A TRIBUTE TO PRINCESS ZELDA

The namesake of the game, princess Zelda, has time and again shown herself to be both mysterious and seductive. There is so little we really do know about her. She is the cornerstone that ties the Zelda games together and provides the purpose for Link's quests though Hyrule. She is an integral part of the fairytale and the legend that to this day is never fully understood. Perhaps in retrospect of the Middle Ages she is the damsel in distress who must be saved by a chivalrous knight that is Link but often the storyline provides for a more deeper bond between the two that is not superficially apparent.

Zelda is a very powerful yet outwardly weak person. She hides her true power beneath a persona of helplessness. So often is she taken advantage of because of her unwillingness to counterattack her aggressor Ganon, yet she does have the ability to overcome him. Her abilities range from telepathy, to telekinesis, to higher reality awareness and environmental manipulation. Indeed she is a formatable mental foe for Ganon on any one day. But what does he see in her that he is lacking? The answer lies in her immaculate nature, her purity if you will. This is very analogous to the protrayal of the Christain belief of the "Virgin Mary" - one who is pure in body and spirit, god's chosen conduit for divine holiness. To Ganon she represents something that he will never become. Her luminescent purity blinds his evil and flawed psyche becoming a focal point for his innate personal inadequecies. His jealousy of her causes him to lash out and attempt to destroy that which he sees is in opposition to his agenda - to obtain the Triforce and be an omnipotent god-like entity. Zelda and Ganon are at two opposite poles of existence. Yet Zelda in turn needs Ganon to limit her so that a balance is made between the forces. A Yin and a Yang - Ganon uses hatred and fear to overcome her and Zelda uses love and hope to overcome him. The one who keeps this balance maintained is Link the Legendary Hero of Time who Zelda uses as the tool to keep the balance in motion. This is a circumstance that plays itself out repeatedly in the Zelda series of games.

Zelda has played a very important underlying role in the development of the quest for the Zelda games. The First game of the series is actually Zelda 64. In this game we see her first incarnation. She is the 7th Sage chosen by the goddesses and the manipulator of time and circumstance. Using Link as agent to both bait Ganon and later withdraw him into the Dark World (A hidden part of the Sacred Realm) she is actually the one in control throughout Zelda 64 acting as both Sheik and Sage while still maintaining that outward appearance of weakness (also a ploy to confuse and manipulate Ganon). Evidence of Zelda's true powers include the psychic imprinting she makes upon the Ocarina of Time when Link find's it in the River as well as the intense spiritual energy she uses against Ganon in the last scenes of the final battle. Also include her ability to project a veil of deception as Sheik, her latent philosophical nature, and her ability to control Link's perception of time, and you are left with a very deep character indeed. (of Sephirothean strata) Yet to Link she remains the damsel in distress and to Ganon she is the one who must be eliminated. Indeed the Godesses and Zelda are very close on a higher spiritual level. She is guardian of their essense the Triforce and the only one who is aware of it's true power. In Zelda: A Link to the Past her future reincarnation is again assailed by the Thief Ganon who manipulates a mysterious Wizard/Manifestation Agahnim to encapsulate her luminescense so that he can overcome her control over the Triforce and break the Seal created by the Seven Sages so long ago. But again she reaches telepathically toward Link to direct his innate courageous nature against that which is bringing destruction and dispair to that which is pure. In the end it is Link who touches the Triforce and brings tranquilty back to Hyrule and safety to the Triforce. Link's Awakening during this time causes him to transcend reality and fall deep into the depths of his own mind creating a subconscious world of allies and foes propagated by his experience with Zelda and the Triforce. Centuries pass and again the cycle is reborn (The Legend of Zelda - NES) when Ganon Remanifests and captures Zelda and the Triforce of Power to bring ruination to Hyrule. Since Ganon has long since lost his humanity by this time all the emotional qualities he was in Life become his essesce throughout time and his desire and lust for ultimate control continue to reappear throughout history on Catyclism's Eve when bond of darkness is strongest. Zelda again calls upon the savior Link to bring him back into lethargy and once again reunite the Goddess' Triforce. In the end Link is triumphant and Zelda is brought back into the light. Time abandons these Dark Ages and new era of expansion takes place in Hyrule. (Zelda II: The Adventure of Link) Yet Ganon's lust still permeates the unspoken corners of Hyrule and another Wizard feeding off Ganon's evil portends to destroy Zelda and bring the Triforce back to Ganon. Zelda again falls under the spell of hatred and Link is called upon to return normalcy back to the seven holy places and destroy the Wizard and reawaken Zelda from her submission to evil's grasp.

Zelda and Link share a mysterious bond that goes beyond Hero and ill-fated Damsel. Link and Zelda are never seen enguaging in a relationship beyond the goal that must be achived the maintance of the sactity of the Glory of Hyrule's freedom yet they are dependant upon each other to keep the balance of control in check. Link and his reincarnations rarely know the truth of themselves and their origins. Link is an outcast, one with no family yet still upon the whims of circumstance is thrown into the battle for the maintenance of Zelda's purity. Yet Zelda remains as a mentor and teacher to guide and mold Link into the fulfillment of prophesy throughout time. It is quite possible to assume that Zelda and Link may be brother and sister and share a connection that is maintained by bloodline and resurfaces throughout time or perhaps at a higher level they are spiritual brother and sister chosen by the goddesses to uphold and protect the virtues of the Triforce. An example of this can be derived from Zelda 64 when Link and Zelda are imprinted with the Mark of the Triforce upon their hands and become the containers for The Triforce of Courage and the Triforce of Wisdom respectively. Even though Ganon managed to capture the one part of the Triforce the Essense of the remaining two sections embedded themselves safely within Link and Zelda.