The Three Dragons

Spoiler Warning for Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess!

Throughout Skyward Sword, Link finds three god-like dragons who help him on his quest by each giving him one fourth of a magic song (the final fourth is given by another dragon who is the apparent leader of the three). Seems all fine and good, but since is the supposed first game in the series chronologically, that means that there are four unaccounted for dragons in all other Zelda games. But still, wasn't one dragon unaccounted for in SS already? The dragon Lanayru was dead long before the events in SS, and can only be revived by use of a Timeshift Stone. But even after a Life Fruit has been given to him, "supposedly" curing him, he still will return to his skeletal form if the Timeshift Stone is deactivated, which means that between the time of the first demon war and the present day, Lanayru either was killed or died of old age. Whatever the reason, Lanayru is a skeletal dragon at the end of SS, and he is never heard of again.

Or is he?

In Twilight Princess, Link fights a possessed skeletal boss named Stallord in the Arbiter's Grounds, desert locale very similar to Skyward Sword's Lanayru Desert. It seems not only possible but probable that Lanayru the Thunder Dragon is Stallord, and that the Lanayru Desert is Twilight Princess's Gerudo Desert. But is there something that I'm missing; perhaps some temporal complications that make this impossible? I would love to be proven wrong, so as to continue to build upon this theory.

It is an interesting theory. One that I do ponder on now and then.


I think the biggest thing that throws me off is the size difference between the Thunder dragon and Stallord. One could say that Zant's power changed him, but his bone size is still massive even before Zant touched Stallord.
And of course the physical characteristics are different as well.

Even though they're both discovered in the desert, I find it very unlikely that the two are related, or are even the same beast.

Originally Posted by TheCheshireCat

But even after a Life Fruit has been given to him, "supposedly" curing him, he still will return to his skeletal form if the Timeshift Stone is deactivated, which means that between the time of the first demon war and the present day, Lanayru either was killed or died of old age.

Uh, no he isn't. Lanayru is just gone if you deactivate the stone after giving him the fruit. No skeleton to be found.

That does seem to throw quite the monkey wrench into the theory...But I still wonder; Lnanayru himself says that Dragons are immortal (perhaps he eant that they could never truly die, for there is a glimmer of life even in his dead bones), and I find it hard to believe that they just vanished. To be fair, many plot elements in SS are brought up without thought of how they would connect to a later game (such as Fi being in the Master Sword the whole time, the goddess Hylia, and Skyloft), but due to the general ambiguity of SS, at least this kind of theory would help explain the constantly changing pantheon in Hyrule and the world in general. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by Darth Yoshi

Uh, no he isn't. Lanayru is just gone if you deactivate the stone after giving him the fruit. No skeleton to be found.

Really? I could have sworn that bones were left... Perhaps I need to play the game again.

Originally Posted by TheCheshireCat

That does seem to throw quite the monkey wrench into the theory...But I still wonder; Lnanayru himself says that Dragons are immortal (perhaps he eant that they could never truly die, for there is a glimmer of life even in his dead bones), and I find it hard to believe that they just vanished. To be fair, many plot elements in SS are brought up without thought of how they would connect to a later game (such as Fi being in the Master Sword the whole time, the goddess Hylia, and Skyloft), but due to the general ambiguity of SS, at least this kind of theory would help explain the constantly changing pantheon in Hyrule and the world in general. Thoughts?

I like to think that they somehow became the Light gods in TP. Not saying that they are the Light gods of course, but it's hard to imagine them just disappearing into thin air after SS.

Ahh, no, you obviously weren't paying attention to the game at all...

Lanaryu, when you cure him, his skeletal remains disappear completely, the only thing that remains there is where he once lay, he cannot be found again in game unless you use a timeshift stone. The only other time as to when he does appear is at the very end of the game with the along with the other two dragons (Faron and Eldin) and the Sky Spirit Levias (the giant sky whale, not a fourth dragon)

And Fi was in the Skyward Sword, she was placed there by the Goddess, Hylia, Skyloft was raised into the air by Hylia before she placed the cloud barrier between the sky and the surface world so they would remain safe along with the Triforce, and Hylia (even though we have never heard of her before, no reference's or nothing short of the Hylian Race which was started by the original Link and Zelda (the then reincarnated version of Hylia) thus making the name.) So that's those three extra theories you needed to know explained to some slight detail.

As for him being the Stallord, that's just, no, just no... The proportion is immensely wrong, his arms and hands are far too large, the chest and rib cage, the head is more to that of a wolf that what Lanaryu's was.

