The monarchy of the Zora Kingdom that has endured since the Zora had been a people, usually helmed by the King Zora.

The King Zora is said to have the divine right to rule, and any challenge on this right is considered one of the highest forms of blasphemy against the gods.

There is another political body known as the Council of Elders that advise the King in political and spiritual matters, but in the end, the King can chose, and has the right, to ignore it.

The King (or more rarely, Queen) Zora has the ultimate power and authority on all matters political, social, and religious.

Absolute monarchy

The King Zora holds true to the idea that he (or she) must use his strength, knowledge, and ability to protect the Zora people. He demands the respect and loyalty of the people, but he is first expected to earn it. In general, the King Zora and the Council of Elders are ideologically and social conservative with their own version of Traditionalism when it comes to religious matters. Everything about the Zora way of life is dictated by their spirituality, and even though the younger generations tend to lean more and more towards Progressivism, the old ways hold fast.

Citizens are allowed their privacy, and have a right against unlawful search and seizure, except in the case of treason.

One can only become a citizen of the Zora Kingdom if one has married a Zora. Other than that, all who live in the Zora Kingdom are offered basic protections, but are barred from the core rights that Zora citizens have, the major one being a right to a fair trial.

Tax law differs slightly from Hyrule in that taxation is based on one's income rather than property.

Violent capital offenses (murder, armed robbery, assault) are punishable by banishment or execution in the worse cases. Non-violent capital offenses (grand larceny, unarmed robbery, tax evasion) are punished with imprisonment. All other crimes, besides treason, are considered petty and carry fines.

Treason involves both crimes against the crown and religious blasphemy, and is uniquely punished with death.

Treason against the crown is defined as trading secrets to enemies, attempted or completed assassination of the crowned king and his immediate family, attempted or completed assassination of the crowned prince or his immediate family, aiding or abetting a domestic or foreign coup, and aiding or abetting a domestic or foreign terrorist threat.

Treason via religious blasphemy is defined as publicly verbally blaspheming against the Goddess at a religious ceremony, in front of the king, or in front of religious leaders, praying for the Goddess to curse the king or kingdom, tampering with or stealing spiritual artifacts for personal profit, and committing a terrorist act in the name of another deity.

Criminal cases are judged by the king with a single possibility of appeal, wherein the council of elders become the judges. Civil disputes are settled privately with a mediator.

The Zora have a long-standing and close allyship with the Kingdom of Hyrule, believing their relationship to be a symbiotic one. They are also close to the Rito and regularly offer them aid since the Rito have descended from the Zora. They feuded with the Gerudo 10,000 years ago due to the frosty relationship between the Zora King and the Gerudo King at the time, but have since maintained a customarily neutral stance.

The Zora economic policy is very liberal, and relies on trade with outside nations to sustain it. Their near-monopoly on the freshwater fish market, as well as their expertise in stone masonry and control over the luminous stone supply has made them the second-most powerful kingdom in Hyrule. The Zora was also known for being the go-to place for apprenticeships for outsiders seeking to become merchants after the Calamity, and they still gladly help, as long as the Zora Kingdom gets a cut of the profit.

The throne, as well as positions in the Council of Elders, is held until death.

The throne is passed from the King Zora to his oldest child upon his death.

An Elder is appointed by the King Zora based on their contributions to Zora society, be they social, political, or religious. One is only considered for the position if they are over 250 years old.

Prison is reserves for people whom have committed non-violent capital offenses. The prisons are not as destitute as Hyrule's, but prisoners do not have the right to the same quality of life as everyone else. All prisoners are kept in separate cells, and are not allowed visits from family and friends unless with expressed permission for the duration of their stay. While in prison, the prisoners are put to work until their eventual release, with sewer maintenance being the most common job. Unlike the Hylian prisoners, Zora prisoners can earn money for their work. However, it is far below what a full-time non-prisoner would receive since most of their check goes towards paying back society for their crime. Prison sentences are a minimum of five years and a maximum of 100 years.

Approval for the current King Zora, King Dorephan, are very high. The people consider him to be a grounded man who has done much to help his kingdom after the Calamity, as well as find the middle ground between the more conservative older generation and the liberal-minded younger generation.

Their are very few who can consider themselves Zora nobility, but their wealth just barely outclasses the average wealth of the middle-class, making them one of the least-stratified kingdoms in Hyrule. The poorest of the Zora do not struggle nearly as much as others due to necessities being very affordable in the kingdom, but they still cannot afford many luxuries that others enjoy.

Most of the other kingdoms and countries are fond of the Zora Kingdom, with the harshest stance against them being neutral on the Gerudo and Gorons' behalf.

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See "Zora Guard".

Zora Crown has been around for as long as the Zora have existed; it is one of the oldest kingdoms in Hyrule's history. However, the more modern kingdom that doesn't worship a Leviathan as an intermediate god was founded around 5,000 years after the Great Flood.

The Zora had very nearly gone to war with the Gerudo over the Crown of the Queen that the then-Zora Prince gave to his lover, Vatiti Buandai, when it was supposed to go to the Prince's future Zora wife.

The Zora royal symbol in blue with the likeness of an important Zora figure in each crescent, all against a white background.