The Great War of Ikana
Posted on August 7, 2009 6:00 PM by Ben Spyrou
Category: Bombers Articles, Geography & Locales, Races & People, Theory Articles
The following article contains
theoretical elements which only reflects the opinions of the writer and
not ZeldaInformer as a whole. That said, enjoy the article!
The land of Ikana is the most daunting and mysterious locale in Termina. The constant talk of death gives it a very daunting atmosphere and inflicts a great sense of fear into the player, but what is the cause of all this horror and death? The answer lies all around Ikana, in the spirits of the fallen and deceased. Through the information presented in the land of Ikana, one can begin to understand the events that led to this great kingdom's decline and how Ikana relates to other kingdoms outside of the Zelda universe.
The land of Ikana was once the home to a thriving kingdom and its people; however, the kingdom has a history of darkness and bloodshed. This dark past likely refers to the kingdom's fall from grace which has left the land in the sorrowful state that we see in Majora's Mask. The region is the home of the dead, where spirits cannot find peace and are forced to wonder aimlessly, hating the living and regretting the past. Sakon the thief seems to know a little about these wondering ghosts.
These ghosts are the deceased soldiers of the Kingdom of Ikana. Clearly, the kingdom is long dead and all that remains are the disgruntled spirits of its fallen warriors. These monsters take the form of Stalfos and wonder around the blood-stained land of Ikana aimlessly. Link has no trouble slaying these undead creatures, but there are a few that are clearly more powerful than others. The most powerful of these warriors is the king of the once thriving land, Igos du Ikana. Now only a pathetic shell of his former self, Igos sees that the darkness plaguing the land has turned his men into violent ghosts and he knows that the source of this darkness is the great Stone Tower of Ikana, which lies behind his ancient castle.
Igos believes that the Kingdom of Ikana has been left in ruins due to petty, meaningless battles within the kingdom's population and that his subjects cannot find peace because of the evil flowing from the Stone Tower. These petty battles, which are implied to have occurred not only between the enemy nation and Ikana, but also between friends and allies. As the enemy nation had sent in ninja to begin their assault, it is possible that the soldiers of Ikana became suspicious of one another, causing conflict within the kingdom's forces. He believes that Link carries the power of light, the power that is able to topple the darkness flowing from the Tower. Igos also states that one man alone cannot brave the tower, so he grants Link a melody which creates a soulless statue that resembles the player so that he will not be alone. He does this in the hope that Link will seal the doors of the Stone Tower so that he and his subjects may rest in peace. He also mentions that many of his men could not assail the Tower, implying they lost control of it. However, it is clear that it was an Ikanian structure.
Blocks in the Stone Tower and Ikana Castle respectively, showing the similarities in design.While Ikana may be the home of the undead that hold great disdain for the living, there are a few who realize that Link is the one who can bring them peace. One of these restless souls who aids Link is the captain of the Ikanian army, Skull Keeta.
I ask you to take my soul, which rests in the fiercely burning flame... And convey my words to my men, who, even in death, remain loyal to me. Tell them the war has ended..."
Keeta was the commander of the Ikana Army and, since losing a great battle which clearly claimed his life, he has waited for someone to come and lay his soul to rest. He gives Link the Captain's Hat, a mask which allows Link to appear as Keeta and communicate with the undead warriors of Ikana. His final wish is for Link to tell his men that the war has ended, also bringing rest to their souls. As for Keeta's soldiers, the Stalchildren, they too were connected to the Royal Family of Ikana, being labelled as the cursed soldiers of Ikana. His men, like him, were also slain, left as undead skeletons. What is this war that the Ikanians were involved in? Who did they fight? All of this is made clear as Link travels further into the haunted land of Ikana.
Of the many spirits and creatures that lie in Ikana, none are as mysterious as the Garo. These robed ninja appear only when Link wears the Garo's Mask in certain areas where Tatl will warn Link that she senses blood thirst looming around.
Link battling one of the mysterious Garo ninjas.The Garo were a group of ninja from an enemy nation that spied on the Kingdom of Ikana. This leaves no doubt that the war that took place in Ikana was between the Garo and the Ikanians. These Garo spirits remain around Ikana with some of them residing within the grounds of the Ancient Castle of Ikana. This indicates that they were spying on the castle, as well as the land. There is one noticeable Garo leader, the Garo Master. The spirit of this lead ninja rests within the Stone Tower Temple. Upon defeat, he tells Link that arrows blessed with light can be shot into the emblem outside the Temple, flipping the entire Tower. Link then receives the Light Arrows. This suggests that the Garo could have brought the Light Arrows to Ikana to combat the great Stone Tower. Whilst they gathered information, it is possible they noticed the Stone Towers structure and so they brought the Light Arrows, allowing them to flip the Tower upside down, hopefully killing all those within. It is also possible that the Garo stole the Light Arrows from the Ikanians and took them into the Stone Tower in order to weaken the Ikanians defences. Many of the Garo wondering about Ikana valley also know how to enter the Tower and the Garo Master resides there holding the sacred Light Arrows which solidifies the idea that the Garo took control of the Stone Tower after the war began. The Giant's Mask also resides within the Stone Tower, and could quite possibly have been an Ikanian weapon as well. Taking the size of Captain Keeta into account, it is very likely that the Ikanians created the Giant's Mask in the hopes of strengthening their soldiers to the level of Keeta.
The Stone Tower constantly overlooks Ikana Valley, casting an ominous shadow over the cursed land.Igos mentions the Stone Tower, but he speaks of it as if it belongs to the enemy. The Tower features many Ikanian markings and objects, meaning that that the Ikanians lost control of the Tower during the war. This is a further indication that the Garo took control of the Tower and the Ikanians then tried to reclaim it. Igos also mentions that the Stone Tower is the source of the curse that is corrupting Ikana. While it is likely that the Skull Kid was the one responsible for opening the Stone Tower, the source of the curse remains unknown.