And as too the three dragons being the light spirits, I highly doubt that, seeing as the Three Dragons where brought in by Hylia, as to the Four Light spirits being brought in by the three Goddesses, and the dragons where immortal physical beings, where as the Light Spirits weren't.

Right, I believe I've covered most if not all of what was speculated so far, if anyone else has an input of what I've said or can add anything I've left out, go nuts.

Originally Posted by Eternal Legend

I like to think that they somehow became the Light gods in TP. Not saying that they are the Light gods of course, but it's hard to imagine them just disappearing into thin air after SS.

I imagine that they ascended into the heavens à la the Lokomo in Spirit Tracks. I know it's a different game on a different timeline, but Anjean does say that the Lokomo will return in a new form with no memories of the past. I like to think that the same thing happens with the Dragons: they return centuries later as the Light Spirits, but with no memories of their past lives.

Originally Posted by Alcidus

Ahh, no, you obviously weren't paying attention to the game at all...

I didn't notice these things at all, but that doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention to the game... you (general you) miss a lot of things in your first pass through, and noticing whether the Lanayru dragon left bones or not in his dead state is not necessarily important to the gameplay. Lol.

To add to the theory, of course, I'd like to believe what Eternal Legend posted about the dragons becoming the light spirits... that has a nice ring to it... plus they could have taken on those spirit forms when their physical bodies died.

Originally Posted by TurkeyMcBean

I imagine that they ascended into the heavens à la the Lokomo in Spirit Tracks. I know it's a different game on a different timeline, but Anjean does say that the Lokomo will return in a new form with no memories of the past. I like to think that the same thing happens with the Dragons: they return centuries later as the Light Spirits, but with no memories of their past lives.

This would also explain why the spirits share names with the dragons.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure that Levias is in fact a Dragon

Originally Posted by ZeldaWiki

Levias is a wise, whale-like Sky Spirit in Skyward Sword.[1] He has served as the protector of the skies for ages and lives in the Thunderhead.

Originally Posted by Zelda.wikia

Levias is a character from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. He is an enormous whale-like creature that has protected the skies since ancient times.

Levias, is not a dragon, he is just a sky spirit, much like the Wind Fish, he's more of a whale than dragon, even his name refers to him as such, Levias is short for Leviathan, and leviathan is is ancient Hebrew for whale...

Originally Posted by WakerofWinds

I didn't notice these things at all, but that doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention to the game... you (general you) miss a lot of things in your first pass through, and noticing whether the Lanayru dragon left bones or not in his dead state is not necessarily important to the gameplay. Lol.

Well I did, I'm much more obsessed with Zelda thaan my rough 700 posts care to say, which are all from theorizing, and besides, I have a very keen eye for detail.

And the only thing I couldn't figure out was the Light Spirits, but that does sound pretty solid though... Gives us some theory to base it from

Originally Posted by TurkeyMcBean

I imagine that they ascended into the heavens à la the Lokomo in Spirit Tracks. I know it's a different game on a different timeline, but Anjean does say that the Lokomo will return in a new form with no memories of the past. I like to think that the same thing happens with the Dragons: they return centuries later as the Light Spirits, but with no memories of their past lives.

Actually, it is on the same timeline. Skyward Sword was pre-split, so it rests on all three timelines.

Other than that, I love that idea. It's the best theory regarding that that I've heard so far.

Your making me like SS, if that is real connection the whale/dragon thing could be Juba-Juba.

Originally Posted by iDin

Your making me like SS, if that is real connection the whale/dragon thing could be Juba-Juba.

You mean Levias? And Jabu-Jabu is just the Monarch of the Zora's his in no way related to Levias, if anything Jabu-Jabu is related more to Faron (the Dragon not the Light Spirit)

I actually find this quite plausible. Especially as both skeletons' eyes glow yellow. I know size is wrong but hey, that could just be attributed to two different art styles

Originally Posted by iDin

Your making me like SS, if that is real connection the whale/dragon thing could be Juba-Juba.

I believe that Levias is, or is more closely related to, the Wind Fish. Jabu-Jabu is just a patriarch for the Zoras and is probably more closely related to Jabun from Wind Waker.

Lanayru isn't still dead in the present after saving him in the past, he simply left the province. There was nothing left for him to protect in the present, so it makes sense that he left. He does make an appearance during the present later on, however. He appears in the cutscene with the other dragons when you learn the Song of the Hero.

To be fair, that scene also had Link standing on air, so it probably shouldn't be taken at face value.

Actually, thinking on it some more, the fate of the robots raises questions. Presumably, they were the creations of Lanayru, or at least he was friendly with them and the ones in Lanayru Gorge were concerned about his well-being. It seems rather callous for him to then turn around and leave them all to break down.