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Immortal Childhood
By Hylian Dan
Contents
- Introduction
- Home, Sweet Home…
- Good-bye, Great Deku Tree
- Transformation
- The Playground
- Mortal Life
- The Child’s Wrath
- The Guardian Tree
- The Seeds of the Future
- Immortal Childhood
Introduction
Restless souls wander where they don’t belong…
—Ocarina of Time
As Link roams across the mysterious Koholint Island, a ghost begins to follow behind him. It whispers, “…The house… …take me… …the house… …at the bay…” Link brings the ghost to its former home. The floors are cracked, the lights have dimmed. The spirit sadly drifts across the room. “…Nostalgia… …unchanged… …boo hoo…”
“…Enough… …cemetery… …take me… …my grave…”
There is a common theme that runs through Link’s Awakening and Ocarina of Time. It is expressed more fully in Majora’s Mask, and summarized at the end of The Wind Waker. These four stories express what it means to live bound to the flow of time. They are stories about the beauty of mortality, the journey from childhood to adulthood and from life to death. They are about growing up and leaving behind the immortal playground of childhood, letting go of the familiar to venture out into the world that lies beyond.
Home, Sweet Home…
I wonder where these coconut trees come from? Tarin says there is nothing beyond the sea, but I believe there must be something over there…
Link, someday you will leave this island…I just know it in my heart…
…Don’t ever forget me…If you do, I’ll never forgive you!
—Marin
Link’s Awakening tells the story of a boy who is shipwrecked on Koholint Island. He is told that the only way to leave the island is to awaken the Wind Fish, who lies sleeping in a giant egg atop a mountain. But as Link gets to know the island and its people, a question begins to form: Why leave? Koholint is nothing less than a paradise, an infinitely beautiful and comforting home. Link even finds a family in Marin and Tarin, who take Link in and enjoy spending time with him.
Why leave?
The answer to that question haunts the entirety of Link’s Awakening. It is conveyed in the form of the song Marin sings, the Ballad of the Wind Fish. The song expresses the feelings deep in Marin’s heart, the everlasting desire to see the world that lies beyond Koholint, if there is a world out there. But, again, the only way to leave the island is to awaken the Wind Fish. And as Link eventually learns, waking the Wind Fish means that Koholint will vanish, for the island is but a dream.
The island paradise lies somewhere beyond time. When Link asks the children playing in Mabe Village when they came to Koholint, they are confused. Their minds cannot grasp the concept of “when.” Koholint stays the same forever, but Link does not. Neither, it seems, does Marin. They need to escape the dream world, escape to a world where “when” exists.
The story of Link’s Awakening is effectively summarized by the metaphor of the Wind Fish’s egg. Life on Koholint is like that of a creature whose life begins inside an egg. The egg incubates the newborn, keeping it safe and comfortable. But the egg is not supposed to last forever. Eventually, the newborn must break the eggshell to enter the world beyond it. Once the shell is broken, the small world inside the egg vanishes forever.
Good-bye, Great Deku Tree
The flow of time is always cruel… Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it…
—Sheik
The opening chapter of Ocarina of Time plays out much like the story of Link’s Awakening, with Kokiri Forest taking the place of Koholint Island, Saria taking the place of Marin, and the Deku Tree taking the place of the Wind Fish. Like Koholint, the forest is a world where “when” does not seem to exist. The children of the forest always remain as children. The Deku Tree warns the Kokiri that they will die if they cross the barrier separating the forest from the outside world.
While Link’s Awakening ended with Link’s decision to leave a timeless world, that decision is simply the beginning of the Hero of Time’s story. Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask are both about what it means to live in a world where “when” does exist. They explore how the flow of time shapes Link’s life, transforming both the world he lives in and the person he is at heart. The first part of the story, Ocarina of Time, focuses on the contrast between the world of the child and the world of the adult.
In the beginning, Link is simply a child. Kokiri Forest is a child’s playground contained within a protective barrier. As the player, you feel this sense of childhood wonder. Mystical lights dance in the air. Hidden treasures wait to be found. Other children are there to play with; some are friends, some are bullies.
At this point in the story, Link is young and inexperienced. When the Deku Tree dies, Navi tries to shield Link from the weight of the tragedy, quickly reminding him that they’re off to see Hyrule Castle. When Saria meets with Link to say good-bye, Link exits awkwardly.
Throughout the first part of Ocarina of Time, Link sees the world of Hyrule through the eyes of a child. It is a wonderful, comforting place. There is mystery, there is friendship, and there is danger. There is so much to explore, and there is still a home to return to.
But a transition occurs when Link passes through the Door of Time. The childhood world is torn away before Link has a chance to grow up, and he now sees the world of the adult… but still through the eyes of a child. It is a world of fear, loss, romance, and crushing responsibility.
Link is not yet too adept at handling it all. During his relationship with Ruto, Link behaves irresponsibly. He has no clue how Ruto feels, staying focused on his own goals. He vanishes from her life for seven years, and when he returns he is oblivious as to how this has affected her. Players see Ruto as some weird psycho girl, because that is how Link perceives her; he has no insight into her feelings. He is still a child.
The adult world is overwhelmed by a sense of loss and hardship. Places that once were full of life are now empty and abandoned. Link’s brief reunions with the Sages are tinged with sadness, for they each have separate paths to tread. These childhood friends are no longer a part of the world Link inhabits, though there is still the comfort offered through Saria’s Song.
The return to Kokiri Forest as an adult echoes the scene from Link’s Awakening when the ghost returned to haunt his old home. The people Link spent his childhood with don’t recognize him anymore; some fear that he has died. The stump where Saria once sat and played her ocarina with Link has been abandoned. The sense of nostalgia is painful. The world Link used to know has been taken away from him, stolen by time.
