any deeper meaning here in Zelda’s lore, or do you think the inclusion of multiple god-like whales is simply a historical motif? Let us know your thoughts and if we missed any obvious clues in the comments below!
Nicole Scott is writer for Zelda Dungeon from suburban Appalachia. She loves drinking espresso, seeing live music, building LEGO sets, being a completionist, and snuggling her two probably-alien cats, Tizo and Alarielle.
