Majora’s Mask is notable for its drastic change of setting. Instead of Hyrule, this is the only game in the series to take place in Termina – a land that’s familiar in scenery, but contains weird, parallel-universe versions of Hyrule’s denizens. As such, there’s a ton more to learn, and just about no time to explain it.
Of course, this is where the fans come in, connecting dots that vary from tenuous to “why didn’t I see make that connection”, the internet sleuth society has been hard at work explaining the unexplained, not to mention making up some of their own stories as well. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Link Is Dead
Remember hearing during Ocarina of Time that the non-Kokiri who wander the Lost Woods without a fairy are doomed to turned to Stalfos? Well, according to one fan, that is the fate that’s befallen Link in Majora’s Mask, as the beginning of the game shows Link looking for Navi, and he could have very possibly been searching the Lost Woods for her.
In this case, Termina represents Link’s version of a mental purgatory, and he imagines himself living the regular life he never had using the memories he did. In this sort of afterlife, he’s doing comparatively mundane things, like uniting a loving couple and visiting the milk bar, that saving the world kept him from getting to experience.
Further adding to this theory is the fact that your Stalfosian tutor in Twilight Princess bears a notable resemblance to the Hero of Time, particularly his left-handed style and an insistence that he was once a hero like Link… not to mention that the songs used to summon him are all from the Ocarina of Time era.
Majora’s Mask Is of Twili Origin
Say, which game in the series had almost as many masks as Majora’s Mask did? Why, that would be Twilight Princess. From Zant’s long-tongued stare, to Midna’s piece of the Fused Shadow, those who inhabit the Twilight realm either really hate their own faces or were having a fire sale on surplus Halloween costumes. In any case, I urge you to take a look at the styles of masks you see in the game. Don’t they bare a small resemblance to Majora’s Mask itself?
Take a look at the Fused Shadow for instance. See how its design centers around a very stylized eye pattern? Also, notice the organic pattern that flows around the mask, the one that almost looks like circuitry. It could be that the two masks were created by Twili for a similar purpose: unstoppable power.
It’s also worth noting that the Happy Mask Salesman mentions that Majora’s Mask was created long ago by a tribe that’s currently nowhere to be found. This sounds shockingly similar to the Interlopers, a tribe of beings who later evolved into the the Twili after being banished to the Twilight realm for creating the Fused Shadow and attempting to dominate Hyrule with it. Perhaps Majora’s Mask was an early version of the Fused Shadow.
The Happy Mask Salesman is a Happy Mask Deity
The Happy Mask Salesman is famous for being pretty damn terrifying. His quick mood swings, ability to conjure items out of thin air, and his near omniscient understanding of the goings on of a world he hasn’t left the clock tower to see make him feel mysterious and almost dangerous. So, what if he had these abilities because he’s some sort of god?
Now, perhaps he’s not an actual god, but some sort of avatar or representation. One that can’t interfere directly but whose goal it is to guide the hero through his mission.
This can be explained by the fact that the Salesman seems to be an anchor point for Majora’s Mask’s time mechanic. If you play the Song of Time, you’re teleported back to when you met the Salesman. Fail to prevent apocalypse? Back to the salesman.
It’s also notable that time does not pass when Link interacts with him. In fact, when entering the clock tower, the in-game clock disappears completely. This has lead many to believe the the Happy Mask Salesman is in fact a representation of the Goddess of Time. This would make sense, as a goddess who can control time would be fairly useless against the impending doom, but giving the Hero of Time a fraction of that power would give him the edge he would need. Of course, why she chose such a horrifying visage for her avatar I’ll never know.
You’re Wearing the Face of the Deku Butler’s Son
That’s right, Link is a botanical Buffalo Bill. Think back to the beginning of the game. Remember the shriveled little Deku Scrub whose face, contorted in eternal agony, prompts even your fairy to take notice? Keep that fresh in your memory, because this is about to get depressing.
Now flash forward to the Deku shrine near the palace in the swamps. In the shrine you’re promised a reward for rescuing the Deku princess. However, you have to follow the butler closely through the darkened corridors and dangerous pillar-filled rooms. After reaching the end and feeling ready to yell your eyes out at the bastard for moving so quickly, the Deku butler explains why he decided to leave your ass in the dust. You remind him of his son, whom he used to race in these very tunnels. His son, he says, that just up and disappeared one day.
Of course, you see where this is going. Why does Link remind the butler of his son? Well, that’s because he’s seen you in your Deku form, which is an unnatural, twisted visage of that poor unfortunate Deku Scrub. Yup, somehow the Skull Kid managed to fuse the butler’s son’s soul into your own, and the Happy Mask Salesman has confined said soul to a mask. Of course, you don’t truly get a sense of what you’ve done until during the credits, where the butler is seen weeping by the shriveled Deku corpse in the caves beneath Clock Town. And to think that Scrub might still be alive if your tunic-clad ass had just stayed in Hyrule. You’re a monster.
Naturally, these aren’t the only theories to come out of the community, but they’re some of the ones that make the most sense. If you’re familiar with any more potentially mind blowing Majora’s Mask facts, feel free to reveal them in the comments below.
