Zelda Theory: Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a very unique Zelda title, let alone video game. It is the direct sequel to what some consider to be the greatest game of all time. Not only did it change the formula we've all grown to love, but it revolutionized the series as a whole. If we take it for face value, there is no question that Majora's Mask was a very unusual take on the hero in green. But what lies underneath? Well I hope to peal back some of the coating and dig a little deeper into the three day adventure, in my Zelda theory.

      Let me start off by saying that Termina was non-existent before Links's arrival into the doomed land. Although I wish Termina was a real place connected to Hyrule via the Lost Woods, it simply just is not possible. Given this Termina was claimed to be a "parallel world" in the instruction booklet to the game, but what exactly does this mean? A parallel world, is defined as a theory that there is a mirror universe and when one makes a decision in this universe, an alternate 'you' in the other universe makes the opposite decision. This just is not the case for Termina and Hyrule, there is too much different and the land is not crafted on Link's choices. In a parallel world, Link would be fighting alongside of evil. This leads me to believe there is something a little different going on in this world that we are not told.
      Remember back to Link's Awakening, Link was trapped in a dream, built from not only his mind, but the Windfish's mind as well. The same sort of thing is happening in Majora's Mask. Termina is a dream scope  created by Link as well as the skull kid himself. This explains why there is so many familiar faces in the game.  As in Link's Awakening, Link is trying to help to stop the nightmares from tormenting the the Windfish's (in this case the skull kid) dreams. But instead of the nightmares being displayed as bosses and evil creatures, the Majora's Mask is a symbol for the skull kids nightmares. Link has to help the skull kid escape the evils of this mask.
      In most Zelda games we start off the game with our hero in green waking from slumber. Majora's Mask is the only Zelda game, along with Link's Awakening, that features Link falling asleep or being knocked unconscious during the begging of the game. Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening share unbelievably similar elements. This is no coincidence. (Phantom Hourglass also begins with the player waking up, but we will save those similarities for another post
1. The Woods of Mystery: Majora's Mask and Link'sAwakening are the only two Zelda titles that feature the woods of mystery. Not to mention the properties of these woods are almost identical, and on top of it all, the little side quests in the woods share a lot of similarities as well. In Link's Awakening you have to collect a mushroom, and take it to a witch to make magic powder to help Tarin. In Majora's Mask the player has to help one of the Twinrova sisters that's stuck in the woods by getting a healing potion from the other sister. Also throughout the game, if you find mushrooms in the woods you can bring them to thew sisters to turn them into potions.
2. The swamp: The swamps in both Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening are located near the woods of mystery and both baring the same big red plant species. No other game in the Zelda series has a swamp besides these two.
3. Link influences the world: In Link's Awakening since the dream was shared by the Windfish as well as Link, Link had his influence on the world too, although the Windfish completely created the world, Link influenced the him to dream of Marin and Tarin (as implied in Hyrule Historia.) This could explain how there are so many familiar faces in Termina, in a world created by the skull kid.
      Let's take an in-depth look at the story. By Majora's designs Termina sprung fourth in turmoil. Players are introduced to a thriving land on the brink of disaster, all in three repeating days. Everyone Link helps, from the separated lovers, to an old lady on the street symbolizes growing up. And it's the only way to do things that Link knows. Termina was sprung out of Link and the skull kids' mind, in all of its beauty and wonder. The message in the center of it all, is the impending future of death. Just look at the Moon, crashing down in the center of Termina, Clocktown.
      Link's quest in Majora's Mask is to help as much people that he can, and in turn collecting all the masks. Link trades all the experience of helping those people (the masks) to receive the Fierce Deity Mask. It's symbolic of Link coming growing up, with a familiar coming to age story that was clearly present in Ocarina of Time. This idea of adulthood is current throughout Majora's Mask and is present when Link learns to accept his fate. In the opening cut scene we see Link searching for a lost but dear friend (assumed to be Navi), but at the end of the game Tatl hints to Link that Link has got what he was after all along, although Link never found Navi. This signifies Link accepting his fate and his loss, proving to the player that he grew in his journey as well as, in his own way becoming an adult.

      At the end of the game Link is seen with the skull kid, the happy mask salesman and  the fairies. The mask salesman says his goodbyes, and walks away until he disappears. Not disappearing into the distance, nope, he disappears out of thin air. The mask salesman might be a strange character but this is on a completely different level of strangeness. Either Link is dreaming or this guy has a interesting back story that we are not aware of. After this we see Link ride out of Termina into the Lost Woods with Epona, but this time he has the mirror shield and the Gilded sword, if you got it, on his back. If he did indeed wake up from the dream, and is walking in the woods with Epona how can we account for the new equipment? I'll turn to Link's Awakening for the answer again. A special ending will be played upon completion of Link's Awakening without dying. This shows a image of Marin fade away into a Seagull flying through the sky. This is important because during the game Marin tell Link to make a wish with her. The player isn't told what the wish was during the game, but we can assume, from the alternate ending that the wish was to become a seagull. Marin wished for this during the course of the game, which took place during a dream, and it came true after Link had awoken. The dream was so powerful that things that took place, along with elements of the dream, carried over into the real life. This could be the key to how Link has the mirror shield and the gilded sword at the end of the game, along with the carving on the tree stump. It is implied that the skull kid carved the image because he carved one earlier in the game. This shows that, if the dream was over and Link had awaken, the skull kid had the shared the dream and awoken from it as well.
      At the same time though, Link could simply still dreaming, though as this seems unlikely, its an easy way to account for these variables. Either way Link is doomed. Link is Hylian, not a Kokiri child. According to the forest legends if someone wanders in the forest long enough he/she will die and become a stalfos. It seems pretty evident that Link was indeed lost during the begging of the game, and without having a fairy at the end suggests that the same will happen.
      The Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess, the game that chronologically follows Majora's Mask after about 100 years, claims he was once a hero. Not to mention that he is left handed, similar to Link from Ocarina of time/Majora's Mask, and four out of the six songs used to cal him came from these two games, one of them being the song of healing. The Hero's shade refers to Link as "my child," and shares a quote with the Happy Mask Salesman, "Believe in your strengths." Predominately, the Hero's Shade shares similar features to that of a Stalfos. I will leave you with a few quotes from the Hero's Shade and leave it for you to decide.

"Let teachings of old pass to you...
Take sword in hand and find me..."

"Excellent. It appears you are certainly capable of performing my lost art." 

"We meet again.
At last, the skills I have to teach you have entered the realm of true secrecy. They are forgotten ways that do not leave our bloodline.
Among the techniques I shall be teaching you are some that may even endanger you... Do you feel ready to learn these skills?"

"You have at last mastered all of the hidden skills. Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those who came after. At last, I have eased my regrets. You who have marched through countless foes, each mightier than the last... You, who now gaze to the future with vision unclouded... Surely you can restore Hyrule to its stature of yore as the chosen land of the gods.
...Farewell!
Go and do not falter, my child!"

Although father and son seem unlikely because of the time differences, it is clear that they share the same bloodline. This is all speculation, and some might say over analysis, but where would be the fun otherwise? - NB 

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Be sure to check out our other post and there is still time to submit an entry to our logo contest. Winners will be picked Feb 10th.