The Monks are a group of characters in Breath of the Wild.[2] They are ancient people who reside at the end of Ancient Shrines, awaiting the arrival of Link in order to bestow him with a Spirit Orb.
Overview[]
Monks are members of the Sheikah clan who are devout worshipers of the Goddess, The Goddess Hylia.[1] They are gifted with The Goddess Hylia's sight, and solely seek to aid Link in combating Calamity Ganon.[2] They each reside on a Monk's Pedestal inside their respective Ancient Shrines, which they have designed to serve as trials of Link's resolve.[3] Upon completion of their respective Shrines, they give Link a Spirit Orb and bless him in The Goddess Hylia's name before disappearing, having fulfilled their purpose.[4]
Every known Monk is unique, each having their own article of clothing or jewelry. They may also have their own Mudra, often in some variant of a triangular pattern to represent the Triforce. They all follow a minimal manner of dress, and have Crests of the Sheikah tattooed upon their foreheads.
List of Monks[]
Note: to understand the namesakes, referring to the monks' names in Japanese is essential.
Trivia[]
- The Monks seem to be based on real-world Buddhist mummies, which are monks who, through their purity, succeeded in preserving their bodies through death. More specifically, they seem to be based on the Japanese act of Sokushinbutsu (即身仏), wherein monks practice austerity to the point of death and self-induced mummification. This aligns with the Monks' behavior of meditating within sealed Shrines while withering away.
- Each of the seven Monks at the end of the Trial of the Sword have posed their arms in a way that mimics the poses of the seven Sages when they were sealing Ganon in Ocarina of Time.[5]
Nomenclature[]
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | ||
 | Dutch | Monnik | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
Gallery[]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "I just want to point out to you, because in general Shrines, of course you want to get to the end to the sort of Sheikah monk." —Nate Bihldorff (Playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild w/ Treehouse's Nate Bihldorff)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "I am a humble monk, blessed with the sight of the Goddess Hylia and dedicated to helping those who seek to defeat Ganon." — Monk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "You have proven to possess the resolve of a true hero. I am Kalm Yu'ogh, the creator of this trial." — Kalm Yu'ogh (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "With your arrival, my duty is now fulfilled. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, allow me to bestow this gift upon you... Please accept this Spirit Orb. [...] May the goddess forever smile upon you." — Monk (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Okay, so I just finished the Trial of the Sword and immediately noticed the 7 monks are representing the 7 Sages." — kamuilyn, Okay, so I just finished the Trial of the Sword and immediately noticed the 7 monks are representing the 7 Sages. : Breath_of_the_Wild, Reddit, published April 16, 2018, retrieved April 18, 2018.