a variety of headcanons about the Zonai
First, a timeline with no numbers and frankly paying no attention to the existence of other Zelda games save botw: the Zonai originated on the surface, living long, long ago in the Faron region of what is now Hyrule. Their interactions with surrounding peoples were by and large antagonistic. The darker, textured stone architecture found in Faron, Thyphlo, etc. dates from this period, and Lomei may be an alternate name for the Zonai of this time. (I am wary of calling the Lomei completely separate from the Zonai due to the labyrinth’s simultaneous characterization in botw as “Zonai ruins” and “Lomei labyrinths.”) As their technological prowess increased, they left the surface for sky islands they built using zonaite. For quite some time, their civilization prospered in the sky. However, their supply of zonaite began to run dry, and they had to re-engage with the people of the surface in order to access the land—specifically, the near-limitless reserves of zonaite beneath it. From this time period, and until the Zonai’s decline and the rise of Hyrule, we see the smooth white architecture associated with the Zonai in TOTK. The majority of Zonai architecture in the depths and sky islands dates from this period of friendship, except for the labyrinths. Over time, however, this civilization declined, and by the time of the founding of Hyrule, Mineru and Rauru are all that remain.
Zonai culture was at one time ruled over by three noble houses signified by the owl, the boar, and the dragon. We see these totemic animals represented in the rulers of the three labyrinth complexes as well as on the waistguard of the Zonai set and the Ancient Hero’s Aspect. We also see quite a lot of dragon and owl imagery in both eras (we will call them gray and white) of Zonai architecture. Intriguingly, we do not see any boars represented in their architecture.
Given that the three animals map to wisdom (owls), power (boars), and courage (dragons), it seems to be the case that the Zonai prize courage most of all, and wisdom as well; power seems to be much less openly praised as a trait. A little familiarity with the series as a whole makes this perhaps unsurprising.
We see further evidence that the Zonai value courage most of all in the three diving tests. Upon encountering the most easily accessible of the three, Courage Island, a savvy Zelda player may be forgiven for assuming that they will gain further pieces of the Glider Set from Wisdom Island and Power Island. Instead, Bravery and Valor. The active subversion of expectations draws my attention to it; thus, my conclusion that courage is prized above all else and to the exclusion/suppression of power. (Or at least the suppression of power as an acknowledged prized value; the possibly retconned BOTW characterization of the Zonai as warlike & the tremendous proliferation of warcrime machines made possible by Zonai technology suggest that they may favor force but call it something else. Very courageous of them, those emitters 🙂)
The “god” who created the Stormwind Ark was quite self-evidently a Zonai. I postulate that the Eighth Heroine was as well—either the same Zonai traveler, or a Zonai on the same kind of journey that the Stormwind Ark Zonai was on. I call this individual the Hero of Dragons: a Zonai folkloric character who left behind a position of privilege in Zonai society to venture courageously to the world below and on their travels befriended the various peoples of the land. Traditionally the position of privilege is said to be princehood in the House of Dragons (hence the name of the folktale), but whether that reflects some ancient factual truth or was chosen to thematically reflect the courage required to dive to the surface is unclear.
“Is Link a Hero of Dragons” the hero of dragons is a Link, I think
“Is Rauru a Hero of Dragons” Rauru is acutely aware that his chosen life path reflects this cultural story-pattern. is what I will say to that.
What we would describe as their third eye, the Zonai call their first eye. Its prominence in Zonai art is clear in-game. Similar to the belief that Hylians’ large ears allow them to hear the voices of the gods (a belief that Zonai share about their own even larger ears), the Zonai believe that their first eye allows them to bear witness to lost divine truths about the world.
In addition to zonaite, the Zonai use an alloy called zonatite (the coppery-colored one) in their technology and traditional garb. This alloy is closely attuned to the resonant frequency of zonaite as well as that of Zonai magic, and thus can be crafted into gauntlets and other accessories that both boost the power of Zonai magic and provide subtle haptic feedback to its use. Said accessories also respond to the presence of unprocessed zonaite.
Zonai natural lifespans are about twice the length of a Hylian’s. (Rauru is the equivalent of his young thirties; Mineru, her late thirties.)
Zonai cannot get drunk; their bodies don’t metabolize alcohol that way.
Zonai believe themselves to be descendants of the gods. Hylians believe the Zonai to be, themselves, gods. At no point in their long and friendly relationship did the Zonai feel the need to bring the Hylian perception of things into alignment with their own. 🙂
