The Oocca: Engineers of Hyrule
Posted on June 19, 2009 7:47 AM by Ben Spyrou
Category: Bombers Articles, Races & People, Theory Articles
The Oocca are one of the most perplexing and innovative races in the world of Hyrule. Some light is shed on their past throughout Twilight Princess, but various loose ends remain. They are a highly developed race in terms of technology, having built massive cannons, crafted a rod that can bring life to inanimate objects, and even built an entire city above the clouds, held up by powerful propellers. These small creatures seem to be at the pinnacle of technology during the times of Twilight Princess. Though all of these feats are apparent to the player, it is still unclear as to why these small birds are so highly developed, and how they have had such a great impact on Hylian architecture. Though they are indeed intelligent and mechanical creatures, their technological achievements are eventually overshadowed by the influence of magic in the land of Hyrule.
The origins of the Oocca are revealed by the young scholar, Shad, in Twilight Princess. After continuing his father's research for many years, Shad believes he has identified the Oocca as one of the oldest races in Hyrule, even pre-dating the Hylians.
"The common opinion is that Hyrule was created by the Hylia people, the race closest to the gods, but truth be told, there's also a theory saying that in ancient times there was a race even closer to the gods than the Hylia people, and THEY created it. And they, simultaneously with the birth of the Hylia people, created a new capital, a capital that floated in the heavens".
Shad claims that the Oocca were in fact partly responsible for the creation of Hyrule itself. For this to be true, then the Oocca must have been one of the first races to inhabit the land of Hyrule after the Goddesses forged the world. This in turn confirms that the Oocca were very close to the gods, as Shad states. As the Oocca helped shape Hyrule into the proud nation that it is, they likely left marks of their presence all over the land. Rusl, Link's friend from Ordon Village, confirms this.
"The ancestors of the Hylians created the temple... Signs of their civilization--ancient, but very sophisticated--are everywhere."
The term ancestor here seems to imply that the Oocca simply inhabited the earth prior to the Hylians, not that they are their literal ancestors. However, he also claims that they created the temple hidden deep within the Sacred Grove; the Temple of Time. This revelation is not too shocking, as the Oocca were known to be close to the gods. The temple is one of the many marks they left behind before moving to the sky. The Ancient Sages are more commonly known for the construction of the Temple of Time, but as one ventures through the dungeon, it becomes clear that the Oocca aided in its creation.
At first, as its name suggests, the Temple of Time simply looks like a church. However, by using the Master Sword, Link manages to uncover a secret path the leads deeper into the temple. This dungeon section is riddled with traps, puzzles and monsters. After conquering these obstacles, Link comes across the mysterious Dominion Rod.
With this item, Link was able to control particular statues within the dungeon in order to work his way towards the boss chamber. After claiming the mirror shard he was searching for, Link is met by Ooccoo, an Oocca who has aided him in various dungeons. She tells him that the Dominion Rod is in fact a holy artifact of the Oocca. As the Oocca do not appear to be dexterous, it makes sense that they use a magical rod to craft their various creations. The fact that the rod was hidden deep within the Temple of Time further confirms that the Oocca aided in the construction of the Temple of Time. Just as the Sages keep the Master Sword safe within the Temple, the Oocca kept their sacred item, the Dominion Rod, within the temple as well. Ooccoo was not the only character interested in the Dominion Rod. When Link meets with the old and mysterious Impaz in Hidden Village, more of the rod's mysteries are unveiled.
"Ohhh! That rod, by any chance, is it called Copy Rod!? According to the legends of my clan, in the past there was an epoch when the royal family still maintained cultural exchange with the sky. A rod containing a mysterious power was handed down from the people of the sky. That rod was called the Copy Rod. When the royal family sent a message to the sky, they only permitted an approved messenger to the sky to carry that rod."
Impaz reveals that the Dominion Rod belongs to one who is chosen to be the messenger of the sky. Link, who is already acting as the Hero of Hyrule, is the Oocca's prophesized messenger. Impaz also suggests that the Oocca were maintaining cultural exchange with the Hylians. This solidifies the idea that the Oocca aided the cultural expansion of the Hylians, which explains the various Oocca-like structures around the world of Hyrule.
As the Oocca have clearly had an impact on Hyrulian culture, it is safe to assume that the Temple of Time is not their only major creation on the earth. Consider the Tower of the Gods, featured in The Wind Waker. The Tower features very similar designs to the Temple of Time dungeon, as well as the same atmosphere. Both require the commandment and movement of unique statues to progress through the level, as well as similar laser defenses, including Beamos and walls that generate laser beams. Both dungeons also have a Darknut mini-boss, feature various Armos Knight's as guards, and have large bells and scales.