Ultimately, Link is able to come to terms with the adult world. He triumphantly overthrows Ganondorf and restores peace and justice to Hyrule. Princess Zelda, however, witnesses the pain Link feels when she meets with him as Sheik. She offers him the chance to return home, the place where he is supposed to be, the way he is supposed to be.
Transformation
By doing one good deed, a child becomes an adult.
—Cremia
In Ocarina of Time, a child is abruptly thrown into harsh adulthood. Link does not truly belong there, and eventually his childhood world is restored. When the game ends, Link is left in an awkward place. He is not yet an adult, but he has been through too much to feel that he still belongs at his home as a child. He has grown restless.
And so Majora’s Mask is about the transformation of Link’s spirit, as the Hero of Time leaves childhood behind to embrace the life of an adult. In Ocarina of Time, the exterior world changed to emphasize the contrast between the perspectives of a child and an adult. The world of Termina does not change as Hyrule did; it remains constant, frozen in a brief cycle of time. This time around, the change occurs inside Link. The world is different based only on how he perceives and approaches it.
Once again, the game opens by casting the player into the body of a child, a young Deku Scrub. Link is turned into a child because he has lost his sense of confidence, allowing Skull Kid and his mask to take advantage of Link. This time around, childhood is accompanied by a sense of helplessness, fear, and confusion because something has been lost. The lives of strangers are shrouded in mystery, and the falling moon is an obstacle too powerful to overcome. Adults gush about the Deku Scrub’s cuteness while hiding their true feelings from him. They refuse to let him leave the town, for the field outside is too dangerous for a child.
Next comes adolescence. Link’s original form is restored. The world opens up and he is able to venture beyond the walls of Clock Town. Adults demonstrate greater respect for him, and at times communicate with him on a deeper level. Link learns more about the people around him, their feelings and the lives they lead. He learns to handle these relationships more responsibly than the one he had with Ruto, and he is able to meet his obligations to these people instead of acting shocked whenever the subject of commitment arises.
As the player progresses through the game, Link continues to grow and transform beyond adolescence. In the form of Darmani, Link takes on the role of a respected hero, a symbol of hope to a community that is barely clinging to life. As Mikau, Link gets a taste of what it means to be in a committed relationship. He observes just how much Mikau means to his girlfriend Lulu, a Ruto look-alike. The transformations place Link in the adult world once more. There is still tragedy, romance, and tremendous responsibility. But the sense of horror that pervaded Ocarina’s adult world has been replaced by a sense of belonging. Unlike Ocarina’s Link, Darmani and Mikau had truly transformed into adults.
Link relives the three days again and again, each time gaining a more nuanced understanding of the world of Termina. He learns how to manage time, how to treat people, and how to change the world in ways that once seemed impossible. It gradually becomes apparent that Link is just as important to Clock Town and the surrounding places as Darmani and Mikau had been to their communities.
Kafei’s role in the story serves as a sort of counterpart to Link’s. Kafei is an adult who is important to his community. Skull Kid finds him and uses Majora’s Mask to trap Kafei in the form of a vulnerable child. When a thief steals Kafei’s wedding mask, Kafei is too afraid to return home. He becomes intimidated by his obligations, so he simply runs away. He neglects the feelings of the people close to him, and they feel pain and confusion. His adult form is not restored until after he returns home and faces Anju.
…Tee-hee! They’re lovers, but they look just like a mother and child.
—Tatl
The experience of Majora’s Mask shows that being an adult is not simply about having an older body. The game world is initially a sort of playground where children play hide and seek, but it subtly transforms into a much different place. It becomes a place where there are continuous obligations, where actions have consequences and people have feelings. As Link learns to navigate these complexities, he undergoes his own internal transformation, from a child to an adult.
The game’s final transformation mask commemorates the person Link has become. At the beginning of the game, Majora’s Mask recognizes the weakness inside Link, and the mask alters Link’s shape so that his external form reveals Link’s true self: a lost child. Link meets with Majora’s Mask again at the end of the game, but this time the mask offers him the Fierce Deity’s Mask. Link transforms into the Fierce Deity, and once again his outer form reveals his true self: a wise, powerful, and courageous adult.
The Playground
A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days.
—Sheik
The themes of childhood and adulthood are key elements of the Hero of Time’s story, but the true meaning behind Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask runs even deeper. This meaning involves the relationship between two worlds: one that stays the same forever, and one where “when” exists.
The Hero of Time’s story begins in a world of immortal childhood, where the children always remain as children. The hero leaves the unchanging world, even though he is warned that those who leave will one day die. From there, the story revolves around Link’s relationship to the flow of time and how it changes him.
In Ocarina, players see the world of adulthood from the perspective of a child. Majora then transforms players so that they see the world from the perspective of an adult, and realize that it is not as bad as it once seemed. And finally, towards the end of the story, players see childhood through the eyes of an adult.
This takes place during the finale of Majora, when players enter the world beyond the moon. There is a serene field where children play beneath a magnificent tree. This setting and the events that unfold here contain several layers of allegory that, once understood, reveal the central meaning of the story.
Once again, the scene when Koholint’s ghost returns to his house is important here. The field offers Link a glimpse of a beautiful world that he no longer belongs to. The image of the children playing beneath the tree recalls Link’s own childhood, when he lived with the Kokiri in the forest of the Great Deku Tree. Though the children here are strangers, the scene is hauntingly familiar.
“…Nostalgia… …unchanged…”
Like the ghost who took one last look at his earthly home before going to his eternal resting place, Link returns to the world of his childhood one last time before he leaves it behind forever to become the Fierce Deity.
