The Mystery of Twilight Princess' DARKEST Dungeon (Zelda Theory)
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
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Who built Arbiter's Grounds, and what was it used for? Today we dive into the mystery of one of Twilight Princess' most unique dungeons.
Special thanks to LLLLLink and LoruleanHistorian for providing translations and/or adding to the discussion.
Chapters
0:00 - NordVPN (link to discount above!)
1:34 - Introduction
8:27 - Arbiter's Grounds Origins?
18:42 - Death Sword
24:46 - Stallord
30:09 - The Purpose of Arbiter's Grounds
41:17 - Mirror of Twilight & The Interlopers
Who Are the Zonai?
• Who are the ZONAI? - A...
Mystery of the Oocca & City in the Sky
• The MYSTERY of the Ooc...
Death Sword Theory (Zeltik)
• The Secret Identity of...
Source(s)
Online Translations
forums.legendsalliance.com/top...
Architecture of Zelda - Arbiter's Grounds
www.architectureofzelda.com/t...
Footage taken from:
myself :)
Outro Made by Espen - www.efolsen.com
Twitter - / nintendoblackc
discord server: / discord
Special thanks to my Patreon supporters!
Patreon - / nintendoblack. .
#TwilightPrincess #ArbitersGrounds #ZeldaTheory - Ігри
50 minutes of theorizing about my favourite Twilight Princess dungeon? You sir, are a legend 🤩
Indeedily-deedily-do!
Right??
LETS GOOO
Indeed, Mr MM. 🔥😌🙌🏼
Could you do a theory about the goddess of the sand?
It is worth noting that executioner swords tend to have flat ends. There was no need for stabbing, just chopping.
It even (death sword) looks like a repurposed butcher's knife. So.... yeah
Also a thick spine, and a blade only on one side, like a cleaver. (Which, really, they basically are.)
Blades also tend to have a spineward curve (exactly opposite a kukri) because since you're chopping downward, you want to level-out the downward angle (some machetes preserve this.)
@Andrew McLoughlin The German style of execution sword (straight blade, flat tip) were actually used to decapitate people who were kneeling, but with their back straight, so with a sideways swing. This was done as a more honourable death for higher class people, whereas commoners were executed by axe with a downward chop.
@Lonely Strategos oh, word! I appreciate the clarification. That's interesting -- I'll have to read up on that.
@@lonelystrategos
Yes, that's true, I also read something about it and it was mentioned in a documentary that I once saw.
I find that very interesting.
Death Sword has no point at its end, it was designed as an Executioner's Great Sword.
It seems as if the Sword soaked through the blood of so many of the Executed, it became possessed by that Demon, which required all those chains and Talismans to contain it.
I like that theory, thats cool!
I agree. The death sword is designed for beheading. We know that hatred can be a powerful force.
Could it be Zonai?
@@loki4807 I Am Not Sure If I Should Take This Seriously Or Not ...
@@katsukioshimara7397 you can if you want, i mean it is just a theory.
One note; Stallord's Title of "Twilit Fossil" isn't indicative of a link to the Twili, as every Dungeon boss (Except Zant and Ganondorf) have "Twilit" in the title:
Twilit Parasite Diababa
Twilit Igniter Fyrus
Twilit Aquatic Morpheel
Twilit Fossil Stallord
Twilit Ice Mass Blizzeta
Twilit Arachnid Armoghoma
and Twilit Dragon Argorok.
"Twilit" isn't linking them to the Twili, it's just the English version's less wordy naming scheme.
Yeah, Twilit seems very indicitive of the idea that the bosses are filled with twilight magic similar to a light, hence the term "Twilit"
Right, the bosses themselves aren't of the Twilight, they are simply empowered/possessed by it.
More like they are bosses corrupted by twilight magic or malice, aka ganon's magic. You can't tell me that the sword wasn't enbued with malice, given it reanimated Stallord.
@@ShadowSkyX And we know from BOTW that malice can revive fallen monsters
Let's not forget though that those bosses were first infected with shards of that mask. That bosses after the Arbiter's Grounds were all possessed by mirror shards. So, Twilit could be very intentional
Love the idea that Stallord was practically used as Lions were used back in the Roman Empire days. If the prisoner survives the encounter, they may go free.