Right: A statue from the Temple of Time dungeon in Twilight Princess. Link controls it with the Dominion Rod.
This seems to be too much of a coincidence. The Tower of the Gods must also have been created by the Oocca. We have seen they communicate with the Sages of Hyrule, and on occasion the Hylians, so it wouldn't be outrageous to think they helped the Goddesses by creating the Tower of the Gods. After all, they are known to be the closest race to the Gods. The Goddesses, knowing Ganon's wrath would swallow the world, flooded Hyrule, causing a large sea to cover the land where the Hylians once prospered. The Tower of The Gods was kept safe by the Goddesses, in the event that a new Hero would rise. As the Oocca also prophesied about a hero, the messenger of the sky, the notion of creating a large tower to aid the Goddesses would have seemed suitable, as they share a similar view with the Goddesses', to whom they have a great connection. The Tower of the Gods and the Temple of Time dungeon are both indeed complex structures. However what is even more structurally amazing is their home in the clouds.
The Oocca's home, the City in the Sky, is indeed a wondrous place, as it is comprised of various buildings hovering by the power of propellers. Such a sophisticated design is amazing, and this is just one of the ways that these little creatures impress us. There are cannons situated throughout the city, similar to that used to enter their sacred home. Such designs would require a great amount of time, intelligence and organization, all of which the Oocca have at their disposal. The City in the Sky is made of white stone, and contains various large buildings, with elegant internal patterns. Patterns of similar design also appear within the Temple of Time, and as is obvious, the Temple of Time is made of white stone. It should also be noted that there are similar sound effects in the tunes of the respective dungeons.
The design in the Oocca's home is more rugged and messy, but both have extremely similar structures. The Temple of Time and the City in the Sky also feature similar round patterns that resemble an eye.
However, if the Oocca inhabit the City in the Sky during Twilight Princes, then why have they been absent in the other Zelda tales? One might argue that because they live in the Sky, we wouldn't see them unless we ventured there. However, in The Minish Cap, Link does travel the cloud tops, but the Oocca are nowhere to be seen. Instead, a mystical race known as the Wind Tribe inhabit the sky.
The Wind Tribe once lived in the Wind Ruins on the earth's surface, but they moved to the sky using their powerful magic. They resemble humans, yet they seem to have a vast array of magical abilities that tie in with the wind element. The Oocca on the other hand are small chicken-like creatures that showed no skill with magic; they relied on a technological and functional approach to tasks. This being the case, they are clearly not ancestors of the Oocca. If the Wind Tribe are living in the sky in The Minish Cap, then where are the Oocca? We know the Oocca were one of the first races created by the Goddesses, and they have occupied the sky at one point, yet The Minish Cap shows they no longer live there. It is possible that the age of The Minish Cap is one where the Oocca have died out, or moved on, no longer being needed by the surface dwellers or the Goddesses. What is interesting is that there are some structures and details in the Wind Tribes home, the Palace of Winds, that are similar to the Oocca's work.
Looking at the Palace of Winds, we can see that the structure has sections that act like islands, just like the City in the Sky. The buildings in the Palace of Winds seem to be more arcane than the respective creations of the Oocca, yet they still feature a similar layout and similar symbolism, such as the wind signs. These structures are more pyramidal and lack any form of propeller or floating device, indicating they have altered the functionality of the city so that it relies more on magic. Both structures also make use of extendible bridges to access other platforms. This shows that the Wind Tribe could have moved into the City in the Sky after the Oocca disappeared, changing it to suit their needs. This idea is amplified by the fact that there are still structural mechanisms within the Palace, showing technology still exists there.
Right: Wind symbols in the City in the Sky.
