It's never said outright, but when we pull the Master Sword and end up in those golden clouds, I believe it's meant to show that we've crossed into the Golden Lands - the Sacred Realm. Considering that Skyward Sword also has the idea of the Sacred Realm being a place above the heavens and the cloud barrier, I find it a fitting callback to the first reference to this place, way back in ALttP.
Cool that dragon Zelda can fly there ;) There's another comment somewhere in this section that also makes the claim that the trees are yellow to also make that connection to that Sacred Realm, which I think is also a nice touch.
I like this mythological reasoning too. I also think the Silent Realms + Skyloft = Sacred Realm, so this isn't that far off from the idea of the Golden Land in a realm beyond sight, either. But the sky doesn't shine golden (maybe because we're not in the Silent Realm version of it!).
A Yellow or Red photosynth color would be more advantageous for plants growing in the upper atmosphere because there’s less Reyleigh Scattering the higher up you go, so these plants might be able to absorb more shortwave energy with a color reflecting more red than green. I think they’re not Red because β-Carotene reflects mainly yellow and may be helpful somewhat photosynthesis when Chlorophyll-a and Chlorophyll-b break down in the fall. The Red pigments of later fall deciduous leaves are not known to provide photosynth to the plant and are coincidental pigments related to biochemicals serving other functions for the plant (revealed after Chlorophylls break down in winter to protect against winter damage and minimize loss of energy in the darkest season of the year). So since β-Carotene already has one foot in the evolutionary door, it could evolve to dominate as the photosynthetic organelle pigment over green, assuming it now has far more access to absorb blue light than than even Chlorophyll does. Or a combination of the pigments in the context of more blue light exposure may allow them to appear red-shifted to our eyes.
The trees on the sky islands are modeled after "Quaking Aspen" trees, with their yellow leaves and white bark. These trees only grow in places higher than 1,500 ft above sealevel, so it can be implied that they were the only tree species that survived being up in the sky for 10,000 years. The poetic reasoning is nice, but the reality of the devs putting thought into "what would survive that high up in the sky" is even cooler to me. Also, the trees in Akkala are modeled after japanese sugar maples, with their grey bark and vivid orange and red fall foliage.
Quaking aspens can grow below 1,500 ft. They're also still green leaved until autumn, so why yellow on the sky islands? If they really were interested in what would survive that high, they should've considered conifers, but those remain green. So again, why yellow?
@LittleBeanGreen i read that they grow best between 6,000 and 10,000 ft above sealevel. They're gold to allude to the golden land/sacred realm mentioned in multiple zelda games. I was imagining the triforce would be up there, but no.
In addition to your lovely ideas, I think (as many people have noted in the lead up to Tears) it's also a nod to the Golden Lands or Sacred Realm of other games.
It makes sense, the sky islands are meant to be the opposite of the depths. Everything up there is bathed in Rauru's sacred light. It's why we don't encounter any of Ganon's monsters up there, only Zonai constructs.
@@tristanneal9552Aerocuda, Keese, Like Likes, And ChuChus are all in the sky. And no, the sky isnt bathed in Goatrus sacred light, thats just the sun the Shrines had them, hence the point of completeing them.
I’ve watched some videos describing this. (Can’t think of any because there are so many.) Supposedly, the yellow trees are represented in Japanese mythology, folklore, and religious beliefs. The most notable example is the ginkgo tree. It symbolizes longevity, solemnity, and repose of souls. The autumn leaves represent the awe of natural beauty. In the autumn, the people travel to mountains in search for maple trees. A traditional called momijigari is known commonly as red leave hunting. The yellow camellia flower reflects nostalgia and vigor. A prime symbol that reflects eternal youth. Hence how the sky island trees are formed in this manner. It’s both a reference to real life culture and a reference to the player to reflect upon the past and gaze upon the serenity we gaze upon today.
I never thought of it this way! This reminds me of the Lord of the Rings. During the events of the trilogy, the 3rd age, there is this feeling of longing and nostalgia of the 1st and 2nd age. You constantly see ruins and hear songs of glorious civilizations long passed away with sorrow. That’s the feeling you feel in the Sky Islands.
