The Legend of Zelda: Conspiracy Theories

Calling all Zelda fans. Join me, just your average old fan girl, in exploring five of The Legend of Zelda franchise's biggest conspiracy theories. After doing extensive research upon the subject, I have compiled a list of my favourite Zelda fan theories that are out there, just for some fun. Come on, let's take a dive right into just a few theories.

Majora's Mask

Majora's Mask is such a different game compared to most of the other games in the Zelda series. In almost all of the other Zelda games, you're guaranteed to get your Ganondorf and your Triforce, but Majora stands out all on its own as the villain of the story. It's really rare for a major console Zelda game to have nothing to do with Hyrule; it's kind of like one of the odd handheld Zelda games such as Phantom Hourglass.

That's not to say Majora's Mask doesn't have any links to the more traditional game entries in the series. You can find some clear references to MM in the character designs of Twilight Princess: which is by far one of my favourite games to exist.

According to Nintendo's official timeline, Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess take place in the same dimension.

That's not all. In Twilight Princess, it is revealed that the Twili were once called the Interlopers, a race who were sealed in the Twilight Realm after trying to get at the Triforce.

When you compare that with what the Happy Mask Salesman says about Majora's Mask:

"The mask that was stolen from me... It is called Majora's Mask. It is an accursed item from legend that is said to have been used by an ancient tribe in its hexing rituals. According to legend... the troubles caused by Majora's Mask were so great... the ancient ones, fearing such catastrophe, sealed the mask in shadow forever, preventing its misuse..."

Having a villain like that, with the world so strangely similar to Ocarina of Time, makes it a conspiracy in itself.

Tetraforce Theory

Is there a 4th piece to the Triforce?

On the Hylian Shield from Ocarina of Time there is a fourth piece to the triangle at the bottom of the shield. It MATCHES with the missing fourth piece in the center of the Triforce. Since Ocarina of Time, the fourth piece has been removed from the games. This theory originated after some people noticed the fourth triangle that the Hylian Eagle stands upon in Ocarina of Time. Is the bird guarding or just separating the fourth piece of the Triforce from the “complete” Triforce above it?

The Tetraforce Theory is proven by the number of things that come in fours in the Zelda games. There are four Light Spirits in Twilight Princess, the Four Giants who prevent the moon from crashing into Termina in Majora's Mask, and of course, there are also the Four Swords games to contend with. There are also the four Divine Beasts in the latest game Breath of the Wild. In addition to the three goddesses that create the three initial pieces of the Triforce as shown in Ocarina of Time, many fans have suggested that the fourth goddess could be the sorcerer Vaati or the Great Fairy of Kindness. It's even been said that the fourth goddess could be Princess Zelda herself, or as she's called in Wind Waker: Tetra.

Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto have denied the existence of the Tetraforce on several occasions. Who knows, maybe in future games, the creators will expand on this theory. This is my favourite Legend of Zelda game theory out there. I really think the game creators could go far in future games by implementing the fourth piece of the Triforce. It ruins the name. That's the only thing wrong with this theory in my opinion.

Five Stages of Grief

This might be one of the most popular Zelda fan theories out there, but it's for a very good reason. I brought up Majora's Mask earlier in this post. I still believe the game is Ocarina of Time's world reversed but, for a long time, fans have maintained that the story of Majora's Mask follows the classic Five Stages of Grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. According to the theory, each of these ties to an area in the game.

In Termina, the townspeople are in Denial about the giant evil moon that is barreling towards the planet.

Then there's the Deku King, who is needlessly thrashing about in Anger over his missing daughter. He's so blinded by rage that he blames her disappearance on a little monkey.

Despite the fact that he clearly died and became a spooky ghost, poor Darmani tries his hand at Bargaining for his return to this mortal coil.

Maybe saddest of all, Lulu's Depression initially prevents her from speaking. You can't really blame her as she is speechless because she lost her eggs.

Acceptance is a little bit trickier. Many tie it with the Stone Temple, a place filled with death. The only one alive, Link climbs the tower as though his soul were ascending to a higher plane. Eventually, he happens to find the Light Arrows, which could be tied to the enlightenment that comes at the end of the five stages of death. It also looks pretty cool when you shoot the arrows.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a harrowing journey through the psyche of someone who had just experienced traumatic loss based on the Five Stages of Grief.

But wait, if it's all about grief, then who are we grieving over? You don't just go through this awful spiral into the pit of despair without actually losing someone first. Someone else has to die. Come think, Majora's Mask starts with Link searching for a lost friend in the woods... perhaps Navi.

This brings me to:

The Navi Theory

When Link turns back into a child for the final time after defeating Ganon in Ocarina of Time, Navi takes off, abandoning Link.

She doesn't say where she's going, or why she's leaving. She doesn't even really say goodbye to the Hero. Navi just sorta disappears into what looks like a glass window. Her wordless exit is especially odd after spending an entire game assisting, and yammering on at the Hero of Time.

Where do the fairies even go anyways? After they're used up, fairies just sort of evaporate into nothing. Navi is different than most fairies but she just takes off after you save the day. In a way, she sort of vanishes like the rest of them.

In my opinion, Majora's Mask is about Link's grief for Navi, his friend that he lost at the end of the previous game in the series, Ocarina of Time. At the beginning of MM, Link is combing the Lost Woods on an endless search for a dead friend. I don't think it's a coincidence as we went through the Five Stages of Grief being explored in Majora's Mask.

The Multiple Ganon/Ganondorf Theory.

Within the games, there is a lot of proof of Ganondorf being reincarnated much like Link and Zelda. In Skyward Sword, it is revealed after defeating Demise that his hatred will go on to be reincarnated and attack without an end. Additional support from the games themselves includes a quote from Four Swords Adventure where Princess Zelda calls Ganon an “ancient demon reborn”. And another quote from Wind Waker along the same lines of the quote is when Ganondorf calls the game incarnation of Link the “Hero of Time reborn.”

As well, there is proof to suggest that Ganon is just regular old Ganondorf. In Wind Waker, Ganondorf is described as being “The very same Ganon… the Emperor of the dark realm the ancient legends speak of…” Maybe in certain instances where Ganondorf IS reincarnated but in others like the Wind Waker/Ocarina of Time timeline, he is the same person.\

These are just a few of my favourite of The Legend of Zelda conspiracy theories that are out there. Let me know what you think! Which one happens to be your favourite?

Check out two of my other posts!

Chloe Rose Violet