The setting itself, the playground of the masked children, has clear ties to Termina. The tree standing at the heart of the playground mirrors the Clock Tower standing at the heart of Termina. The Clock Tower counts down the hours as time passes by. Termina is bound to the flow of time, but the playground beyond the moon is eternal. The Clock Tower symbolizes mortality, while the tree symbolizes immortality.
The playground is a paradise untouched by time, an infinitely beautiful and comforting home to the masked children. In this sense, it is just like Koholint Island. However, the tranquility of the scene is disrupted by the roars of distant earthquakes. Like the Ballad of the Wind Fish, these tremors represent the call of the world beyond, a voice asking the dreamers to awaken.
Each of the masked children asks to play with Link when he appears in the playground. There are five children, akin to the five members of the Bombers who play with Link. Four of the masked children ask Link to play hide and seek once again.
When he finds each of the four children, they are waiting for him in a brightly painted room. Simple, colorful patterns adorn the walls, floor, and ceiling. The room is a child’s playpen.
In these rooms, each child asks Link a question:
Your friends…What kind of…people are they?
I wonder… Do those people…think of you…as a friend?
You…What makes you…happy?
I wonder…What makes you happy… Does it make…others happy, too?
The right thing…What is it?
I wonder…If you do the right thing… Does it really make…everybody…happy?
Your true face…What kind of…face is it?
I wonder…The face under the mask… Is that…your true face?
—The Masked Children
The questions reveal that the kids are starting to grow up. They’re starting to wonder about the feelings of the people around them, the nature of right and wrong, and whether they should accept things at face value. These questions are the first steps on the path to adulthood. When Link returns to the field, these children have left.
This process represents the end of childhood, but there is also a grander level of symbolism at work. The rooms where the children wait for Link contain four blocks, each with the face of the moon painted on its sides. The blocks are arranged in a compass pattern, representing the four giants and the four worlds of Termina. Termina is represented as a playpen.
The more time the player spends in Termina, the smaller the world seems to become. At first, it towers above the young Deku Scrub. But Link’s body is a little taller, and the bodies of Darmani and Mikau are taller still. The player takes on larger forms as the game progresses, even becoming a giant briefly. The larger the player becomes, the smaller the surrounding world appears. When Link stands in the Termina-like playpens, the effect is similar to donning the Giant’s Mask in Twinmold’s arena. The world is so small because in his heart, Link has become a giant. He has outgrown Termina.
When the children vanish from the field, it does not simply represent a child entering the adult world. It also symbolizes a soul leaving Termina, letting go of the world of the living to see what lies beyond death.
Mortal Life
The rising sun will eventually set, a newborn’s life will fade.
From sun to moon, moon to sun.
Give peaceful rest to the living dead.
—Inscription on the Royal Family’s Tomb
Throughout Majora’s Mask, the moon is a symbol of death. It is the source of the ominous earthquakes, the voice telling the children that they have no time left to spend in the playground.
Termina is a mortal world, and all things mortal must eventually end. This is the condition Link accepts at the start of Ocarina when he leaves Kokiri Forest: he will one day die. (Since Link is a Hylian, not a Kokiri, this would have applied regardless. But Link did not have that knowledge when he made his choice, and neither did players. By leaving the forest, Link and players accept the prospect of death.)
The great conflict of Majora is the fact that a world is facing its death. The player is able to observe the different ways people handle the inevitability of the end. Some run away in fear, some hide in the corners of their homes crying. Some abandon all hope and go for one last drink at the bar, while others stand and face the falling moon, cursing it in a fit of madness. Some think of all that has been left unseen and undone, love that has been lost, mistakes that have been made, time that has been wasted. But there are others who find peace. They hold their loved ones close and prepare to greet the morning together.
The player has two overarching tasks: to help the people of Termina find acceptance and strength in the face of death, and to grant them more time to spend in the playground that is the living world.
There are also others who have been torn away from the playground but continue to haunt it; they are the living dead.
Kamaro died before he could teach the world his dance. Darmani died before he could save his people. Mikau dies while his lover still gazes at the sea hopelessly. The land of Ikana has been cursed so that the dead cannot escape it. They roam the earth, plagued with regret. Gibdos wander about underground, longing for worldly pleasures. Sharp and Flat are bound to their old feud. The King and his servants lurk in the darkness of their castle for eternity.
That scene from Link’s Awakening plays out again and again in Majora’s Mask: tormented souls haunt their old homes, yearning for a world where they no longer belong. To them, Link must bring peace.
The Child’s Wrath
Why must you leave?
Why do you not stay?
—The Imp
In the field with the tree, there is one child who does not leave. The child sits beneath the tree of immortality, holding on to it like Gollum clutching the Ring—the Ring that prolongs life long after all of its beauty has faded away. The four children leave the playground, but the child wearing Majora’s Mask continues to haunt it.
This child wants his days in the playground to never end. Skull Kid wanted the giants to be with him forever. Skull Kid and Majora’s Mask cannot stand life in a mortal world. They cannot accept change, they cannot accept that things end.
Thus, the true enemy of Majora’s Mask is time itself. The mask’s ultimate objective is to end the flow of time, to end the mortal world where time exists. Hence the symbolic imagery of the falling moon destroying the Clock Tower.
Majora’s Mask desires only unchanging immortality, a folly that both Ocarina of Time and Link’s Awakening warn against. Koholint Island is at risk of transforming into a nightmare if the dreamer stays too long. Kokiri Forest is shielded by a curse: mortals who enter the immortal forest turn into monsters. This sort of danger is epitomized by the monster Link battles at the end of Majora’s Mask.