Even if that's more than likely what happened, only the lesser were released. I'm fairly certain Ganondorf was pitted against Stallord and defeated it it some point, and was later condemned via use of the sages' favorite toy: the Mirror of Twilight.
@@D4Skewer oh 100%
For the Sheikah's Shadow Temple to operate in secret without ever being discovered by the populace a public prison/execution sight like the Arbiter's Ground would be needed, so it would make sense for the Hylians to either work with the Gerudo or reappropriate a Gerudo site to create it. Also since the Hyrulian Civil War only occurred only recently before Ganondorf's imprisonment in which the Gerudo were hostile to Hyrule it would mean the Sheikah would have to rely solely on the Shadow Temple hence why both existing is a reasonable investment by the royal family to ensure stability. Also this means that Stallord would likely have been dead long before the War since I don't think a resource like that would be neglected when on the losing side of a conflict.
Or Stalords purpose was specific.
Human history is littered with examples of people using animals for executions or tortures.
Feeding Christians to lions or using elephants to step on criminals in India spring to mind.
Stalord could, reasonably have been used for executions or torture in the original structure before the hylians moved It, found a giant monster in the basement and killed it because,
"holy crap, have you seen the monster in the basement?"
There is also the very simple question of "can we control it?" If the Gerudo let it out (and it was alive), would it have obeyed them or just killed them the moment the door was open?
Wait, was there a way it could get out? Because if not, then, assuming Stallord was alive, it was simply not considered because nobody knew how to get it out without demolishing a good part of the temple. And a war is not the time for that kind of thing.
@@maximedemers3467 or, the original living creature, or even it's corpse was their for a very very long time. Perhaps originally it could be moved. But if (in a fantasy sense, the creature was extremely long lives or biologically immortal) then the structure could have been altered over time......
Wait, even better head cannon fiction. Maybe stalord was the prisoner?
Arbiters grounds was a temple turned prison correct?
And then execution site. Maybe all three are intrinsically connected.
Perhaps stalord was a sort of primordial deity creature. Akin to Volvagia to the Gorons in OoF.
But when the hylians took the land. The temple became a prison, not for standard prisoners. But for Stalord?
It turned from a place of worship. To one of containment.
Then overtime, eventually deprived of food and water, the creature that originally comprised Stalord was eventually weakened enough to be slain.
Thus. Arbiters grounds goes from temple. To prison, to execution grounds.
It would also explain why the hylians had a prison outside their own kingdom in the first place. And why it was subsequently abandoned. It had furfilled it's purpose in that sense.
What do you think?
Back when I originally played the game I thought that the Arbiter's Grounds could have been part prison, part colosseum where criminals of a certain level of "merit" weren't immediately put to death but might have been forced to fight one another for entertainment, with the victor then being forced to fight the Stallord. Which, y'know, they didn't tend to survive. Never thought that it could have been something living before.
I would say it was alive. Until ganondorf killed it
Or if the criminal won they got to go free.
😊0
Stallord is most akin to Onox in his dragon form. Both are related to Gerudo, both are giant dragons that are serpentine and have arms and horns.
Forgot to mention that lol. Had a lot of stuff to cover and the video was still 50 minutes
@@NintendoBlackCrisis
I love the level of research you put into your projects! - you definitely make me want to be more research minded; one thing i wanted to offer as **inspiration:
Did you know that ancient cultures used to have different ways to write the same thing?!
@ 10:30, When you compared the mixture of what seemed to be Gerudo, Hylian and '...some unknown text or language...', you said that some of the column text had both distinct and "similar" Hylian letters - Have You Ever Considered Ancient HEBREW?
In ancient Old Testament manuscripts - there would be words and letters that had more, shall we say "flowery" personality in their creation
(and if you investigated if they had different meaning from the words and letters that were more plain style in other exact origin manuscripts - the answer was NO😁); in a similar way, that concept could be carried over to the lore of Zelda!**
thought this would be a fun thing to consider!
