Termina
Termina (タルミナ, Tarumina) is a fictional land from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (and is also the name of a city in the game Chrono Cross). It is composed of various environments ranging from swamps and forests to mountains and canyons, all of which surround the main city at its center, Clock Town, in each of the cardinal directions. Termina is an alternate world of the land Hyrule [1], which is featured in a number of games in The Legend of Zelda series, and as such shares many characteristics, while also featuring a lot of unusal differences. Both Termina and the way Link reaches it share parallels with the story Alice in Wonderland. Its name is derived from the Latin terminare, meaning "to end," as an obvious reference to the land's fated destruction unless Link intervenes.
Geography of Termina
Physical geography
Termina resembles an ancient city-state. The lively central city of Clock Town rules the surrounding area, but in the four cardinal directions there are regions outside the jurisdiction of the central city. To the north are the snowy Goron Mountains, which is the realm of the Gorons, the golem-like underground creatures common to the Zelda canon. To the east is the ancient and defunct kingdom of Ikana. To the south are the Southern Swamps, a forestal, swampy area owned by the wooden Deku, another canonical creature. To the west is the Great Bay, ruled over by the Zora, the noble and fishy denizens of the water. Also to the west, bordering the Great Bay, is the fortress of the Gerudo Pirates.
Social geography
Civilized human activity is concentrated in Clock Town and (less so) in Romani Ranch. Goron activity centers in the Goron Village and in the palace just north of it. The Zora range all across the bay, centralizing in Zora Hall. The Gerudo are seldom seen outside of their fortress on the Great Bay. Deku businessmen and mad Deku are spread thinly all across the land of Termina, but typical Deku are common only in the Southern Swamp and in the Deku Palace. The defunct kingdom of Ikana is inhabited only by the dead, except for a man who is researching the Gibdos and his daughter.
Areas of Termina
Clock Town
Clock Town is the apparent center of Terminan affairs, located in the exact middle of the land. Inhabited mostly by humans, Clock Town is divided into 5 sub-sections: North, East, West and South, as well as an area known as The Laundry Pool.
East Clock Town consists of a few games as well as an inn and a "Milk Bar." The bulk of East Clock Town's area is taken up by the Stock Pot Inn, an operational hotel, sporting a large bell. It is also home to the entrance of the hideout for a secret society known as the "Bombers."
North Clock Town consists of a large park which takes up the entire area, except for a Great Fairy Shrine in a corner. There are always children playing in the park and there are occasional sightings of a Keaton. According to the owner of the bomb shop, muggings often occur in this area of town.
West Clock Town is the city's main commercial center. It includes various stores, some of which are of a questionable legal status, such as the Curiosity Shop, a shop that only opens at night time and deals mostly in stolen goods. This trading of stolen artifacts contributes to several subquests in game. West Clock Town is also where one can find the local post office and bank, as well as a lottery.
South Clock Town is the town's main hub. It is connected to all four of the other sections of the city and to the outside world. Every year, the Festival of Time occurs in South Clock Town, making it a cultural center. A large clock tower is in the center of South Clock Town, hence the name "Clock Town."
Termina Field
Termina Field is a large mainly treeless area that encircles Clock Town and borders Termina's various mountains, valleys and bodies of water. A system of roads spanning the field connects Clock Town with the other regions of Termina, including Snowhead, Great Bay, Ikana Canyon and Woodfall. Although vegetated mostly by various grasses, Termina Field is far from topographically featureless. Many species of noncivilizational animals populate the area, chiefly Chu-Chus. Termina Field is the perfect place for a horse ride.
Southern Swamp
The Southern Swamp, known as Woodfall, is a lush swamp in Southern Termina. Woodfall's chief species, the Deku Scrubs, have a palace nestled deep in the Swamp, near Woodfall Temple, the Deku Scrubs' place of worship, and also the root of a poison leaking into the swamp waterways. There are places in which humans live, and their businesses are high on platforms. One is the Swamp Tourist Center, where you can get a boat tour of the swamp, and the other is the Magic Hag's Potion Shop, where a number of helpful potions are sold. Other areas of interest include the Woods of Mystery, a maze like wood which is very much like the Lost Woods in Ocarina of Time, and the Swamp Shooting Gallery, in which you can test your skills with your bow. Finishing it off is a mysterious house with a large underground area filled with Golden Skulltula.
Northern Mountains
The Northern Mountain area, known as Snowhead, the pinnacle of height in Termina. Snowhead is home to the Goron race, who have made a city on the snowy slopes. The Goron city includes the main chamber- a huge place of meeting for the Gorons that takes up much of the city. Inside you will find a shop that sells assorted goods, and a chamber in which the Elder's son lives. Other places in the city include a Powder Keg shop and a Goron Shrine. Outside the borders of the city lies the Mountain Smithy, a quaint chalet with two smiths that will improve your sword for a price. Next to the Smithy, high on a cliff is the final resting place of the great Darmani, with a hot spring that provides warmth in the bitter cold of Snowhead. The Goron's temple is Snowhead Temple, a huge peak in the mountain range surrounded by a huge chasm. Snowhead Temple is where the bitter, endless winter, which is torturing the Gorons, stems from.