When the child sitting under the tree asks to play with Link, the two enter a giant, perverted playpen. It is filled with deadly toys: masks that fire beams of light, and sharp spinning tops that explode. This arena is the opposite of the shrunken playpens of the four other children. Those children outgrew their playpens, but the walls of this playpen tower above the monstrous child who calls it home.
That is what Majora truly is: a child who refuses to grow up. Its three manifestations represent childish immaturity. The Child’s Mask hides the child’s true self behind a facade, the Child’s Incarnation lives for the joys of playtime, and the Child’s Wrath lashes out at the world in selfish anger. It holds two monstrous, tentacle-like whips perfect for grabbing hold of something and never letting go. It delights in the agony of those around it and screams in horror and pain whenever it is wounded. This monster is the antithesis of the other four children and the altruistic questions they ask.
Bratty, self-centered kids generally need stern parents. Hence, the Fierce Deity. If Link faces the bully in any other body, it is terribly powerful. But the Fierce Deity utterly overpowers Majora’s forms. The adult silences the wailing child as time’s hero brings Majora’s Mask’s playtime to an end.
The Guardian Tree
Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time… that is up to you.
—The Happy Mask Salesman
The tree standing in the playground represents all that is beautiful in life, all that is beloved and invaluable. However, time causes all things to fade. Life’s greatest treasures do not last forever. Those who love the tree must learn to let go of it when time comes to take it away.
This is why the Hero of Time’s story begins with the death of the Great Deku Tree. Throughout Ocarina and Majora, trees and tree stumps are used to represent simple beauty and tragic loss.
One of the brightest aspects of Link’s childhood is his friendship with Saria. When Link returns to the Sacred Forest Meadow where she taught him Saria’s Song, he pauses for a moment beside the empty tree stump.
When Skull Kid became friends with Tatl and Tael, he carved a picture of the three of them in a tree. After their friendship becomes fragmented, Tatl sees the carving and remembers those happier days. Saria’s Song plays during this sequence.
Early in Majora, Link finds a tree that looks like it’s about to cry. The tree is the dead body of the Deku Butler’s son—Skull Kid killed it to create Link’s Deku Scrub form. At the end of the game, the Deku Butler kneels before the tree and mourns his son.
Majora’s Mask represents the temptation to sit beneath that tree forever, to never let go of it. The only way to grow is to overcome that temptation.
Majora’s story is framed by Link’s search for Navi. Though players generally have mixed feelings about this guardian fairy, she meant an awful lot to Link. As a kid, Link was bullied for being different, being the one Kokiri with no fairy companion. The carvings at the base of Link’s home show a dinosaur fighting a warrior who has a fairy at his side, showing how Link longed for this companionship. When Navi came to Link, his whole life changed. Saria was happy for him, and he could stand up to Mido. Navi was with Link when he left the forest, when he lost seven years of his life, when he returned home and no one recognized him. She believed in him, supported him, and kept him headed in the right direction.
For every meeting, there is a parting. Without Navi, Link feels lost and alone. Link’s feelings towards his beloved guardian and friend are represented by the beauty of the immortal tree in the field beyond the moon. Link has been separated from the tree. The fear and confusion inherent in Majora’s first three-day cycle represent Link’s resulting mental state. Whether the parting, the period of mourning, lasts forever or merely for a short time… that is up to him.
At the heart of Majora’s Mask is the story of Link recovering from the loss of his friend, the story of Link learning to let go of the tree. The game ends with Saria’s Song playing over the image of a tree stump where Link carves his memories of Termina: he let go of one tree and found a new one.
For the Deku Butler, for the Goron Elder’s son, and for Lulu, the story is about to begin again.
The Seeds of the Future
I can see this girl’s dreams.
Oceans… Oceans… Oceans… Oceans…
Oceans as far as the eye can see.
—Ganondorf
The Wind Waker tells this same story of mortality and immortality, of beauty and loss, of wandering spirits with lingering regrets. In this game, the ancient kingdom of Hyrule represents the immortal world, and the Great Sea is the mortal world. The part of Koholint’s ghost is played by Ganondorf and King Daphnes, who are overwhelmed with nostalgia for their lost home.
One of the great highlights of the game is the discovery of Hyrule sleeping on the ocean floor. For most of the game, the player sees only vast seas with small islands scattered across them, but here there are tall mountains and rolling hills. This contrast between ocean and land is akin to the contrast Majora created between the world of the three-day cycle and the field where time stands still.
When Link first finds Hyrule, it is frozen in time. Hyrule is the past, and the Great Sea is the present. As for the future, Ganondorf makes it clear that he sees nothing there:
So many pathetic creatures, scattered across a handful of islands, drifting on this sea like fallen leaves on a forgotten pool… What can they possibly hope to achieve?
—Ganondorf
Ganondorf and Daphnes both perceive Hyrule the way the Hero of Time perceives Navi, the way Skull Kid perceives his days with the giants, the way the Deku King perceives his daughter: a lone, beautiful tree surrounded by vast, barren fields. When the tree is lost, all that remains is seeming emptiness.
As Ganondorf prepares to touch the Triforce, his wish is for the tree to be restored to him:
Gods! Hear that which I desire!
Expose this land to the rays of the sun once more! Let them burn forth!
Give Hyrule to me!!!
—Ganondorf
But the King of Hyrule learns the same lesson that Link learned in Majora’s Mask: the only way to move forward is to let go of the tree.
Gods of the Triforce! Hear that which I desire!
Hope! I desire hope for these children! Give them a future!
Wash away this ancient land of Hyrule! Let a ray of hope shine on the future of the world!!!
—King Daphnes
As the King speaks his wish, a choir sings the Serenade of Water from Ocarina of Time.
