Profile: Zelda Part 1

    Who is Zelda? Why is the series named after her even though the main protagonist of the series appears to be Link from the player’s stand point? To answer these questions I intend to take a deep dive into the character of Zelda throughout the canonical entries of the Legend of Zelda series. This will include all main line Legend of Zelda games mentioned on the official Legend of Zelda timeline and game booklets for those that have them. I will also be referencing Hyrule Historia, Zelda Encyclopedia, Creating a Champion, BotW Official Guide, TotK Official guide. I understand that these books are not officially canon, but if I feel the information is relevant and any information corroborated by canon sources I will include in my analysis.One final thought before we begin; I'm a big terms guy and I want to write clearly and be understood. When I use the term "canon," I want to make sure people know what I mean by "canon" and when I use the term "Death of the Author." Yes you might already know what those terms mean, but for people who are curious you can read my thoughts on the term "canon" here, and  "Death of the Author" here.

    There are a few different ways Zelda is portrayed throughout the franchise history, so my analysis will attempt to group those ways together, and examine them all at the same time. For example, Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and Zelda: A Link to the Past, all portray Zelda in a similar manner, likewise Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks do the same. In addition to grouping the games up for analysis, I will also attempt to tackle them by order of release date.

    Each Article will start by identifying how Zelda is portrayed by examining her role overall in the narrative itself, what in game lore and NPCs say about her, as well as her own words, thoughts, and actions. We will also take the time to examine tropes and themes related to her character. It will be important to remember that the main goal of this blog series is to develope a sort of Venn diagramm that reveals the core essence of the character of Zelda, and provide a way for fans to examine any further iteration of the character in media. If the recently announced live action Zelda move actually comes to fruitition, I would hope that the core themes and characteristics we uncover for the character of Zelda are present within the worlds first experience with a live action Zelda. I want this not just because I'm a sort of "lore purist" with my favorite fantasy genres, but also because humans tend to develop a sort of parasocial relationship with beloved fictional characters. When an iteration of that character is portrayed or behaves in a way that is not consistent with the character we know and love, we instinctively hate it; or at the very least it is an uphill battle to actually like the character. 

With all that said, my second entry will cover how Zelda is portrayed in the Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.