The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild handles many cultures at once, all with nuance; this allows the game to feel as immersive as it is. The Hylians, for example, were the race most devastated by the Great Calamity, so what is left of them implicitly informs the player of Hylian history. But what about ancient cultures? What about missing histories in other parts of Hyrule? The Zonai are a mysterious, ancient race The Lore Research Lab is set out to investigate, a race that has lost its voice over time. This eighth part focuses on Zonai relations with the Rito, the Sheikah, the emergence of Shrines, other events that were occurring as they became familiarized with Hyrule, and the wide-scale project headed by the Zonai in an effort to spread their culture. Welcome to the deep-dive on the Zonai.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule 

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: If you are not familiar with this game, we recommend that you listen to the episodes in order for this episode to make sense. Also, sorry yet again for any background noise. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own games and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has demonstrated its capacity to depict diverse races and allow them to feel unique, realized, and realistic in many ways. The Rito are a group of anthropomorphized birds who behave like bipedal Hylians but like other races in Hyrule, are distinguished. Their isolated lifestyle, societal structure, cultural values, and the mysterious areas surrounding the area they live on and within make them an intriguing race in more ways than one; the two bumbling researchers at The Lab discuss this interesting race in detail.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule 

The Rito:

- Kaneli 

- Rito Village 

- Revali

- Teba 

- Kass

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: I'm sorry for the random clicking and shuffling noises, and as always, other background noises. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own games and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has an unexpected prequel! The Lore Research Lab is here to announce and share the good news about Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a combat-based Zelda game focused on the events that occurred 100 years ago prior to the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and how this new game may or may not affect the Lab's meta-theories and analyses on this franchise.

Resources:

- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild handles many cultures at once, all with nuance; this allows the game to feel as immersive as it is. The Hylians, for example, were the race most devastated by the Great Calamity, so what is left of them implicitly informs the player of Hylian history. But what about ancient cultures? What about missing histories in other parts of Hyrule? The Zonai are a mysterious, ancient race The Lore Research Lab is set out to investigate, a race that has lost its voice over time. This seventh part discusses the first steps the Zonai took being a newly-instated Hyrulean group, as well as another group the Zonai may have interacted with. Welcome to the deep-dive on the Zonai.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule 

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: If you are not familiar with this game, we recommend that you listen to the episodes in order for this episode to make sense. Also, sorry yet again for any background noise. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own games and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild handles many cultures at once, all with nuance; this allows the game to feel as immersive as it is. The Hylians, for example, were the race most devastated by the Great Calamity, so what is left of them implicitly informs the player of Hylian history. But what about ancient cultures? What about missing histories in other parts of Hyrule? The Zonai are a mysterious, ancient race The Lore Research Lab is set out to investigate, a race that has lost its voice over time. This sixth part analyzes Zonai behaviour as they continue journeying throughout Hyrule, as well as other developments made by the group as a newly inducted Hyrulean group. Welcome to the deep-dive on the Zonai.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: If you are not familiar with this game, we recommend that you listen to the episodes in order for this episode to make sense. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game;  the image used has been taken from the Nintendo-released content on the Breath of the Wild Sequel teaser and is solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild handles many cultures at once, all with nuance; this allows the game to feel as immersive as it is. The Hylians, for example, were the race most devastated by the Great Calamity, so what is left of them implicitly informs the player of Hylian history. But what about ancient cultures? What about missing histories in other parts of Hyrule? The Zonai are a mysterious, ancient race The Lore Research Lab is set out to investigate, a race that has lost its voice over time. This fifth part discusses a key area the Zonai visited and how this would eventually define their time in Hyrule. Welcome to the deep-dive on the Zonai.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: If you are not familiar with this game, we recommend that you listen to the episodes in order for this episode to make sense. Also, sorry again for any background noise. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own games and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild handles many cultures at once, all with nuance; this allows the game to feel as immersive as it is. The Hylians, for example, were the race most devastated by the Great Calamity, so what is left of them implicitly informs the player of Hylian history. But what about ancient cultures? What about missing histories in other parts of Hyrule? The Zonai are a mysterious, ancient race The Lore Research Lab is set out to investigate, a race that has lost its voice over time. This fourth part discusses what the Zonai may have done upon arriving in Hyrule, their journey throughout Hyrule, and key events within this initial journey. Welcome to the deep-dive on the Zonai.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: If you are not familiar with this game, we recommend that you listen to the episodes in order for this episode to make sense.  Also, sorry for any background noise. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own games and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is all about the tasks its hero, Link, must accomplish for the betterment of society, a role meant only for him. His duty to be the hero predicates the future of Hyrule; this bumbling mess of an episode looks at the characterization of the hero, how Link’s character follows the typical journey of the hero, and more!

Resources:

Matyszak, Philip. The Greek and Roman Myths: A Guide to Classical Stories. London: Thames & Hudson, 2014.

The Mahabharata, abridged and translated by John D. Smith. London: Penguin Books, 2009.

Virgil. Aeneid, translated by Frederick Ahl. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: The content in this episode deals with religions and myths in the real world; all research discussing such information is explained and described solely from a scholarly perspective. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from my own game and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild handles many cultures at once, all with nuance; this allows the game to feel as immersive as it is. The Hylians, for example, were the race most devastated by the Great Calamity, so what is left of them implicitly informs the player of Hylian history. But what about ancient cultures? What about missing histories in other parts of Hyrule? The Zonai are a mysterious, ancient race The Lore Research Lab is set out to investigate, a race that has lost its voice over time. This third part looks at the environment surrounding the Zonai, other behaviours as a race, and the precursors to their arrival in a land we know very well. Welcome to the deep-dive on the Zonai.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: If you are not familiar with this game, we recommend that you listen to the episodes in order for this episode to make sense. Also, sorry for any background noise. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own games and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild handles many cultures at once, all with nuance; this allows the game to feel as immersive as it is. The Hylians, for example, were the race most devastated by the Great Calamity, so what is left of them implicitly informs the player of Hylian history. But what about ancient cultures? What about missing histories in other parts of Hyrule? The Zonai are a mysterious, ancient race The Lore Research Lab is set out to investigate, a race that has lost its voice over time. This second part serves as an overview of Zonai society and culture, including practices and traditions this group may have implemented. Welcome to the deep-dive on the Zonai.

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: If you are not familiar with this game, we recommend that you listen to the episodes in order for this episode to make sense. Also, sorry for any background noise. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own games and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)