Time passes, people move. Like a river’s flow, it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition… Young love will become deep affection… The clear water’s surface reflects growth…
Now, listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself…
—Sheik
The King’s wish reflects his own growth. Ganondorf would have reversed the flow of time’s river so that he could relive the past, but the King lets the water wash away the ancient world. Ganondorf, like Majora’s Mask, cannot stand the idea of a world that moves forward, so he attempts to destroy the King’s hope for the future by killing Link and Tetra. When Link defeats Ganondorf, the emissary of the past turns to stone.
The King of Hyrule then speaks the message that Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and The Wind Waker have all been preparing:
My children… Listen to me. I have lived regretting the past. And I have faced those regrets.
If only I could do things over again… Not a day of my life has gone by without my thoughts turning to my kingdom of old. I have lived bound to Hyrule.
In that sense, I was the same as Ganondorf.
But you…
I want you to live for the future. There may be nothing left for you… But despite that, you must look forward and walk a path of hope, trusting that it will sustain you when darkness comes.
Farewell…
This is the only world that your ancestors were able to leave you.
Please…forgive us.
—King Daphnes
Immortal Childhood
This island is going to disappear…
Our world is going to disappear…
Our world…
Our… world…
—The Nightmares
Ocarina of Time begins with Link venturing beyond the confines of his familiar playpen, even if it means his death. This act is what the Legend of Zelda series is all about. The magical feeling players sense in these games is this curiosity, this thirst for discovery, this desire for adventure. It is the call of the future.
In Majora’s Mask, this call is represented by the terrifying moon. The people of Termina live clinging to something, holding onto regrets, and thus the prospect of embracing the future frightens them. Link’s Awakening and The Wind Waker both use wind to symbolize moving forward. One game has Link awakening the Wind Fish and the other game is titled The Wind Waker. It ends with Tetra and Link setting sail, letting the wind guide them to a new land.
Dream and reality, past and present, immortality and mortality: two worlds, one beyond the reach of time, the other governed by it. The relationship between these two worlds is the theme these four games continuously explore, symbolized by Majora’s juxtaposition of the tree and the Clock Tower. There is the timeless world of childhood, where children play under the supervision of a loving guardian, free from obligations. And there is the passing world of adulthood, where lives are lived according to schedules and everything has an end.
As beautiful as childhood’s playground is, eventually children yearn for something more, like Marin longing to see what lies beyond the sea. But when they leave childhood it vanishes forever, like Koholint Island.
They enter a new territory, the mortal world of adulthood. But as time passes, even this world becomes smaller, seeming like another playground with finite boundaries. And finally they leave behind this world as well.
The living world is like the inside of an egg. Once the shell is broken, that world is gone forever.
The rising sun will eventually set, a newborn’s life will fade.
From sun to moon, moon to sun.
Give peaceful rest to the living dead.
Restless souls wander where they don’t belong.
Bring them calm with the Sun’s Song.
—Ocarina of Time
The first line of this poem uses the sun to symbolize life, and in Majora’s Mask the moon symbolizes death. Therefore, the meaning of the second line is this: From life to death, death to life.
Time marches on and carries the living with it. One day, it asks them to let go of childhood. Another day, it asks them to let go of life. Time brings all things to their end—to termina—and then it releases them. This is the order of the mortal world.
The Nightmares, Majora’s Mask, and Ganondorf all try to destroy this order because they are clinging to something precious. The Nightmares want Koholint to last forever, Majora’s Mask wants playtime to last forever, and Ganondorf wants Hyrule to last forever. They all live needing their playpens, in a perpetual state of childhood. Trapped in a mortal existence, they thirst for immortality.
For something to truly be immortal, it must be free from the reach of time. The only way to escape time is through death, through an ending. Those who try to hold onto something beautiful forever do not let that beautiful thing die, even as time drains its life. They become like Koholint’s ghost: restless souls, forever haunting that which is gone.
As Sheik says to Link in the Sacred Forest Meadow, “The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different to each person, but no one can change it.
“A thing that does not change with time is a memory of younger days.”
When something is lost, that thing transforms, escaping time and becoming a memory. Memories are immortal: they stay the same forever, their beauty never fading.
Immortals yearn for mortality, and mortals yearn for immortality. To find peace, the two worlds must exist in harmony. Though they are apart, memory is the link that binds them together.
We let go of the tree to explore the world beyond it, but the tree is never lost.
I am the Wind Fish… Long has been my slumber…
In my dreams… an egg appeared and was surrounded by an island, with people, animals, an entire world!
But, verily, it be the nature of dreams to end! When I dost awaken, Koholint will be gone… Only the memory of this dream land will exist in the waking world… Someday, thou may recall this island… That memory must be the real dream world…
… … … …
Come Link… Let us awaken… together!!
—Link’s Awakening
About the Author
Dan Merrill, aka Hylian Dan, attends Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, where he is majoring in electronic game design. His portfolio can be found at www.danvmerrill.com.
E-mail: hyliandan [at] zeldauniverse.net
Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland was released only in Japan and Europe, never making it to the USA due to lackluster sales. Surprisingly, the game was well-received among those who did play and review the game. You play as Tingle, a 35-year-old (and single) man lost in the world. Guided by the mysterious figure Uncle Rupee, Tingle fills a mystical spring with money and gain access to the wonderful Rupeeland, a paradise where nobody has to work. Along the way, hire body guards to protect Tingle – but from what? All may not be as it seems in Tingle’s quest for monetary gain, and Rupeeland just might not be so rosy after all...
it's like you and good times are in an egg and the world is outside. majora was in it's own egg, then the world shatterd her egg so her forms represented the emotions majora's mask :hideing behind a mask in fear. majora's incarnation memories of old freinds and good times and liveing in the past
majora's wrath :anger rage hatred and revenge to the world for shatering the egg.but a good child will find a new egg and majora woildn't let go of her old egg.
mabey there is something bigger then we're thinking mabey all the games have one thing in common that could explain every thing about zelda, link and all the other charactors who knows.
