“Destined to Fade”

Majora’s Mask had been freed from its prison; the devil had escaped from Hell. The world it entered was named Termina, a name that seems to be considered almost taboo. Hardly anyone speaks the word Termina within the game.

terminatio: termination, determination, setting of boundaries.
termino: restrict, define, close, set a limit to.
terminus: a boundary mark, limit, end, border.

—Latin-English Dictionary

Termina was a world destined to end, a fact that its inhabitants weren’t eager to think about. However, there are a few beings in the game that seem to understand more about Termina and its destiny than they let on: The Happy Mask Salesman. The owl. The giant turtle. The Giants themselves.

“Ho-ho-ho-ho-hoot! This is a rare sight. You are a fairy child, correct? What business might you have in this poisoned swamp? If you dare not venture further, I shall pass no judgment. It is better that you hurry back to town. This swamp you are in has lost its guardian deity. But it was destined to fade anyway.
Hoo-hoot…And that destiny is not solely limited to this swamp…
If you have the courage and determination to proceed in the face of destiny, then I shall teach you something useful. Before coming here, had you not seen any of the stone statues that bear close resemblance to me? I have placed those throughout the land to aid the one with the power to change the destiny of this land…
Wherever he may appear.”

—The Owl

The turtle and the Giants seem to be relatively divine figures, akin to the Great Deku Tree of Hyrule. The Goddesses of the Triforce must have had great plans for the world of Termina before the early crimes were committed. They created these guardians to protect the new realm, to come to the aid of its people when they call out for help. But when Link enters Termina, he finds that these beings are essentially dormant, either imprisoned or simply observing events quietly as Termina slips towards oblivion.

“Now I can continue resting in peace. I too must abide the laws of ancient times and again merely watch from my deep slumber. But the evil that haunts this land has not completely vanished, Link. I shall depart after enjoying Lulu’s voice a bit longer. I think the gods can permit that. Hyeh, hyeh, hyeh.”

—The Giant Turtle

Here the turtle says something about the laws of ancient times, implying that they limit his involvement in the affairs of Termina.

Now, the Happy Mask Salesman is an interesting character. Though he is most likely not on the same level as the Giants, there is an interesting mystical quality to him: he vanishes into thin air at the end of the game, and at the start he appears out of nowhere and claims to have been following Link. He celebrates masks, which are extremely prominent in Termina’s culture. And he just happens to have somewhere he needs to go three days after he meets Link, at the time of Termina’s apocalypse. Not to mention how he appears to be the adult incarnation of the masked children who play in the strange Moon world.

It’s possible that the Salesman is a sort of divine being, perhaps on the same level as the owl or the Sages of Hyrule(3). Whatever his relationship with the Goddesses may be, he clearly stuck his nose right in the middle of Termina’s affairs. He was aware of some peril facing Termina, so he tracked down Majora’s Mask and escaped with it into Hyrule, attempting to prevent the great catastrophe. His actions seem to have violated the laws of ancient times, however. He did not have the power to change the destiny of the land, and so his efforts failed. Skull Kid stole the mask from him and brought it back to Termina, where it had a dark destiny to fulfill.

(3) It may be that the owl is really an alternate form of the Happy Mask Salesman. After all, Link is able to change forms by wearing certain masks. And the owl of Hyrule, Kaepora Gaebora, is hinted to be Rauru in disguise.

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