This seems to indicate that the Wind Tribe inhabited what used to be the Oocca's home. After all, if two races were living in the sky, it would be hard not to notice one another. This also implies that The Minish Cap may not be the first game in the Zelda timeline. The possibility that the Wind Tribe really did alter the City in the Sky to suit their needs is an excellent example of how magic is so dominant in the land of Hyrule. The Oocca, a greatly technological race created a highly structural city in the clouds, and after their passing, a tribe heavily based on magic configures that city to be based on sorcery. The Oocca based their culture on their amazing architectural abilities, using little to no magic. They built large structures with intricate designs and great structural integrity. The Dominion Rod is the only magical device that was created by the Oocca, and its main use is to control statues for mechanical purposes. This technological inkling was lived short. As the Oocca disappeared from existence, the arcane forces of Hyrule and its inhabitants grew. The Wind Tribe is one of these magically inclined races. Inhabiting the Oocca's old home, they reconstructed the old buildings, making the city rely completely on magic with their control over the wind and skies. The Palace of Winds features warp portals, as well as various magical based enemies. This signifies the strength of the magic within and around the palace.
The Oocca have definitely surprised players with their unique architectural abilities and influence on Hyrulian lore. They built a dungeon to accompany the Temple of Time so they could keep the Dominion Rod safe, and they aided the Goddesses by building the Tower of the Gods. This shows their strong connections to the Sages and the Goddesses, as well as their amazing architectural minds. However, they are absent in all the Zelda tales except for Twilight Princess, and we see a new race inhabiting the sky in The Minish Cap; The Wind Tribe. The Wind Tribe occupied the city, and transformed it to be suspended by magic alone, showing how dominant magic is in the land of Hyrule. The architecture of the Oocca was passed down to the Hylian's, but in the long run, it could not overcome the ever growing influence of magic in Hyrule.
If you would like to further discuss the points raised in this article with the authors and other members, please direct yourself to this thread at the ZeldaInformer forums.
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Permalink | 22 Comments
22 Comments
Caulaincourt | June 19, 2009 9:26 PM
I don't believe the Oocca lacked magic; quite the opposite actually. The Rod seems very magical to me, as does Ooccoo ability to teleport, the cannons that can walk without any gears or electric components and the propellers that turn without any apparent power source. Not to mention the Temple of Time Dungeon appears to be in another dimension and/or another time entirely. Sorry Viral.
Viral | June 19, 2009 11:37 PM
On the contrary shadowlink, it is quite clear that the City in the Sky is held up by large propellers.
Understandable Caulaincourt, I can't have everyone agreeing with me. =)
With the Temple of Time, the magical properties are likely due to the Sages involvement with it's creation.
As for the Oocca and magic, the only form of magic we see them using is teleportation (which is very common in the Zelda series) and the Dominion Rod. We know the rod can bring objects to life, so that technology could very likely be the reason that their statues can move without any apparent circuitry.
t-man | June 20, 2009 12:16 AM
i like to think that the ooca evolved into the wind tribe and return home to hyrule, then grew tired of thier home and went back to the sky.
pardon spelling mistakes i am doing this on a DSi
coolman229 | June 20, 2009 12:59 AM
Well, you could take it the other way: What if the Oocca were originally the Wind Tribe, were cursed to their chicken form, and stripped of magic? It would explain their lack of magic. They would have to grow more dependent on technology to survive, which would explain how they are so advanced. Just an idea. Oh, and with the split-timeline theory, there could be two different versions of the Oocca: one in the child timeline (Ocarina of Time-Majora's Mask-Twilight Princess), and another in the adult timeline(Ocarina of Time-Wind Waker- Phantom Hourglass). The Minish Cap could be anywhere in the timeline, so there are near endless possibilities.
Averon | June 20, 2009 7:12 AM
Hmm. I've always thought that, although there may be an overall story to the Legend of Zelda series, the "Legend" part of the title allows the creators to change minors things within games - such as Hyrule's map setting, possibly even changing the Oocca into the Wind Tribe. Because it is a legend, aspects of the story are permitted to be incorrect if they are mistold, for example. I don't think this would go down well with all Zelda fans but it's something that I have always thought. As long as the overall story connects...
Interesting article though. Well thought out and good evidence to back it up!
shadowlink | June 20, 2009 9:10 AM
I'm not saying that the City isn't kept floating because of the propelers, I said that the propelers themselves can be moved via magic, since we don't know what kind of energy source they use.
I just think the Oocca are too much chicken-like to be able to build everything they did without magical abilities. In fact, how would they carry the Dominion Rod, having no hands?
Maybe the rod was created to be used only by the "Messenger of the Sky", and Oocco looked for the rod to find the messenger, and discover the method used by him to go to the City in the Sky... After all even after she "found" the rod, she didn't move a finger (or should it be a talon?) to help you out, just stalking you until you fixed the cannon...
If this is the case (the rod being created to be used by the messenger), them the Oocca would need some other magic source to acomplish everything in the City of the Sky.
