OoT: The story behind the forest temple

I am picking this temple because I just replayed OoT and when I was going through the forest temple, I had thoughts cross my mind. I had asked some of my friends what they thought it was, and some told me it was an old house, or an abandoned castle.

If its a castle, why would it be back in the woods by the kokiri forest, and why would there be another castle while zelda's castle is meant to be the central part of the kingdom?

What are your stories about it?

I think that the Poe Sisters are the ghosts of the inhabitants of the temple.

I'm not sure about the story behind it. Perhaps it was just a really old mansion that belonged to a rich family?

An old mansion sounds logical enough. Maybe we'll get to see the Forest Temple as the building it originally was before in Skyward Sword?

I remember hearing a theory that it was some sort of fortress built for high-class citizens or royalty during the Civil War.

The theorist also believed that the fortress was eventually overrun by enemy forces who then slaughtered everyone inside it, explaining the bubbles, staflos, wallmasters, poe sisters, etc.

I just had a thought in another thread that maybe the Sky People were represented by Wind, and THEY had something to do with the Forest Temple. The Forest Temple was originally going to be a Wind Temple in OoT. In TP, the Forest Temple uses the Wind a lot, and housed the Gale Boomerang. In Wind Waker the Wind Temple was forest themed, and its sage was a Kokiri/Korok of the forest. Also, in Japan- or so I've heard- the colour green is associated with the wind. So maybe the Sky People built the Forest Temple, this somehow explains why the Kokiri dress the way they do (maybe because the people of Skyloft dress the same way) which would give a reason for SS Link and OoT are dressed the same. hahaha, but of course this is all just insane and I'm trying to hard, lol

^Actually it was originally supposed to be the location of the Temple of Time, I think. As far as I know the Master Sword was originally going to be found there, yet for whatever reason it was changed. Then as you mentioned the Forest theme was originally going to be Wind themed, yet even now the temple is not very "foresty". I joked with someone a while back that it should be called the "Haunted Forest Temple" because it has more of a ghostly/haunted theme than it does a forest theme. Mansions don't give out much of a forest vibe...so I don't know, it's just weird.

Originally Posted by Fuss-Budget

I remember hearing a theory that it was some sort of fortress built for high-class citizens or royalty during the Civil War.

The theorist also believed that the fortress was eventually overrun by enemy forces who then slaughtered everyone inside it, explaining the bubbles, staflos, wallmasters, poe sisters, etc.

I remember reading this, the guy had some really interesting ideas. He did the stories for a few other temples too, it was a really good read.

I'll try to find the site.

EDIT: Boom.

Was the forest temple something else in beta? It looks like it could have once been the inside of hyrule castle... in beta, that is. Whatever it is, I highly doubt that it was originally created to be the Forest Temple.

Originally Posted by eiyuu_004

I just had a thought in another thread that maybe the Sky People were represented by Wind, and THEY had something to do with the Forest Temple. The Forest Temple was originally going to be a Wind Temple in OoT. In TP, the Forest Temple uses the Wind a lot, and housed the Gale Boomerang. In Wind Waker the Wind Temple was forest themed, and its sage was a Kokiri/Korok of the forest. Also, in Japan- or so I've heard- the colour green is associated with the wind. So maybe the Sky People built the Forest Temple, this somehow explains why the Kokiri dress the way they do (maybe because the people of Skyloft dress the same way) which would give a reason for SS Link and OoT are dressed the same. hahaha, but of course this is all just insane and I'm trying to hard, lol

Where did ya hear that it was going to be the wind temple?
I wish i could meet the zelda creators and ask them so many questions......

Originally Posted by A Stink To The Past

Was the forest temple something else in beta? It looks like it could have once been the inside of hyrule castle... in beta, that is. Whatever it is, I highly doubt that it was originally created to be the Forest Temple.

Supposedly that's where the Temple of Time was going to be before they decided it was too out of the way.

Originally Posted by eiyuu_004

I just had a thought in another thread that maybe the Sky People were represented by Wind, and THEY had something to do with the Forest Temple. The Forest Temple was originally going to be a Wind Temple in OoT. In TP, the Forest Temple uses the Wind a lot, and housed the Gale Boomerang. In Wind Waker the Wind Temple was forest themed, and its sage was a Kokiri/Korok of the forest. Also, in Japan- or so I've heard- the colour green is associated with the wind. So maybe the Sky People built the Forest Temple, this somehow explains why the Kokiri dress the way they do (maybe because the people of Skyloft dress the same way) which would give a reason for SS Link and OoT are dressed the same. hahaha, but of course this is all just insane and I'm trying to hard, lol

That was actually a very interesting, and somehow trustable theory! I don't think nintendo thought of that when they made ocarina of time, but they could use it to explain the forest temple for us in skyward sword. Link is from the sky city in skyward sword, and he also dresses in green!

