Daily Debate: Do You Wish Zelda Games Did More to Explore the Religions of Hyrule?
Posted on March 21 2025 by Nick Miller
Shortly after Link defeats Queen Gohma in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Deku Tree tells Link about the creation of the world by the three goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru. Although previous games had featured religious elements, such as A Link to the Past‘s church-like Sanctuary and the Nintendo Entertainment System titles both featuring some Christian iconography, like the cross on Link’s shield, this was the first real glimpse players got into the doctrine of the predominant religion of Hyrule. Since then, each game has added new layers to Hylian religions, such as temples, religious markings, and sacred sites like Twilight Princess‘s Sacred Grove or Skyward Sword‘s Statue of the Goddess (Zelda games in general are absolutely riddled with ancient sites of religious worship and locations that characters call “sacred”). Link has also encountered a variety of deity first-hand.
However, despite the many physical representations of Hyrule’s religions, we still know very little about their beliefs and teachings. Of course we know about the creation of the world. We know a little bit about the Goddess Hylia. We even know that reincarnation plays a certain role. But, we haven’t learned a whole lot beyond those few snippets. What are the morals that drive the day-to-day interactions of Hylians? What does the average Hylian believe about the afterlife? Despite a seemingly shared set of beliefs between races, are there different religions, or different denominations of a shared religion? How has that religion changed over time?
I think, at the very least, it could add new depth to Zelda‘s world-building to know more about the religious morals that drive Hylian society. It would be very interesting to see how other races like the Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo have adopted that religion, or adapted it to their own culture. Likewise, a deeper exploration of Hylian religions could add depth to characters, and provide a new source for conflict. Have we ever seen a character facing a faith crisis about the Goddess Hylia, or one who may be at odds with their family or village over their beliefs?
Nintendo tends to avoid real-world religious references and not without good reason, such as when they removed what sounded like an Islamic prayer from Ocarina of Time‘s Fire Temple music. However, keeping within a fictional world with a fictional religion that has already been explored to some degree shouldn’t conflict with that policy.
Now tell us your thoughts. Do you wish Zelda games did more to explore the religions of Hyrule? What benefits could a better understanding of Hylian doctrines bring to the story? Is it just interesting from a lore perspective? Do you prefer the mystery of only knowing vague allusions to belief without an in depth exposition on the entirety of their teachings? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Nick is a writer for Zelda Dungeon and a longtime fan of the Zelda franchise. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, archery, skateboarding, and some good ol’ fashioned family time. He’s an advocate for physical media and an avid video game collector. His favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time, though Breath of the Wild and the Link’s Awakening remake are close contenders. His other favorite video games series include Kingdom Hearts, Fallout, and Ratchet & Clank.
