Easter Eggs and Secrets

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom includes a surprisingly large number of hints about the game's plot, easter eggs, as well as some secrets. Read on to learn what we've discovered so far!

TotK Easter Eggs and Secrets

Secrets and Discoveries
Mysterious Murals	Dragon Motifs
The Sky Islands	Ganondorf's Role
Link Humming Past Songs	Lightroots and Shrine Names
Avatars Wearing Divine Beast Helms	Penn's Little Birdies Are His Sources
Decayed Guardian at Hateno Tech Lab	-

Mysterious Murals

Murals from the ancient Zonai civilization were prominently featured during the prologue of Tears of the Kingdom.

These murals have a distinct spiral motif similar to the stone statues and engravings in the Zonai Ruins located in the Faron Region and are very distinct from the Sheikah's art which have wave-like patterns.

The events and figures depicted in these murals are confirmed to be referencing past events, as Zelda discovered in the prologue.

Who are the Zonai?

The Calamity Engraved

A depiction of the Calamity is showing hordes of Bokoblin and Moblin ravaging Hyrule and fighting against knights.

This particular mural is in fact the depiction of the First Great Calamity which occurred 10,000 years before the events of Breath of the Wild. This was the pivotal moment where Ganondorf relinquishes his endless cycle of reincarnation to manifest as Calamity Ganon, a being of pure malice and hatred.

A Mural of the Goddess Hylia

The murals also show what appears to be a depiction of Hylia, the patron Goddess of Hyrule. Depictions of the ancient Goddess are not uncommon in Hyrule, and her stylized appearance may be how the ancient Zonai depicted her.

Sacred Beads

The Goddess Mural depicts the central figure surrounded by 7 mysterious bead-like gems, which appear similar to the spiral crests found in Lurelin Village.

It's currently unknown what these truly are, though they appear to hold some importance as a later mural of the Princess shows what appears to be two of the beads fused together radiating light.

Zelda's Fate

The mural also depicts the Princess suspended in midair near the Goddess. This may hint at Zelda's role in the story and may in fact reference the event that happens shortly after.

Dragon Motifs

A giant door adorned with a Twin Dragon is similar to the draconic statues scattered throughout the Zonai Ruins in the Faron Region, with the Zonai civilization said to have worshipped a water dragon.

Dragons and Courage

According to the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion book, the Zonai Civilization depicted aspects of the Triforce through certain animals with the Dragon representing courage.

This is reinforced in Breath of the Wild, with the Dragon Farosh inhabiting the area where the Zonai Ruins are located. Farosh and the Faron region are in turn named after Farore, the Goddess of Courage and one of the creators of the Triforce.

The Spring of Courage in Breath of the Wild also requires Link to offer Farosh's Scale, further reinforcing the connection of dragons and courage.

Fused Dragon Head Weapon

One of the new weapons Link is seen wielding in the trailers is a Dragon Head Weapon fused with a shield. The dragon head resembles the dragon stone statues in the Zonai Ruins in Breath of the Wild.

Four New Abilities Introduced

Tears of the Kingdom Logo

The logo for Tears of the Kingdom prominently features the Twin Dragon motifs encircled similar to an Ouroboros. This may hint at the game focusing more on Link as the hero embodying courage.

The Sky Islands

The Sky Islands were prominently shown in most promotional materials as this is one of the new features introduced in the game.

Cities or islands in the sky are not new to the series, with the City in the Sky in Twilight Princess and Skyloft in Skyward Sword being prominent locations.

Sky Islands Explored

Fly Across Hyrule

The scene where Link lands on on a Stone Bird which he then uses to fly across Hyrule is very reminiscent of how Link in Skyward Sword flew on the Loftwing.

Ganondorf's Role

Ganondorf has a bigger role in Tears of the Kingdom, as hinted during the scene showing a desiccated corpse of a large warrior wearing clothing and jewelry similar to those worn by the Gerudo Tribe.

The corpse also possesses the trademark red hair of the Gerudo Tribe and what appears to be Malice seeping out from underneath it.

Ganon Profile and Backstory

The Tapestry Story

Impa's retelling of the Calamity in Breath of the Wild curiously depicts the hero who fought the calamity very differently from Link's usual appearance.

In the tapestry, the hero is depicted as possessing wild red hair similar to Ganondorf's corpse in the trailers. This may be a stylistic choice in Sheikah art style, but the similarities between it and the corpse in Tears of the Kingdom are too obvious to ignore!

The hero also has a boar-like face in the tapestry, which further connects to the Zonai Civilization's depiction of aspects of the Triforce. The Boar, according to the Zonai, represents power which Ganondorf has always been associated with.

Link Humming Past Songs

During Link's cooking sessions, you will often hear him hum different songs that fans of the franchise will easily recognize. These tunes are actually songs featured in the past games! This small detail will definitely give a small sense of nostalgia to fans who played earlier Zelda games.

List of Songs Link Hums
・Zelda Main Theme ・ Epona’s Song ・Saria’s Song ・ Zelda’s Lullaby

Names of the Lightroots are the Shrine Names Spelt Backwards

An interesting detail seen in the Shrine and Lightroot names is that both are the same name but spelt backwards.

Shrine Name	Lightroot Name
Jiosin Shrine	Nisoij Lightroot

Additionally, each Shrine is also connected to a Lightroot. This means that if you check the Shrine locations on your Surface Map, you can head to the same spots in the Depths to find Lightroots!

All Lightroot Locations and Maps

Avatars Wear Divine Beast Helms When Equipped

Once you clear Temples and get their respective avatars, you will be able to tag them along in your adventure.

If you are able to obtain one of the Divine Beast Helms in the game and equip it, the respective avatar will wear the same headgear that Link is wearing.

Divine Beast Headgear	Avatar
Vah Medoh Divine Helm	Tulin
Vah Naboris Divine Helm	Riju
Vah Rudania Divine Helm	Yunobo
Vah Ruta Divine Helm	Sidon

List of All Headgear

Penn's Little Birdies Are His Sources

Penn is a journalist hailing from the Rito Village. He's often found in stables gathering information about Potential Princess Sightings after you've talked to Traysi in the Lucky Clover Gazette.

If you talk to him, he will sometimes tell you that a little birdy gave him information regarding Princess Zelda. And guess what? Some of his sources are actual little birdies! Sometimes you'll find him at a stable jotting down notes while talking to these little birds.

Aside from the fact that it's really cute, it's also very helpful in completing your Hyrule Compendium. These little birds were notoriously difficult to find in Breath of the Wild, so having Penn gather them in one stable will make it easier for you to take pictures of them. Just don't get too close to these little birdies or they'll fly away!

Filling Out the Compendium Walkthrough and How to Unlock

Decayed Guardian at Hateno Tech Lab

In Breath of the Wild, Guardians are formidable machines controlled by Calamity Ganon that roam around Hyrule. These enemies are no longer available in Tears of the Kingdom but you can find the remains of a decayed Guardian on top of the Hateno Tech Lab.

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