Sharp, one of the composer brothers who served the Ikanian Royal family, also mentions this strange curse. Like Igos, Sharp seems to be at peace after Link saves him from the curse. This implies that the curse is tormenting the dead and is the reason that the land is full of undead creatures, such as gidbos and poes, and that they can be saved. This can be efficiently done by sealing the doors of the Stone Tower, as Igos suggests to Link. Sharp also places the blame of this curse on the Skull Kid, indicating that this curse is his work, which backs up the claim that he opened the Stone Tower. But again, it is unknown whether the curse was the Skull Kids doing, or if its origins predate his arrival.
After learning the Ikanians' weaknesses, the Garo began their assault. They took control of the Stone Tower, as well as bringing the Light Arrows should they need to flip the Tower. Then, the mysterious curse of the Stone Tower made the dead restless, leaving Ikana as a horrifying land. What remains a mystery is why the Garo were spying on the kingdom and what they wanted to achieve.
To answer this, one must take into consideration that the Kingdom of Ikana is the only apparent royalty in Termina. Therefore, whoever this rival nation was, they must not have been a great, influential power in the land like the Ikanians were. The Garo were likely an elite race that was part of this enemy nation, or perhaps allied with it, and they were the warriors that were meant to overthrow the kingdom of Ikana. But why would this nation want to bring death to Ikanians? The answer is greed and jealousy.
This rival nation hungered for more power and more land, so that they could thrive and prosper. This is a very tradition style of warmongering; one group trying to take possession of the land of another group. They planned an attack on the Kingdom of Ikana, in the hopes of taking the province for themselves. They sent in spies so they could plan an attack, but they were discovered. And so the war began between the Ikanians and the Garo. The Garo's infiltration caused internal conflicts between the Ikanians and these are likely the petty battle Igos spoke of. Essentially, greed and jealousy, two very basic emotions drove the enemy nation and the Garo to start a war that would claim the lives of all involved and leave the land of Ikana defiled and barren. The two parties engaged in battle and the Garo took control of the Stone Tower. The result of this war was clearly the deaths of the Garo and the Ikanians. The bodies of the fallen lay restless in the defiled land that is Ikana and after the Skull Kid opened the doors of the Stone Tower, a dark curse swallowed the land and the souls of the dead were unable to find peace, so they walked the land in spite of the living.
The war of Ikana was an unfortunate occurrence in Terminian history that had spawned from the fragile emotions of the people involved in the war. The rival nation wanted more power and land and their greed lead them to fighting with the Ikanians. These strong feelings of jealousy are unavoidable and many scenarios similar to this have happened outside of the Zelda universe. These feelings also account for the "blood thirst" that Tatl senses when a Garo warrior is near. The Garo and Ikanians extinguished one another and the curse of the Stone Tower made them restless and unable to find peace. This left Ikana as a lifeless blood stained land full of regret. Even the mightiest kingdoms can fall to the simplest human emotions and Majora's Mask is a game that shows this in great detail. What remains of the enemy nation is unknown and as for Ikana, the dead lingering there finally found peace after Link sealed the Stone Tower and its evil curse. This is a sign to the player and all of Termina that war can only lead to death and regret, and that there can be no true victor.
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Permalink | 10 Comments
10 Comments
Caulaincourt | August 8, 2009 12:16 AM
A good article. A little too detailed for my tastes considering the evidence available but good none the less.
I greatly appreciated the fact you stated few absolutes and frequently used equivalents of IMO.
Yumil | August 8, 2009 3:42 AM
Very interesting read. While I can't say I agree with all of the assumptions made in the article, it's great to see how many ideas - and how many facts - can come out of just a few seemingly unimportant quotes.
Rae | August 8, 2009 4:00 AM
Great article, Ikana’s history is always an interesting subject.
Quick question:
If the curse came to be due to the Skull Kid “opening” the Stone Tower, do you think it is more probable that he did so before being kicked out of Termina or after he returns with Majora’s Mask?
Viral | August 8, 2009 4:07 AM
I would say the Skull Kid almost definitely had the Majora's Mask with him when he opened the doors of the Stone Tower, as Sharp and/or Flat (who reside in Ikana) refer to him as the "masked one".
Navi-gator | August 8, 2009 2:19 PM
I thought the Deku had a king and princess.
Mike L (Beware) | August 8, 2009 4:04 PM
The Stone Tower was clearly a shrine and/or resting place for Majora's Mask. It would have had to be open BEFORE Skull Kid acquired Majora's Mask.
Phil Stetson | August 8, 2009 11:18 PM
"The Stone Tower was clearly a shrine and/or resting place for Majora's Mask. It would have had to be open BEFORE Skull Kid acquired Majora's Mask."
What? Give me proof before you say "clearly" on something that is clearly unsupported.
Radox | August 9, 2009 12:16 PM
Hmmm. A good read. I never noticed the similarity behind Keeta and the Giant's Mask. Perhaps he is the spirit of a warrior who wore the Giant's Mask previously when he led his troops? I wouldn't be surprised, MM seems to have a habit of giving it's items a hidden reason to be there, and the Giant's Mask has always been a bit of a random curveball.
Link's Uncle | August 23, 2009 9:03 PM
Good article. I don't understand how both sides could lose a war, maybe the Stone Tower was a third party, that once toppled, was fought over by the Garo & Ikana in endless small-scale skirmishes. I think perhaps they were not revived until recently as in Sakon's quote. It's neat to think of the Ikana Castle & Royal Family as a parallel to Hyrule's Castle & Royal Family.
Erimgard | August 7, 2009 9:15 PM
I always love a good read about Majora's Mask. Great game, and great article.