Zelda and James Bond

If you've ever taken a look at the bottom of my blog, you will have noticed a couple pictures of things I'm obsessed about.  You may have been wondering "If you're so obsessed, why have you never mentioned it anywhere else?"  Good question, and I guess now is the time to share my thoughts and interpretations on one of them.

First of all, Zelda is not the name of the boy hero in the series (a common misconception).  It is the name of the princess that said hero is called upon to rescue.  His name is Link, fyi.  Why is Zelda so important?  Well, it actually all comes down to the most important element in the story - the triforce.

The triforce is what you might consider a relic left by the goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore.  The legend goes that after they created the world, they returned to the sacred realm and left the triforce as a symbol of their power and as a gateway to the sacred realm.  It was said that if a person accessed the triforce and touched it, the triforce would bestow great power and grant the wishes of that person.  If someone with good intentions accessed it, the land of Hyrule would be blessed with peace and prosperity.  You could guess what would happen if an evil person touched it.

And so it went that an evil man named Ganondorf snuck his way into the sacred realm, and when he touched it the triforce split into three pieces - power, wisdom and courage.  He was given power, but wisdom and courage were granted to two other worthy individuals.  Zelda was given wisdom and Link was given courage.  Outraged, Ganondorf captured Zelda and sought after Link so that he could have all three pieces and cover the land in darkness.  Link's task was to restore peace where Ganondorf had placed monsters and curses throughout the land.  He was to grow in strength so that he could eventually confront and destroy Ganondorf and save the princess.

There you have it, the Legend of Zelda in the smallest nutshell I could manage.  Now for a glimpse into why this isn't just some cheesy story for kids.

I bet you didn't think there were any similarities between Link and Bond, but there are.  First, Link is somewhat of a lady killer.  Of course there's Zelda, but in every game I have played there are a number of girls vying for Link's attention.  It is important to note that Link is a virtuous hero and would never go sleeping around.  All the same, it seems that wherever he turns, he has some girl impressed by his swagger.  It makes sense, because after all he has the triforce of courage.  Women want someone who isn't afraid and who they can count on for protection.  He is trustworthy, selfless, dependable and kind, all things that make women fall in love with him.

With Link, it's all about getting the right gadgets.  The difference is that instead of having someone like Q make them and offer them before his mission begins, Link has to find them as he goes along his quest.  The gadgets/weapons are always significant and Link could never defeat Ganondorf without them just as Bond always ends up having to use all of his gadgets by the end of the movie in order to get to the bad guy.

Bond is easily recognizable in his suits/tuxedos holding a gun of some kind and Link is instantly recognizable in his green tunic holding the Master Sword.  Sure there have been times when Link is seen without his signature getup, just as Bond isn't always wearing a tux, but it always makes an appearance.

Many people are confused by the chronology of the Zelda series and indeed it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  There are like 5 different Links with different backgrounds depending on which game you are playing. Similarly, Bond movies jump all over the place and there are a bunch of different Bonds.

Oh, and Link can take on an innumerable number of baddies all at once because he's just that cool.

Of course, this merely scratches the surface of why I find the Legend of Zelda so fascinating, but that will have to be discussed in future posts.