10 Things You DIDN'T Know About Hyrule

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hyrule

Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re taking a look at some fun facts you might not know about Hyrule from “The Legend of Zelda,” from history and lore to development stories from different games.

From Nothing to Something

When development on the first game began, before it even had a name, it was simply a dungeon builder. The original idea was to build and share dungeons with others, since the Famicom Disk System was able to rewrite data. Shigeru Miyamoto and his team created a group of dungeons, set beneath the mountains surrounding the main Death Mountain. But in his own words, they couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to explore what was above them, too. This caused them to add forests, lakes, and the iconic Hyrule Field, before dropping the building and sharing aspect. Hyrule came from a yearning for more. And in a way, that fits with the start of Link’s own journeys, from small village to the grander kingdom.

Germanic Inspiration

Since “Ocarina of Time” would be Hyrule’s first time in 3D, Nintendo took it seriously. With the Market, it was also the first time Hyrule itself was shown to have a thriving community around it, rather than just being the Royal Family’s stronghold. For inspiration in the market’s design, Miyamoto looked to the half-timbered architecture in Lower Franconia, a district in Bavaria, Germany. He actually spent several weeks there to get a sense of it so they could replicate it within “Zelda’s” world. And it helped; seeing the town square full of NPCs and its buildings neatly packed together, is a wonderful moment early on.

The Real Castles

Hyrule’s Market isn’t the only thing that has found real-world inspiration. In “Hyrule Historia,” a caption next to concept art for “Wind Waker’s” Hyrule Castle claims it was also known as the Swan Castle, due to it looking like a white bird unfolding its wings. This draws comparison to Himeji Castle in Japan, whose nickname is the Egret Castle for the same reason. Interestingly, Himeji Castle was reportedly also used in an early build of “Breath of the Wild,” seemingly to help create the game’s scale. An ancient Zonai version of Hyrule Castle appears in “Tears of the Kingdom” and “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.” This was inspired by a different Japanese castle, Tsutsujigasaki Castle, known for having a simpler, flatter design.

All in the Name

During the first game’s development, Hyrule was a name that came up among many others, but which the developers felt suited a magical region the most. The staff liked it so much that in Japan, it was released under the name “The Hyrule Fantasy: Legend of Zelda.” During promotion for the NES Classic, writer and designer Takashi Tezuka spoke about how “The Hyrule Fantasy” was originally intended to be the series’ name. However, when asked why this title was dropped, neither he nor Miyamoto could remember. Its sequel used a different naming convention. And Miyamoto speculated that the Super Nintendo entry already having a subtitle, as well as the creation of “Final Fantasy,” led to “The Hyrule Fantasy” getting dropped entirely.

The Hylian Language

The Hylian language first appeared in “A Link to the Past,” looking like random markings and only readable by Link while using the Book of Mudora. But every version of the language since then, of which there have been many, has been inspired by real-world alphabets and translated by fans. The version used in “Ocarina of Time,” based on Japanese kana, would carry over to its sequel. A new version would be introduced in “The Wind Waker,” and be used for “Four Swords Adventures,” “The Minish Cap,” “Phantom Hourglass,” and “Spirit Tracks.” “Twilight Princess” and “Skyward Sword” would get their own Hylian alphabets, both inspired by Latin, that would only be used in their games. And finally, the latest iteration was introduced in “A Link Between Worlds,” combining elements from the “Twilight” and “Skyward” sets, and which Nintendo has stuck with ever since, making six different looks for the Hylian alphabet. However, “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom” did introduce new ancient languages for fans to translate: Sheikah and Zonai respectively.

Open Air

When it came time to reinvent the world of Hyrule for “Breath of the Wild,” longtime producer Eiji Aonuma was able to reach his dream of what he called an “open air” environment. Most previous games featured big worlds, but were still divided by small sections. He tried to reach a true open-air world with “The Wind Waker;” a huge ocean you could freely traverse, with distant islands you could reach without obstacles. But he felt it still came up short, as the GameCube limited how many islands they could include. It wasn’t until the Wii U and Switch that the tech caught up with his idea, and Hyrule was allowed to expand into a true open air world, that didn’t stop you from going any direction.

Hometown Inspiration

Many know that Hyrule, in its original creation, was partially inspired by Miyamoto’s childhood in the countryside of Kyoto, Japan. Well, the city would serve as inspiration for the region’s new era in “Breath of the Wild” as well. Director Hidemaro Fujibayashi laid a map of Kyoto over Hyrule, and imagined himself traveling between places he knew. He said it helped when calculating the distance between different landmarks in the game. He and the team went one step further in the sequel, “Tears of the Kingdom.” All of the Shrines found across the surface of Hyrule are named for different locations in Kyoto.

Once Upon an Inn

Despite being a bustling kingdom in “Ocarina of Time,” Hyrule offers no shelter for outsiders. But it almost did, with one small remnant remaining at Lon Lon Ranch just outside the city’s walls. Hanging just above Talon and Malon’s living quarters is a sign, which has long been translated, and reads ‘Inn.’ Furthermore, the script from a prototype version of the game features dialogue of Ingo, the ranch’s grouchy stablehand, as the innkeeper; one interaction where he tells Link to sleep in the stables if he doesn’t have any money. Just one of the many changes “Ocarina of Time” famously went through during development.

The Crowing Village

Kakariko Village has appeared in multiple games, as a nearby settlement in Hyrule Castle’s warm embrace. One thing that usually accompanies it, established early on in games like “A Link to the Past” and “Ocarina of Time,” is a flock of Cuccos and their loud crows that often ring out. This actually ties in with its name. ‘Kakariko’ is believed to have come from cocorico, an onomatopoeia used for a rooster’s crow in French and Portuguese. This is backed up by the fact that, in French versions of the “Zelda” games the village appears in, it’s called Cocorico.

Useful Ears

Hylians are the dominant race of Hyrule. And while they may just seem like less impressive elves, some of them are actually, canonically, meant to hold magical abilities. When the race was given a name for “A Link to the Past,” they were said to have long, pointed ears that allowed them to hear messages from the Gods. Nintendo’s official player’s guide stated these ears also allowed some of the more gifted Hylians to send psychic messages to each other, seen in this game through Zelda and Sahasrahla. These gifts being linked to Hylian anatomy, rather than just because someone like Link or Zelda is magically gifted, is a trait the series seems to have left behind.

Do you know of any other fun facts about Hyrule and its people? Share your knowledge with us in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!