- Jesus is the Lord
@@NintendoBlackCrisis
Ps., just like we have "fonts" in word documents - ancient cultures had the same concept for different purposes and occasions! (ex. = The difference between something official being written for Royalty or high class - vs. something official being written for regular townsfolk or "commoners")
It makes sense that Din would be interpreted by the Gerudo as wicked. It bring to my mind the words of Ganondorf in Windwaker, the calm wind that the people in Hyrule enjoyed, was more harsh in the desert. For those living in a fertile land, Din would seen as a benevolent god, but for the Gerudo, she would see like a goddess that likes to mess up with people, just like the desert wind does. A harsh mistress, one might say.
I think the reason the Arbiters grounds are so good is because it is filled with ghosts and skeletons, but still has that advanced feeling to it. It has an ancient feel aswell as a futuristic feel.
I have a theory that the Arbiters Ground was used for executions when it was first built and they used Stallord for the executions but after so many years, Stallord either died or the Arbiters were forced to kill him, after Stallord they used the Death Sword but that too became too dangerous from all the malice from the people who were executed. After the Death Sword was sealed, Hyrule created the shadow temple as a new place for execution.
28:42 King Dodongo, Volvagia, & Stallord are all bosses revived thru magic, so could also be a possible reason they share a theme
Song slaps too!🕺
45:58 Curiously, not only does the symbol on Zant's sash look like a modified Gerudo crest, but it also looks _very_ similar to pig/beast Ganon's face. Not only that, but looking at his unmasked model makes me realize that Zant also has distinctly red hair peaking out from beneath his headdress. Makes me wonder if Zant is actually another Gerudo male, possibly one who was _supposed_ to acquire Ganondorf's power, yet never did for whatever reason. Could very well explain his lust for power beyond simply being banished to the Twilight realm
As for the one who created the Twilight Mirror: There is one goddess who is both associated with the Triforce, Snakes ,as well as being associated with the dessert: The Sand Goddess of the Gerudo. It's possible that instead of being one of the existing 3 Goddesses she might actually be a separate goddess that herself has been erased from history for opposing the goddess Hylia.
Some of the arguments you bring up for the Hylians and the Gerudo having built the interior of the Arbiter's Grounds together could also be explained by the Hylians taking it over after it was built. It was common in Ancient Egypt for later rulers to take over their predecessors' constructions and having their names and likenesses carved over existing walls and statues. The parts with the hylian crests look slightly different, like new stones brought in to replace previous ones, and columns were re-used because moving massive stones is a lot of work so using what's already there is just sensible. The stones used in construction would be cut nearby in both time periods, so they would look the same.
One thing too, as far as how often the mirror was used, don't forget that it wasn't supposed to be used on Ganondorf. They rammed a sword right through his heart and it was only after he woke up for that and killed the Water Sage that they used the mirror to get rid of him
I feel like the Mirror is the last ditch, like if someone killed the king of hyrule of something
Did I hear mention of an analysis on city in the sky? Now THAT I would love to see! There’s so much mystery surrounding that place and the Ooccoo. Love this content!
Small additional detail: Zant's shoes are very similar to the ones Ganondorf wears in Wind Waker.
Thanks so much for addressing my comment! I’d address the first issue by saying that the king was probably angry at Ganondorf’s betrayal and wanted to watch him get killed by Stallord. Second, I think the Royal Family may have reopened the grounds briefly after the child ending of Ocarina of Time. I think the remaining hair on Stallord’s head is proof that he hasn’t been dead for thousands of years. I’m no expert but I think 100 years is enough time for all that to decompose. Again, thanks so much!
Woah, glad to see the person who made that comment saw this video! Loved the idea 😊
arbiter grounds quite possibly my favorite dungeon in the series
The twilight throne looks very similar to the style of the cave drawings in the most recent Tears of the Kingdom trailer. Specifically, it looks a lot like the highlighted figure
I recall a theory of the Death sword being Ganons actual sword, as the sword we see him using is actually the sages sword, meaning his own weapon is missing. the skeleton creature wielding it would essentially be either a creature of malice/the spirits of enemies killed with the sword, or a phantom ganon perse, much like OoT and WW had. The seals on it could have been a precaution to keep it away from him once they captured him, fearing the power it held
it be sick if in Tears of the Kingdom, Arbiter's ground rises up from the sands once again and is a dungeon we have to go through
@Jonah Butterfield, My humble brotha, if you haven't seen the third pre-launch trailer of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, please do so, because your comment surreally describes a certain portion of the trailer.