This made me cry several times.
Brilliant.
I had no idea all of this was inright in front of my very eyes, and yet I couldn't see it.
This was a good read, but I think you are being a bit unfair to Link in regard to the Princess Ruto relationship. First off, Ruto thrust herself onto Link, Link didn't agree to any kind of a commitment, and secondly Link had no idea he would be gone for seven years, so you can't really blame him for that…still good read
Yeah, I agree. It wasn't just child's perception, she WAS a bit creepy to say the least. lol She's like Old Gregg from The Mighty Boosh.
i just beat the game links awakening it almost ade me cry to realise that koholint island was a dream disapointing i almost wish i didnt beat the game
same hear so i kept reeplaying the game but i forget how to get the seashells cn some1 tell me wear thay r
Thank you very much, your words and interpretation have opened my eyes and gotten very deep inside of me, it has moved me truly.
I can't believe you didn't mention Tingle though. He was the best example.He wanted to remain a child, and his dad told him to grow up, but why?
Never have I read something so deep and true. How many would just say it's a game for enjoyment and ignore the lessons that they are trying to portray. I thank you for your great story and I hope to read more from this insight. It is not something most would actually take the time to understand or even interpret. I thank you for the insight I had missed. =]
This was an awesome read. I only found this place because there a discussion on another forum where I proposed Major Mask was a giant Metaphor. This was much deeper than my attempt to scratch the surface. This whole renewed look at Major's Mask has push me to put MM ahead of Oot. The game was hands down a work of pure genius.
Dan, you are a great writer. Here in california its like midnight and i just finished. Dan, keep writing. but one thing. didn’t hyrule flood right after OoT? isn’t that why link and tetra/zelda are looking for new hyrule? (doesn’t spirit tracks take place in new hyrule? obviously they found it.
) you said (i’ve never played twilight princess :/ ) that twighlight princess takes place in hyrule. does TP take place right after OoT? please reply. if not others please reply at timmpn@gmail.com
thanks
-Tim
Ocarina of Time's ending created two timelines, due to the time travel. Twilight Princess takes place in the Young Link timeline, and The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks take place centuries after Ganon is sealed in the Adult Link timeline.
HAHAHA, Splitist, huh?
I have read the discussion about this, I think there are connections between stories, but I don't think there's one or two timelines. You could tie the knots, but someone will always find a flaw.
Regardless of that, good article.
greetings
Oh, don't put much stock in what I say about timelines. I lost interest in that topic a long time ago. What I wrote above summarizes what I remember reading from an old interview with Mr. Aonuma about TP.
Ok, thanks for the quick reply.
I just tried to tease you, but with no ill intentions apart from pointing on the fact that Zelda fans will never agree about whether it is one timeline or two. I just think that debate is a lost cause. That's all.
Thanks again, Hylian Dan.
I don’t think there is anything I could say here to convey just how much I loved the piece. I could blather on all day long about how much I enjoyed reading it, and how it deepened something I only ever really thought of as a game. I listened to MM’s Final Hour the entire time, and must admit I cried a little.
Thanks so much for sharing your insight Hylian Dan! I will be bookmarking this page.
I think everyone should play these games, then read this. The entire world would grow up.
I could not hold my tears back when i read this. One word: Brilliant
In all these years I've never read anything more moving than this. After viewing others' comments I can not add anything else other than to say that this was truly beautiful. Since my earliest of years i loved zelda and still continue to this day. Funny enough, my favorites are still Link's Awakening, Ocarina, and Majora's Mask. I always considered that was because of the gameplay and storyline; which is still true. But after reading this i realize there might be something more than those reasons. I feel a connection to the characters. I recently have become in the eyes of society an adult. But i still linger to the childhood memories and feelings, not wanting to move on and stay frozen in time for eternity. Your words have not only opened my eyes to the games, but my own life as well. If i am to be more like Link, i too must leave my own little world and move on to the next. So all that's left to say is… thank you. For the wonderful read, and insight.
I felt the same way, Malink fan, but if I you put oneself in others position, you could find good reasons to stay in that condition. Does that make it automatically immature regardless of the reasons? I think not.
On the other hand, does Link truly move on? He has grown up, but if you see it from another perspective, his fate is to be the Hero of Time. Does this make him into a free spirit or does it tie him down to do the same thing over and over again, just like many professions in the world do?
Don't get me wrong, I believe the story is about growing up, yet letting go of the tree has not to be taken too literally. Does leaving your family and you moving to a different country to live on your own makes you grow up? Yes, totally. However, does the opposite apply as well? Does staying with your family because you feel you have a responsibility to it and refuse to go live somewhere, let's say your country make you a person who "refuses" to grow up? I think not and that's where I disagree with Dan, although I don't think he is "wrong". He is right that "growing up" about "moving on" and "letting go of the tree" but if you think you have break bonds with your family and go on your own sometimes can be seen the wrong way. How many people in the world have regretted for not being present when part of our family leaves this world. I heard also closed ones criticize their parents for having the possibility to leave and move out to different countries, and not taking that step because they wanted to stay. Does this decision automatically make them "immature" or "not letting to let go of the tree"? the second can certainly be seen that way, but I don't think that decision makes it "immature", especially if there are reasons to it.
