10 Lore Secrets in Tears of the Kingdom

Let's cover 10 lore secrets in Tears of the Kingdom!
Specials thanks to:
NintendoBlackCrisis
Ratatoskr
You!
#tearsofthekingdom #zelda #breathofthewild

[@MonsterMaze]

Hey everyone! A few corrections: - The Spring below the Shrine of Resurrection is called "The Secret Spring of Revival", not the "Wellspring of Revival". I misremembered the correct name while writing the script. It doesn't affect the overal theory, but it's still worth pointing out. - There is 1 more hotspring in Hyrule which is not located in Eldin or Hebra. It's in Necluda and is quite obscure. This one also has lava in the depths right below it. - Calip's statement about the Zonai Ruins could be a mistranslation and/or misinterpretation. I've been told that in Japanese he doesn't state this fact. Translations aside, his use of the word "predate" could simply mean that the Zonai Ruins were discovered long before the ruins from the Sky. Not necessarily that they are older. If true, then it's a clumsy way of wording it. I think it's worth looking further into this matter in the future. Thanks so much for watching!

[@jkid249]

I belive that in the ganondorf memory it is the king rauru was the first to come down from the sky no the last to leave

[@EthanMiguelScott]

That's *Dr.* Calip to you.

[@JamesMBC]

I thought Malenia was Donald Trump's wife, visiting Link's dreams with prophecies.

[@stephenqueen6946]

This also holds.The hyrule castle in botw is a seal, yes: but we clearly dicsover further castle ruins below this point. This doesn’t mean the botw isn’t the first hyrule castle (though I believe the spirits prove that more); but it does prove that it’s not the first structure in that location.

[@kratosnl]

I thin Calip just means that the Zonai Ruins predate the ruins falling from the sky. So in other words, the ruins on the surface were already discovered by the Suvey Team before the Sky Islands actually started appearing at the start of Tears of the Kingdom. Which is correct, since they were already around in Breath of the Wild.

[@hawks-wings]

I’ve heard a theory that Gibdo are corpses parasitized by insectoid parasites in life that took over and controlled their dead bodies after they were… well, executed. Like Corpse Creepers in Hollow Knight, kinda? Either the parasite got in them prior to execution or burrowed its way into their dead body after they were killed, and essentially reanimated it and controlled it zombie-ant style.

[@Keanine]

Man that's creepy, definitely my head-canon now

[@spamtong.spamton8416]

That's super cool.

[@asc3nded397]

That would definitely make a lot of sense. The gibdo in TOTK are amazing new enemies but to me it feels so weird that they seem so disconnected from traditional versions of the creatures. It feels kinda like the devs created a whole new enemy and then just slapped the gibdo name on them for the sake of recognition. This would at least make them a bit closer to their past iterations.

[@arandomguy40]

So Gibdo are super Cordyceps

[@Kanamo4781]

So queen Gibdo could be a cluster of corpses that was taken over by one instance of the parasite, making it overgrow and become even more Huge and insectoid. That would also explain why there are multiple in the depth, but maybe they were just overfed with gloom down there and it just created more queen gibdos that respawn

[@Prismark]

Honestly, one of my favourite YigaNotes is simply a guy complaining that they hate being stationed in scorching hot Eldin and would love to be somewhere more cool, preferably Faron. It has zero lore or story implications but compared to all the other notes giving some neat info, this one really surprises one as it is somewhat relatable.

[@dempi3214]

I really love the direction they took with the Yiga in this game and giving them even a larger role than the last game, like really makes you think what they couldve achieved if they decided to stop being criminals and join back the Sheikah because of how advanced their achievements are when it came to their own Zonai buildings and understanding of it. Perhaps its even a nod as to how despite them being antagonists, the Yiga are much closer to the ancient Sheikah than the current day Sheikah are in terms of their mastery of various powers, combat skill and having many of them be engineers

[@westcoastweird455]

Just read this one 😂 I hate heat as well and love rain so I felt his pain

[@josephnorman8718]

@@dempi3214 well that's because in breath of the wild, it was shown that the yiga were formed by the sheikah who refused to give up their old technology.

[@11monadobaeologist66]

Of course he would choose faron, what yiga wouldn't want more Mighty banana's

[@atlas956]

i remember falling into a chasm basically right on top of one of these huge one-eyed pests (no idea what they’re called in english), just barely managing to kill it and not die in the process. then just a little bit away i found a yiga outpost, with a note like „there is a massive monster to the east of here, no idea what it‘s called, but it almost ate a couple of our soldiers. if it looks like zonaite deposits but moves DO NOT INTERACT“. i never laughed so hard, the yiga are genuinely entertaining villains.

[@SharpingtonTheGreat]

For the bargainer statue, I think one yiga was able to hear it say, _"... Souls... Give me your souls..."_ and made the perfectly reasonable assumption that it meant the souls of the living. Link is the only one scooping up handfuls of souls and shoving them in his pockets. That dude might have gotten the message wrong but hey, we know at least one yiga would survive in a horror movie.

[@TheStickMachine]

The statues are NOT absorbing souls of living people... Remember, there is one statue on the surface, surrounded by the living, yet no one seems to have lost his soul.

[@freddieb3537]

​@@TheStickMachinemate reread the comment. 😂 He said the yiga member made the incorrect assumptions

[@thunderbolt64_]

ASGORE

[@flucke1000]

I sold 150 of my friend's souls, and all I got was this black shirt.

[@acidhydra101]

if you've ever played age of calamity, I think you'd know just how justified the yiga are in worrying about losing their souls

[@WilliamTer03]

One really hidden lore secret is actually in the memory ‘A show of Fealty’. The two gerudo women next to Gandondorf have greenish skin, and have the words, ‘koume’ and ‘kotaku’ inscribed on their clothing, respectively. Koume and Kotaku are the names of two sorceress who appear throughout the legend of zelda series which, collectively, go by the name Twinrova!

[@fluxshaman8251]

Ohhhh that's an awesome catch! You know what that made me think of? A Gloom-Reanimated Twinrova for a DLC boss Even if it doesn't happen, that's such a cool detail!

[@williamrohan3888]

My brother who knew nothing about zelda lore pointed out the red and blue clothes they were wearing. I was so proud of him :)

[@theunicornenthusiast7194]

That's an awesome detail! I haven't noticed that before

[@friendlyauthor7435]

Didn't koume and Kotaku raise ganondorf?

[@wea69420]

Kotake. Kotaku is a gaming news site lmao

[@Ghastly-Ghoul]

My theory about the inconsistencies in architecture between TOTK and botw are that the ruins in Faron were from the ancestors of Lurelin village. The ancestors saw the Zonai as gods and tried to replicate their architecture with their own tools. It would also explain the differences between the Zonai armor sets and the barbarian armor.

[@sydc3667]

This seems to line up with what we find in the Thyphlo Ruins, which implies that they were built by Hyrulians after the Zonai were gone.

[@gideonjones5712]

On the other hand, the labyrinths exist in the same style, even though they were clearly built when the zonai were still there since they have sky counterparts that look the same, so alternatively it could be seen as phases of architecture. The botw ruins being their earliest works, and then with time evolving to the style in sky islands before they left the surface. The barbarian armor would then come from the humans after hyrule's temporary fall without Rauru as king, continuing to use the ruins as they fell into disrepair. Curiously, I think that would suggest spots like the stone pig head surrounded by pillars (that we always assumed to be a reference to the sages sealing ganon) was assembled by hylians after the ruins initial construction, as a reference to Rauru's battle with Ganondorf

[@quierover4locas]

This happens a lot in real life, mesoamérican cultures copied a lot of the design of old ruins they found in the area.

[@Justic_]

Except the ruins in Faron are said to be older than the ones from the sky. And I don't think that's even an inconsistency in translation because it says the same in German, which translated from Japanese. So unless there's something else going on here, like, they're implying that the ruins in the sky and depths were perfectly preserved or constantly restaurated by the constructs, that doesn't make much sense.

