The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy_ I Link Therefore I Am - Luke Cuddy [114]
In The Minish Cap, Four Swords, and Four Swords Adventures, both Zelda and Link are very young characters described as friends. This results in a somewhat simplified portrayal of both, although it is also consistent with the later, more developed characters. In The Minish Cap, Zelda is the daughter of the King of Hyrule and a childhood friend of Link, grandson of the Master Smith. He, with the help of the Picori, must rescue Zelda after she is turned to stone by Vaati. In Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures, Zelda is, as usual, a princess and in both games her foresight initiates the adventure when she senses trouble with the seal imprisoning the evil Wind Mage, Vaati. She brings Link with her to check on the evil magician and in both games ends up needing to be rescued by him. In Four Swords Adventures, she travels and fights with Link, but Link is required to defend her in order to prevent her four-part heart meter from being depleted completely, which would kill her and all the versions of Link. So once again, even when she accompanies Link, she is particularly vulnerable and relies on Link to protect her.
Like Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker features a disguised version of Zelda. In this game, Hyrule has long been under water, and Link is a young boy who rescues a girl named Tetra, leads a band of pirates. When Link’s sister is kidnapped, Tetra sails with Link to rescue her from the Forsaken Fortress. Ganon is behind the mischief, and he eventually recognizes that Tetra is yet another Princess Zelda, when he notices a piece of the Triforce of Wisdom worn as a pendant around her neck. Once the Triforce becomes whole again, Tetra is transformed into the traditional Zelda, but she still participates more actively in this adventure than Zelda usually does by wielding the crucial Light Arrows. Like Sheik, Tetra is somewhat different from the usual Zeldas, but unlike Sheik, she is initially unaware that she is in fact Princess Zelda. She’s associated with the Triforce of Wisdom, and as the leader of the pirate band displays some of Zelda’s usual status as a leader. Her royal blood eventually cements this characteristic. And like Sheik, her character is somewhat freed from Zelda’s usual passivity.
Finally, Twilight Princess presents a very intriguing version of Zelda. Once again, she is royal and wise. In this game she is more than just a princess of Hyrule, she is the leader. She also possesses the Triforce of Wisdom, and has as much resolve as ever. She must wait, imprisoned, as Ganon turns her land into the Dark World and its people into spirits. She gives up her body to aid Midna, another instantiation of female royalty, and once again assists Link with the Light Arrows. Perhaps this continual association of Zelda and archery emphasizes her metaphorical distance from combat. By limiting her contribution in battle to firing arrows, which is typically done slightly removed from the actual fight, Zelda is allowed to help while still retaining something of her feminine isolation. Midna herself is a critical part of Twilight Princess, and like the oracles, her character is incredibly reminiscent of Zelda’s. She too is a princess, royal and resolute.
All told, this exploration of the maidens throughout The Legend of Zelda series, Zelda incarnations and otherwise, display a remarkable consistency. They are beautiful, wise, and remote. They are figurative leaders of their people but tend to plan for and assist with the inevitable struggle against evil rather than engage directly in the heroics of adventuring and fighting it. These maidens are consistently portrayed,