@@jonahbutterfield5792 Same here man😄. Even though I've never played Twilight Princess, I've seen multiple gamers do let's plays of it, and with me being a huge Zelda fan myself, even I know about the fact of Ganondorf being a descendant of the Gerudo tribe. And considering the fact that Ganondorf is going to be in Tears of the Kingdom, AND that the Arbiter's Grounds is a VERY significant place/dungeon, there's no doubt in my mind that it's going to play a truly significant role this time around.
After all, the Arbiter's Grounds is buried beneath the sand in Breath of the Wild, and it's the same place where the mirror of twilight was/is, the seven sages, and where Ganondorf was punished for his crimes. So it makes absolute complete sense that his reappearance would trigger the resurfacing of the Arbiter's Grounds. I know we're not crazy, I just KNOW it, we saw a temple/dungeon rise out of the ground in this third pre-launch trailer. It's either the Spirit Temple, Lanayru Mining Facility, OR it is in fact the Arbiter's Grounds. SOMETHING major is happening in the Gerudo Desert, and it's only a matter of time before we find out.
Eh sort of...
I always interpretted the "Twilit" bosses, as just creatures taht have been influenced by the fused shadows, and not as actually having any connection to the Twili
Edit (And zants magic in stallords case)
"Oh My gOsH iS ThaT a ZonAI SwIrl?!?!" just sends me every single time
Same. I love it.😂
lmao same its a good bit
I wish I found it funny tbh
alternativly, the Arbiter's Grounds could have been built as a collaborative effort between the Oocca and the Hylians. Later, after it was abandoned and replaced by the shadow temple, the Gerudo came and inhabited the near intact ruins.
Consider this, when you start to fight this Death Sword, it initially appears as though the sword itself rises on its own and proceeds to attack you with intent to kill. It's not until you turn into a wolf and see the spirit holding it that you realize that someone is wielding the sword. Normal people with no means to see spirits would believe the sword is only itself, and thus, they call it a Death Sword.
I believe Zant is the Gerudo male born every hundred years, which would explain why he wanted so badly to be king and why no one else wanted. "Anything you desire, I shall desire too" they're literally the reincarnation of one another, that's why they fuse so well. It would also explain the ending scene in which Zant cracks his neck and kills Ganondorf. It's just him destroying his first body, now living only inside Zant's body.
If this is true, why is Zant in the Twilight Relm? Maybe he was banished there too, long ago, and assumed power, as kings of the Gerudo often do.
Unfortunately that can’t be true. The only time a new “form” of Ganon/malice is reincarnated is after the current one dies. Ganon is alive in twilight princess.
@@youare-not-alone864 the Gerudo male doesn't necessarily have to be Ganon, does he?
That Twilight Princess music is so hauntingly nostalgic... I love it, it makes me feel lonely, but it also makes me want to play it while someone else watches
I only just now thought of this while watching the cutscene in this video but when the sages tried to execute Gannon they made a fatal mistake (literally for one of them) and they...
"Should have gone for the head"
7:55 Always thought that King Rhoam's middle name 'Bosphoramus' referred to the Strait of Bosphorus near Constantinople and therefore Ancient Rome. It serves to connect his character to the idea of a vey ancient and long ruling dynasty.
You know, even if you don't upload like you used to, you put so much effort in your videos and they end up more like a documentary than "just" a theory i love it. Sometimes it's unbelievable how much data you go through for just one video.
Amazing done 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
100 days until totk
It's deilaid
LETS GOO
@@dannygee7589 Delayed?
@@Skelterbane69 no you heard him, it's deilaid
@@butterychalupa3633 deilaid will be playable??!!
I haven't played this game since I was 16 (15 years ago now) and have just splurged on a Wii U before the store closes and am playing it as I watch. You've given me more inspiration to race ahead now. Also release the full length video! I love this long form more indepth dives!