[@godly_potatoe69xd19]

@@gideonjones5712 it’s possible that the labyrinths were in collaboration with hyruleans because we’ve already seen the zonai influence in each of the ancient dungeons and that they clearly worked with them

[@Ashley_Graves_1]

My mother actually made a theory on why in this game it's called Gloom, but in BotW it's Malice. She said that because of the time frame (being 3-5 years AFTER beating Calamity Ganon, the malice probably disappeared. Heck, even Zelda says that the Gloom is recent at the very beginning of the game. So, because Malice disappeared and Malice was connected to Calamity Ganon, the entirety of Hyrule thought that Gloom was a new substance, hence why they gave it that name. Malice means it was Ganon, but they thought they already beat Ganon, so why would it be Malice? I think after hearing my mom's theory, it made sense about the name change.

[@haifito]

your mom is cool

[@Keanine]

For me, malice represents the diluted version of gloom that was able to escape Ganondorfs body while the seal was in place. It lost all sentience and was pure anger. When the seal began to weaken, the substance was able to seep out in it's more concentrated form, truer to Ganondorf's real form. That would explain the colour difference too. Red has long symbolised Ganondorf and Power, while the Malice was diluted and was no longer as vibrant, and more purple

[@raskolnikov6443]

I also think gloom an malice are obviously similar but also a bit different. Both originate from the sealed Ganandorf but the latter could to be connected to his actual reawakaning. It’s the reason why it started to appear and it can even destroy your hearts/ life.

[@MonsterMaze]

Tell your mom to start a KZbin channel! ;)

[@torie8957]

I doubt it because “malice” has had the same name in Japanese throughout the entire Zelda series. The idea of a vengeful spirit having a physical manifestation of their hatred with corrupting properties is actually quite common in Japanese mythology. This video explains how malice is portrayed in the Japanese versions of Zelda quite well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6LEm3iVbth2oJo

[@benjiman528]

I personally believe that the Sheikah technology was intentionally disassembled and disposed of as part of the restoration of Hyrule because they knew that should gannon be resurrected in the future he had the capability to take control of it like he did in the calamity.

[@sinteleon]

They had no reason to believe ganon would resurrect at that point in time

[@benjiman528]

@@sinteleon They had no reason to believe he wouldn't reincarnate soon. And even if it wasn't soon they wouldn't have left it lying around for future generations to deal with when Gannon did return.

[@transgender_hylian]

​@@sinteleon Still most of Hyrule's destruction was caused by the Guardian's and Divine Beast which were easily taken over so they had a reason to take them down

[@TheObjectivegamer]

ancient blades are also the lowest value item to sell, which I believe implies that the buyer will destroy them and gives you a single rupee as a token

[@tumultuousv]

@sinteleon Ganon has resurrected for hundreds of thousands of years. They would expect it during that time. That knowledge being forgetton in the future though. That's another story.

[@KryyssTV]

The Gibdo connection to Moths is rooted in eastern culture where they're considered unlucky omens of death and can symbolise the soul of the deceased. There's even the Deaths-Head Moth with a pattern on its abdomen very much like Skulltula.

[@KryyssTV]

@gamersapphsspeedpaintanima101 Doubtful, this seems to be something newly added by Nintendo. That boss also uses other insects so it would just seem to be part of the jungle aesthetic and the reason for why they used moths rather than butterflies is because they needed a relatable reason why they can be distracted by the flame from bombflowers igniting.

[@FrahdChikun]

Aren't they one of the few moth species capable of squeaking?

[@KryyssTV]

@@FrahdChikun Depends how hard you scape them across a window pane.

[@coltforceplayer]

DEATHSHEAD FROM WOLFENSTEIN??

[@Silksper]

@@KryyssTVdepends on if youre holding it or not

[@HeronWolf]

Another interesting detail about the weapon ghosts is that they don’t appear in the Purah Pad Camera. They also, from what I heard, appear in the same place as where monuments to the fallen of the great calamity were placed on the surface. I’m assuming that means that they are helping Link because he avenged them and destroyed the Calamity

[@islamiyano1264]

Fun fact, you can take pictures of the ghosts with the camera, and they'll still show up the the photos if you're below the rock pile/ far enough away. I like to think they're camera shy haha. Also the part about the monuments to those who died in the calamity is really interesting, didn't know that! I'll check it out later!

[@aelogie]

i’m an entomology student, and finding gibdos was a treat! there are quite a few details that suggest that gibdos are more related to termites and beetles than moths, like the shape of the queen wings (both having elytra and being much more rounded and vibrating to fly rather than fluttering like the moth gibdos). they’re fascinating creatures and i’m glad someone is giving their new forms the love they deserve!

[@MonsterMaze]

Interesting stuff! Entomology is an awesome field. Such an alien world to dive into.

[@aelogie]

fun termite fact for anyone reading this: termite queens are living supercomputers! they receive liquid and chemical data from soldier and caretaker termites about the lives of the termites all throughout the hive and compile the data inside their massive abdomens, ejecting a large droplet of liquid that creates a full summary of all of the most important gathered data for caretakers to consume and comprehend purely based on the meanings of various chemicals! this chemical communication (also often shared between ants through their mouths) makes it so that termite queens can physically alter the structures and purposes of their children before birth! if the data says a recent attack had massive casualties, she will alter the eggs inside of her to birth more soldier termites, etc! they’re quite fascinating creatures. (:

[@holyelephantmg8838]

I just figured they made bug people specifically for the purpose of fear and to make you use stuff like dazzlefruit to be able to hit them with a sword.

[@Nami8302_OwO]

I just want killable redeads, and the long white ones from OoT that gave me nightmares to come back Honestly Gloom Hands are just a fast version of the white ones to a point, except they don't swallow you

[@aelogie]

@@holyelephantmg8838 that’s probably why they chose insects haha. i still find them super fascinating, but the majority of players definitely find them creepy and unsettling!

[@bradup]

9:27 My theory about the shrine of resurrection is that it was actually left alone out of respect after the events of BoTW, however, it being left alone prompted the Yiga to move in and eventually destroy the shrine of resurrection themselves

[@_maestro7168]

Or, building off that theory, maybe they even purposely destroyed it before the Yiga discovered it. Immortal fearless Yiga warriors would be pretty disastrous to a weakened hyrule.

[@Auggie-]

Or it could have just stopped working, like after taking 100 years to revive link its energy and use finished and couldn't do more

[@TheRealSideXMan18]

In Ganondorf's character description it says "He was imprisoned beneath Hyrule Castle for ages, but the magic holding him weakened when the castle was damaged during the Calamity a century ago, and his power has been steadily growing since." I hope this helps with your theories. 👍🏻 Edit: I wa looking through, and it says Yona is from another domain, meaning there are multiple Zora domains, with at least one being beyond hyrule. Likely across the sea. That would be a great dlc.

[@pancakes8670]

I noticed that too. I love little details like that. It keeps the world fresh and interesting, knowing there's more beyond

[@katea764]

Yessss I hate Yona but I want that as dlc ❤ 😄

[@Nephilim2809]

Yeah I always wondered what is beyond the borders of the map we got. I mean they made the effort to create mountains in the distance we just cannot reach...

[@tanandalynch9441]

I hope we get to see Yona's home in dlc so that way people can stop claiming her story is a stretch.

[@GODOFAWSOMENESS1]

@@tanandalynch9441maybe it could be that one country you go to in Oracle of ages. That is the only other region we know of with a zora domain in that dimension. I can only remember the seasons country being called Holodrum.

[@GoodraGirly]

I got the strong sense through TotK that the shekiah tech mostly comes from studying the zonai. Even the Shekiah Eye looks like a Zonai's third eye. It kind of feels like the zonai are an alien species and the shekiah are the hylians that learned from them

[@Dan-kg9no]

And why do Zonai have three eyes? Their clothes also seem to have triforce on them. And why does Raura have light power? Did he get them from Hylia??

[@humbertosandoval55]

@@Dan-kg9no you asking the good questions!... how does Hylia and the Triforce come to play in all of this?