Western Ocean
Termina's large coastline, Great Bay, is a peaceful and serene setting. The entrance immediately leads to a beach, with a fisherman's hut on the shore, and kayak-like boats on the sands. Outside of the beach on the water rests the Marine Research Lab, an odd looking place with port-holes for windows and a large hook on the roof. The marine researcher resides there, and he is well informed on the plight of the Zora. North in the bay lies the Gerudo Pirate fortress, which has top-notch security, and is very difficult to enter. Down the beach, and through a cave, is an extension of the beach. Above the waterfall is a catchment where two beavers live, further up the river that leads to the waterfall is their dam where they make their home. The area also leads to the entrance of Zora Hall, a concert venue and the home of the famous Zora band, the Indigo-gos. Even farther out shore is Pinnacle Rock, a murky place teeming with huge sea snakes, and further still the Great Bay Temple, home of Gyorg, from which stems the pollution and heat in the ocean that prevents the Zora from hatching their eggs.
Eastern Canyon
Ikana Canyon is a barren, desolate and forlorn area which few but the dead can call home. Ikana has a large river flowing through it, which leads to Southern Swamp if you follow it. The Ancient Castle of Ikana can be easily seen, but its main gate is closed forever. Along the river you can find the Music Box House, a strange dwelling with a waterwheel that makes the music playing in the house run. Also near the river is Sakon's Hideout, a seemingly impenetrable cave in which the thief Sakon hides all of his stolen goods. Further up the hill, you can spot the gigantic Stone Tower, a rock stronghold that dwarfs everything else. A deep well delves deep into the chilling underworld of Ikana. Near this is a cave full of water, where the river originates. The waterfall at the river's end takes you to the Southern Swamp.
Underground
Underneath Clock Town, there is a series of underground tunnels and catacombs that lead to the portal from Hyrule. The Clock Tower interior houses the entrance to the tunnels, but seems to be accessible from the other side only.
Races (Terminans) and government
Terminans
This is the word to refer to those living in Termina as opposed to the Hyruleans who live in Hyrule.
Hylians
The Hylians from Termina live, like their Hyrulean counterparts, in a big, central city. There's only one significant difference between the Hylians from Hyrule and the ones from Termina: magic and technology. While the Hylians from Hyrule are (or should be) magic-users, the Terminan focus on technology and seem to care little for the sacred Triforce and the Three Goddesses who created their planet. Instead, they choose to honor the Four Giants; the lesser gods who shaped Termina and continue to guard it.
Deku Scrubs
In Termina, the Deku Scrubs are far more advanced than Hyrulean Deku Scrubs, and they have a distinct culture and religion. They are run by monarchy, and their sacred temple is the Woodfall Temple, which only Deku Scrubs can access without magic. The Deku and the monkeys of Southern Swamp are hostile towards one another, and it is said that a monkey kidnapped the Deku Princess. The Deku are lead by a king with a large hat and very poor judgement.
Gorons
The Terminan Gorons are very different from the Hyrulean ones. The Hyrulean Gorons live on the active, and therefore hot, volcano, Death Mountain, while the Terminan Gorons live in Snowhead Mountains, where they experience seasonal variations, including extreme cold. During Link's visit to Termina, the climate of the Gorons' habitat is severely affected as the Moon looms ever closer. Terminan Gorons are a tribe "ruled" by a tribe elder, just like their Hyrulean counterparts, although the Snowhead Elder is considerably older than his Hyrulian doppelgänger. One main difference between the appearance of Terminan Gorons and Hyrulean Gorons is that we see an infant Goron (as the Elder's son) and an elderly Goron (as the Chief of the Snowhead tribe). Terminan Gorons whislt enjoying rolling around in balls similar to their Hyrulean counterparts, Have made their sport into an annual competiton.
Zoras
The Zoras of Termina live in the Great Bay Region, inside their underwater stronghold of Zora Hall. In Termina, Zoras are more open than Hyrulean Zoras, and they will leave their home to travel, which is easily shown by a very popular Zora band called The Indigo-Go's, that like to play in Clock Town and other densely populated areas. They also live in saltwater, unlike the freshwater-inhabiting Zoras of Hyrule, though there is no evidence that they cannot live in either type, should they so choose. Zoras are born from eggs, which must be kept in water at a certain temperature and kept together if they are to survive. Zora children are born without legs or arms, meaning they might go through an amphibian-esque metamorphosis. Unlike the other species, Zoras do not seem to have a central government or even any government at all. This also contrasts with the Hyrulean Zoras, who are led by King Zora and have a peerage system, as evidenced by Lord Jabu-Jabu.