Another interesting point: If the rod has been in Hyrule for generations (the fact that it gets all rusty and useless when you get out of the "timeless" Temple of Time show how long it has been there) how could the Oocca do any maintenance in their equipment (The propelers probrably need maintenance, as well as the building itself).
Anyway... Even though I don't agree with the Oocca not having magic, the rest of the article was a very good read.
Lockman | June 20, 2009 8:38 PM
According to the two-timeline-two world theory which I follow, TMC and TP take place in different timeliones AND different worlds.
t-man | June 20, 2009 11:31 PM
well lockman if this is true then how do you explain the simaler patterns in the wind/sky temples of both mc and tp, and the similer statues the ToT in tp and the statues in the TotG in ww, since in fact the legend said a hero did NOT show and no accounts of vaati(in ww) then there has to be a 3+way split timeline.
Doctor Woo | June 21, 2009 6:34 AM
Timelines aside. I have a theory about the Ooccas.
I don't by that these little chickens built entire structures and magic objects themselves. And ceirtainly not to fit themselves. The infra-structure of the City in the Sky was clearly not built around the Oocca civilization. They seem really far off from their natural environment. Sure, they're most likely highly intelligent creatures but they lack the physical abilities it would take to build anything.
My guess is this; in ancient times, the Ooccas were "hired" as a kind of civil engineers to design the Temple of Time and the City in the Sky and maybe even Hyrule.
Hired by the goddesses, a wind tribe or some people we've never heard of? I don't know. Most likely it'd be a race fit to be workers. Perhaps they even shared a goal and weren't hired at all. Although I'm sure the Ooccas weren't alone up there in the skies. Another theory is that they used their magical abilities/high intelligence to control inanimate objects such as the statues in the Temple of Time. That would grant them the physical abilities their own bodies lack and then that would be how they built everything.
I have a hard time accepting these Escher birds from another world as the creators of our beloved Hyrule. I'm frankly a bit suspicious towards them and I feel their intentions and methods need to be questioned.
How 'bout y'all?!
Tony | June 21, 2009 1:45 PM
I think the game creators just needed new race and then made them to fit into twilight princess. Thats why they aren't seen in the older games.
Two-Face | June 21, 2009 10:19 PM
I disagree with this theory also. Since there is a split timeline and all, we don't know EXACTLY when TMC takes place. Perhapes it has nothing to do with the Wind Tribe at all! Maybe the Oocca left and years later, the Wind Tribe just started living there and copied the Oocca's symbols too! I mean we might never know till a new game comes out!
Rae | June 22, 2009 3:07 AM
Interesting article with plenty of ideas to consider. Nice work :)
Viral | June 22, 2009 3:10 AM
Two-Face, your idea that the Oocca disappeared and the Wind Tribe suddenly began using their home/symbols is exactly what my article is suggesting.
Doctor Woo, you realise you began by saying that you don't think the Oocca could have built the City in the Sky or the Temple of Time, then stating that they were workers who were "hired" to construct buildings.
As for using their magic to control statues, we know they do not do that directly, they use the Dominion Rod to control statues and similar creations.
Furthermore, I have in no way suggested they created Hyrule, just that they have had an influence on Hylian culture. They had left various symbols and markings on the earth, and the game tells us that the Oocca are an older race than the Hylians.
BGSchoolcraft | June 22, 2009 12:09 PM
Guys... just enjoy the games.
You're putting way too much thought into this stuff. It's ridiculous.
Angelmonster | June 30, 2009 3:18 PM
The problem is that the City in the Sky is obviously built for people larger then the Occoa. My opinion is that the Occoa "evolved" into their chicken-like form over time. Whether it was natural or through magc I don't know. The city was built for something much larger so I have the feeling they were once bigger and shrunk to what they are now.
zoo zom | July 2, 2009 1:18 AM
Angelmonster- it seems unlikely the Occoa would evole into chickin-like forms.I'm not an expert, but I think they would probalay evol into forms with more physical capabilites if it was by nature. Maybe they were once winged people: I agree, City in the Sky was built for people much larger then the Occoa. Perhaps the 'winged people' built The City in the Sky, and magically evoled into their chicken like forms.
Or, there is coolman29's theory, how they were cursed into their new forms and stripped of their magic, like Midna was with Zant. This raises the question of what they did to earn the Goddesses' disaproval.
