The Legend of Zelda games are one of my favorite franchises of all time. With a mix of action, adventure, and puzzle solving, every title in the series is worth playing. But every time I play one of these games the same question comes to mind: Why is it called The Legend of Zelda instead of The Legend of Link?
According to Wikipedia and various other sources, the answer isn’t as complicated as you’d think. Apparently the creator of the game, Miyamoto, really liked the American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. Upon hearing the Fitzgerald’s wife’s name was Zelda, he decided it seemed like a great name for the princess. And because the main goal of the game is to save her, the title The Legend of Zelda was born.
Shouldn’t It Be Called The Legend of Link?
As a fan of any and all games like The Legend of Zelda, I have always been frustrated by the confusion the name causes. More often than not, people who haven’t played the games assume the main character you play as is named Zelda rather than Link. While I personally think it would make some sense to call the game The Legend of Link, the beloved franchise is too far along to change now.
That being said, the actual legend is largely about saving Zelda from the dark powers of Ganon. Link is only one part of the Triforce, and while he is the main character of the games, he is really only the catalyst that balances wisdom and power. According to the book Hyrule Historia, the reason for Link’s name was because he connects people together. He’s the main protagonist of The Legend of Zelda games, but not the root cause of why the legend keeps repeating itself.
Why Not The Legend of the Triforce?
Although Link, Zelda, and Ganon are the main characters of every game in the series, they only play their part in a much larger cycle. The Triforce is made up of three areas of focus: Wisdom, power, and courage. So if it’s the central theme of every game, why is the title not The Legend of the Triforce?
While series lore describes the Triforce as a relic left behind by the gods that created Hyrule, it was something that existed long before any Legend of Zelda game. The Triforce was a symbol that originated over 1,000 years ago in medieval Japan from the Hōjō clan. It was later adapted by the creators of the game and incorporated into the story. So even though it would make sense to call the series The Legend of the Triforce, it wasn’t something that is original to the series.
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