“I shall meet you again…”
When Majora’s Mask opens, Link is in the middle of a long journey in search of his beloved and invaluable friend. But when the Moon vanishes from the skies of Termina, Tatl mentions that both she and Link have found what they were seeking(7). At that point, the Happy Mask Salesman offers Link these words:
“Shouldn’t you be returning home as well?
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 game ends as Link is riding through the forest once more. Perhaps he is continuing his search for his departed friend, but there is a chance that he is heading somewhere else.
When Princess Zelda bid farewell to Link, she said that she believed in her heart that the day would come when they would meet again. And both Tatl and the Salesman believe that Link has found that which he was truly seeking. His journey has come to a close, and it is time for him to return home.
“…Everyone has gone away, haven’t they?”
—Child wearing Majora’s Mask
Long ago, the Four Giants departed and left behind their friend Skull Kid. Skull Kid was torn. He didn’t understand why his friends left, and he didn’t believe that they would ever be there for him again. In his loneliness, he lost all faith.
At the end of Ocarina of Time, Link’s longtime friend departed as well. He didn’t know why she left, where she had gone, or whether he would ever meet her again. In his loneliness, Link begins a long journey in search of her. But the search is fruitless and as Link nearly loses all hope, his desperation is the only thing keeping him going.
But Zelda’s close friend had also departed. She didn’t know where he would go or how long he would be away, but she believed that she would one day see him again. In his absence, she waits patiently and prays for him. And when the time is right, the Happy Mask Salesman reminds Link that there is someone back home awaiting his return.
And so Link returns home, having found what he was after. And he trusts that one day his beloved and invaluable friend will return to him.
(7) If you decide to replay Majora’s Mask, pay close attention to the development of Tatl’s character. It illustrates very well the overall message of the story. She wears her own mask to hide her insecurities, but there are times when she tries to remove that mask and reveal her true feelings. She typically acts snide and sarcastic towards Link, but at one point she apologizes for her actions, and towards the end she even admits to admiring Link. Tatl’s close friend viciously betrays her, and she watches as that friend abuses her brother. Again and again, she declares that she will never forgive Skull Kid. Throughout the game we see her doubting her brother Tael, but Tael reveals his strength of heart during the final confrontation atop the Clock Tower. Tatl draws strength from Link and Tael and is able to find her own sense of faith.
About the author:
Dan Merrill, aka Hylian Dan, is a sophomore at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, where he is majoring in electronic game design.
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i’love dis game
Reply to ulyesazI think the salesman, prior to acquiring the mask, probably did not believe in any such curse, it was a rare and valuable item, and he is a salesman, therefore, he wanted it, purely for commercial use, only once he laid his hands upon the mask, did he realize the true evil that slept within the mask, I assume it was then, that he vowed to guard the mask, to keep Majora from ever waking.
Reply to Skull Kidaye, but I also thing you might have got one thing backwards, if Majora was sent to destroy the architects, or stop their blasphemy, why would they have monuments built to honor her? I believe the architects may have summoned majora as their own “goddess” of sorts to help them destroy the Goddesses. The Fierce Deity was the Goddesses guardian angel, or enforcer, sent to destroy Majora, while the goddesses would flip the tower to take care of the architects. If the fierce Deity was on the side of the architects against majora, why would there not me monuments to him?
Reply to Skull KidIf that’s true, then why do you get The Fierce Deity Mask from the Majora kid on the moon? Wouldn’t every part of Majora despise the Fierce Deity for attempting to stop it? It just dosn’t make much sense…
Reply to KaharaIf you notice at the begining of the game when he walks through a certain part of the cave the hallway turns upside down while gravity seems to flip with it as well thus proving the first part of this theory. But if this is true are there other paralel “flip” worlds in the LoZ? Such as in ocarina of time, forest temple if memory serves right. A certain hallway take you into an upside down version of a room. In this area could you possibly be in termina? a small enclosed cave of some sort? Probably not. But it does introduce a new idea to this theory, the possibility of a mirror hyrule or hyrule “two” as some people say in other theories. *see the gametrailers.com zelda theory video* in which termina Could still be doomed, in a great flood bringing us to the windwaker…and it goes on but no more rambling from me.
Reply to NogardodomokomododragonIf Majora is a demon straight out of hell sent by the godesses to destroy Termina, then the Fierce Deity might be their way of controlling it. Once Majora finished its job, who’s to say it wouldn’t move on to other countries? So, the FD would be sent in to obliterate it. This might also be why Majora gives you the mask, it knows its power weaker than it and that it is destined to die. Yet, it makes a joke out of the deal, as it’s nature is, and wants one last “game”.
Reply to KatukoWow, that was really interesting. When I was younger and I played it, I never really knew about the allusion to the tower of babel, and the hidden message behind MM.
Reply to JamesAmazing article.
Nice article man. I had a huge write up on MM about 9 months ago but i stoped writing it out of the blue (long distance work).
Your first article made me want to go play it again and I did. I had writen about my experiences and the feeling i had gotten as i played the game. Far different then when i played as a child. For this, MM has defenetly found a place in my heart.
I never did beat the game… I stoped writing after my experiences in Inkana.
The game is still saved, now that i finaly have time again… i think i shall go to clock tower and begin the final chapter in the MM story.
nice work man
Reply to LinktomyassI like how you found and carved up the themes by looking at the game carefully. I’m still curious about the Fierce Deity though. Its fierce, right? How does that associate with faith?
Reply to darkbeastganonHe is the ‘Fierce Deity’ because of his god-like abilities and almost literally, no limiters on his power. He is a symbol of strength in this world of weakness - the one light shining through the dark.
One will guard their faith with whatever they can. The Fierce Deity acts upon his faith to assist the people in need. The blank eyes of the Fierce Deity serve as him being a symbol, not a set person.
There’s also the Mask Itself. This is but a theory of my own, but I believe that the mask would not turn everyone who dons it into that specific being, but rather, into a powerful being built on their own strength of their faith. By believing in the power of the mask, by putting faith into its frightening design, one can unleash true might to eliminate those that oppose their own faith.
As a finisher however, I give you text copy-pasted from the Zelda Wiki:
“He’s a ferocious god!”
—Anju (Manga)
-The Fierce Deity’s past remains largely unexplained in the game, though it is likely that it is an ancient being like Majora. It is unknown if Fierce Deity is like the Goron and Zora masks, with a soul sealed inside them, or like Majora’s Mask, where it is the soul. However, since Anju’s quote doesn’t divulge much, it is currently impossible to tell. The Fierce Deity was shown in the manga to corrupt even Link, leading the reader to believe the mask houses a very powerful spirit, even though Link did possess enough control to remove the mask at the end of the fight against Majora’s Mask.
Some speculate that the mask is Link’s Terminan counterpart, because the mask itself resembles Adult Link.-
Reply to SerenadeI have a question if the goddesses flipped the tower so that when the first time you show up it’s the worng way (the right way being the way the architects built it) wouldn’t the hand be cursing the ground and or hell. Also, how would they build it upside down, where getting out of the tower to go to the ground would be to head to the top?
Reply to RabbottWow, that is deep. I mean, that is really, really deep.
Reply to TexasProudCowgirlThat was such an excellent read.
Reply to LegitzIt really opens up alot more thought paths related to this game.
Thankyou.
Fantastic! Great pleasure reading your theories which are all supported brilliantly
Reply to Callum MOMG….
You are so deep man!! Everything truly makes sense!! WOW!! I just wanna say that you are amazing!!!!
MAJORAS MASK FOR THE WIN!!!
Reply to Henrik Ljungdahl