Viral | July 2, 2009 2:07 AM
Another very plausible alternative that people seem to disregard is that the Oocca built the City in the Sky to suit many races, not just themselves. They had planned for people to visit the City in the Sky (the Messenger of the Heavens), so they could have constructed the pathways and doors to suit human size as well as their own.
It is also likely that the City in the Sky is big enough for Link to explore simply for game play reasons.
Excrucio | July 2, 2009 5:33 AM
...
It has already been confirmed that the ooca were just a doodle made by some LoZ:TP dev, and they liked it and built a story around it... and btw if u get into things like this consider the other races.. the kokiri.. what happened to them? theyre the koroks in WW.. but they are nowhere to be seen in TP or any other game.. unless they changed into monkeys >.>
zoo zom | July 2, 2009 1:31 PM
Excrucio- in OoT, it was stated by the Kokiri beside the entrance to Kokiri Forest, "Where are you going, Link? Kokiri can't leave the forest, or they die!" (or something like that) In OoT and TWW, the Great Deku Tree is present, and in OoT, when the Great Deku Tree died, within a year or so the forest was covered in monsters, and the Kokiri were no where to be seen. Then, after you awakened Saria, and the Great Deku Tree started growing again, the Kokiri returned as if nothing have ever happened. Maybe, in other games, if The Great Deku Tree died, and the forest was unprotected, monsters invaded, and the Kokiri died out. That would certainly be plausible in TP. (Because of the Twilight- it could have killed the Great Deku Tree, and we would never know because we are in the forest only 1 time before the Twilight comes)
And the Kokiri hide from people- so they could be there all along, just hiding. And I've heard several theories about the Minish in MC bieng the Kokiri.
Spike | July 13, 2009 12:13 AM
Another Theory is that the Oocca are the descendants of the wind tribe.
Basically, imagine you have this great knowledge of Technology and Magic. If the Timespan is longer than expected, say around thousand years, from Minish Cap to Twilight Princess, the Wind Tribe could have degraded...
This theory is backed up by the simple fact that the Oocca cant do anything anymore. A Dragon is destroying their City, but they cant do anything. If they are such a great race, hwo come they cant stop a simple dragon? How come their shop sells the same stuff you find on the surface?
Because they are not what they once were.
The Wind Tribe are the Oocca. They helped form Hyrule with the Hylains long before Minish cap. And then, they left to the skies, for it was nothing to do for them anymore.
They used their magic to build their great city and Temple. Within time, those with the greatest magix died, leaving behind only newcomers to magix. So they forced some of their architecture to work with technology, restructuring their place to work with this new tech.
However, they degenerated. lost their magix abilities. Their technology allowed them to mvoe heavy objects without the use of their bodies. Their body degenerated. Probably inbreeding didnt help either. In the end, they were decimated and degenereated. We can see this with the kids. They are nothing more than floating heads.
For teh Kokiri, they probably died. The Deko Trea is dead in the Child Timeline, and Probably stayed dead. Since nobody ever awakened Saria as Sage.
This probably caused several other things to backfire aswell. The Sages changed, so did their Role.
The Imprisoning war went on differently than in Ocarina of time. Ganondorf was captured and trialed. Sentenced to death, executed by the sages. One of them died. The backstory to ALttP.
Also, the lost woods in TP are not the Kokiri Forest.
If you disregard the compass saying hyrule castle is in the north of hyrule, one can argue that the lost woods are the ancient town of Hyrule and the Castle.
Assumed that maybe the World changed after the incident with the golden land, north and south moved a little bit and the country adapted.
Think of it. The temple of time is located in the forest, the forest has bricked walls everywhere and it does resemble the layout of old Hyrule town.
The master sword is still where it was in ocarina of Time - it never left. The world around it just changed. and its still there in ALttP...
talonmalon333 | July 16, 2009 11:48 PM
I agree with almost everything in this article, except for the theory that Twilight Princess comes before The Minish Cap. It was stated that The Minish Cap, symbolically, tells how Link got his cap. In addition, at the end of the game, the the Japanese version, it states that this is indeed the end of Link's first adventure. These seem to be important story elements, and shouldn't be ignored due to similarities in two races, a rather small detail.
shadowlink | June 19, 2009 8:57 PM
I disagree about the lack of magic abilities of the Oocca... If the Dominion Rod was their onl magical item, they would not be able to build such things as the Temple of Time and the City in the Sky. Also, we don't know what kind of energy sources the Oocca used to keep their city afloat, and the most plausible anwser would be magic...