Myth and Ancient Culture # 13
Zelda and the Polarity of Sleep
-For the Uncensored!
While many would argue that The Legend of Zelda is once again reflected in modern culture, the concepts behind Legend of Zelda hold a wealth of loyal fans that have played the series in 196 from the original NES, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advanced Nintendo DS, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii, and the Nintendo Switch to 2022, spanning over 37 years, equaling 27 games. The Legend of Zelda is spread across other media, too, like books and manga. While Joseph Campbell stated that “we are living in a demythologized culture” the culture surrounding Legend of Zelda proves to be a long standing relationship in the video game world.
What Zelda often introduces to the game players is a world of mystery, a stoic nonverbal hero Link (depending on which game you play, and definitely doesn’t reflect the books or graphic novels, in which, Link talks). It’s a world that has amazed and kept the world entertained for years since its inception in 1986.
While The Legend of Zelda is not part of an ancient culture set in any literary world, Hyrule and Link deserve their own place, set in its own mythology. Hyrule is set in an ancient world where Link wakes up to fight Ganon, as Link is called to fight, and the player guides him through his quest through Hyrule and the world around Link.
Link, by definition, is a hero that is chosen to protect the world of Hyrule. A world that is often in peace, until a villain sets out to destroy Hyrule, waking him up from a deep slumber. This by definition is the reverse of Sleeping Beauty. No one kisses Link to wake him up to fight danger. It’s a standard made by the creator, Shigeru Miayamoto, as Link is a blank slate. Nothing he does is motivated by selfish needs or reasons based out of personal power.
A discussion is then allowed to ensue. A hero, Link, who wakes up to a world now set in chaos, is a hero that allows the player to adapt to the world and fight and turn into Link himself. Link is directly influential for silent protagonists.[i]
According to Zeldauniverse.net, this question of sleep is discussed on the online forum. What others had known is what I just started to question. But one user, Emerald Dragon said, “Until the sleeper has awakened, the game cannot begin. You don't get to start awake, you have to wake up as in being born again. Link is a special kind of spirit who needs to be "awakened" within the hero. It's similar to the Gospel of Thomas saying 108. It's meant to be taken esotericaly, or subconsciously, where it has more power.”[ii]
What Link, in his truest form, represents is the gift of a hero that is called upon time, without being awakened, like in Snow White, with a kiss, but a call to answer a quest only to fall asleep again. Vitalism is a term that does come to mind. “The doctrine that there is some feature of living bodies that prevents their nature being entirely explained in physical or chemical terms.”[iii]
Fantasy often rejects scientific aspect that explain away many mystical reasons behind a hero, like Link, who sleeps for long undisturbed years until Hyrule, is in danger. Science can’t explain fantasy, unless alchemy is concerned. Link’s ability to sleep for long period of time almost resembles hermetic philosophy. One principle of Hermetic philosophy is rhythm. A hero must be able to sleep in order to achieve a deep slumber. According to the Three Initiates, “This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is a manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and in-flow, a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high tide and low-tide.” What the Three Initiates does illustrate is the “mental power of neutralization” and how “they have to learn to USE it, instead of being USED By it.”[iv]
Psychology can’t even explain why a young sprite like Link sleeps without disturbance only to heal a fractured world. But Link, in no tale, is ever given god like powers, until Twilight Princess, when he must change into a wolf in order to travel through the night.
What this does mean is that Link has the ability, if confronted with sleep, “polarizes himself and then neutralizes the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him at the other end of the pole.” Only Hermetic Masters know how to use this technique, ultimately creating this persona of Link’s strong mental connection with sleep and the disturbances Hyrule lulls him out of sleep.
But Link is a hero that is tied with the struggle and polarity of Hyrule. Hyrule is tied directly to Link, and he must swing toward Hyrules polarity. And a hero must always maintain his sleep and polarity. An Eternal hero, who awakens, with the player to a quest every time the player starts the game. Opening up new doors and new adventures.
LtB
[i] the Doom Slayer, who has never once spoke a word throughout the Doom franchise (until 2020’s Doom Eternal, which he repeats, “Guts, guts,” and “Rip and Tear.”
[ii] https://zeldauniverse.net/forums/Thread/170331-Nearly-every-Zelda-Starts-with-link-getting-woken-waking-up/?pageNo=2&s=c963bc781a36cb8b72bbfc84417e97447685e4de. Found 01/19/2022.
[iii] Blackburn, Simon. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford. New York. 1994. Oxford University Press. P. 395
[iv] The Three Initiates. “The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy” 2018. Teacher Perigee. Penguin Random House, P. 21. 22. Found 01/19/2022,
-Louis Bruno is the author of more than 19 books, including, The Michael Project, The Michael Project: Book 2: The Lost Children of Eve, Thy Kingdom Come, The Disintegrating Bloodline (and the original text re-released in 2019), Apocalypse Soldier, The Data Chase, Selection: The First Book of the Life and Death Saga, and Blinking Eyes: The Second Book of the Life and Death Saga, Hierarchy of Dwindling Sheep, The City of Sand, To the Moon and Back, The Villain Lives and The Villain Lives: The Divided Pinpoint, Come Home, Young One. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from University of Phoenix. His books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Lulu. He can be found on Gab, https://gab.com/thereallouistbruno, Minds https://www.minds.com/lbruno8063/. Instagram @lbrruno8063 and @louisbrunoofficialbook. Our Freedom Book https://www.ourfreedombook.com/thereallouistbruno17. He has written for the Intellectual Conservative and Ephemere. His next series, City of Sand is out now:https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/louis-bruno/city-of-sand/hardcover/product-rke9jz.html?page=1&pageSize=4. Also, if you can’t subscribe so that you can get members only content, please be sure to share the articles, as well. Subscribe, as well so you can get my articles in your inbox every time. Every little bit helps in the war against Big Tech. Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and also get updates sent to your email, so you can tell substack what’s worthwile. If you share my work, this page could be, as Hyman Roth from the Godfather Part 2 said, “We could be bigger than US Steele.” You too, can make a difference as well, as you guys help me continue to write great articles and reviews.
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