[@sinteleon]

@@Dan-kg9no Probably because the goddess hylia likely has some connection to the Zonai outright, seeing that the zonai themselves were seen as gods.

[@hykarusiscolored739]

Even their alphabet seem inspired by zonai since you can find very similar symbol inside purification shrine

[@skrubknight884]

@@Dan-kg9no my best guess is the Zonai were directly created by either the gods or from someone using the unified Triforce to create them. Given that the Zonai lived in the sky, possessed special stones that could amplify their power or turn them into immortal dragons, and Rauru's decision to found(or refound?) Hyrule, its possible the Zonai and the stones were created by the Three Goddesses at some point to help manage some sort of disaster or crisis, as the Three have intervened in dire moments before, such as the Great Flood or the Banishing of the Interlopers to the Twilight Realm. After bringing the world back into balance, it seems the Zonai gradually declined along with their usefulness, or perhaps an unintended fate befell them, just as the original caretaker of the Triforce, Hylia, sacrificed her divine power to reincarnate as a mortal. However just like with the Triforce, the immense power of the stones did not discriminate between good or evil and were up for grabs so to speak.

[@Dyundu]

Here’s a “fun” one: we know Ganondorf is regaining his power, but do we know how? Spoilers below! When you’re in the depths, you’ll occasionally find giant roots of solidified “gloom” sticking up out of the ground. Sometimes, these will have glassy nodules, and if you look closely, you’ll see reddish light move through them, and the root will pulsate like a blood vessel. These are the strongest in the depths immediately below Hyrule Castle. They’re also the prominent feature in the final boss arena. Speculation: Ganon is literally sucking the life out of Hyrule to fuel his resurrection. Edit: Forgot to mention that the movement of the stuff in the roots is towards Hyrule Castle’s depths

[@naturalLog26]

No it's in the opposite direction actually

[@hawks-wings]

Isn’t he also essentially sitting in a bowl-like structure made of these roots when you meet him again to fight him?

[@ethacon]

Wow, didn't even really take notice about the roots! I wonder if they are also connected or related to the light roots, which stem from the shrines or possibly vice versa.

[@ayoutubecommenter5068]

Makes sense. I was wondering what those roots were for. I was imagining something like a reverse of the deku tree but this makes more sense.

[@mmlkshake]

​@@hawks-wingshe was taking a nice relaxing life force soup bath!

[@TEO.187]

The sheikah tech being gone is actually touched on pretty early in game, when talking to you about the Sky Towers it's mentioned that the old tech was scrapped and reused to build them

[@c0mm0d0re]

In addition to that, you can also find chasms in some spots where shrines once resided. Given that we know Ganondorf’s Gloom can break down weapons, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that the shrines that the Hylians hadn’t broke down themselves yet, Ganondorf intentionally destroyed them to prevent Link from using them against him.

[@c0mm0d0re]

Additional thought I just had, but in BotW, we see several instances of the Towers and Shrines rising out of the ground. It could also be thought that after the Calamity, some of the Sheikah Shrines also sank back underground since their purpose was fulfilled.

[@Pyronic_]

Wait actually?! I figured that’s what happened to the tech but I didn’t realize it was mentioned

[@jacquestuber628]

Yeah but you're not going to tell me that every single fucking Trace is gone. It makes no sense

[@ianfinrir8724]

It's also implied that all Sheikah technology bricked after Calamity Ganon was destroyed.

[@AzathothLives]

Something I just noticed after fighting phantom ganondorf... the gloom weapons he drops have the gerudo symbol stamped onto them. Makes sense, considering who he was, but it is a nice touch.

[@caspianchan2371]

Makes me curious if the ancient Gerudo had a Japanese aesthetic compared to the middle east aesthetic they have currently. Or Ganondorf just has a very unique taste in how to make his personal weapons.

[@danyzg_2053]

And those simbols actually say kotake and koume

[@Kiyosonryo]

As someone who hasn't yet completed the main stories finale for the same reason you mentioned, I'm very glad that you decided to take on more disconnected lore secrets. Thank ya!

[@haydenpaulson8375]

Spoiler you fight Ganon

[@DanTheManGruen]

@@haydenpaulson8375😂

[@Kiyosonryo]

@@haydenpaulson8375 Huh, and here I thought you just take his secret stone and yeet it into the caves in Eldin, the more you know

[@wawztzta8296]

tbh the only interesting lore is outside of the main quest… super disappointing story

[@bodenchapman4165]

​@wawztzta8296 what are you talking about!?

[@BruceBoyde]

I was NOT ready when I first discovered Gibdos in the underground. I just saw their wings fluttering towards me in the darkness and was properly startled when I threw a brightbloom and saw what they were

[@lasercraft32]

That would be the most intense enemy reveal EVER. You're lucky to have such an experience... most people just see them in the Gerudo quest instead. (I personally saw them for the first time in the depths below the castle, on the path to Ganondorf... my brother went down early to check it out, but turned back before the jump down into the boss fight).

[@BruceBoyde]

@@lasercraft32 oh yeah, it was tremendous in retrospect. I've probably spent more time in the depths than the surface and had no idea gibdos were even in the game. It was absolutely the last thing I was expecting when I saw those iridescent wings in the pitch darkness. I absolutely love that they glow but don't reveal the body of the enemies.

[@AzathothLives]

I had a very similar first encounter. Think I first found them in the ruins beneath the arbiter's grounds, actually. Tried to stab them... saw the weapons doing nothing. Ran the heck away. When I finally did the Gerudo quest line later, and saw them again... I remembered they were immune to my weapons. While looking through my inventory for an option, I saw I had a magic rod with a ruby fused to it. It was a simple idea, but it turned out to be a good one. "Kill it with fire!"

[@BruceBoyde]

@@AzathothLives oh yeah, as soon as I realized what they were my memories from 1998 kicked in and I threw fireballs at them. They (and the redeads) kinda freaked me out as a kid, so they had made an impression.

[@corrinflakes9659]

I think Dondons being related to horses makes tons of sense as they share traits with rhinos, hippos, and elephants. In real life paleontology horses are more closely related to those animals and even to whales than to humans.

[@newtybot]

And just think, those Dondons go on to evolve into Dodongos (before they go extinct ofc)

[@horse14t]

Horses, rhinos, and tapirs are all part of the same order, Perissodactyla or Odd-toed Ungulates. Hippos on the other hand are actually in the Artiodactyla order (Even-toed Ungulates) which also includes deer, bison, cows, whales, camels, pigs and more. Elephants though are not ungulates, they're actually more like pseudo-hooved animals but aren't quite there and don't share an ancestor with either ungulate order. Elephants belong to Proboscidea, which includes elephants and their extinct relatives.

[@corrinflakes9659]

@@horse14t I see ty for insight.

[@justsomeguy1691]

I’m pretty sure they are a reference to Donphan from Pokémon

[@corrinflakes9659]

@@justsomeguy1691 Pokemon invented elephants of course.

[@heatheroutre]

The butterfly motiff appears also in Lady Riju and Lady Urbosa's clothes along with their signature weapons/shield which might point to an even deeper connection with the Gibdo

[@mothman-cj2yd]

Wait explain?? I don't see it

[@heatheroutre]

@@mothman-cj2yd the pattern of their clothes is a butterfly's wing, specially the skirt and top. Also the hilt of the Scimitar of the Seven has the same pattern

[@mothman-cj2yd]

@@heatheroutre Personally I thought those patterns were more akin to the gerudo symbol, specifically the curvy moon-looking part, so I'm not sure whether your theory was an intentional dev choice or not. It's an interesting thought though.

