What do you think Hearts would be in reality?

[Farore's Chosen]

When I was a kid, hearts were hearts. Now I think that if they were in reality, they'd be heart-shaped berries that promoted healing/good health and the juice could be used to help make potions.

I dunno about pieces of heart/heart containers though

 

[Seth]

Heart Pieces I always assumed were a magical artifact that granted you some of it's power, like a stone. Recovery hearts I guess would just be lesser versions of it.

I think Heart Containers are like Heart Pieces, but formed from the essence of their creator, for instance when you beat a boss it leaves behind a Heart Container containing the essence of the boss's life force which is added to your own. In the original LoZ you collect Containers like Heart Pieces, so maybe those are just stones. Or maybe both are essences of life power manifest.

Idk just rambling here, but something like that.

 

[PalaeoJoe]

It would be interesting to see a game where the story goes in some depth about the true nature and social consequences of such things as hart peaces and containers. This is unlikely to be seen because these elements of the games are first and foremost simple game play features and at this point have no confirmed relevance in the world it'self.

I can see a hypothetical situation where when someone dies their physical energy they had in life manifests and becomes a hart peace. Then the hart peace is handed down in the family to give the family more strength. Or where monster hunters go out to fight beings with powerful life forces and collect the hart containers/peaces to sell or clam as their own (like Link dose). Social systems as well as the economy in Hyrule would be greatly influenced by the existence of these objects and lead to interesting world building and story possibilities.

 

[TheRockinStallion]

Considering what they do, I'd imagine it as a combination of Gatorade and antibiotics.

 

[Big Bear]

You are a silly little mummynut. In reality the hearts would be candy. My local sweet shop sells that fine ol heart shaped candy. Each bite makes me feel as young as a 8 year old coming off his bike for the first time.

 

[Jamie]

I always thought heart containers and heart pieces were a gift from the gods but now I wonder if it's just metaphorical. As link has the triforce of courage perhaps overcoming challenges like a boss or puzzles to get a heart piece are kind of like a metaphor for link being able to handle his enemies better now that he has even more courage. Just a thought.

 

[Seth]

I always thought heart containers and heart pieces were a gift from the gods but now I wonder if it's just metaphorical. As link has the triforce of courage perhaps overcoming challenges like a boss or puzzles to get a heart piece are kind of like a metaphor for link being able to handle his enemies better now that he has even more courage. Just a thought.

I thought about that too but you do get it as rewards from NPCs sometimes, like for a mini-game or side quest reward, so it seems like it is some kind of actual item.

 

[Wolf Sage]

I think that they'd be bloody, gory hearts, and they'd resemble the actual anatomical hearts of the animals on which a given boss enemy is based. For example, Gyorg's heart (container) would resemble a real-world fish's heart. Each heart would be filled with an assortment of vitamins and minerals—more so of the respective nutrient depending on the source.The little hearts would be drops of blood/plasma that have yet to coagulate.

Or they'd probably be like mini heart-shaped IV bags filled with nutrients or something. The little hearts would be multivitamins..?

 

[Snow Queen]

I think they're exactly as they appear to be in game. It's fantasy, not realism, so the fact that hearts and heart containers look like that are perfectly realistic within their universe.

 

[Djinn]

I always took the heart pieces to be a random game element that is just to be accepted as a game item as opposed to the regular inventory items that can have a bit of story and history to them. Sort of how extra lives are handled in other games. They tend to not at all fit into the game narrative at all and you just ignore it and keep on going.

But then Zelda likes to have these little moments where other NPCs notice the heart containers and not know what they are.

"Oh! You have great taste in things... Isn't it shiny? I found it someplace nearby. To be honest, I have no idea what it's for, but I'll sell it to you for just 1,600 Rupees!" — Beedle

The Item Lady did know all about how common hearts were.

"Lend me your ear for a moment, won't you? You know the street merchant outside? He's selling hearts. Can you believe that? Hearts! I mean, you can just scoop them off the ground with a net. The nerve if that man! Might as well sell leaves off trees! Don't buy them, whatever you do." — Item Seller

So then we could get speculating. It's related to life in some way, life force maybe or life energy. But Nintendo has done that in the past with the force gems. And they took the time to give an explanation for them.

"Force: The sacred power the gods gave to the world. It's the breath of life itself."

"Force Gems can be found all over Hyrule. These gems are the source of the Four Sword's power. They appear after you defeat enemies or cut down grass and bushes."

"It is said to be made of Force Gems of the great spirit, the Ocean King." — Oshus
"As you know, every creature in this world possesses a sacred power. This power is called life force. The Sand of Hours is a physical manifestation of that power. And that is what brought them here." — Oshus

Apparently the Force Gems are some kind of crystallized life energy, and force gems from higher beings like Oshus are more powerful.

Skyward Sword also gave us the Gratitude Crystal

"Oh, right... Silly me. I've gotten ahead of myself! You see, there is an old tale among my monstrous kin that goes as follows... It seems that when humans make other humans happy, the happy humans produce a substance known as a Gratitude Crystal. Gratitude Crystals are quite amazing! Just looking at them and knowing there was such gratitude in the world could turn me from a monster into a human!" — Batreaux

"You got one Gratitude Crystal! These form when a person is so completely overwhelmed with feelings of thankfulness that crystallized gratitude is created. Collect these and show them to Batreaux!"

So Force Gems are the manifestation of life from the gods, graditude crystals are a manifestation of thankfulness,

Now I thought to include these other things because they appear similarly to hearts. Attacking things or cutting grass in some games cause hearts to appear, in other games force gems appear, in SS gratitude crystals just appear all around someone just like them. Strong powers, strong emotions or exceptional magic can take form in the series, even the curse Zant placed on Link took shape as a crystal.

Given what we have explaining other random game elements it would not be too hard to attribute a very similar explanation to the hearts as well. They could very well be another manifestation of life appearing in Hyrule. They certainly represent life, and grant life to the player although that does overlap with the force gems when those appear. They could also be manifest strength, it takes strength and a weapon to cause them to appear either attacking an enemy or cutting grass, sometimes lifting and breaking objects. Pieces of hearts come from a challenge of some kind, or something Link must overcome, and heart containers are given by defeating a great and powerful monster.

 

[Beauts]

I think hearts are some kind of fruit or berry. In Skyward Sword they grow like flowers, which I think hints at something along those lines

 

[Dio]

They are the enemies actual hearts. Obviously because they want to seem like a series that parents would buy their children it cant be shown as this. That would make a very gory set of games. This is why they don't show link putting his fist through an enemies chest to retrieve and eat the heart inside, they simply represent the enemy leaving behind a heart upon passing away.

 

[Blue Canary]

Hearts. They are actual hearts. Squishy and ready to eat.