Love Stories: A Look at the Heartfelt Connections in The Legend of Zelda

With Valentine’s Day (one of my favorite holidays) just around the corner, I have been fixated on the theme of love and how it runs so many of the fictional and real-life stories in the world. From watching rom-coms, to talking about my favorite romantic tropes, to contemplating the ultimate power of love that drives some of most favorite popular books (Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, etc.). It’s a given that love—all kinds of love, really—is what causes our spirits to soar, our eyes to weep, and our hearts to break when unraveling our favorite stories. The Legend of Zelda is no exception. The theme of love is often at the very heart and center of the adventures of Link and Zelda. In fact, these epic, whimsical and heartfelt quests have taught me a lot about what it really means to love. Here are a few examples.

Love Changes

Ocarina of Time is a beautiful piece of art that exemplifies how the relationships and love we share for those in our lives can change and shift over time. As Sheik so poetically says, “Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition. Young love will become deep affection. The clear water’s surface reflects growth.” Or another favorite, “It is something that grows over time… a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time…”

There are such poignant truths in these words! You can see them manifest in many of Link’s relationships throughout his journey—friendships that blossom between him and Darunia or Malon, a deep affection that develops between Link and Zelda over the seven years they are separated, and the unrequited love that Princess Ruto has for him that grows over time. But for me, one of the greatest examples of how our love and relationships can change throughout our lives is Link’s relationship with Saria.

Link’s beginning in Kokiri Forest showcases a lot of his backstory through his encounters with the other Kokiri, specifically his friendship with Saria. Although Link and Saria seem to be simply best friends, Mido’s jealousy toward Link allows players to read between the lines that Saria might have deeper feelings for Link that expand beyond friendship. But alas, destiny always calls to our hero and Link is unfortunately prompted to leave Saria’s world; a world in which he finds he never truly belonged in the first place.

You can see by the painful goodbye he shares with her that he valued his friendship with her above all others until the point he embarks for Hyrule. Even after, he still hangs on to his connection with her, as he can constantly communicate with her through playing her song on the Ocarina.

But the real change comes when he returns after seven years. When he rescues her from the Forest Temple, their friendship is still intact, but anything more than that is nothing but a memory. Link has grown older and Saria is still a child but also has become an otherworldly Sage. They are separated by duty and the love (friendship or something more on Saria’s part) evolves to be a love they will always carry for each other, even if their paths don’t cross again. As much as Link wants to hang on to the relationship he had with his dear childhood friend, Saria tells him that they were never meant to be in the same world. In a final goodbye between the two, we see the somber message, “Saria will always be… your friend…” Nothing more.

This relationship reminds me of many friends and relationships I have had during different seasons of life. Although things change and we have grown apart, that’s okay. I will always be grateful for the powerful remnants of love I still have for those I share many fond memories with in my past. It will stay with me forever! To feel love for another is a privilege.

Love Grows

Love is mysterious and often uncontrollable. We develop love and affection for friends, family, and significant others, so naturally as we spend time together and deepen our relationships, and it’s amazing how often love is rarely a conscious choice, and more so of a small seed that is planted when we vibe with someone, which grows and thrives over time. One of my favorite relationships in the Zelda series that shows realistic and profound growth and development is that between Midna and Link in Twilight Princess. They begin their journey absolutely despising each other (my favorite trope) and simply using one another for a means to an end. Midna is selfish and cynical, while Link is quite the opposite.

Yet over time after tackling many temples and bosses and puzzles and some sheer trauma from the hands of Zant, their relationship begins to thrive and blossom. Midna begins to learn from Link’s natural inclinations to protect both those he loves and strangers. He is pure of heart and ready to throw himself between the innocent and evil. As time goes on, we see that Midna isn’t truly selfish, but is the same as Link, having a hidden agenda to save the people she loves most in the world, those in her kingdom. Near the end, the two connect even more as they realize they can save both the Light World and the Twilight Realm together, and the love between them absolutely explodes the more hardships and growth they experience together.

I don’t know if the love that grows between Link and Midna is a deep-rooted friendship or something more. But without a doubt, you can see by the end of their journey that they care about each other and understand each other deeply, to the point that they are willing to lay down their lives for one another. They choose to support each other over and over again. But don’t get me started on Link’s heartbroken face when she leaves him forever in the end. I will never recover from that.

