A Test of Faith
“Are you ready?
You’re the bad guy. And when you’re bad, you just run. That’s fine, right?”
—Child wearing Majora’s Mask
At the opening of the game, Link himself seems consumed by his own doubts. He rides through the woods downcast and downtrodden. Skull Kid finds him and uses Majora’s Mask to curse the boy. Link sees a vision of a mob of Deku Scrubs swarming him, their angry eyes glaring at him. Link turns and runs from them, holding his hands over his head. He runs and runs, but he can’t escape. And as Link runs, a gigantic Deku Scrub materializes behind him and swallows the boy. Link awakens in the form of the Deku Scrub.
Three days later, Link brings the Ocarina of Time to the Happy Mask Salesman, who plays the Song of Healing for the boy. Link has a second vision. This time he is not running. He stands confidently, facing the gigantic Deku Scrub. He waves to it as it shrinks into nothingness. Link awakens in his human form.
The Salesman, having fulfilled his promise, then asks Link to fulfill his own promise to return with Majora’s Mask. Though it may seem like a daunting task, the Salesman offers Link words of reassurance again and again.
“Is it not a simple task? Why, to someone like you, it should by no means be a difficult task. But yes…You’ll be fine. I see you are young and have tremendous courage. I’m sure you’ll find it right away.”
“Well then, I am counting on you… You’ll be fine. Surely, you should be able to recover Majora’s Mask. I believe in you.”
“Fear not, for the magic has been sealed inside the mask.”
“Please make the most of your time. I believe in you. I will be waiting here for you.”
“Ho, ho, ho. You have done some good work… Keep up that pace. I am counting on you to get my mask…”
“Believe in your strengths…
Believe…”
—The Happy Mask Salesman
Later, when Link ventures into the Northern Mountains, he comes across the owl. The owl remembers meeting Link in the swamp, even though time may have been reset since then.
“Hoo-Hoot! We meet again, fairy child! Have my stone statues been of help?
Well, it seems you may have the strength to change the fate of this land as I had expected. But the road ahead is even more challenging. Many trials await you. Please watch over these Gorons around you. Their land is doomed to be smothered in snow and ice forever. It will become a land where no living thing can survive.
Without courage and determination, you surely will collapse from the extreme conditions…
But if that courage and determination burns bright within you, then that’s another story…
So, will you proceed?”
[Link answers no.] “I shall pass no judgment. If that is your decision, then return to town. After retreat, courage returns.”
[Link talks to the owl again.] “What is it that you are doing? Beyond here you will fall into oblivion unless you have great courage and determination.”
[Link agrees to proceed.] “Hoo-Hoot! You are a child of many strengths!
Well, perhaps you do have enough strength to change the fate of this mountain after all. I shall take to the air now, flying toward that shrine across the way, so follow behind me. Do not be daunted by appearances. Instead, let your feelings guide you, and the true path shall open before you.
Are you ready? Follow behind me!”
[Link falls into the void.] “It seems things are not going well for you… Hoo-Hoot! Fear not, it never goes well at first for anyone. But by no means should you grow impatient. Impatience brings uneasiness and distracts the heart.
Well, will you try again? Very good. I shall fly toward that shrine. Follow behind me.”
[Link crosses the void.] “Hoo-Hoot! I have certainly been assured of your courage and determination. From here on, you must not be fooled by appearances. You must rely on your feelings…”
—The Owl
At this point, the owl seems to believe that the boy has the power to change the destiny of the doomed world. And so, the owl tests Link’s faith. He asks Link to jump into the void before him. The owl’s feathers fall into the void and land in midair. Link needs to trust that it will be okay for him to take the leap. When he does, he lands safely in midair. By following behind the owl, he is able to cross the void. As intimidating as the task may have seemed, things turned out to be okay.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Loading ...
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