If we want to get super technical, the 3rd age is the age of the Rings, the rise of Sauron after his defeat in Númenor and against the last alliance, and the War of the Ring. This was largely the forces of Men against Sauron to defeat him. The Elves largely do not help as they are in their own realms almost suspended in time due to their own Rings of Power. After Sauron’s defeat, the Elves leave and Middle Earth is left to the dominion of Men. The Zonai are survived by their ruins, songs, and the spirit of its last survivor against an evil threat. The Sky Islands are their lands frozen in time. Beautiful, but mournful, just like the elves. And with the passing of the Demon King, they are truly gone, with the Hylians now free to rule unburdened by the past. A feeling of nostalgia, but excitement for the future.
I’m impressed you could get as much as you did out of this topic. I just immediately assumed it was only to make this look different from the Great Plateau tutorial.
I remember studying yellow-leaf trees on botw after the first totk trailers with sky islands images. Not counting akkala, I regularly found trees with few leaves but which were yellow. I especially remember a place at the foot of death mountain with a large mass of those trees, I liked to go there and tell myself that it was a sort of foretaste while waiting the release of totk
The reasoning in this video is nice! Honestly, I'd just believed they were yellow because there were not many yellow trees in Hyrule in BoTW. It's a color that irl trees can turn, and gives the sky islands their own visual identity separate from the surface, so even if you're on a large sky island you can tell subconsciously that you're in the sky and not on the ground. Just another one of the tools Nintendo gives you to quietly help you to avoid getting lost
This is a beautiful short essay, I’m astonished and expected many more views! Great job being concise, to the point, and poignant. Very observant analysis that will improve my understanding and experience of this game, and Autumn themes in general.
@@LittleBeanGreen 😁 Yellow trees are cowardly Punks amongst the heroic vegetation of Hyrule. 🤔Wot's all this then? A *_Shrub_* ?? 👐😸... Gah!! 🌱.. It's trying to kill me!
The trees in Akkala are not the same as the ones in the sky. The trees in the sky are the same as trees from Hyrule Field but with yellow leaves and white wood. Whereas the trees in Akkala are a different kind of trees that have autumn colors with their leaves either green, orange or yellow. In the memories (3:08) we can see a yellow tree on the surface in front of the Temple of Time. In the present the only true "yellow trees" on the surface are the ones that came down with the sky islands debris. I think the golden leaves and pure white wood are because of the sacredness of the sky islands. And in the past, the yellow tree in front of the Temple of Time mirrors the ginkgo trees often found in Buddhist temples.
As I was watching the final render of this, I found the yellow tree in front of the Temple of Time. The thing is, Ginkgo's are green, turning bright yellow in the fall (which other trees do). So there's something more going on there - I think the idea that they're connected to the Sacred Realm is a good one.
No second play throughs and no amount of time between them can match the first moment of taking in the beauty of the great sky island on your first play through.
one thing is like, it's obviously golden as a motif for holy in the series but more in particular, there's something to be said about the aesthetic of these two games being very deliberately cyan and gold like that color combination is in basically everything. even these islands are that color with the sky. all the ancient and zonai and sheikah and whatever technology, it's all golden and cyan. Link and Zelda themselves are golden and cyan. the game presents all these greens and purples as the wild and corruption but even those colors are washed out in favour of, this very deliberate palette even the cyan of the master sword with the golden of the goddess
like I think it's meant to be like, deliberately contrasting with green. the green elf adventures no longer exist, it's long gone, and only the spirit remains in the wilderness. memories of green. given how historically the color green is very significant in zelda and that they've always been very careful about their aesthetics, I can't help but look at how ironically, absent, it is in here
I'm pretty sure it's a mix of regular game branding: the golden yellow and zonai cyan; mixed with the Buddhist/Hinduist inclusions of the game: the holy celestial entities in direct opposition to the purple gloom from the chasm. This is built upon further in Echoes of Wisdom with the new lore additions there. Because, while beautifully written, I don't truly see the moment of twilight and transition in the sky islands like I did for the entirety of Twilight Princess's Twilight Realm or veils. I see the shift away from Sheikah blue, and the opposition to the evils of the underground.
The depths and sky island duality is what I was referring to when referencing light and shadow, not so much the twilight in between. Yellow is definitely just the color most associated with sacredness in the series.