Even though I have never played this particular Zelda game, Arbiters grounds is my favorite dungeon. Personally I think the desert parts of games are the best.
I have the Wii version. Do you want it?
Personally seeing Hylian designs in the Gerudo structure doesn't necessarily mean collaboration. The Hylians may have just modified the interior after removing the Gerudo. My personal theory is the Grounds are the Spirit Temple with the Mirrors in the Spirit Temple being the inspiration for the Mirror of Twilight and retroactively probably stored there somewhere. I think after Young Link returned from the Adult timeline and warned Hyrule of Ganondorf's treachery Hyrule attacked and conquered the entire Gerudo nation to prevent the attack, converting the Temple into the Grounds, claiming the mirror and executing Ganon as shown and either eliminating or scattering the Gerudo race, resulting in them being absent from Twilight Princess other than possible rare descendants who have survived such as Telma
I think the mirror was created AFTER the Interlopers were sent to the Twilight Realm, and for one big reason: only the true leader of the Twili can destroy it, and Midna knew about that prior to doing so. How would she know that, unless her people had some part in creating it?
I've always assumed that Death Sword is a Lich, who's soul was bound to the sword.
I always thought Stallord was the 'Twilit Fossil" because he was LIT with twilight. Making him the TwiLIT Fossil. Which could go along with the Japanese name of him being resurrected
It is worth noting that it COULD have been built at the time of the Interlopers' banishment, and it isn't just a colisseum, but the top of a tower, similar to the Tower of the Gods from Wind Waker.
How about this: The Arbiters Ground were a execution place of the gerudo or Gyptos. Stallord was the Beast who have to fight against the prisoners. Then after a long time The Royal Family take this place and used it as an execution ground too, but instad of Stalllord (Who is dead now) they used a Executionier with the Death Sword. Then there comes Ganondorf, who is to powerful to execute with this sword. So the the sages do it by themselfs and execute him. This leads to the story we all know. After the vanishing of Ganondorf the Arbiters Grounds were shut down and the Death Sword has been sealed, because of the many never resting Souls of the executed. This seal could be done before or after Ganonsdorfs exile. The Mirror was there since the early days of hyrule, and was used only once bevor.
35:23 It doesnt.... In fact, it says that they were sent to the underworld, or "hell". That's kind of the general idea with dying, you can go to the underworld. The mirror seems like _a_ method of execution, not the only one.
Semantics, but Stallord isn’t a fossil, its made of bone not rock. The title “Twilit Fossil” is probably either a misnomer or just a reference to it’s age, like calling an old person a “fossil”.
Also, it’s unlikely but I’d love the idea that the “fur” on Stallord’s body is actually a colony something like Osedax worms, some sort of flesh-eating organism feeding on its decaying body like animals on a whale fall
Best one you've made in a long while, very cool video!
50 minutes of theory, YES!! ☺️ love your work, my dude, it inspires me to draw.
Great video! Haven't watched you in a while but always enjoyed having your videos so in depth or as background noise. Really interesting theory even if I may forget this stuff.
I would love to see you do a full Twilight Princess playthrough!
I look forward to you putting out content dude thanks for doing what you do
Great video. Love these deep dives. Off to watch the Zonai video again.
superb video exploring this mystery. thanks so much.
It really struck me just how creepy it is, the very idea of bannishing someone to another dimension as a punnishment.
@48:44 Also Ganondorf never transformed into Ganon until you fight him in Twilight Princess, Ganondorf only received the Power part of the triforce during the execution cutscene.
Just found your channel and I really enjoy the deep dives into the dungeon I’m hoping there will be more
I hear that Temporal Tower soundtrack near the end! I love PMD 💕
Nice video length, I managed to get all my homework done right as the outro played.
I LOVE how all the Zeldatubers are so friggin wholesome! Not only do you guys get along, but you actively reference each others works and point your viewers to each others videos. I gotta say: you guys are a big reason why the Zelda community is so positive and uplifting. Thanks for all you do and keep up the great content!
Dork alert!
I love how yall support each other, mm, zeltik, and other zelda content creators
King Rhoam is a reference to a cut character from ALTTP named Rhoam who was kept in the comic story, alongside a ton of other elements cut from the game.
