“Magic” is seen as harmful by many Christian denominations, particularly the more conservative churches, case in point being the controversy in America over whether or not Christian parents should allow their children to read the Harry Potter book series. In the original Japanese version of the game, this “Spell Book” was the “Bible.” The use of the Christian holy book as a spell casting device would likely have alienated Christian players – or more accurately, their parents. The classic Legend of Zelda, for example, features a “Spell Book” that allows you to cast fire when the Magic Wand item is used. This, perhaps, is why Nintendo of America decided to censor certain references in the original games early-on for the sake of the American audience. In media that uses a real-world religion as its mythology but fails to stay accurate to the source, there is great potential to alienate fans either because their religion is being portrayed with gross inaccuracies or because they want nothing to do with a religion practiced in the real world when they are trying to enjoy a fantasy. No doubt, however, if they had continued on that route, it would have felt like “They’re getting fantasy in my religion!” for some and “They’re getting religion in my fantasy!” for others – something that has polarized fans of various anime and Japanese-authored video games since those things have become popular worldwide. In addition to the cemeteries, where graves bore this mark, Link carried a shield with a cross emblazoned on it and, in AoL, a cross was a magic item that allowed the player to see invisible ghosts. The original Legend of Zelda for the NES and its sequel, The Adventure of Link, featured crosses in abundance. If so, it would be fitting for the “Medieval Europe” feel of the games. The four-armed cross is a symbol for many cultures and traditions, but in modern times the cross is taken around the world as “the symbol for Christianity.” Rumor has it that before the creation of the third game (which described the mythology of the Three Goddesses for the first time – in the manual) the Nintendo team had planned to use Christianity as Hyrule’s dominant religion.
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