This depiction of love reminds me that first impressions of others aren’t always to be trusted, and as we look outside the box, love for those in our lives truly expands and deepens through the meaningful experiences and moments of empathy and connection we have with each other. In some cases, love is powerful enough that it enables you to face the difficult times together.

Love is Worth Fighting For

Looking at the basic formula of the Zelda series, we see the unending reincarnation cycle of a courageous knight, and a wise princess, and at the center of all their adventures in Hyrule, there is love. There is love thriving between the fascinating NPCs like two of my favorites, the Gerudo and Hylian at the Lover’s Pond on Tuft Mountain. There are tragic, yet hopeful love stories like the desperate romance between Kafei and Anju in Majora’s Mask. The deep love of family we see between Link, his sister, Aryll, and his grandma in The Wind Waker. And sorrowful unrequited affection like Groose’s love for Zelda and Mipha’s feelings for Link.

Yes, it seems Hyrule is simply run on love. But let’s look at one of the strongest depictions of how powerful this force is.

Our two main characters, Princess Zelda and Link, love their kingdom more than most anything in the world. They love Hyrule and its people so much that in every journey they have, they sacrifice their own safety, desires, and their very lives in numerous ways to protect the kingdom they adore. In some cases, Zelda has faced nameless evils alone for centuries to keep her kingdom safe such in cases like Skyward Sword, while Link often suffers endlessly and faces trial after trial because of his selfless identity of the Hero. He always chooses to put his duty to his kingdom and his princess first, to the point where in one case (Breath of the Wild) when he was on the brink of death, he refused to fall until he knew Zelda was out of harms way.

The sheer love and compassion our hero and princess have for their kingdom is also reflected fully in their relationship with each other. While in some cases we have seen some more romantic tension between Link and Zelda, (in Skyward Sword for example; the greatest Zelink ever!) their deep love, devotion, and commitment to one another throughout each journey, whether platonic or romantic, is what this series is all about. After all, it was Zelda’s love for Link that finally unlocked her sealing powers in Breath of the Wild and saved Hyrule from complete and utter destruction, and in the case of Skyward Sword, it’s Link’s love for Zelda that motivates him to become the hero he was always destined to be.

Because of the endless love they share, the primal evil that returns in a cycle without end will never prevail—and that goes for the darkness in the real world as well.

I have always loved Valentine’s Day, even when I haven’t had a romantic valentine to call my own, because it symbolizes more than that kind of love! This holiday is the celebration of what is quite literally the most powerful force in the world (forget the Triforce!). This day enables us to recognize the most meaningful relationships in our lives, from the love we share with family, friends, pets, and even strangers or internet buddies with whom we’ve bonded over a shared love of fandoms.

In a bleak world filled with hatred, cancel culture, and a rigid unforgiving attitudes, the world needs more love. Without love, the whole world would cease to function.

Love is the driving element of the decisions and experiences in our lives. Small acts of love for others are the source of goodness and kindness that keeps the darkness in the world at bay. Love is what binds us together to feel joy in good times and hope in the bad. Love is even the reason I began playing Zelda, because as a child, it was my favorite thing to play with my older sister, whom I loved and looked up to more than anyone else as a kid.

Love is real, changeable, growable, powerful, hopeful, and meaningful. I believe it is at the heart of this beloved series and the many adventures we find unforgettable. So I challenge you this Valentine’s Day to consider all the different love you feel in life! From your love of Zelda, to your love of potatoes, to your love for the people in your lives who mean everything to you.

Love is a gift; and it’s worth fighting for.

Tell us what you think! What relationships in The Legend of Zelda have most inspired you? What connections in your own life has the Zelda franchise helped foster? Share your stories in the comments below.

Chakell Wardleigh Herbert is a writer for Zelda Dungeon. She lives with her husband and sweet little cavalier King Charles spaniel. Outside of Zelda Dungeon, she is a full-time magazine editor, and a full-time nerd. She’s also a sucker for good books, podcasts, s’mores, cute dogs, and loves the little things that make life great.

Image Sources: AlzzziMi, kGoggles, Nebulace

 

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