[@nope6021]

Honestly I think the Gibdo are my favorite monster mob in totk. Their weird, shambling, bone bug aesthetic... and the ones with wings!?!? I love the glowing, torn wings so much. Queen Gibdo is so spooky and amazing, her zombie-beetle-wasp-queen thing just works

[@Pit1620]

Amazing editing! Also- speaking of the Yiga, one of the notes say that a footsoldier saw "a big snake flying" but when they wrote it they believed the creature to be part of a dream. The base where this note is found sits nearby Dinraal's route, so the Yiga can actually see the dragons too

[@newtybot]

Unless ofc that Dinraal appeared to him in an actual dream due to proximity

[@aaronlucas2185]

One footsoldier saw it, but the fact that it's attributed to a dream despite Dinraals path being visible from the base means that whoever wrote the report cannot see it. The most interesting thing about it is that Dinraal decided to reveal himself to a servant of Ganon, so the question is why? It makes little sense

[@Pit1620]

Guys the note was clearly written in a bit of silly irony, with the soldier going like "haha good thing it was just a dream right???" I still think he must have seen the dragon

[@gamezx]

Here's a big theory i've been thinking about recently you might be interested in. You talked about the bargainer statues possibly being malicious, well one big thing you might want to check out is look whats on the back of the statue underneath the forgotten temple. This is the only statue that has its back exposed and if you look at it, you'll find a giant bokoblin face. Given that these are in mirrored locations to the goddess statues and can even speak through the goddess statues implies that the bokoblin species is more lore significant than we first thought Which brings me to my theory. We know from botw that the zonai worshiped 3 creatures which represented the triforce, these being the dragons, owls and boars. Now the dragons are easy to understand, their statues are everywhere and we have the god like dragons themselves. The owls, i'm starting to think that these could actually be referring to the satori creatures, as they all have owl faces and are almost angelic in design So what about the boar, well i'm thinking that the boar is actually referring to the original bokoblin line of races, before ganondorf took command of them and made them just monsters. They could have been seen as like the guardians of the underworld/afterlife in the distant past, hence why the bargainer statues have their face on their back. But more than that, i think that perhaps the zonai culture was split into 3 tribes, one for each animal which persisted until atleast the botw tapestry happened. One such faction would be the boar tribe still worshiping the bokoblins, but after ganon happened the tribe and all their statues were wiped out. This would be the "barbarian tribe" from faron the barbarian armor speaks about

[@eyesack6845]

The bargainer statues do have bokoblin faces on the backs...

[@blu7384]

That has a lot of really interesting implications. It makes sense too as Bokoblins even now are particularly combat savvy. Just look how they form a sort of shield wall to thwart your attacks on any nearby boss Bokoblin. Maybe over time their race was diluted because of Ganons influence & natural selection & now they’ve evolved into the somewhat conscious but ultimately primitive animalistic monsters we know now

[@superheriber27]

BotW/TotK are the only games where Bokoblins have pig features

[@TEO.187]

@@superheriber27 wind waker also Usually the moblins have more pig features

[@blipblobb]

The tribe being from Faron lines up with this theory really well if you do the Labyrinth in the Gerudo Highlands. I wont spoil it, but definitely read the texts from the shrines there

[@Ururenge]

Random, but I wanted to point out that the Sundelion looks very similar to Belladonna. Being noted for containing Atropine (a heart stimulant), Scopolamine and Hyoscyamine (anti nausea) I find the restoration of the broken hearts when cooked to be very on point.

[@tanandalynch9441]

Belladonna.. the plant that's actually poisonous? Or is there a different belladonna?

[@Ururenge]

@@tanandalynch9441 Oh its certainly the poisonous one. Therapeutics index is a tricky thing.

[@haldouglas4773]

​@@tanandalynch9441the difference between medicine and poison is the profession handling it.

[@pifilixxiv3192]

​@@haldouglas4773and the dosage

[@rosalie.e.morgan]

I don't think sundelions look much like Atropa belladonna. They look way more like lilies to me. Were you thinking they look like Amaryllis belladonna? Those don't have the same chemicals in them, but they do have some other interesting chemicals.

[@melon1693]

Someone on Twitter found that the Zonai ruins in Faron were actually built _on top_ of the typical Zonai architecture we see in the depths and sky. The picture they provided, which I think was by the depths entrance to Mineru’s temple, shows that the older looking ruins we find in Breath of the Wild served as a cast of sorts, as the broken parts reveal the more pristine looking stone the Zonai use. Thought that was pretty interesting, and it only serves as a testament to the Zonai’s technological prowess. Edit: this also suggests that the Zonai were there _before_ whatever tribe ended up building over their original structures.

[@Slate_Box]

Something about the Queen Gibdo I noticed is that it's not as skeletal, it looks famished. Perhaps it can convert corpses into a mix between undead and Gibdo, which would mean that the enemies we see are only part Gibdo. If this is the case, I wonder if true Gibdos were much more bug-like and more common across the desert in the time of the Zonai

[@WO_21]

Like antlions or something!

[@drakkiusgaming]

I choose to believe that the ground Zonai structures were made by the ancient Hylians, Sonia's race, which matches up with the body markings and paint she has in common with the Barbarian Armor, while the stuff in the sky is from Rauru's race, the actual Zonai, but due to the two lines coming together in their marriage as the first king and queen of Hyrule, they are both collectively referred to as Zonai.

[@cheesecasserole]

This makes so much sense!!! Thank you, I was so confused when we were given an entirely separate design of the zonai from what we pictured in botw. This is a great theory and makes so much sense considering the zonai seem to use materials we haven't seen before in their structures while the Labyrinths and statues on the surface are stone. I like to think that din, nayru, and farore were all ancient hylians who committed dragonification and created the labyrinths

[@toiletseat777]

I think the Typhlo Ruins questline basically confirms this.

[@caseyp3879]

The lore I’m super interested in: 1. Who are the bargainer statues made after? Colossal and 4 eyed 2. The depths armor set 3. The Aspect armor set.

[@elitegamer9310]

1 and 2: I believe they are made after Poes. But that's just my guess. 3. The Ancient Hero Aspect sounds and looks to be the Hero depicted in the Tapestry showing the first Great Calamity. Some of the major NPC's like Purah, Impa, and Tauro say it looks very similar to him, with Tauro at first thinking you actually are the Ancient Hero. Furthermore, the Ancient Hero Aspect gives a power boost to the Master Sword if I'm not mistaken. Lastly, the Hero's Aspect is a boar, owl, and dragon, representing power, wisdom, and courage. Link typically represents courage amongst the Trio, but the trials and tribulations he goes through test his wisdom and power as well. Meaning he is roughly balanced when it comes to all 3 virtues.

[@Dado_nastro]

The bargainer statues not only have 4 eyes, they also have 2 noses. They are also big asf.

[@asc3nded397]

One topic that I would love to see you cover in a future video is the three dragons from BOTW that return in this game. I won’t say anything specific here for people avoiding story spoilers but this game reveals quite a lot of new information regarding these types of dragons and their origins and I think it opens a lot more questions about them.

[@kokirij0167]

RIGHT?! And it lines up nicely with a complaint that I have with the series as a whole. Where did the Triforce and its three goddesses go in Hyrule's history? It's been a while since we heard anyone even mention them.

[@asc3nded397]

@@kokirij0167 I've been wondering about that a lot too. For my wild speculation on the golden goddesses and this new information from TOTK, I think there's a chance that the line of oracles seen in Minish Cap and the Oracle Games could be the reincarnated versions of the goddesses, similar to how Zelda is a reincarnated form of Hylia. These oracles could have then at some point consumed secret stones becoming the dragons in BOTW and TOTK, given their clear connections to the golden goddesses and the pieces of the triforce. As for where the Triforce is I think there's a strong possibility that Zelda has the complete artifact and that it's been passed down through the royal bloodline.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

​@@asc3nded397 same taught as me

[@adc834]

I think the three dragons are the ruler of boars, ruler of owls and ruler of dragons. In other words, the ones who built the labyrinths. Because one of the dragon clothes has the sign of a boar, the other an owl and lastly a dragon. Maybe the ones who wore these clothes once upon a time turned into dragons, if you know what I mean. This doesn’t necessarily need to be the case of course, it could simply be that the three goddesses is pictured as those animals, and that priests of those goddesses built the labyrinths and wore the clothes.

