The Hero of Time and Sacrificial Courage
A beloved Legend of Zelda game is surprisingly mature in its understanding of heroism
Much of our modern discourse about heroism revolves around how established hero characters are portrayed in sequels and remakes. (I myself have written about why people protest so harshly against the deconstruction of beloved hero characters.) We all know that a traditional hero is one who perseveres against evil, with varying amounts of flaws and failures to overcome. An element I do not often see discussed is that a hero suffers. A hero is willing to rush into danger, yes, but that courage costs something for him.
In the lore of The Legend of Zelda franchise, the three parts of the magical Triforce represent power, wisdom, and courage. Recurring protagonist Link often possesses the courage piece, and many of the games focus on how Link comes into his destiny as the “chosen one” hero of Hyrule. In Ocarina of Time, this version of Link known as the “Hero of Time,” matures through loss and suffering. His courage costs him something - in this case, his childish ignorance of evil.
The story begins with Link as a child in an idyllic, secluded forest village populated almost exclusively by children who never grow into adults. Poor Link is sent on an adventure when death invades his home: he is destined to prevent a greater evil from succeeding. This adventure is dangerous yet exciting, opening a new world for Link. A moment of victory, however, turns into a moment of failure when the evil Ganondorf acquires the very power Link was trying to keep from him. Link is then thrust into the world seven years into the future, a future where evil won and he can no longer return to idyllic ignorance.
This theme is brilliantly explored without much dialogue as Link returns to the locations of his childhood adventure and finds they are affected by Ganondorf’s evil influence. The reality is that Link could never have remained in a state of innocence; evil’s presence would emerged eventually. As the story progresses, Link’s courage is more keenly felt as he fights to save a once beautiful kingdom invaded by monsters. This is what I loved so much about Ocarina of Time’s enchanting yet melancholy story: Link is not a heroic caricature who rushes in with a glib “because it’s the right thing to do!” Link is a hero, the narrative implies, who is greatly burdened by the knowledge of evil and fights to save others from knowing such suffering. Link’s heroism is one of perseverance and pressing on in the face of evil.
Ocarina of Time’s story reminded me in some ways of The Lord of the Rings. Frodo’s journey is similar to Link’s. He leaves the beauty and simplicity of the Shire to fight a far-away evil, including his own heart’s susceptibility to temptation. After returning to the Shire, Frodo tells Sam:
“But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them … keep alive the memory of the age that is gone, so that people will remember the Great Danger and so love their beloved land all the more.”1
And so the hero is one who journeys into danger and suffers so that others do not have to know the true depths of evil.
Many writers fail to capture the true depths of heroism. Too often I am unmoved by a hero character who does not lose much in his journey. Hero archetypes can vary; some are more haunted by their own failures and depravity while others maintain a constant sense of nobility. Both archetypes are role models of virtue, however, in how the best examples persevere through the deepest darkness. Ocarina of Time, like Tolkien’s epic before it, shows the virtue of pressing on even when the fight takes peace and ignorance away. Courage is not born in ease but in hardship - and stories like these remind us that courage requires self-sacrifice.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2004), 1029.