Maybe the Arbiter’s grounds used to be the HQ or base or the Interloper’s during the Interloper war. Maybe they used Stallord to kill POWs. The interlopers could have been a diverse group made of both gerudo, Hylians, Sheikah, etc which is why it has multiple architecture styles. Maybe the Interloper’s developed the mirror and the Arbiter’s grounds were used to experiment with magic and whatnot. When the Hylians won the Interloper war, they could have taken over the Arbiter’s grounds and added some things, such as the royal crest, to lay claim to the building. And used the building to imprison the Interloper’s when they won before being sent to the twilight realm.
Personally, the baby size skeletons in the Arbiter’s Grounds are terrifying. Why are there kid sized skeletons in there? 😮
And the clip you showed of the giant fish skeleton in BOTW makes me want underwater exploration even more. Maybe instead of a fake barrier if you go too far you get swallowed by a giant fish sea monster
Funny thing, the voices with the religious lyrics that you can hear in OoT's Fire Temple were not made for OoT. Those are just stock sounds you can use. Those same lyrics can be heard in a song in Cruis'n World in the Egypt's track, and in a fighting game for the Xbox called Kakuto Chojin
Stallord actually reminds me of Stalblind, an undead version of The Blind in ALBW, The Blind himself being a human transformed by the dark world. It wouldn't surprise me that Stallord is also a kind of transformed Twili that, perhaps because of some magic or a curse, became this giant monster and later died.
Loved it, and I fall short. This is one of those videos you do and I watch lots of times!
6:33 That edit was DOPE
I personally think the title of stallord isn't so much referring to its origin, but referring to the fact that it has been awoken by twili magic, light was quite literally brought back to it's eyes by zant's magic.
36:40 I think the best part about this theory is that it makes the Coliseum imagery make sense-- Stallord was a gladiator creature! Similar to how gladiators would fight lions, sinners/criminals/what-have-you would be pitted against Stallord. Many gladiators were also prisoners, made to fight for the entertainment of the people, so it very well could have taken inspiration from the real-life gladiator fights.
Great analysis video! Thanks for uploading!
Death Sword might be the execution weapon used on whoever was killed at the grounds, that would be a believable reason to have it end up infused with dark magic and sealed away. Similarly, I suspect the entity that appears to wield Death Sword is somehow related to the entity of "Stallord" they both have horns, a similarly shaped face, and similarly long teeth. It's difficult to imagine what sort of entity either was in the context of other things that we've seen.
this temple always scared the hell out of me as a kid, ill admit im still freaked out by it
The upward tiger stripes on the Goddess of the Sands's body match up with some of the body paint on the Ancient Set. The blurb for the leggings of this set specifies that _it is the body paint_ which gives the bonus to your strength stat when wearing this set. Sounds like more good evidence that she and Din are one and the same.
Favorite dungeon of my favorite game of my favorite series! Monster Maze a real one for this! So glad I found your channel!
Good video, man. Really enjoyable.
I’m making this post before I watch the video, and I’ll edit it once I finish the video but something I’ve always wondered about the Arbiter’s Grounds was this: What if it was a place of worship for the Gerudo that was reappropriated and then desecrated by the Hylians? We see that statue of the Sand Goddess, in a dungeon surrounded by death and decay. If that’s not desecration then I dunno what is, but it’s something I’ve always thought about (which made this dungeon one of my favorites).
At 46:03 when you are talking about the Gerudo crest, directly above looks like Eyes of Majora.
Renovations can happen. If they go through all the trouble of putting up a new exterior, its even less work to add a few pedestals and carved symbols of hyrule.