[@yurificationbeam]

@@adc834 im pretty sure all of those clothes have the same symbol on their chest (edit: owl if im not mistaken// edit2: i was mistaken) so im not sure where you saw any of the other ones, unless i missed some details in those armor sets

[@LittleAl016]

I think it's worth noting that the substance called "Gloom" is instead called "Miasma" in file names and in the original Japanese version.

[@Hunter-D.]

It's also the same in Italian, if that could be useful of some sort. BOTW: rancore (=grudge) TOTK: miasma

[@Shritistrang]

@@Hunter-D. Same in the German version.

[@lanasmith4795]

Evil smell?

[@LittleAl016]

@@lanasmith4795 I don't get what you're trying to say.

[@r033cx]

It's called miasma in every language except English

[@skylerfisher4347]

I have a theory as for why the bargainer statues stole souls from Yiga. Their whole deal is to help lost souls pass on to the other side, giving them peace to rest. They make no distinction between good or evil. But a “lost soul” can be used to refer to other things as well. Take for example someone who was once a good person doing good things, until they got in with a bad crowd and began doing bad things as a result. In essence, they ‘lost themselves’ during the transition. Now consider that a lot of Yiga (as shown with the guy you find outside of the Yiga hideout) were just regular people being influenced by the clan trying to get new members by giving false claims of glory and fame if you serve Ganon. The statues do not see good, or evil, but they did see that the Yiga who had approached them had ‘Lost themselves’ and considered them to be ‘lost souls’ and simply helped them to the afterlife as is their nature to do so. There was no malicious intent or any sort of Justice being enacted for evil actions, the statues simply helped the souls of the hylians who lost their way by becoming Yiga into the afterlife.

[@wind1574]

I wouldn't call killing a person as "helping them"

[@EvraeFrelia]

That’s an interesting take to have, and in a way makes you think that the Yiga May at times feel scared of what’s down there. If that’s the case, they can be instantly killed with no warning if they accidentally get too close. I have opted to look at the depths not as an Underworld per se but more like Limbo. Monsters infected with gloom work into eternity, spirits (poes) drift the darkness never finding their way into the afterlife, undead monsters pulling themselves out of the ground to attack the living and only the living. With the Bargainer statues looming over everything around them. Stealing the souls and casting them where they and they alone see fit. Only Link and his unwavering determination and mission is able to safely communicate with them, because he is not a lost soul. He has a distinct purpose, his own existence being bound to a cycle of life and death and re-birth over the games. He has a purpose and it never ends.

[@eeveefan132]

@@wind1574 Well, I wouldn’t either, but the Bargainers clearly have a different perspective from us humans. So, it’s a bit of a moot point.

[@babowasalwayshere]

@@wind1574 It's conceptually different from a human understanding, if the idea of 'killing' isn't a thing to the statues. I think that's what OP is saying. Death doesn't exist to them if the soul lives on, and if one's flesh (their vessel) being alive means losing one's soul, maybe that's what the statue perceives as truly killing. Regardless of whether you are alive or dead, you could potentially have lost your soul if you were wasting it away on something not worth living for. This is all centered around the idea afterlife or reincarnation exist, which they have been shown to exist on multiple occasions in the case of the LoZ franchise. I can see where you may struggle with understanding this theory, as it does to a point require suspension of disbelief, which can be kind of crucial in enjoying more intense fantasy stories. But it all basically comes back to the fact the statues don't perceive killing the same way we do. They literally do say they don't see the difference between good and evil in souls, so it's not unrealistic to say they don't see what WE perceive as murder to still be murder.

[@Lightna]

@@wind1574 The bargainer statues have no distinction between good and evil. Who is to say they see a distinction between living or dead? A soul is a soul and if it's lost, then it's their duty to guide them to the afterlife.

[@GGBlaster]

“They fly now?” Literally my thoughts when I saw a bokoblin carried by the aerocuda

[@homerman76]

My theory to why the Yiga lose their souls is because of how "sinners" are commonly known as "lost souls" and/or because of their abandonment of their Shiekah routes to follow Ganon, especially since they're commonly ignorant of what Ganon truly desires. Thus the Poe statues "help the lost souls move on to the afterlife."

[@Fujoshi1412]

It could also be they’ve already died and never seem to have noticed. They always get near death when you fight them. Being near the bargainer statues just finishes a process of their wandering souls that are animating their bodies. Their goals keep the body moving or spite.

[@armoredman6941]

@@Fujoshi1412claiming that the yiga can live after death due to spite is crazy

[@TheCommenterrr]

@armoredman6941 I heard somewhere the sheikah can live until their purpose is full filled, their life goal. If the Yiga members are all still working towards helping the demon king be revived to his former glory, they won’t die until they can. And with Link always foiling their strange plots, they won’t die, even if they want too. However, if they are lost souls, maybe some who wished to leave like Dorian but feared the consequences, are lost and wish to leave the living realm

[@LineOfThy]

@@armoredman6941 I... wouldn't doubt it

[@Grxblrg5757]

I think the Gibdos are probably full insects, because they have a Queen and spawn from Hives. I find it likely that they might be a species of bugs that feeds and grows off of corpses, which is why they are found in the underground cemetery, and we don't find any bodies in the cemetery. Perhaps the ancient Gerudo thought they were undead, because they appear wherever corpses aren't secure enough to keep Gibdos out. This could be why they only appear in this game as well, and why they dissappear when the Sand Shroud goes away. They scavenge corpses for the survival of their species, and the Sand Shroud likely gave them a lot of bodies to use. Gibdos only appear in the desert, which makes sense, as it is hard to keep bodies securely buried in sand, and might even be why the Queen Gibdo uses sand beams to attack, she could have been digging up sand to find bodies for her children, and storing it as a means of self defense.

[@ironkid9485]

I like this theory, I also just like th merit of gibdos being re imagined as bugs. It's an interesting and fun take and has been given a lot of detail

[@LegendofKal]

To me, it feels like the Gibdo of this game got fused with another old Zelda enemy, that being Mothra. Since Gibdo wings look very moth-like, and Queen Gibdo is hexapedal like all insects, rather than being bipedal like the normal Gibdo.

[@higherthanlife]

like ants or sum

[@MelissaBrownell-pz3fe]

Isn't Mothra a godzilla creature?

[@stewartcrislip7274]

​@@MelissaBrownell-pz3feyep

[@ZeoViolet]

It makes sense to me that the Rupee-bargainer statue might have been originally a Poe statue that went rogue, so Hylia punished it by sealing it in an old statue instead. The statue likes Rupees much more than collecting Poes. Of course, we don't know this for sure, but I'd not be surprised if it was related somehow.

[@tanandalynch9441]

The horned statue says it used to be a deity like Hylia. "I used to be a god, trading vitality for wealth. However my money for life deals didn't sit well with the goddess Hylia, so as punishment she trapped me here."

[@ZeoViolet]

@@tanandalynch9441 The bargainer statues strike me as deity statues, so my point doesn't change, though. ;)

[@michaelachapman2192]

@@ZeoViolet much more likely the bargainers are balance keeping beings but not powerful enough to be gods. Like the light spirits in Twilight Princess or Fi. Powerful and supernatural but created by gods

[@ZeoViolet]

@@michaelachapman2192 That is interesting, but it doesn't change my original point. This was a bargainer statue that went rogue...it'd rather mess with Link's spirit for money, rather than just trade out stuff for souls, 'cuz everyone loves Bling.

[@ghsvideosreviews5499]

In twilight princess there's a guy who made a pact for money with poes but become an gold Statue.. maybe it has some connection there .

[@metamaxis]

7:00 I love that Torch. I've been doing a run of TOTK where i keep that torch at PRISTINE condition the whole 100% run I've been doing. A both self imposed challenge, but also narratively, I like the idea that Link will carry Zelda's torch to always have something of hers with him after he finds it, since you can find it very early in the game as well, a tradition I've kept from BOTW, where king Rhoam's torch I also kept in the same condition the whole run. I call it the Torch% run, just...feels more satisfying, you know

[@Aaa-vp6ug]

Collect Rhoam’s sword too!

