Summary
The world of Hyrule inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis filled with mysteries to uncover, and manages to double the landscape over its predecessor by the newly discovered Depths below the world. However, one of the new additions to the depths adds an extra layer to amystery fromBreath of the Wildas a series of unique landmarks appear on the topside plains of Hyrule, as well as deep in the Depths.
This newly altered mystery fromTears of the Kingdomcomes from the Leviathan skeletons that had been placed in several key locations across Hyrule inBreath of the Wild. While the skeletons haven’t themselves come to life or moved too far from their original positions over the years between the two games, more of these Leviathans have been found covered in gloom in familiar locations to give the Depths similar landmarks.
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The Leviathans Reference back to Longstanding Zelda Lore
WithBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdombringing so many newfans to theLegend of Zeldaseries, some players may not realize what these Leviathan skeletons mean for the ongoing lore of the series. The most obvious of these three is the Eldin Great Skeleton, which has a faceplate similar to Levias fromSkyward Sword. Neither of the other two are immediately obvious references to other large creatures from throughout theZeldaseries, although some fans believe the Gerudo Great Skeleton to be the Wind Fish thanks to its wings, and the Hebra Great Skeleton to possibly be Oshus.
These skeletal references to previous games added layers to the whole idea thatBreath of the Wildcame at the end of the series, and having them still appear inTears of the Kingdomonly confirmed this. However, things get strange when these references to singular deities start to appear inTears of the Kingdom’s new Depths location, in the same locations as their overworld counterparts. Considering that similarly deific entities like the dragons that fly through the sky have to make the cross through chasms, doubling up on the Leviathan skeletons carries odd implications.
The Unknown History of the Depths
The very existence of the Depths has enough implications about the world ofTears of the Kingdom’s Hyrule to keepLegend of Zeldacontent creators theorizing and analyzing for years. From the perspective of themain narrative ofTears of the Kingdom, the Depths are shrouded in mystery for the denizens of Hyrule, with many characters still researching the history of this location through the Zonai architecture and remaining constructs. However, that architecture and some of the oddities scattered around the area does give players enough of an idea of the Depths to get a basic understanding of this place.
In addition to the more obvious lore hints in the Zonai architecture are the three Leviathan skeletons that appear in mirroring locations to the ones in the overworld of Hyrule. More than anything, it is these mirroring locations that holds the most implications for the overworld and the Depths, with the two truly being light and dark reflections of each other. This is something that is already hinted with the location ofTears of the Kingdom’s Lightrootsmatching with the Zonai shrines, as well as mountains and rivers being reversed in the Depths.
What these new Leviathan skeletons reveal the most is that the ancient history of the Depths appears to have followed the same history as Hyrule, with its own set of deities that existed separate from each other. It is similar to how the Light and Dark worlds worked inA Link Between Worlds, which were also dark and light reflections of each other. This could even hint at whereTears of the Kingdom’s DLCmight be heading, as it could answer the mysteries of these two layered worlds and their overlapping history, something solidified by these reflected Leviathans.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available now for Switch.
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