As many others, I believe many of us have been taught that part of growing up is to learn to respect others thoughts and decisions, whether we agree with them or not. If that's the case, we have to acknowledge that growing up does not follow only one single formulae. There are many ways of growing up and "moving on" may be seen as part of it, but in our world, many people do the same thing over and over again
I have a lot of nostalgia. Hell, I even want to buy the house when I lived as a Kid when I'm older (third age, probably). Yet, responsibilities, handling out difficult situations, take a stand in certain matters, create your own morals and values; all of these things are part of "growing up".
"Moving on" is a very broad expression, and "letting it go" is only a part of it. In order to "grow up", one has to let go a certain things and accept others, especially responsibilities, whether we like it or not. Yet, that does not mean that we have to leave behind "everything". Our memory recollects very well these things, and just as the Happy Sales man says at the end of MM: "it's up to us", it's our duty to grow up according to what we believe and leave up to our expectations, "moving on" to a new life, letting go certain things, but keeping those that we consider valuable.
greetings
wow, that was amazing
Well, I'm glad someone with such a profound amount of insight into the art of video games is actually going into game design. We need more creative minds to push the envelope beyond just the effeminate, gossiping and cliche characters of Japanese games, and the meat-head characters of American game design who don't understand the plots no matter how basic they are.
I really hope whatever company you work for in the future respects and listens to you.
That was A+++++. To me Oot and MM werent just the best games of all time but artistic masterpieces. Like your analysis i find myself hanging on to those days as a child when i first played them but i realise and accepted i must move on never to play such an amazing game ever again.
Your articles are very profound but even more practical, Hylian Dan. You should consider taking up writing after you graduate, unless you have by now.
Thank you so much for putting your time and thought into these.
I remember this one. It's an amazing read, and going over it a second a second time I've noticed a lot more things, such as how BEN was basically derived from the Moon Children. A large amount of other ideas stick out, but I'll leave those for subsequent commenters to peruse over and note in their own posts.
Wow! Incredible article.
One thing I'd like to add (perhaps on these several pages of articles someone has said this, perhaps not)–this theme started in the first game, which Shigeru Miyamoto said was inspired by his own imaginary adventures as a child. The first ''Zelda'', based on the life of a child, is about a young boy who takes on the responsibility of an adult–defeating a powerful evil that threatened the safety of the entire land.
Still, Miyamoto clearly recognized the immortality of memories (with his memories of childhood in mind) when he conceived of Link. The fact that Link's clothing look almost exactly like those of Peter Pan's is definitely not a coincidence.
Beautiful.
this is friggin amazing, made me think about a lot of things while i was reading this
Dude…that was an incredible analysis. These games have always meant much to me, and with a greater understanding of them, I can find new appreciation in the old. Listening to the Ballad of the Wind Fish while reading an epic LoZ article. Nothing like it!
"We let go of the tree to explore the world beyond it, but the tree is never lost."
One does not forget The Legend of Zelda!
Wow. You've really put alot of heartfelt thought into this. One thing you haven't really touched upon, which became more clear througout, is that Link is the hero of time. Now, what I mean is, "Link", is not a singular entity, every Link in TLoZ, is one of the many heros. This occurs because of the lessons you so clearly brought forward, are repeated over and over throughout time, and he can only BE the hero, if he can transcend the desire to cling to the tree, the want to never let go, and dive into the uncertainty. Every Link is affected. Even in Twilight Princess, where he has to leave his village, leave all that is comfortable to chase down a Tyrant who represents the misery and fear of the unknown, represented in the spirits of Hyrule. In that, Midna is his guide, be she too has to let go of her childish desire for revenge, and to stop using Link. She realises this when she falls in love with him, something a child could never appreciate; and though she appears to have the body of a childish imp, she is infact a young adul (reflecting on Kafei), the same way Link is. This suggests that in this game, it is not so much about pure age, but attitudes to things, learning to let go, dive into uncertainty, to push yourself further into something that you may not understand or be afraid of. This is what Zelda is about, and I think you've hit the nail on the head my friend. You've obviously put alot more thought into it than I have, but the point of Zelda, is that The Hero of Time, TRANSCENDS time, and occurs as another youth, whether a child, or a young adult, who has to learn to let go of childish desire, and to grow, through experience. In that sense, there can be no end to Zelda, because there will ALWAYS be a new youth who has to experience that, and as he is reborn through time (as are his challenges), Link must reface his challenges over and over in a never ending cycle of learning.
That is an epic article. Now I know the true meanings to what Shigeru's dialogue in some Zelda games mean.
That.. was the best thing I have ever read in my entire life, I am serious. It made me cry a little, I don't think words can really describe how amazing it was. Thank you for writing it.
Amazing stuff this. I do have a thought however; If mortals that enter the Kokiri forests are cursed into becoming monsters, why did this have no effect on the very mortal Link? Was adulthood deemed his curse for entering? Though that was to happen anyhow. Or was he perhaps born within the forest? Still, even were he carried there in mother's womb, he still would be a mortal crossing the forest's border. So was he conceived within the forest walls and then mayhaps his parents went mad and became some of the evil lurking within the forest? Though even were that the case, link crosses over the forest border many times throughout his life as both child and adult. Perhaps they dropped the ball with this conflicting bit in the story. Just a musing of thoughts here. Any thoughts from you guys/gals?
Well his parents didn't turn into monsters. His father was a Hylian Knight that died in battle before Link was brought to the forest. Then his mother, dying, brought Link to the Deku tree when he was a baby. The Deku tree agreed to watch over him and she died right there.
You know, I hadn't really thought about the Deku Tree's play in this.
But I guess that would certainly suffice as an explanation, seeing as how the Deku tree could've granted Link access denied to other mortals. Thanks dude!