[@paperpopper2586]

Lmao i kept the first tree branch i picked up and (tried) to use it to do the final blow on ganon

[@metamaxis]

@@paperpopper2586 thats a heckign MOOD right there man, Respectobeans.

[@thewanderers97]

The master torch

[@romain4608]

On the topic of the bargainer statues, another cool detail is that they all correspond to Hylia statues that are not in cities: three for the springs of power, courage and wisdom, one for the ancient temple in the canyon, one under the great plateau's temple of time, and one which might look like it's in a random spot, but is actually under the statue in the sky's temple of time. This one is also smaller than the rest, as it corresponds to a small Hylia statue. So now you might be wondering, what about the one that was transported to the fort? Does it not correspond to any statue above ground? Well, there is actually one last Hylia statue that is not in a town, which is located in the well of the north Akkala stable. It's possible that the fort's statue was taken from under this one, they're even both small.

[@john-wiggains]

THANK YOU for this. I didn’t realize that connection. Now I can go hunt the rest of them down.

[@discordley]

ive also seen the suggestion that the lookout landing bargainer statue is actually associated to the cursed statue in the secret passageway of the emergency shelter. This I feel makes more sense considering its size, as well as the fact that they have only explored the depths beneath Hyrule field, so how would they bring something like that from the Akkala depths. I haven't double checked but supposedly the bargainer statues new location is directly above the cursed statue whereas it would have been directly below.

[@hykarusiscolored739]

It's only the winged hylia statu so not the one from akala.

[@adrienetourneau5988]

My personal theory is that the zonai ruins from Botw (Faron, typhlo ruins, thunder plateau) may have been zonai settlements BEFORE the race even ascended to the sky. The reason would be that the zonai may have originally been landborn and a race of barbarians (like the barbarian set suggests) but discovered at some point of their history an access to the depths and thus the zonaite, which was named after them since it became the basis of their civilization and technology afterwards (like the ancient energy for the sheikah). That’d be the reason why there’s such a difference between the two zonai architectural style (the old one from the zonai settlement in Faron and the one from the « sky era » of their history and evolution. It’s basically like the Laputans from Castle in the sky : ancient race discovers magic rocks that have limitless potential (and can maintain landmasses in the air), become more evolved as a civilization, ascend to the sky where they develop even further to an almost godlike level and then descend back to the earth to establish a kingdom. Basically, the old zonai architectural style is from their prehistory when they hadn’t yet ascended, which is why it’s so different than the one from the sky islands. The only flaw to this theory is that the sky labyrinths share this old style yet have elements from the newer sky style but that could be explained by the zonai (or Rauru since his spirit speaks to you when you reach these labyrinths) wanting to stay linked to their old ways

[@geckosocks]

One of the labyrinth voices says its the king of boars since king of boars is something that you would associate with ganon? I assume the labyrinth might have at least been repurposed or have been something they had all the sages in charge of at some point like a regular trial to decide a successor?

[@axmajpayne]

I like that theory. Breath of the Wild had a lot of inspiration from Studio Ghibli (mainly Princess Mononoke), so it makes sense that they would continue with that inspiration when making Tears of the Kingdom.

[@dsur5547]

Each labyrinth has a different person talk to you. I think they are the king of boars, owls and one other animal

[@baltakatei]

I'm going with a possible future Star Fox crossover. Evidence: working Arwings were present in Ocarina of Time's code. 🛸

[@CanManDanProductions]

THANK YOU FOR THE CASTLE IN THE SKY REFERENCE! I’ve been saying this to all my friends and nobody believes me, theres so many connections from this game and that movie its crazy to me, from the crystals, to the shrine quests with light beams, to the gentle steward constructs, to even the ceilings of shrines having similar appearances to when they looked underwater on laputa in the movie

[@clockwork_bard2871]

when i first saw the shadowy figures holding the weapons, i was instantly reminded of the warrior's ghost from Twilight Princess (the one that trains the player how to preform new attacks)

[@Merlin_Ambrosius_1100]

I instantly recognized the torch when i saw it and was so surprised and happy they put it. Such a small detail but greatly appreciated Also it never occurred to me that the plaque was a way to explain why the castle was moved from OoT’s location (great plateau) to where it is now. That’s such an amazing detail I swear. This game just keeps amazing me

[@SebastianEncina]

I am not even close to being completed but the assault on Gerudo Town is my favorite "mission" thus far

[@charlottearanea7507]

The Royal Claymore by Rhoam's grave is especially interesting to me. Obviously we knew that Nintendo staff worked with Koei Tecmo on Age of Calamity, but I've always wondered how much specific details from that game should be treated as canon-compliant. Seeing a small detail like Rhoam's sword directly referenced makes me feel a lot more comfortable considering Age of Calamity's lore as broadly compatible with BotW and TotK.

[@lasercraft32]

I'm pretty sure Nintendo was the one who pitched the idea in the first place. They had a story to tell and contacted the other company to ask if they wanted to make a Warriors game out of it. As far as I know, Age of Calamity is 100% canon... but just takes place in an alternate timeline from Botw and Totk because of Terrako's time travel.

[@charlottearanea7507]

@@lasercraft32 That's my view of it as well. Basically, any detail from Age of Calamity that wasn't explicitly caused by time travel can be assumed to be true also in the BotW/TotK timeline.

[@Mattriix]

My biggest question still remains about the "Secret Armor" you get after getting all the shrines, there was an ancient hero that fought the darkness and is even depicted perfectly in the tapestry with their red hair and green body Who were they? Is there more lore about them somewhere in Hyrule? Were they the "Link" of the ancient Zonai?

[@ethanacevedo2576]

They were the hero who fought in the war against calamity ganon 10,000 years ago. Its always been a thing that it was a Zonai tribe member who was the "link" of that battle and fought alongside that era's zelda and the sheikah to seal ganon away for 10,000 years. But what the armor set reveals is that they were a Zonai Hylian Hybrid, which... makes sense considering that Sonia and Rauru confirm Zelda is their descendant, but we never actually see their offspring in the memories. But apparently they had one and (I don't actually know how far away the Imprisoning War and the origina Calamity the Sheikah were fighter are in the time frame), their descendant became a version of link and fought Ganon

[@GojiNero]

Just my own personal idea, but I think since Ganon fueled himself back to life through gloom and sapping life force from anything it touches, I think the monsters in the depths are only mining Zonaite because they eat it. My only real evidence is that every single bokoblin, moblin, lizal, etc of that type, even their skeletons, drop at least one zonaite when you kill them in the depths

[@SingABrightSong]

Another thing to note about the Bargainer Statues is that each one is directly beneath a Goddess Statue. The one in the Central Mines, of course, speaks through the Goddess Statue in the Great Plateau Temple of Time, but there is also one beneath the statues at each of the springs of Power, Wisdom, and Courage, one beneath the Great Sky Island Temple of Time, and one, with a unique landmark title, beneath the "Mother" statue in the Forgotten Temple.

[@MichaelHeide]

Your final point explains the discrepancy between the Barbarian armor and the constructs. Both are said to be Zonai in origin, but they are drastically different. Which makes sense when there really were two different Zonai groups, one in the sky, one on the ground.

[@Zeldafan-fp3uu]

No I don’t really think so if you do a side quest on top of the sky temple of time it is explained that the sky islands were originally all on the ground and that after ganondorf was sealed the sages sent the island skyward to prevent him from ever reaching it

[@Tazerboy_10]

Interesting, view OP...

[@Tazerboy_10]

@@Zeldafan-fp3uu - Interesting... Do you mean like at the very beginning of the game or do you mean revisiting the Sky Temple for more lore?

[@milk_choc7889]

​@@Zeldafan-fp3uuThat's _specifically_ the sky Temple of Time, not the other sky islands.

[@Erimgard13]

@@Zeldafan-fp3uu But we're also told the Zonai came to Hyrule from the sky. So uhhhhh where the hell were they living before the sky islands popped up?

