The Legend of Zelda
What video game franchise has become more household name than The Legend of Zelda? Across its numerous releases since the original in 1986, Zelda has become a titan in the industry as arguably the most recognizable series known to gamers. However, for those who have ever dressed up as Link for Halloween and been mistakenly called Zelda all night, the question as to why it’s not called The Legend of Link comes to mind. The answer to this is surprisingly simple: game creator Shigeru Miyamoto just really loves the name Zelda.
Miyamoto first heard the name Zelda in reference to American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife Zelda Fitzgerald. In a 2007 interview with journalist Todd Mowatt, Miyamoto stated through a translator, “Zelda was the name of the wife of the famous novelist Francis Scott Fitzgerald. She was a famous and beautiful woman from all accounts, and I liked the sound of her name. So I took the liberty of using her name for the very first Zelda title.” For a look at the beauty that inspired the name of the series, check out Zelda Fitzgerald’s wiki page here. A novelist herself, one can only wonder if she ever thought her name would become one of the most recognizable in video game history.