I could get behind pulling the Master Sword in the Sacred Realm and the sky islands are 'closer' to that (because it's apparently in the sky?) and that's why they have that golden glow. But I don't actually understand why the sky islands dropped? ascended? I'm not sure what the Triforce connection is since it's never around.
Between the secret stones given by Hylia to the Zonai, and the Triforce being most prominently showcased when Zelda uses her powers in both BOTW and TOTK, it's easy to make connections but I don't think there's one much more obvious than others. Especially as they make it up as they go. I did like the idea of ascending into the Sacred Realm when anticipating the game, and didn't expect such a literal and shallow take on sky islands.
I appreciate you saying Autumn instead of Fall. I had a Yellow Gameboy Color, I think it was called Dandelion Yellow. Anyways, it's a good day to go for a ride on my scooter.. 🛵 _Meep Meep_ !
Could there be a link to the light dragon at all? Specifically the colour of its hair? I've wondered about that for a while now but haven't been able to come up with something coherent that might explain it
I think the light dragon being Zelda and the time powers being yellow are meant to call back to the sky islands but I don't think it's any deeper than that.
I like fall my birthday is in it and thanksgiving is yummy. What if totk is in the fall, that why you can get tomatoes and there’s no heart stinky durrans From botw.
Nintendo just wanted a hollow nod to the Sacred Realm with no connection and payoff. No Triforce, no original sages, not even plot behind the Zonai that wasnt already told elsewhere in the game. Just member berries, and "just cause". 'A reminder of a time long past', with better Zelda games.
I must've not been in on the meeting because I never got the "member berries" from that particular section of the game. Although that's not to say I didn't quickly realize there was nothing on them.
@LittleBeanGreen I feel u man. I got a few, but realized how shallow they were the more i played too. But the inital feels were strong. The golden trees = Golden Land/Sacred Realm. The floating islands reminiscent of the ALTTP Sacred Realm image from the guidebook. The memories of Skyloft, despite no skyloft cameo. Triggering memories of TP and Minish Cap's sky areas. Thats what I felt in initial gameplay. Then I realized the Sky, much like the Depths, was so empty and just had a bunch of recycled content 😥.
Could very well be - but Gingko trees aren't always yellow, they're green until they change into that brilliant yellow in autumn (which a lot of other trees do too). So I think there's more going on here.
That's the thing, there is definitely lore no matter how minimal their approach was For better or worse those interested have to put it together, which is often by design though they took it a bit too far here
i was ready for a 30 minute video essay
no need!
Thank god it’s not.
As was I
God no I’m tired of bloated videos on subjects that don’t require that level of detail
It's never said outright, but when we pull the Master Sword and end up in those golden clouds, I believe it's meant to show that we've crossed into the Golden Lands - the Sacred Realm. Considering that Skyward Sword also has the idea of the Sacred Realm being a place above the heavens and the cloud barrier, I find it a fitting callback to the first reference to this place, way back in ALttP.
Cool that dragon Zelda can fly there ;) There's another comment somewhere in this section that also makes the claim that the trees are yellow to also make that connection to that Sacred Realm, which I think is also a nice touch.
I like this mythological reasoning too. I also think the Silent Realms + Skyloft = Sacred Realm, so this isn't that far off from the idea of the Golden Land in a realm beyond sight, either. But the sky doesn't shine golden (maybe because we're not in the Silent Realm version of it!).
A Yellow or Red photosynth color would be more advantageous for plants growing in the upper atmosphere because there’s less Reyleigh Scattering the higher up you go, so these plants might be able to absorb more shortwave energy with a color reflecting more red than green.
I think they’re not Red because β-Carotene reflects mainly yellow and may be helpful somewhat photosynthesis when Chlorophyll-a and Chlorophyll-b break down in the fall. The Red pigments of later fall deciduous leaves are not known to provide photosynth to the plant and are coincidental pigments related to biochemicals serving other functions for the plant (revealed after Chlorophylls break down in winter to protect against winter damage and minimize loss of energy in the darkest season of the year). So since β-Carotene already has one foot in the evolutionary door, it could evolve to dominate as the photosynthetic organelle pigment over green, assuming it now has far more access to absorb blue light than than even Chlorophyll does. Or a combination of the pigments in the context of more blue light exposure may allow them to appear red-shifted to our eyes.
you belong at the Hateno or Akkala Lab.