[@AylaRselhesur]

What really warms my heart is a majority of the Zelda content creators, when creating lore videos, are very considerate of spoilers. So many of them have put in a lot of work making timestamps for each discussion. Thank you for the work you do making content, I too am waiting to finish it. It's so good and I don't want it to be over yet!

[@jacobsims8307]

Did you finish ??

[@AylaRselhesur]

@@jacobsims8307 Omg, good question lol Not yet 😅 I know everything already, just haven't gotten around to it lol

[@davidalonsosariego2618]

The age of the Zonai ruins could be simply due to conservation. The islands in the skies are maintained by constructs and the power of the sages while the ones in Faron are abandoned and exposed to the elements. Keep in mind that those ruins are vital in exploring the giant storm in the sky, which means that they were probably built at the time the storm was created

[@Scharfster]

just realized rauru in totk was basically the first link of his era, then the first calamity started after rauru trapped ganondorf, a new hero came, the next hero in their timeline, the ancient hero from the tapestry, who was probably named link

[@humbertosandoval55]

Check out the ancient aspect armor set... hahaha

[@Scharfster]

@@humbertosandoval55 yeye

[@ScrawnyShauny]

I really hope you'll do an extensive video on the Bargainer Statues. I am absolutely fascinated by them. Have you seen the back of the cliff statue? Freaked me out. Were they always statues built by someone, or were they once living, organic entities, that over time, became statues? I have to know.

[@Bobo12300]

A boss fight involving the Bargainer Statues would go crazy

[@Dyundu]

They creep me the heck out. I need to know more about them.

[@dsur5547]

It would also be interesting to know the relationship between them and the goddess statues since prominent goddess statues have bargainer statues underneath them

[@letsdancetojoydiv]

​@@dsur5547 plus the one under the temple of time uses the goddess statue in the temple of time ruin to tell Link what to do

[@humbertosandoval55]

@@letsdancetojoydiv yeah that confused me a lot haha I just wanted a stamina vessel lol but... I wonder, then what happened to the goddess in the Temple of Time?

[@sammich1009]

I never noticed that Bravery Island was rotating until now!! These games are incredible with how many things you can always discover about them

[@a_mastergaming8938]

If you follow the questline in typhlo ruins near the skyview tower, and complete all the connected quests, then go into the room you unlock and read the stone tablet inside, you find lore that is very useful for your last lore secret, monstermaze.

[@deadshields8561]

The theory for the monsters gathering Zonaite holds up well considering the boss rematches and Depths field bosses, not counting the Frox and Constructs. Upon defeating them you get Crystallized Charges, Zonaite that has been purified as the first step to turning it into a proper fuel source. The gloom surrounding the chests the main bosses protect might be them stealing caches of the larger crystals, hence why the chests themselves are Zonai-made and not generic stone, wooden or metal ones. Also, the mentioning of the Faron ruins predating the Sky Island ruins could just be about them being known of before the Upheaval and subsequent reveal of the islands. Certainly possible that it means they are older in terms of construction, the guy that says it is an archaeologist after all so it'd make sense for him to be able to figure out such a detail.

[@derrickcrowe3888]

I have a theory that the secret stones are created from highly refined zonaite (and a whole broader theory that the Zonai are an alien race that came to Hyrule because it's rich in zonaite, and established a colony there to enlist the locals into harvesting resources for them, hence the zonaite processing plants directly under every major civilization and the mineral being named after a non-native species), since they function as power sources to amplify natural power, which we know processed zonaite can also be used for. Ganondorf, in this theory, is having his monster legions mine zonaite because he is aware of the secret stones' nature and wants to discover the secret of their creation for himself.

[@ericpeterson6520]

I interpreted Calip's statement as "These ruins existed before the Upheaval, when the other ruins fell from the sky" rather than "These ruins were constructed before the ruins that fell from the sky were". I feel like that's kind of what's implied with the translation, because the vast majority of ruins are not "falling from the sky" but HAVE FALLEN from the sky, and for that matter it'd be hard to carbon date a chunk of Zonai ruin that is currently hurtling through the air at terminal velocity. It'd be really interesting to see the original Japanese phrasing, though

[@Colby1378]

This is how I interpreted what he said as well. Hoping that someone can share the direct translation from Japanese so that it can hopefully provide some clarity.

[@Uejji]

@@Colby1378 Here is what he says here in the original Japanese (My Japanese is a little rusty, so there might be minor errors): 「そういえば…　ハイラル南東の亜熱帯 フィローネ地方には…」 "Now that you mention it... in southeast Hyrule's subtropical region of Firōné..." (Firōné is "Faron" in the English translation) 「太古の遺跡が数多く残された ゾナウ遺跡群がありましたな」 "A group of Zonau ruins were there among the great number of ancient ruins left behind" (Zonau is "Zonai" in the English translation) 「その地の遺跡には　他では見られない 龍の意匠が施されていたはず…」 "The ruins in that area were said to be decorated with a dragon design that's never been seen anywhere else..." All he seems to be saying is that he remembers hearing about dragon-shaped Zonai ruins that can only be found in Faron among the other (presumably non-Zonai) ruins left there. Nothing at all comparing them to the ruins that have fallen from the sky.

[@lunathetrip3241]

the production value on this is INSANE. please keep making these! the "Discovery!" text, custom panning shots, even the fonts are those in-game! as a rookie editor, you're doing an amazing job. every shot in this reminded me how BEAUTIFUL this game is; you really don't need RTX on, 8k, super-mega-giga resolution to make something look great and you show that amazingly. edit: not sure how good this idea is but it sounds cool to me--if you make another, you could have a 'cold open' with link diving into the depths with the one depths horn sound while the title of the video is shown?

[@Espio]

Slight Spoilers Just wanted to add to the Hyrule Castle Stone Momenument lore tidbit by saying that on Ganondorf's character profile it says "The magic holding him weakened when the castle was damaged during the Calamity a century ago, and his power has been steadily growing since." which is just a really cool tidbit in regards to the passage shown in the video, and the remaining part of the monument that states, "The preservation of this castle is therefore tied to the prosperity of the kingdom." Gives a little bit more perspective and makes me think that the Calamity Ganon was more than just concentrated hatred and malice, and maybe a way for Ganondorf to weaken Rauru's seal over him.

[@supercharged5-39]

that... makes sense! i always thought the past 2 great calamities were due to just the build-up of the malice and hatred eventually being unleashed over the course of many years. but weakening the seal also makes sense because not only are malice and gloom shown to be corosive but wiping out quite a lot of central hyrule and filling the castle with monsters and guardians would be a god way to keep it in disrepair. heck, maybe the body that calamity ganon was trying to build in botw was meant to be used to break the seal. it is worth it to know that calamity ganon was not just a force of nature but was cunning, implying that ganondorf might have been controlling him like a puppet the whole time.

[@MagnaP]

Calamity Ganon had an army of guardians and the four divine beasts at his disposal, plus a hundred years of free time. If he was intending to weaken the seal, he could have done waaaaaay more damage to the castle. Plus, he was sane enough to manipulate those guardians in the first place and try to create some sort of body for itself, which is a bit contradictory, in my opinion, if he knew his real body was down here.

[@supercharged5-39]

@@MagnaP iirc the body he was making was of a direct result of link waking up/activating the first tower.

[@Espio]

​@@MagnaP​​​​tbf, Ganon seemingly didn't have full control over the Guardians and Divine Beasts after Zelda went to the Castle to contain them. Creating a Champion and BotW imply that after the Calamity happened everything went very quiet for a few years. The Divine Beasts were dormant infact until just before Link woke up as mentioned in Monster Maze' video on the Calamity and it's aftermath.

