Music has been a quintessential aspect of The Legend of Zelda since the series began, and many of the instruments that appear throughout the franchise are capable of wielding incredible power. While Ocarina of Time’s namesake Ocarina makes it the most notable example in the Zelda series, it’s far from the only instrument Link can play. Link’s adventures often put him in possession of at least one instrument required to carry out his legendary quests, though some are more powerful than the rest by a wide margin.
The Legend of Zelda has featured some of the most iconic video game music of all time, including instantly recognizable songs like Zelda’s Lullaby, the Song of Storms, Saria’s Song, and dozens more. While most of these simple melodies were written to be easy to play with the limited inputs of a game controller, their tunes carry plenty of emotion and narrative weight. Zelda puts its many magical instruments in the players’ hands, giving them the power to shape the fate of Hyrule itself through even the simplest of magical melodies.
In total, there are over 50 musical instruments that appear across The Legend of Zelda’s mainline games. Not all of these instruments are playable, however, and others exist only for fun and offer little to no magical abilities. Of course, Zelda’s most iconic musical instruments are often its most powerful as well, allowing players to bend the laws of Hylian physics to their whims with precise performance.
Spirit Flute
Featured as the sacred instrument of Spirit Tracks, the Spirit Flute was ed to Tetra by a Lokomo named Anjean, who later ed it onto the reigning Princess Zelda. The Spirit Flute plays a vital part in Link’s quest to restore the Spirit Tracks and stop the Demon King Malladus from taking over the new land of Hyrule’s descendents, allowing him to destroy the evil once and for all. In addition to the restorative in-universe magic that the Spirit Flute wields, players can use this colorful pan flute to summon fairies, reveal treasure, and awaken Gossip Stones if they’re in need of a helpful hint.
Hestu’s Maracas
While Link is able to play most of the powerful musical instruments that appear in The Legend of Zelda, Hestu’s Maracas from Breath of the Wild have some unique magic capabilities worth mentioning. Once Link helps this giant Korok recover at least one of Breath of the Wild's many Korok seeds, Hestu’s magical instrument will grant him the ability to expand Link’s inventory. Hestu’s mysterious magic has an in-game function useful enough to warrant no additional explanation, but it brings up some questions about how Hestu’s magic works in regards to Hyrule’s laws of physics.
It’s possible that Hestu’s Maracas are capable of somehow altering physical space to adjust the space inside Link’s bag, but there’s no way of knowing whether Nintendo thought of the in-universe mechanics behind Hestu’s magical music when creating this character. What’s important, however, is that Hestu’s music inspires him to dance hard enough to grant Link one extra inventory slot, provided that he’s gathered enough Korok Seeds to exchange. Either way, these magical maracas indirectly offer Link plenty of power as he collects weapons, shields, and bows on his quest to defeat Zelda's sinister Calamity Ganon.
Harp of Ages
While the Ocarina of Time is Zelda’s most iconic time-traveling flute, it isn’t the only musical instrument capable of transporting Link through the ages. The aptly named Harp of Ages allows Link to travel between different eras of Labrynna in Oracle of Ages, warping him between past, present, and future depending on the tune he plays. This powerful harp was owned and likely created by Nayru, the Oracle of Ages herself, though she doesn’t actually need its incredible power to time travel. Whoever holds her Harp of Ages is granted her time travel ability as well, but the Harp has far fewer in-game functions than the famous Ocarina of Time as it can only play three songs.
Goddess Harp
The Goddess Harp was first referred to by name in Skyward Sword, but this divine relic first appeared in Sheik’s possession in Ocarina of Time. The Harp once belonged to Hylia herself, though it’s unclear exactly what its magic is capable of in the Goddess’ hands. Playing the Goddess Harp enabled Zelda to recover memories of her existence as the Goddess Hylia before her incarnation as a mortal. However, Zelda left the Harp with Link before departing for the past, allowing him to access the Goddess’ sacred trials in the mysterious Silent Realm. While it’s unclear exactly how the Goddess Harp was ed down to Sheik, it’s likely that the Hylian Royal Family kept this sacred artifact safe in the generations between Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time.
Wind Waker
Continuing Zelda’s trend of naming games after their most powerful instrument, Wind Waker’s namesake baton allows Link to conduct the weather itself. Not only does the Wind Waker allow Link to change the direction of the wind as he sails, but it also gives him the power to warp via cyclones, change the time of day, and even control other people. The baton’s godlike abilities to alter reality on a whim make it one of the series’ most magical instruments, putting it on par with the Ocarina of Time’s reality-bending power.
Despite its incredible power, however, the origins of the Wind Waker itself remain a mystery. According to legend, the ancient King of Hyrule once used the baton to conduct the Sages as they sang to summon the gods. As such, it’s possible that the Wind Waker was used to flood Legend of Zelda's Hyrule and its castle beneath the Great Sea. Unfortunately, the Wind Waker rarely appears outside its namesake game, leaving most of its history completely obscure.
Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda features plenty of magical instruments, but none are as powerful as the Ocarina of Time. This famous blue flute allows Link to solve puzzles, summon his horse, speak with his friends, start a storm, and warp to any of Hyrule’s temples as players journey across Hyrule. However, the Ocarina also gives Link the ability to open the Door of Time and draw the Master Sword from its pedestal, setting the entire future of Hyrule's timeline into motion.
The Ocarina of Time is almost entirely responsible for the fate of Hyrule, making it the most important magical instrument in the series by far. The Ocarina caused Legend of Zelda’s timeline to split when Zelda used it to send Link back to his original era at the end of the game, creating the three alternate branches that now comprise the franchise’s universe. While the origins of the Ocarina of Time remain unknown, future Legend of Zelda games may yet reveal this instrument’s mysterious past.
