A looming terror: The lore of the Blood Moon and its role in The Legend of Zelda

Glowing embers of Malice, a blood-red moon, monsters reborn, frantic music, and the words spoken — “The Blood Moon rises once again. Please be careful, Link…”

It’s October, and the spooky season is upon us. While The Legend of Zelda series has plenty of creepy events, the Blood Moon is perhaps one of the most bone-chilling phenomena in all of Hyrule. Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity both feature the Blood Moon, in slightly different ways, but usually at the most inopportune times for players.

So, what is the Blood Moon?

With its in-game origins within Breath of the Wild being brief, players don’t quite have a frame of reference for what to expect the first time the Blood Moon appears. Terror doesn’t define what I felt after clearing a monster camp and then seeing the embers of Malice rising, along with the red sky that accompanied said Malice. Follow that up with Princess Zelda’s warning and I froze in place during the cutscene. Safe to say there was a silent shriek as the monsters reappeared. With my whole three hearts and rudimentary weapons, I did the best thing I could think of and jumped into a body of water and swam away to the haven of the other shore. 

In Breath of the Wild, it may seem as though the Blood Moon only serves to revive enemies and destroy all hope, but there is an important reason for it. The lore in-game is that the Blood Moon occurs when Calamity Ganon’s power reaches its peak. Princess Zelda explains this during the first Blood Moon cutscene that a player encounters in-game.

When Calamity Ganon’s power grows too strong, Princess Zelda can no longer contain it and Malice escapes Hyrule Castle. It blights the land even further, causing Malice to rise from the ground even where there are no pools of it. The moon turns full and instead of its normal glow turns blood red. It is always represented as a full moon, even if the moon wasn’t at this phase in its cycle. Perhaps this change in the moon phase can be attributed to just how powerful Calamity Ganon is. 

The impact of the Blood Moon

The effects of the Blood Moon are strong and varied. The energy in the Malice revives all of the enemies Link has slain, so good luck if you’re caught in a monster camp that you’ve just destroyed. In addition to low-level enemies, sub-bosses such as Hinoxes, Lynels, and Stone Taluses come back to life. 

But it’s not all bad, as the Malice also revives other elements on the map, such as ore deposits and other materials in the field you may have collected. It is an effective way to gather materials you may need to farm again. There are other benefits to the Blood Moon. If Link cooks under its influence, which begins around 10:00 pm and reaches its peak between 11:30 pm to midnight, the effects of the various meals cooked are amplified, so travel to a cooking pot and get busy. 

You can predict when the Blood Moon will appear, even if it seems random. Hino at the Dueling Peaks Stable is somewhat of a moon aficionado. He can tell you about the moon phases and will start acting strangely on the night of the Blood Moon. Observing his behavior can give you an indication of if you need to be on guard and if you need to get cooking. Once Higo’s odd behavior has passed, you will know the effects of the Blood Moon have worn off, and cooking will be back to normal (and monsters will stay gone, for now). 

The Blood Moon 100 years before

In Age of Calamity, the Blood Moon is initially more of a plot point. It is first encountered in the “All Hyrule, United” scenario, and its effects are much the same as they are in Breath of the Wild. The enemies that have recently been slain are revived, leading to a battle that becomes even more grueling and exhausting as players try to make their way to the castle to defeat Calamity Ganon. The enemies seem to become an endless gauntlet within this scenario. I would say the effects of the Blood Moon within this level are far more harrowing than they are in Breath of the Wild.

After this scenario, players may notice the Blood Moon moves around the map. It affects various scenarios at different times. While there are no cooking effects or ore deposits replenished, enemies also don’t respawn while playing through. What does happen, however, is still challenging. When replaying scenarios that have become Blood Moon Battlefields, players will find that the levels have increased in difficulty. The recommended level for your character increases significantly, which certainly means the difficulty level has seen a spike. In addition, item drops become more plentiful and typically speaking of better quality, so there is at least a trade-off for the levels becoming more precarious.

The Blood Moon isn’t just for Hyrule

The Blood Moon in either game can be unsettling, frustrating, or complicated to deal with. In researching traditional meanings regarding the blood moon, I find that in-game lore may be rooted in real-world superstitions. While the blood moon is the result of a total lunar eclipse and has a scientific explanation, many people throughout history have beliefs tied to its appearance.

Many ancient civilizations had myths or stories that told of the evils of the blood or bed moon. The ancient Incas believed there was an evil Jaguar that was devouring the moon and may turn its attention to the earth once it finished with the moon. Ancient Mesopotamians believed the Blood Moon to be a direct assault on the king. In Christianity, there are old beliefs that tie the blood moon to the wrath of God or being an omen for the end of times. 

With this in mind, it’s easy to see how developers could have been inspired to include the Blood moon visual within the game. It’s even easier to see how it is related to the malevolent presence that Calamity Ganon brings to Hyrule. While it’s important to note the mechanic serves to clear the cache or reset long-term memory in Breath of the Wild, the visual storytelling opportunity it provides is equally valuable and well done. So, during this spooky season, don’t be shy as the Blood Moon rises once again. Conquer your gaming fears and take advantage of all the Blood Moon has to offer.