Majora's Mask Unveiled: It's Relation to Tribal Life

I would assume that everyone would agree that Majora's Mask is probably one of the most enigmatic and mysterious Legend of Zelda game yet. Not only that it is getting converted to real 3D with its release for the 3DS. This led me to write the following article tackling the relation it has with the real world. But first let's discuss the essentials of the game.

The game takes place in the fictional town of Termina. Link is seen riding Epona his horse when he confronts Skull kid wearing the Majora's Mask. He steals Epona and turns Link to a Deku scrub. However Link manages to reach Termina's main hub where he is turned back to normal. He meets the Happy Mask Salesman who tells him of a certain moon hanging above Termina and that it will crash down on the settlement in 3 days. Thus starts Link's adventure where he uses his trusty Ocarina to bend time to his will and save Termina by harnessing the powers of the four Giants , one in each of the four dungeons in the game.

   
There are many conspiracies about the origin of the masks which play a big role in the game, especially Majora's Mask itself which is said to have connections with the Twilight Princess' Fused Shadow that are said to be made by the the same tribe called Interlopers that made the Majoras Mask too. But we will not discuss the game to game relation now, let's take a look at its real world significance. There are 24 different types of masks in the game and each of them play a defining role in the sequence of the story. 20 of them have no special powers and are just used to hide Link's childish face and also so that people can recognize him as a hero and not a mere child.

But the other four namely the Zora, Goron, Deku and Fierce Diety Masks actually transform Link's body anatomy into a completely different creature. The Zora helps Link swim fast underwater, Goron gives superhuman strength and Deku makes him a shrub with the ability to glide. The Fierce Deity Mask is special as in it gives Link better swordsmanship skills. It is the last Mask that can be obtained by Link.

Now comes the shocker: these 4 masks are made by carving skulls of dead creatures!

Think about it, all the people who give you these masks were experiencing grief of some kind. The Deku King's son had gone missing, the Gorons had lost their leader Darmani and the Zora who had lost her eggs. This shows that all the creatures had faced loss in some form or the other. And what do they do to commemorate the occasion ? They make masks, the exact same thing Tribal people still do these days.

 ALL OF LINK'S TRANSFORMATION








Here is an extract that proves exactly what I said- In most traditional African cultures, the person who wears a ritual mask conceptually loses his or her human identity and turns into the spirit represented by the mask itself. This transformation of the mask wearer into a spirit usually relies on other practices, such as specific types of music and dance, or ritual costumes that contribute to conceal the mask-wearer's human identity. The mask wearer thus becomes a sort of medium that allows for a dialogue between the community and the spirits (usually those of the dead or nature-related spirits).

Link does the same to remember the departed spirits. He even learns a dance from Kamora which helps him to embody a soul in a particular mask- same as the African tribes. Also mentioned in the quote is that by wearing a mask one can transform the spirit into the wearer which is the exact opposite of what is done in the game- Link the wearer is transformed into the mask's spirit. The coincidence is so strong that it almost feels like the creators of the game took inspiration from these African tribes.

That is all I could dig in about Majora's Mask and I didn't add the Grief Theory because it was already covered by someone else, but I'm quite sure no one explained its relation to real life.

THANKS FOR READING, HAVE A NICE DAY!