Breath of the Wild has one of the most amazing maps in video game history. More than five years after the release of this Zelda masterpiece, people are still finding new things throughout the vast regions of Hyrule.
When I first played the game, one of the locations that caught my attention right away was Rist Peninsula. And why is that? Because, as crazy as it may seem, I had already seen it before!
You can find this spiral-shaped peninsula far to the east in the Akkala region, stretching out into the Akkala Sea. This sparse little chunk of land hosts many different types of wildlife, including Blue Sparrows, Blue-Winged Herons, and Warm Darners, just to name a few.
The “Into the Vortex” Shrine Quest requires you to transport an Ancient Orb from the base of Rist Peninsula to the very center, which means walking the entire length of the spiral. This may seem simple, but along the way, hordes of enemies will try to slow you down, including some of the more irritating ones like Moblins and Lizalfos. Once you make it to the tip of the peninsula, you complete the quest by placing the Ancient Orb on the awaiting pedestal, which unlocks Ritaag Zumo Shrine.
But now to answer the most important question: Where had I seen Rist Peninsula before playing Breath of the Wild? Well, believe it or not, it was in school.
I can’t remember exactly when it was, but during one of my art classes, I was introduced to “Spiral Jetty,” a unique creation that American sculptor Robert Smithson sculpted in 1970. Smithson was part of an artistic movement known as “Earthworks,” where artists would actually use the Earth as their canvas and natural elements like rocks, plants, dirt, etc. as their materials. “Spiral Jetty” is probably the most famous piece to come out of this movement.
Smithson constructed his masterpiece out of mud, salt, and basalt rocks within Utah’s Great Salt Lake. It starts on the shoreline and extends nearly half a kilometer into the lake before coiling to a spiral. It’s a fantastic work of art that you can actually walk on, just as Link does in Rist Peninsula.
Although not confirmed, “Spiral Jetty” likely served as the inspiration for this weird Akkala peninsula when the Breath of the Wild team was designing the landscape, which is something I find fascinating. It’s rather unfortunate that Robert Smithson passed away in a plane crash in 1973, so he didn’t live to see his most important creation make its way into Zelda lore. Nevertheless, the Rist Peninsula is a beautiful homage to the work of a very devoted artist. And, as is the case with many monuments in Hyrule, it will surely stand the test of time.
(By the way, if you are interested in visiting “Spiral Jetty,” the sculpture is managed by the Dia Art Foundation and the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. Just be aware that the water level rises and falls in the Great Salt Lake, so at times, the sculpture will be completely submerged.)
