The Zelda series has born witness to a wide array of different weapons over the years. Whether it be the explosive bombs or the indispensable hook shot, Link arsenal always featured the latest in Hyrule gadgetry, allowing him to essentially defeat the great evil plaguing the land and complete his role of hero in each game. Among all the weapons however, there is one consistent weapon that stands out among the rest, a weapon that proves useful in almost any situation and has served as Link's main method of dealing with the plethora of fell creatures that threaten to destroy the world again and again. This weapon is of course was the ever dependable sword.

The Legend of Zelda series has born witness to a wide variety of blades, all becoming mighty banishers of evil in the skillful hands of the green clad hero. There was the wooden sword which, despite being given to Link by an eccentric speech impaired old man living in cave and being made of wood, became a rather useful tool in slaying the various monsters that inhabit Hyrule in the original Legend of Zelda. There was also the Biggoron sword which was first introduced in Ocarina of Time and allowed Link to deal some large damage to opponents, at the expense at not being able to use one's shield. (Although you don't really need to worry about defense with a Biggoron sword in hand.) Then, one simply must mention the Master Sword, the most recurring blade in the Zelda series and the official "bane of evil". It is no question that swords play a major role in the Zelda series, yet how did that come to be exactly?

The entire Zelda series was apparently based on Miyamoto's childhood, specifically his adventures in the country side. A particular infamous story recounts that upon one of his adventures, Miyamoto discovered a cave in the hillside. After hesitating for a moment, Miyamoto plunged into the cave, drawn on by his natural curiosity and desire for adventure. This story is slated to form the genesis of the Zelda series, supported by the first action the player often conducts in the original Legend of Zelda, that is the retrieval of the sword by entering the cave that holds the old man. (although it is doubtful that Miyamoto found an old man waiting for him in the cave he entered, an event that would have lead to a far more alarming situation all things considering) So what does Miyamoto's childhood escapades have to do with swords and their role in the Zelda series? Quite a bit in fact, both with the Zelda series as a whole and with the aforementioned use of swords.

The main ideal behind the anecdotal story was to portray the facing of the unknown, an action that often requires a great deal of courage. Miyamoto's adventure into the cave was similar to Plato's Cave Allegory, on a very basic level., although the opposite actions are being conducted. Both require a sense of courage and curiosity, traits that are surprisingly rare to find in the amounts sufficient to boldly venture into or out of a cave respectively. Link associates with the trait of courage greatly, even earning the respective Triforce piece on several occasions. Out of the three, the Triforce of Courage appears to be the odd force out, as Wisdom and Power often exist as opposites, with the former often associated with the mental capacity while the latter associated with the physical capacity. In the original Legend of Zelda, the Triforce of Courage was never even mentioned, with first mention coming in the sequel, known as Adventure of Link. The warring of Power and Wisdom often plays a major role in Zelda games, with each becoming almost synonymous with Evil and Good respectively. The forces have become indicative of their respective wielders, yet what then of the Triforce of Courage? Link, the official wielder of the force, manages to enter the main conflict of good and evil on a mere accident, eventually forced to dispose of evil for the well being of the land. Courage has become the symbol of Link and the symbol of the Legend of Zelda series at the heart, the series of actions and events between good and evil.

Much as Courage and action in general, a sword must be utilized by confronting a problem in close quarters. Seeped in history, the sword has became one of the most enduring symbols of combat and courage and has seen the results of a romanced history in some respects. A sword may be elegant and fair or crude and brutal, ether method forcing one to face an opponent head on, a concept deeply intertwined with courage. In the Zelda series, the blade may be a symbol of courage itself and how all Link really has when entering the various dangerous abodes that populate the Zelda universe is his courage, at the beginning of a quest at any rate. Link never displays or ever provides any inclination of any extraordinary ability that would allow him to bypass the difficulties set before him. Not to say Link displays no sense of skill, simply that Link lacks the powers of individuals such as Ganon and Zelda, instead forced to collect various items and defeat various enemies by paying attention to weaknesses to gain an advantage. For all one knows, Link gains no power what so ever from gaining the Triforce of Courage, instead only gaining the road ahead in his quest to save the world from evil.

Now, the sword, although quite indicative of facing one's difficulty head on due to the nature of such combat, was most likely utilized due to the common place of the item in the fantasy and medieval age setting. A knight typically utilizes a sword on foot, although that is obviously a broad generalization. Most likely than anything else, the use of a sword made sense from a gameplay standpoint and continues to do so. Nintendo has a tendency to focus on the gameplay first and worry about the story and other nuances later. Still, similar to the endless debates regarding the official timeline, speculation is quite enjoyable regardless of Nintendo's original intentions.

Still, sometimes a sword is just a sword...