Also when you make a building especially before modern transportation it makes more sense to use the material in the area. While hyrule built it, theirs a high chance alot of the worker base was made up of local workers and craftswomen.
always thought the stuff on stallord isnt hair but muscle fibers that dried out rather than fully rotting away
Well, one thing I'd not considered on the first watch until now, months later, maybe Stallord starved to death. Yeah, maybe Ganondorf killed it before the failed execution attempt that led to his banishment, but look at the state of the Arbiter's Grounds and the number of undead in it. The place had clearly been abandoned long before Link goes there, and since we can't say for sure how Stallord died or if it was even affected by the weapons of the condemned made to fight it, assuming that was the case at all, there's no way of knowing if the Sages or whoever made the decision of how the condemned were to be executed would have even tried putting Ganondorf before it. As a result, we don't know exactly when Stallord died, only that it was long enough ago to have withered away to bone by the time Link goes there. That being the case, coupled with the fact that the Arbiter's Grounds had been abandoned at some point after Ganondorf had been banished, if we consider the possibility that Stallord was not slain but did eat some if not many of the condemned made to fight it with a false promise that they'd be released if they could slay it, starvation is also a possibility.
Twilight Princess the game that literally started my gaming obsession...its good to see it show up in the news again...with the Arbiter's grounds one of the most influential dungeons in the game...definitely going to watch this in depth etc.
has nobody questioned how the hyrulian royal family and hyrule itself is like 20,000+ years old and still going strong even after the great calamity?
THE THING AT 12:38 AFTER HAVING PLAYED TEARS OF THE KINGDOM OMFG
Man I wish this was available in podcast form, then I could listen all day
Ayyyy I love the Persona reference! Just finished 5 a few days ago and love it!
29:10 I always viewed Stallord's furry appearance actually not as fur, but as decaying (or preserved mid decay) blubber & connective tissue, like is seen in dead whales & dolphins. Am I implying Stallord was aquatic? Mayhaps. The region used to be an ocean, after all.
Edit: thought I should add that Stallord's skull looks kind of similar to an otter's. now that I'm comparing them side by side, my new headcanon is that Stallord is a giant species of otter that used to live in Lake Hylia before being brought to the Arbiter's Grounds (where else is there a giant cylindrical room like Arbiter's Grounds? That's right, the Lakebed Temple). The pipes now used for sand could have been used for water in the past. I shant accept any other theory at this time
Nice theory….but, how do you explain the horns, weird hair, and huge body?🤔Me curious.🤔
"Is that a zonai symbol!?" gets me every time.
OMG is that a Zonai swirl?!
OMG 😳😳😳😳😳 ZONAI ? 🔥🔥❓⁉️⁉️‼️‼️❌❌⭕
Video topic suggestion: A video that goes through all of the known, very messed up things the Hyrulian Royal family has done/overseen/authorized over the years. For the side, Link seems to constantly be running to help out, they sure got a lot of stalfos in their closet. Though I suppose they are the lesser evil if one compares em to alternatives.
After watching this video, I agree most with the theory that Stallord was kept as an execution method; perhaps, after the executioner's blade became cursed, the owners of Arbiter's Grounds imprisoned it there as the best other alternative, maybe believing that it was an immortal creature. But the wouldn't have executed prisoners and slaves for entertainment, hence the lack of bleachers and/or spectator booths of any kind in an arena where condemned folks would go to battle a giant monster, which the Romans would consider quite the spectacle. There's even the possibility of the people bringing condemned prisoners to die at Arbiter's Grounds as a religious practice, like a sacrifice to Stallord, or to Death Sword; but that is more unlikely.
My theory is that the guards there made sure that Death Sword was bound with talismans and paid respect to the dead so that their restless, angry ghosts wouldn't take over the place or something. However, when Stallord eventually died, there was no way of getting its corpse out of the building, so they flooded its chamber with sand in hopes it would contain the stench of its decomposition. That didn't work out, and the sand eventually started leaking throughout the building (the little pipes and canals you pointed out may have once been used for water to circulate through the building, but were later infested with sand). Thus the people in charge of maintaining Arbiter's Grounds saw themselves forced to abandon the place, and later on the Sages repurposed it to hold the Mirror of Twilight, as it was a scary faraway place were thieves wouldn't dare enter.
Also, a few fun facts that I wanted to share but wasn't sure how to include them in the actual theory: "arena" literally means "sand"; the Romans used sand to cover the floor of the killing wring because it soaks up blood quickly. And, in the Spanish localization of Twilight Princess, Arbiter's Grounds are named the Desert Gibbet/Gallows ("Patíbulo del Desierto"), and the Mirror Chamber is called the Mirror Circus ("Circo del Espejo"); I haven't seen what the latter was called in the OG Japanese, I just always thought this nomenclature for this particular dungeon sounds super cool and fitting.