Pirates
The Pirates are apparently the Terminian version of the Gerudo race of Hyrule, from which Ganondorf the king of thieves descends. Little is known about the history of the Terminian Pirates, but it appears that, like the Hyrulean Gerudo, the race is either primarily or entirely female. The Pirates inhabit a large fortress in the Great Bay Area. The Hero of Time comes across the pirates after they steal the "Indigo-Go's" lead singer Lulu's eggs. Little is known about the Pirates' dealings, but it is apparent that they are technologically advanced with devices such as motorboats and cannons, and have an interest in research, as seen from the myriad of specimens they house in tanks.
Their leader Aveil presumably uses the same character model of Nabooru's second-in-command at the Gerudo Fortress from Ocarina of Time, who rewards you with the Gerudo Membership Card once all of the captured carpenters have been freed.
Ikana and its people
While it is unknown if they were another race, there was once a civilization in Ikana, in eastern Termina, that died out due to a long history of war. The two ancient races of Ikana, the Ikana and the Garo ninjas, had a bloody past between them. The Ikana were led by Igos du Ikana, whose skeletal ghost now sits on his crumbling throne in the Ancient Castle of Ikana. The land is being tortured by the work of Sharp, one of the Ikana musicians who is the brother of Flat (the Termina variants of Sharp and Flat who attack Link in Hyrule's graveyard). Sharp, dead, now living as a poe, is said to have sold his soul to "the devil", though it is assumed that this "devil" is reffering to Majora's Mask. He has tried resurrecting Ikana from the dead, but selling his soul took a price: he imprisoned Flat's soul within an Iron Knuckle in the graveyard, who, before his ultimate imprisonment, scored his revenge through the melody of the Song of Storms. Flat remained imprisoned and Sharp continued his work. This stirred a series of chain reactions, including the resurrection of Igos du Ikana and his old allies and enemies, as well as the Garo, and created an endless drought. Link explores the ruins of the Castle and the temple in Stone Tower in order to free the fourth giant in the evil guardian mask of Twinmold. Now a wasteland haunted by vengeful spirits, virtually the only living people there are the researcher of the paranormal and his daughter Pam, the grave keeper Dampé, and the thief Sakon (who has a cave hideout on the fringes of the valley itself). Tingle also stops by occasionally to peddle the usual map or two. Based on the architecture of the Ikana race, the Ikana were probably based on the Mayan civilizations or, most likely, the Incas of South America. The name was also probably based on the Inca, as there is a resemblance between "Inca" and "Ikana", although it is more likely the name was based on the Japanese word "ikan", which means "regret". It is rumoured by fans that Fierce Deity is an Ikana to correspond with the transforming masks being asscociated with the four regions: Woodfall Deku, Great Bay Zora and Snowhead Goron.
Mysterious Entities
There are a few other entities in Termina that used to be alive, but have long since perished. An example of this is the mysterious ghost dancer, Kamaro, who dances every night at midnight on a large mushroom-like rock just to the North of Clock Town in Termina Field, waiting for somebody to pass on his legacy which he was never able to complete. Other than that his past is shrouded in mystery. Another mystery is the Aliens that attack Romani Ranch at the first day that Link is in Termina, they steal the cows and abduct Romani when she's trying to protect them. Keaton is yet another mystery; the Keaton is a yellow fox with multiple tails, who plays tricks in grass. If you try to mow down the grass in any way the grass will run away and hide under the ground, only to grow back again. If you make yourself worthy to talk to Keaton, Keaton will ask you a series of complicated questions to gain his friendship, or even its "heart." Also a cloaked man with a single red glowing eye guards the entrance way to Ikana. He is the Terminian Counterpart to the Poe Salesman that appears in the Future Hyrule in Ocarina of Time.
Legends
Festival of Time
Also known as the Carnival of Time, this is a festival central in the Terminian calendar. On this day, people wear handmade masks for good luck and walk along a walkway from the festival tower to the Clock Tower, where they sing an ancient song to the Four Giants to wish for a good harvest and luck in the year to come. It is said that if a couple dedicate two masks to the sun and the moon and get married on this day, their marriage will be a prosperous and happy one. It is told by Anju's Grandmother.
The Festival of Time bears a striking resemblance to Central and South American Saint Mask festivals.
The Four Guardians
Also told by Anju's Grandmother, this is about the history of Termina and the dissolution of the one race into four different races. It also tells the story about the Skull Kid and his lost friendship with the Guardians.
The Four Guardians seem to be inspired in either the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism, or in the Guardians of the directions, similar deities in Hinduism.
References
- ^ "The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2006-11-27.
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