A list of ingredients for red dye from the Nintendo Switch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild appears in the new novel The Traveller At the Gates of Wisdom, by John Boyne. It should be noted that the novel is a historical drama, so the presence of items such as “Octorok eyeball” and “four Hylian shrooms” stood out to some readers. The discovery was initially made on Reddit, but writer Dana Schwartz did some digging on Twitter to discover exactly how and why the ingredients ended up in the book. It’s certainly an interesting story, and Schwartz’s original thread can be found by clicking on the Tweet below.
OKAY. This is a thread, but it’s worth it I promise.
On Reddit today, user u/NoNoNo_OhOhOh posted a page from acclaimed Irish novelist John Boyne’s latest book, ‘The Traveller At the Gates of Wisdom.
Note the ingredients. pic.twitter.com/4RTgZxtUT7
— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) August 3, 2020
In her research, Schwartz discovered that Boyne came across the Zelda recipe by typing “ingredients red dye clothes” into Google. Anyone that does this in Google will find that the first thing that comes up is a list from Breath of the Wild, as opposed to the actual list of items that would be used in red dye! When Boyne needed to find such a list for his book, he clearly did the same. On Twitter, Boyne actually reached out to Schwartz to confirm her findings, and seems to be a very good sport about the mix-up!
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LOL that is actually kinda hilarious. I’m totally willing to own it. 😂🤣Something tells me I’ll be telling this anecdote on stage for many years to come… 😂
— John Boyne 📚 (@john_boyne) August 3, 2020
While some might be quick to judge Boyne’s error, the reality is that no writer is perfect, and these types of mistakes often slip through the cracks. It seems like a safe bet that Boyne will be a little more cautious next time he looks up any similar recipes in the future! On Twitter, Boyne said he plans to let the mistake remain as is, so The Traveller At the Gates of Wisdom might even become a collector’s item for hardcore Zelda fans!
Those looking to create their own red dye clothing can do so now in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, available exclusively on Nintendo Switch. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.
Are you a fan of Breath of the Wild? Would you have noticed those ingredients while reading Boyne’s novel? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
