DYKG: Real-World constellations in The Wind Waker

If you have ever wondered about the amount of thought and detail that goes into each Legend of Zelda game, you needn’t look much further to find solid proof of the effort that these titles require.  Some complain that the development cycle for a new release is much too long, while others argue that several years between releases enables developers to “touch up” the games to a high degree.  A remarkable example of this polish has recently been exposed by Did You Know Gaming, in which it is shown that several formations of stars in The Wind Waker are taken from actual constellations present in the real world!

Hit the jump for more details!

 According to Did You Know Gaming, the stars present in The Wind Waker are not all placed there by chance.  While glancing at certain areas in the night sky, a player may start to recognize common constellations that are present in our sky as well.  Upon further inspection, one is able to find the constellations of Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper, and Orion, which can also be found on clear, dark nights here on Earth.  The depiction below is of Orion.

Interestingly, in Greek mythology, Cassiopeia is a haughty woman who boasts that she and her daughter Andromeda are more beautiful than all of the daughters of the sea deity Nereus.  This angers Poseidon, current god of the Sea, who threatens to flood the entire country of Ethiopia.  Could this act of flooding a kingdom be the inspiration for the great sea in The Wind Waker?

Additionally, Orion represents the Greek mythological hunter, who destroys evil and is deemed a hero by many.  In this game, Link could represent the manifestation, of sorts, of this character. Finally, the Big Dipper is known in Hindu astronomy as Sapta Rishi, or “The Seven Sages.”  This allows one to draw a further similarity between the Legend of Zelda series and Greek mythology, since seven sages are represented prominently in Ocarina of Time.

Were these exhibited in the game on purpose, in order to promote discussion among Zelda fans?  If nothing else, placing real world constellations in The Wind Waker helps to enhance the overall atmosphere of the game and to promote replaying the title after completion; who knows what else could be hidden in that vast world?  I find this very interesting, and am personally excited to see whether this detail makes its way over to The Wind Waker HD, as it should!

What do you think?  Do you find the similarities between Greek mythology and the Legend of Zelda interesting?  Let us know if you have found any other secrets in the comments below!

Source: Did You Know Gaming?