I love the themes, but I wonder if the game designers intended it. As a writer, I loved reading this. It really gives the games a different meaning, but for me personally, it won't be as strong if it wasn't intended.
Yoshiaki Koizumi wrote Link's Awakening's story and co-directed Majora's Mask. He later directed Super Mario Galaxy and inserted Rosalina's Story in there, which shares many of these themes. Check out the role of the tree in that story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBDTcRo2J6Y
Absolutely amazing.
That was beautiful! It made me realize what these games mean and symbolize. Great article!!
I cried, it was beautiful. No more comments
That was absolutely beautiful. It makes me proud to be a Zelda fan because the whole point to it is to tell a story – a deep, mature, powerful, and wonderful one! Other games just don't have this type of stuff in it. This is proof that a video game can create amazing experiences that different entertainment can't create.
Kudos to you, Hylian Dan! You're definitely my favorite article writer!
I am changed
My prior confusion aside, I really did enjoy this article though. I'm halfway disturbed at the amount of time you dedicated to piece all of this together, and half inspired and awed by your diligence and careful eye.
The bit about the play pins was exquisite. As was the bit about leaving the moon tree. & Describing Majora as an incensed child? Astounding! It certainly offers new views on everything in the Zelda franchise. The way you described Majora wanting to break the world of when was also fascinating. Keep up the good work!
Dude, Dan, how do you write such deep articles on the Legend of Zelda? I guess the deeper meaning is there all along, waiting to be found. I was thinking while I read this how Shigeru Miyamoto says that the inspiration behind creating the Legend of Zelda was exploring when he was a kid. So these games are like bringing back childhood for him, I suppose.
Btw, that wandering ghost in Link's Awakening and that quote, "Restless souls wander where they don’t belong…" reminds me of something Jesus said: "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." Matthew 12:43-45a. Morbid, I know, but it came to mind
A few years ago I figured that since "true happiness" was often alluded to in certain Zelda games, studying these games closely would allow me to understand the sort of happiness they referred to. That's where these articles came from.
Haven't read it all yet but I have to say… outstanding. This isn't just a read, its a deep religious and philosophical experience.
Fantastic article! One thing I would like to point out though: At the end of the Wind Waker it played the castle theme and not the Serenade of Water, making the next few claims slighty irrevelevant. However, I guess perfection and imperfection are like the two worlds. Life and death, mortality and imortality, time and infinity, childhood and adulthood. Thank you for helping me see the world anew.
I believe the choral part of the castle theme is based on the Serenade of Water, the way Windfall's music echoes Kakariko Village.
Absolutely amazing article. I think this changed my life a little. :')
Personally I like the way you depicted it. It brought more depth, meaning, and understanding to the Zelda games. I would like to state the similarities between the games and actual life. Some people live their lives in the perspective of MM and Ganon in the sense that they don't want to let go of their trees of youth, they don't want things to change. Where as people with the perspective of Link don't necessarily embrace change but know that it is needed so they set forth on an adventure of their own with the intentions of overcoming obstacles that they know will appear.
For instance, someone with the MM perspective would be the kind of 40 year old unemployed person that lives with their parents still. They don't want to face the responsibilities of the Adult world so they hide away.
Someone with the Link perspective would be an 18 year old fresh outta school whose ready to get a job, move out on his own, get into a relationship, and start paying bills.
One thing that I thought of when you said that the three days represent Link's mental state after Ocarina is something i heard about an experiment. In this experiment, people were given glasses that made the world turn upside down, but found that after three days, they could see fine again. Once they took off the glasses past this three day mark, the world was upside down again. Once again, it took three days for the brain to readjust before they could see normally again. The time that Link spends in Termina is very similar to him adjusting to his world being turned upside down by the events in Ocarina. He keeps resetting time because he is not quite ready to finish adjusting but he finally grows and is able to accept and adjust to the new worldview.
this Hylian Dan guy deserves some kind of award
Very nice and interesting read. Like someone had mentioned before, when we play these games, we don't necessarily pick up on these things. It's great to know someone picks these up and then reports their findings in an easy to understand manner! Great job!
Cute ideas, but…
It falls short. There is more to it.
Man, I never thought of MM like this. Now I see it has a deeper message then I ever noticed…
Why no mention of Tingle?
simply impressed by this articule..opens your eyes into a much more bigger world in the Zelda's series…wow wow
I finished the whole thing and I'm totally speechless! It's very interesting to see the stories put into a different perspective and make so much sense. It's left this feeling in my mind that I can't explain at the moment. But this was completely well written and well thought out. Inspiring even~!
How nice! I neve thought of Zelda as a story like this! That is beautiful!
I actually teared up a little reading this. Beautiful.
This made me reflect, not only upon the games, but upon myself too.
Some of the parts of the games that you quoted are some of the ones that truly stayed with me all these years(I decided to read the article precisely because I noticed it started with the ghost scene from LA), now I can see why, and now that I'm an adult, and nostalgia for the younger days burns much more painfully, these themes truly resonate in me.
Hands down my favorite article on this site. I remember reading this shortly before I left for my first year of college, and it both saddened and comforted me. Now I'm a senior and have one more year before I enter the "real world," and that seems even scarier. But I'm going to read through this article again and remember that we all have to leave our "playrooms" at some point, =)
I have felt this way about these games for a long time, and it's nice to see it articulated in a way I could not accurately describe. And this only scratches the surface, gives us a glimpse. It would take pages and pages to present the level of depth in Majora's Mask alone.
For instance, Majora describes Link as 'the bad guy.' The Fierce Deity mask is hinted to be something dark (which, if it is as you say, and it represents the strength in Link, he has the capacity for evil)–in Japanese, an Oni. A demon.
"And when you're bad, you just run. That's fine, right?"