@@LittleBeanGreen hahaha
The sky island trees always reminded me of birch trees, since they also have white bark and those beautiful bright yellow leaves in autumn.
same with aspens
yellow trees nice
gotta love em
100% agree :)
The trees on the sky islands are modeled after "Quaking Aspen" trees, with their yellow leaves and white bark. These trees only grow in places higher than 1,500 ft above sealevel, so it can be implied that they were the only tree species that survived being up in the sky for 10,000 years. The poetic reasoning is nice, but the reality of the devs putting thought into "what would survive that high up in the sky" is even cooler to me.
Also, the trees in Akkala are modeled after japanese sugar maples, with their grey bark and vivid orange and red fall foliage.
Quaking aspens can grow below 1,500 ft. They're also still green leaved until autumn, so why yellow on the sky islands? If they really were interested in what would survive that high, they should've considered conifers, but those remain green. So again, why yellow?
@LittleBeanGreen i read that they grow best between 6,000 and 10,000 ft above sealevel. They're gold to allude to the golden land/sacred realm mentioned in multiple zelda games. I was imagining the triforce would be up there, but no.
In addition to your lovely ideas, I think (as many people have noted in the lead up to Tears) it's also a nod to the Golden Lands or Sacred Realm of other games.
thanks for that extra info!
It makes sense, the sky islands are meant to be the opposite of the depths. Everything up there is bathed in Rauru's sacred light. It's why we don't encounter any of Ganon's monsters up there, only Zonai constructs.
@@tristanneal9552Aerocuda, Keese, Like Likes, And ChuChus are all in the sky. And no, the sky isnt bathed in Goatrus sacred light, thats just the sun the Shrines had them, hence the point of completeing them.
I’ve watched some videos describing this. (Can’t think of any because there are so many.)
Supposedly, the yellow trees are represented in Japanese mythology, folklore, and religious beliefs.
The most notable example is the ginkgo tree.
It symbolizes longevity, solemnity, and repose of souls.
The autumn leaves represent the awe of natural beauty.
In the autumn, the people travel to mountains in search for maple trees. A traditional called momijigari is known commonly as red leave hunting.
The yellow camellia flower reflects nostalgia and vigor. A prime symbol that reflects eternal youth.
Hence how the sky island trees are formed in this manner. It’s both a reference to real life culture and a reference to the player to reflect upon the past and gaze upon the serenity we gaze upon today.
There is a lot of varied symbolism associated with yellow and more specifically yellow trees...thanks for these other insights!
@LittleBeanGreen
My pleasure! 👍
I never thought of it this way! This reminds me of the Lord of the Rings. During the events of the trilogy, the 3rd age, there is this feeling of longing and nostalgia of the 1st and 2nd age. You constantly see ruins and hear songs of glorious civilizations long passed away with sorrow. That’s the feeling you feel in the Sky Islands.
3rd Age is also the Age of Man, right? Like Hyrule now whereas ages past the leader was Zonai.
If we want to get super technical, the 3rd age is the age of the Rings, the rise of Sauron after his defeat in Númenor and against the last alliance, and the War of the Ring. This was largely the forces of Men against Sauron to defeat him. The Elves largely do not help as they are in their own realms almost suspended in time due to their own Rings of Power. After Sauron’s defeat, the Elves leave and Middle Earth is left to the dominion of Men.
The Zonai are survived by their ruins, songs, and the spirit of its last survivor against an evil threat. The Sky Islands are their lands frozen in time. Beautiful, but mournful, just like the elves. And with the passing of the Demon King, they are truly gone, with the Hylians now free to rule unburdened by the past. A feeling of nostalgia, but excitement for the future.
I’m impressed you could get as
much as you did out of this topic. I just immediately assumed it was only to make this look different from the Great Plateau tutorial.
I'm sure that has a lot to do with it but some times you gotta dig into that symbolism, baby!
I remember studying yellow-leaf trees on botw after the first totk trailers with sky islands images. Not counting akkala, I regularly found trees with few leaves but which were yellow. I especially remember a place at the foot of death mountain with a large mass of those trees, I liked to go there and tell myself that it was a sort of foretaste while waiting the release of totk
now no yellow tree in a zelda game will ever be just a yellow tree ever again.