There was never any controversy over OoT's Fire Temple music or Gerudo crest. It was Nintendo of America that decided to change it simply because at the time they had a policy of never including any direct references to real-world religions in their own games.
Great video! It's packed full of interesting information and analysis. I'm absolutely fascinated by the mystery of the Arbiter's Grounds. Will be recommending this video to other Zelda fans!
I remember watching my older brother play one of the original zelda games on the snes. I played bits of ocarina of time as a kid, and about half of twilight princess when It came out. I got my mom to play skyward sword on the wii, she almost beat it. And now me and my mom have played a ton of botw.
All this is to say I've been tangentially connected to zelda my whole life and I have been loving all your videos about the lore of the games. I'll likely never go back and play the older games but I really appreciate all the work you do to make these videis.
13:28, 35:21 They actually say the same in both versions
32:09 They carried the ambiguity imo. They can both be interpreted the same way. "The worst criminals" could refer to the interlopers like the Jp could be. Likely some of the worst criminals if the gods intervened XD. Or it could be referring to a different, particular group of criminals... like the Japanese could also be referring to. In all honesty, I never interpreted the English to mean he was referring to criminals as a whole. It seemed pretty clear he was referring to specific criminals, like the Japanese. But there's also the fact that the Japanese doesn't necessarily refer to a specific group either. You've used an interpretation of a translator. Both JP and English are ambiguous.
Dang, I actually didn't know that the sealing of the interlopers was placed before MC. I always liked to believe they were Ganondorf's secret service of sorts, made up of Gerudo, corrupt Sheikah, and other parties, and operating behind the scenes during the civil war. So much for that theory.
I loved the video, in any case, and I only hope future entries in the Zelda franchise can enlighten us a little bit.
Great video as always! Please do more like this! Forest Temple (Oot) anyone?
This was a great video. Definitely a dungeon filled with a lot of mystery, but that’s the allure for sure.
One note, and I don’t know if someone has or hasn’t already brought this up, but the naming for Stallord having “Twilit” as a sort of prefix is shared among most bosses of the game, so my interpretation of that is that it refers more to that he’s powered by Twili magic rather than having a direct connection to the twili tribe or interlopers directly. In this case he’s “Twilit” as in lit up by twilight power in a sense, brought on by the fact that Zant was the one to resurrect him.
Otherwise, yeah that shared iconography and typography all tends to yield more questions than answers, but that’s sorta what I love about it all. Great video again sir.
thanks man!
Thank you for the long video. You're gonna help me get through the last hour of work 🤣
I think the "hair" is actually the remaining rotting tissue, as it appears on the shoulders, attached to the bone.
You just got Anubis wrong. Anubis does not judge the dead that is the job of Ocyrus, Anubis ferry's or shepherd's the souls across the land of the dead to be judged, which is why Anubis is always depicted with a shepherd's hook. He's basically Cheron from Greek mythology, they protect dead souls so that they may cross over to the after life.
For the dual figures in the mural, historically Egypt was notorious for carving into already built structures and editing those already present. It could be unrelated but if we think back to the Egyptian connection then maybe they were added some time after construction as a premonition, like you said, or directly referencing the hero of times story.
Perfect, now I have something to watch while I wait for the laundry to wash at work. THANKS NBC!! 10/10 would recommend 😂
With the return of Twili in Tears of the kingdom - I wonder if we learn more about Twili? I also wonder with Hyrule having 3 layers - will we go back to grounds?
There’s no confirmation or hard evidence they are returning. While I see the similarities it’s more likely that the Zonai are a brand new tribe to the series.
This came at the perfect time! I just finished replaying twilight princess and I always copy the game before beating the Stallord since it's my favorite boss fight in the game. Another awesome video my man 💯👌keep 'em coming!
Sand goddess being an epithet of din also ties in oracle din as she’s basically a gerudo before gerudo existed. In fact it would be neat if the gerudo was Din’s take 2 of a race linked to fire but more in line with the zora hylians and kokiri