Originally Posted by Reuben

I remember reading this, the guy had some really interesting ideas. He did the stories for a few other temples too, it was a really good read.

I'll try to find the site.

EDIT: Boom.

Whoa, thanks for the link, I found out new stuff about the Temples I thought I knew.

Very impressive read, indeed. I would love to see the Zelda team do this, if not with Skyward Sword, at least with the next upcoming game. We know Skyward Sword is set before Ocarina of Time, though not necessarily the prequel to it. I, for one, would love for it to be a prequel to OOT, and provide a history/backstory to it.

Originally Posted by Miss Tetra the Pirate

Where did ya hear that it was going to be the wind temple?
I wish i could meet the zelda creators and ask them so many questions......

I think I first read it on here in some thread a LONG time ago, and I'm having some trouble finding the source... Supposedly the medallions were originally going to do stuff like in ALttP too, but I guess it didn't work out and they ended up taking 3 of the spells and making them new items (Farore's Wind, Din's Fire, and Nayru's Love).

And if its true that the Master Sword was originally going to be in the Forest Temple (or Wind Temple) then that would tie a lot of things together... too bad it didn't work out. Suddenly the titles Hero of Time and Hero of Wind don't seem so different... if the Master Sword (found in the Temple of Time) was originally meant to be in the Forest/Wind Temple... And aren't Wind and Time associated with Farore, who is also associated with the forest? I can't wait to see what they do with Skyward Sword...

Has it been said by developers that the Forest Temple was gonna be the Temple of Time? It would certainly make a few things clearer, such as connections between OoT, TP and ALttP. Also it would explain why you have to go through all the trouble to get there, it makes more sense that they'd want the key to the Sacred Realm hidden than right in the open.

Does anyone have any developer quotes about this? Hopefully SS or OoT3D will retcon the ToT placement in OoT.

Okay, here's my idea: the Forest Temple was originally a very huge mansion, almost like a fortress, and was high up on a hill way before the Lost Woods existed. It was probably a place of evil energy, and as one of the Guardians of Hyrule, the Deku Tree appeared in order to wipe out that evil. He did so by growing a large forest, the Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods, which eventually covered the whole hill and oppressed the dark energy from the mansion. That place, dark and gloomy, became the Forest Temple and its entrance was broken; even more, the Lost Woods were to guarantee that no-one who wasn't supposed to would find the Temple.

Okay, that's a quick story I came up with and imagine to be accurate enough. Because in the Temple, there are paintings showing the mansion scene I described before, which kind of hints that this scenery is related to this place:



Granted - it could be Ganon's Castle, too. But the paintings don't disappear with Phantom Ganon and it's probably safe to assume that they have been there longer than PG, especially since you come near the Temple as a kid already.

Originally Posted by Reuben

Has it been said by developers that the Forest Temple was gonna be the Temple of Time? It would certainly make a few things clearer, such as connections between OoT, TP and ALttP. Also it would explain why you have to go through all the trouble to get there, it makes more sense that they'd want the key to the Sacred Realm hidden than right in the open.

Does anyone have any developer quotes about this? Hopefully SS or OoT3D will retcon the ToT placement in OoT.

It would also give more significance to the Kokiri Forest being forbidden, and there being a "Lost Woods". AND the floor in the Phantom Ganon room looks like a place the Master Sword could have been placed; I thought that the other day just before hearing the temple was supposedly the original place for the Master Sword...

The theory in the link above says that the enemy slaughtering everyone is what made the ghost appear, and that theyre grudges eventually morphed the appearance of the FT (twisted rooms, etc). But what everyone seems to be forgetting is that the FT is deep in the Lost Woods. Slaughtered or not those people were going to change, and im sure the same thing would happen to the building itself. But if thats true then why dont the Kokiris houses morph... maybe its because theyre made of trees? IDK. just my 2 cents.

I just noticed something really weird regarding the Forest Temples placement in regards to Hyrule Castle (OOT). Have a look at the maps of Hyrule from Alttp and Oot. Look at where the castles and forests are, there are some really cool connections.
First, if we could only pretend for a moment that Alttp could come before Oot in the timeline. This way, the forest temple could be the ruins of Alttp's Hyrule castle. So this means that hey would have needed to build a new hyrule castle and what better place to build it than right near the blade of evils bane.
I dunno this is just one thing that came into my mind, totally imaginative but if someone else can see anything here, I'm sure there's something I'm missing.