The reasoning in this video is nice!
Honestly, I'd just believed they were yellow because there were not many yellow trees in Hyrule in BoTW. It's a color that irl trees can turn, and gives the sky islands their own visual identity separate from the surface, so even if you're on a large sky island you can tell subconsciously that you're in the sky and not on the ground.
Just another one of the tools Nintendo gives you to quietly help you to avoid getting lost
I'm sure what you're suggesting also plays a pretty large role.
This is a beautiful short essay, I’m astonished and expected many more views! Great job being concise, to the point, and poignant. Very observant analysis that will improve my understanding and experience of this game, and Autumn themes in general.
Thanks for the nice comment and for watching!
The trees are yellow because it is the color of cowards!
The trees are cowards!
Yep, sounds reasonable to me
😋 Yellow bellied trees!
@@BusyMEOW Amen! Well said!
but what beautiful cowards they are.
@@LittleBeanGreen 😁 Yellow trees are
cowardly Punks amongst the heroic vegetation of Hyrule.
🤔Wot's all this then? A *_Shrub_* ??
👐😸... Gah!! 🌱.. It's trying to kill me!
10/10 thumbnail
thanks!
I always assumed it's just a reference to those yellow trees in Japan. The same ones you can see around the Golden Temple in Ghost of Tsushima.
probably gingkos - could very well be. But there's something about them turning yellow that evokes a certain feelings.
Great video! Do more please.
Thanks for watching!
In the video title, I saw "sky" and "land" and I instantly thought of a certain Spyro relative
sorry to disappoint 😅
The trees in Akkala are not the same as the ones in the sky.
The trees in the sky are the same as trees from Hyrule Field but with yellow leaves and white wood. Whereas the trees in Akkala are a different kind of trees that have autumn colors with their leaves either green, orange or yellow.
In the memories (3:08) we can see a yellow tree on the surface in front of the Temple of Time. In the present the only true "yellow trees" on the surface are the ones that came down with the sky islands debris.
I think the golden leaves and pure white wood are because of the sacredness of the sky islands. And in the past, the yellow tree in front of the Temple of Time mirrors the ginkgo trees often found in Buddhist temples.
As I was watching the final render of this, I found the yellow tree in front of the Temple of Time. The thing is, Ginkgo's are green, turning bright yellow in the fall (which other trees do). So there's something more going on there - I think the idea that they're connected to the Sacred Realm is a good one.
The sky island trees are modeled after Quaking Apsen trees, which only grow in high altitudes
No second play throughs and no amount of time between them can match the first moment of taking in the beauty of the great sky island on your first play through.
The open of this game was in fact incredible.
one thing is like, it's obviously golden as a motif for holy in the series
but more in particular, there's something to be said about the aesthetic of these two games being very deliberately cyan and gold
like that color combination is in basically everything. even these islands are that color with the sky. all the ancient and zonai and sheikah and whatever technology, it's all golden and cyan. Link and Zelda themselves are golden and cyan.
the game presents all these greens and purples as the wild and corruption but even those colors are washed out in favour of, this very deliberate palette
even the cyan of the master sword with the golden of the goddess
what can I say, they look good together.
like I think it's meant to be like, deliberately contrasting with green. the green elf adventures no longer exist, it's long gone, and only the spirit remains in the wilderness. memories of green.
given how historically the color green is very significant in zelda and that they've always been very careful about their aesthetics, I can't help but look at how ironically, absent, it is in here
I always assumed it was fall up there
in a way it kind of is
Lovely analysis!
Thanks for watching!
I'm pretty sure it's a mix of regular game branding: the golden yellow and zonai cyan; mixed with the Buddhist/Hinduist inclusions of the game: the holy celestial entities in direct opposition to the purple gloom from the chasm. This is built upon further in Echoes of Wisdom with the new lore additions there.
Because, while beautifully written, I don't truly see the moment of twilight and transition in the sky islands like I did for the entirety of Twilight Princess's Twilight Realm or veils. I see the shift away from Sheikah blue, and the opposition to the evils of the underground.
The depths and sky island duality is what I was referring to when referencing light and shadow, not so much the twilight in between.
Yellow is definitely just the color most associated with sacredness in the series.
