In this unofficial episode, The Lore Research Lab's researcher that continues to fumble around using the English language presents the lowdown on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Heralded to be the origin of the franchise's lore and history, this rambling reviews select characters, some geography, and principle narrative elements that demonstrate how this game functions as the origin to the broader scheme of lore. Most importantly, there are connections to draw between this game, Breath of the Wild, and Ocarina of Time; strap in for the fun ride!

If more clarification is needed, check out The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on the Wiki page or Wikipedia.

Resources:

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.

(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.)

In this unofficial episode, one of The Lore Research Lab's researchers looks at a very important game known as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This game resonates deeply with a lot that appears in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, from characters to locations, you name it! In this chaotic ramble, you will learn more about Ocarina of Time, its story, and other cool details and ideas.

Side Note: You can fish in Ocarina of Time and it is both fun and tedious, because catching fish is sometimes a little frustrating. But also, why save Hyrule when you can fish? If more clarification is needed, check out The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the Wiki page or Wikipedia.

Resources:

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.

(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.)

For a video game universe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild does a wonderful job engaging players with the characters they meet and the cultures associated with the Hyrulean citizens. Though Calamity Ganon is a spirit-like villain entity, he once had a humanoid form, just like any other Hyrulean. In this first part, The Lore Research Lab’s newly-founded duo looks at the culture Ganon hails from and the history of his founding race, the Gerudo, in Breath of the Wild and the franchise as a whole; welcome to the deep-dive on the Gerudo race. 

Timestamps:

00:23 - The Gerudo Race (History & Overview)

10:50 - The Gerudo Race (in Breath of the Wild) & More

27:20 - The Gerudo Race (in Ocarina of Time) & More

59:33 - Conclusion (Part 1)

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule 

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Summary

Gerudo Locations & Characters:

- Ganon 

- Gerudo Town 

- Kara Kara Bazaar 

- Divine Beast > Vah Naboris

- The Seven Heroines 

- Urbosa 

- Nabooru 

- Gerudo Valley 

- Gerudo Fortress 

- Haunted Wasteland 

- Desert Colossus 

- The Spirit Temple 

- The Twinrova 

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 apologize for when the audio cuts, and on the flip side, I apologize for when the audio peaks. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own copies of the game and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.) 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild possesses a version of Hyrule that is so expansive, once again emphasizing the ‘wild’ aspect of this came. One of the integral gameplay functions to this wilderness is the existence of Shrines; Sheikah-made dungeons that act as trials for the hero, with many sprinkled across the land. In this second part, The Lore Research Lab, with another mind in the mix, takes a look at Shrines that are not as enjoyable, and through chaotic banter, discuss the different approaches and experiences one can have when being an adventurer in Hyrule! 

Side note: Motion-controlled puzzles are by far the most egregious creation known to humankind when it comes to the Shrine dungeons.

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: I apologize for when the audio cuts, and on the flip side, I apologize for when the audio peaks. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own copies of the game and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild possesses a version of Hyrule that is so expansive, once again emphasizing the ‘wild’ aspect of this game. One of the integral gameplay functions to this wilderness is the existence of Shrines; Sheikah-made dungeons that act as trials for the hero, with many sprinkled across the land. In this first part, The Lore Research Lab, with another mind in the mix, takes a look at what Shrines are, their purpose from a gameplay standpoint, and the different varieties you can find through Link’s travels!  

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: I apologize for when the audio cuts, and on the flip side, I apologize for when the audio peaks. We do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from our own copies of the game and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.) 

The Lore Research Lab’s only researcher spends most days researching, in all kinds of ways; whether it’s listening to the score from a game, playing the games – it can really vary! Guidebooks provided on certain game franchises are interesting resources, and aid in the pursuit of knowledge, theory-constructing, and so much more! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has its own guidebook, but there are a couple other guidebooks attached to the franchise as a whole. This episode is the second part, taking a look at two key events that show the amount of thought put into the games, reflecting the game's capacity to engage with its players, and interesting elements that comprise the creation of such events. 

Timestamps:

00:00 - Akkala Citadel

26:43 - Fort Hateno

55:06 - Conclusion

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: 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 Lore Research Lab’s only researcher spends most days researching, in all kinds of ways; whether it’s listening to the score from a game, playing the games – it can really vary! Guidebooks provided on certain game franchises are interesting resources, and aid in the pursuit of knowledge, theory-constructing, and so much more! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has its own guidebook, but there are a couple other guidebooks attached to the franchise as a whole. This episode is the first part, taking a look at the way guidebooks can be used to add to the gameplay experience, The Great Calamity and The Champions explored in more detail, and the analysis on the group known as the Sheikah.

Timestamps:

00:30 - The Guidebooks

09:43 - The Great Calamity + The Champions & More

34:50 - The Sheikah

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: 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.)

It is often said that without music in any kind of visual format, be it movies or TV, a scene would lack impact – music creates moods, it makes the listener experience different kinds of emotions, and is entirely a subjective experience. In this poorly thought-out rant, The Lore Research Lab’s only researcher gives The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s soundtrack a good listen, and some of their favourite tracks that prompted this rant. This episode explores the cool ways music has the ability to do just about anything – including the ability to tell a story. 

- Interactive Map of Hyrule 

- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Original Soundtrack Listing 

- The Making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Open-Air Concept 

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 apologize for my consistence incoherence. 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.)

Zelda, Link, and Ganon, the principle trio of The Legend of Zelda franchise. Where does this dynamic find its roots, and are those roots beyond that of the video game world they exist in? Real-world mythology and video games meet in this episode, two worlds colliding with such great force! The Lore Research Lab takes a look at the way mythology appears in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and how this interacts with mythologies known to humankind. It's pretty crazy stuff, and the dive is a deep one - the potential video game universes have are truly endless! 

Resources

- Interactive Map of Hyrule 

- 10 000 Years Ago Myth Tapestry  

Mythologies: 

Kojiki (Nihon Shoki) 

- Amaterasu 

- Izanami 

- Izanagi 

Tale of the Bamboo Cutter 

- Kaguya-hime 

The Mahabharata 

- Devas 

- Asuras 

An excerpt from Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters, trans. Gustuv Herdt (Columbia University Press, 2014), 8–25. Ō no Yasumaro and Gustav Herdt. 2014. The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters. New York: Columbia University Press. 

Campbell, Karlyn K. Inventing Women: From Amaterasu to Virginia Woolf. (University of Minnesota, 1998), 111-126. 

Excerpts from Tale of a Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari), trans., Donald Keene, in Haruo Shirane, ed., Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600 (Columbia University Press, 2007), 170–171 and 179–184. 

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

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 certain cultures, 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 presents players with a variety of cultures to witness, races to interact with. Among those are the Zora people, who share humanoid traits with the standard Hylian, but have adapted aquatic qualities to match the watery areas they populate. Prince Sidon is a character you meet in Breath of the Wild, and he's this wonderful fish prince who's really nice to Link - this clashes with the Zora climate players are first introduced to; the Zora don't seem too keen on having Link around. What's the deal with that? The Lore Research Lab takes the deep-dive and bad puns on this one, interweaving history and lore in this submerged investigation on timelines and connections to other Zora in the franchise! 

Resources:

- Interactive Map of Hyrule  

- Zora's Domain  

- Prince Sidon 

- Princess Mipha

- Divine Beast Vah Ruta 

- Princess Ruto 

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.

(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.)