It’s the Sacred Realm. The Triforce is the essence of the Sky Islands. They didn’t specify, but it’s too obvious.
I could get behind pulling the Master Sword in the Sacred Realm and the sky islands are 'closer' to that (because it's apparently in the sky?) and that's why they have that golden glow. But I don't actually understand why the sky islands dropped? ascended? I'm not sure what the Triforce connection is since it's never around.
Between the secret stones given by Hylia to the Zonai, and the Triforce being most prominently showcased when Zelda uses her powers in both BOTW and TOTK, it's easy to make connections but I don't think there's one much more obvious than others. Especially as they make it up as they go.
I did like the idea of ascending into the Sacred Realm when anticipating the game, and didn't expect such a literal and shallow take on sky islands.
Little Bean Yellow rebrand when
Coming Fall '25
I like this a lot
thanks for checking it out!
Fan Theory (controversial): Rauru pissed on everything up there
lost his arm, couldn't control his stream.
😶
@@illuminate4 😋 Rauru would be a good name for a pet Kangaroo
💦
I think the yellow trees are pretty
I think you're right.
I didn't really pay attention to the trees in the sky islands.
well now you know better
I'm so glad i watched this
I'm so glad you watched it too
Or they're just Ginkos, which are considered sacred in many Asian cultures
Gingko aren't always yellow.
I appreciate you saying Autumn instead of Fall.
I had a Yellow Gameboy Color, I think it was called Dandelion Yellow.
Anyways, it's a good day to go for a ride on my scooter..
🛵 _Meep Meep_ !
autumn....it comes with the fall 😉
@@LittleBeanGreen No Fall! Only Autumn darn it! 💪😾
Could there be a link to the light dragon at all? Specifically the colour of its hair? I've wondered about that for a while now but haven't been able to come up with something coherent that might explain it
Youd be doing a better job than Nintendo. Then they're would at lest BE a connection to something. But unfortunately no, there isnt.
I think the light dragon being Zelda and the time powers being yellow are meant to call back to the sky islands but I don't think it's any deeper than that.
@@LittleBeanGreen Yup, couldn't agree more.
this is so good
thanks for watching!
I like fall my birthday is in it and thanksgiving is yummy. What if totk is in the fall, that why you can get tomatoes and there’s no heart stinky durrans From botw.
I like autumn too - although tomatoes are more of a summer fruit, eh?
sorry guys i spilled the piss bucket
you know what they say....whoops
Nintendo just wanted a hollow nod to the Sacred Realm with no connection and payoff. No Triforce, no original sages, not even plot behind the Zonai that wasnt already told elsewhere in the game. Just member berries, and "just cause". 'A reminder of a time long past', with better Zelda games.
I must've not been in on the meeting because I never got the "member berries" from that particular section of the game. Although that's not to say I didn't quickly realize there was nothing on them.
@LittleBeanGreen I feel u man. I got a few, but realized how shallow they were the more i played too. But the inital feels were strong. The golden trees = Golden Land/Sacred Realm. The floating islands reminiscent of the ALTTP Sacred Realm image from the guidebook. The memories of Skyloft, despite no skyloft cameo. Triggering memories of TP and Minish Cap's sky areas. Thats what I felt in initial gameplay. Then I realized the Sky, much like the Depths, was so empty and just had a bunch of recycled content 😥.
I'm pretty sure they're based on Ginkgo trees, which are native to China.
Could very well be - but Gingko trees aren't always yellow, they're green until they change into that brilliant yellow in autumn (which a lot of other trees do too). So I think there's more going on here.
mmmm…… yelow…………..
yellowwwwwwwww
meh, you could have done more research... boo
meh, gotta balance making videos with real life...boo
That's not how akala is pronounced
It's pronounced however you want. Don't be obnoxious
That's not how Akkala is spelled.
gottim
Marketing. Remember before release when people started saying it looked like DLC. If they were green, that would've been an even worse look.
sure but they could've been red. or orange. I think it's more than JUST marketing.
Because it's aesthetically pleasing. There's no lore in totk. This game just screams at us to stop to care about lore.
Even if there's no lore that doesn't mean there's no symbolism.
That's the thing, there is definitely lore no matter how minimal their approach was
For better or worse those interested have to put it together, which is often by design though they took it a bit too far here