[@josephdawson8073]

Also spoilers ahead but...I mean if you read the above comment you probably don't care so It mentions in the geoglyph memories that Zelda possesses both the power of Time as a descendant of Sonia and power of Light as a descendant of Rauru. The power of Light is what we know in BotW as the Sealing Power. Rauru used this power of light to *seal* Ganondorf in the imprisoning chamber, but that seal weakens over time enough for Ganondorf to release a small "avatar" to wreak havok in the form of Calamity Ganon. My guess is that Calamity Ganon is unleashed when Rauru's seal weakens enough for him to unleash it, in the hopes of destroying Hyrule Castle and being unleashed in his pure form. That is why Zelda has the sealing power, to seal Calamity Ganon and-unwittingly-bolster Rauru's seal on Ganondorf. However, since the Calamity was allowed to rage for 100 years, Hyrule Castle was left in ruins so the seal was no as effective. It was only a matter of time before Ganondorf would be freed, because the seal had been weakened so severely.

[@DanielisAwesome52]

It seems like the Sheikah tapped into a lot of Depths/Zonai things without realizing it. The fact that their control spires for the Guardians were built into the moat around Hyrule Castle probably because it had a high concentration of Zonai Light bleeding out from Rauru's Arm and finding the Wellspring of Revival's waters on the Surface and building a Shrine there. I wonder if there are any significant features under the two Ancient Furnaces (Or at least where they were in Breath of the Wild)

[@Polaricey123]

I love that you pointed out the correlation between certain areas on the surface and the Depths. It got me thinking about the Upheaval and how, spoiler alert, in the Rito Village they talked about the Stormwind Ark and how it was used when the Rito faced "another" upheaval of their own. Perhaps the ancient Zonai experienced a much worse Upheaval compared to Ganondorf's and what we see in the Depths are the remains of that disaster. Who knows!

[@rag1242]

1:55 bro that was legit my reaction when I saw the fliers

[@WatsonHane]

you’re handling the spoilers so well, i wish more people did what you do

[@godzilla80192]

I personally believe that the Gibdo are just an new insect monster. Since Gibdo are not in botw, it stands to reason that no one has actually seen a Gibdo in a long time. I think that when the Gerudo named these new creatures Gibdo, they were taking the name from stories and legends they had heard from a long time ago.

[@Insert_Bland_Name_Here]

Yeah, the TOTK Gibdos being an entirely new species makes sense. Historically, Gibdos have always been mummies with a different name. But here they're suddenly insectoid monsters that physically look more like ReDeads? It also makes sense, since we see them in three different versions in TOTK - regular Gibdos, Gibdo Moths and the Queen Gibdo, who is able to form hives, from which more Gibdos emerge. Besides, the original Gibdos were only vulnerable to sunlight and light arrows. These are completely weakened when hit with any kind of elemental attack. They're absolutely not the same enemies.

[@simplysupreme1030]

I still believe that they take over the corpse of the dead instead of being fully insect monsters because you can find some just locked in cells with damaged bodies. I don’t think they’d just lock up random monsters instead of just killing them

[@nullvoid7188]

​​​@@Insert_Bland_Name_Herethere mainly weak to fire and lightning elementals and ice freezes just about anything so it shouldn't really count. I noticed during the actual battle with the gibdo queen for some reason in the temple there weak to light to the point of dying on the spot if you reflect light on them or have them run through the light of any of the 4 holes in the ceiling, but they were standing in the sun just fine when attacking the gerudo outpost and later gerudo town.

[@greenoffields]

An alternative explanation for the gibdos in the graveyard and prison is that they invaded those locations after meat (I.e. the entombed and imprisoned). The gerudo abandoned both locations, but not before sealing them in. As for gibdos in the cells themselves, the gerudo may have caged them after realizing that their hides were resistant to physical blows. Also the weird-pulsating-neck-things are probably a representation of book lungs used by many arthropods.

[@MangaMaid4545]

One thing I thought of with the Gibdo was the Bancho Sarayashiki, specifically the fact that in 1795 in Japan, old wells had an infestation of Chinese Windmill larvae that became known as Okiku insects because they thought her spirit had possessed the larvae due to how they look. I just figured the Queen Gibdo and the Gibdo being insect like now was them applying that horror story concept to the Gibdo.

[@pippin45]

For the last one, I think Calip is implying that the Zonai Ruins in Faron were already in Faron before the Upheaval. Not necessarily that they're older than the sky ruins, just that they were already on the ground before the sky ruins started to fall.

[@alexburn4014]

i found that the flaoting tablet islands may have the answer. Theres one that says Zelda convinced the scientists at the time to ascend the temple of time in the sky for link in the future. So perhaps the Zoni had the tec to make sky islands but had lived on the surface before its invention. So once they obtain that tec to do it the majority of the Zoni left for the new islands and possibly even beyond hyrule, abandoning their old civilization. They were considered almost holy beings, it would make sense that if they had the power to ascend normal beings they would take it minus the king and his sister who have ties to the people of Hyrule.

[@Keanine]

That's how I interpreted it too, but I prefer the explanation of them being ancient. It bothered me that the Faron ruins and all the other architecture didn't match the new Zonai ruins we were being shown, so this is a good solution to that problem. I'd love to see what the original Japanese says

[@sharkjackson]

This is how i interpreted it as well. I believe the "zonai ruins" left on the surface in Botw and that didn't arrive from the upheaval were built by ancient hylians in the style of the zonai/first kingdom and eventually it was modernized after the zonai and the kingdom left the great plateau. i think the typhlo ruins section, particularly the very end of that set of quests, validate that it wasn't zonai who built those necessarily.

[@Kanamo4781]

@@alexburn4014 are you talking about those star shaped islands all around Hyrule? How do you read them?

[@toiletseat777]

​@@Kanamo4781 you start a quest at lookout landing, and then the NPC moves to kakariko and will translate them if you show him pictures

[@ZeldaLore]

The Zonai Ruins "predate the ruins falling from the sky", as in they were there before the Upheaval. But this is an addition made by Nintendo of America. The Japanese version does not say anything of the sort, only that there are ruins in faron referred to as Zonai Ruins. Given that they look identical to the ruins of the Thyphlo architecturally, and the lore we learn there, as well as architectural lore hint on the pedestal seen on Tobio's Hollow, these ruins which we saw in BOTW are not older than the Zonai Ruins, but more recent.

[@KisiroKitsune]

Except Mineru leaves behind a puzzle in those ruins to access the Spirit Temple, which means they were around at the same time that she was.

[@ZeldaLore]

@@KisiroKitsune The newer mossy stone architecture is encasing the architecture, but we don't know if that's the case for all including Thyphlo or not. The Zonai Ruins could have been around during the time the Zonai graced the world with their presence and built by them, and then covered over by this newer architecture like the pillar in Tobio's Hollow indicates. But one thing is for sure, the ruins do predate the ruins falling from the sky, they were there before the Upheaval.

[@Keanine]

Interesting. Perhaps that means after the final Zonai passed away, the people of that time lost access to the techniques used to build the smooth stone architecture we see in the sky, so they adopted their own more primitive style using the tools at their disposal and eventually causing the Zonai to become a myth

[@TheMasterBT]

I think that the Faron ruins predating the floating Zonai structures is in part just a wink to the order in which these zones were developed. They came up with the ruins from BOTW way before they fully developed the whole concept of the Zonai and the particulars of their architecture. In a way the Faron ruins are the "alpha" designs for the sequel's Zonai. So it makes sense that in-lore they're from a prior civilization.

[@robinopf]

The production quality, like the banners, the footage and the music makes this video 100x more enjoyable

[@NintendoBlackCrisis]

Great video Don(don)!

[@MonsterMaze]

I see what you did there Will!

[@yoyomkdp]

Hey Nintendo black crisis will we see any video from you soon

[@Tazerboy_10]

I literally found those yesterday!

[@IanHsieh]

Don Dondon!

[@Litterizzy]

@@MonsterMazemy name in don too!!

[@marcostoad1]

Let’s go we’re finally getting TotK lore content! Can’t wait to see what all the Zelda theorist have cooking

[@symbolik4372]

A theory that popped into my head talking about the depths. It seems odd that for millenia that an entire vast underground world existed and nobody knew about it, even though we know of one location with access to the depths prior to Gannondorfs revival which is that great hole in the Gerudo Highlands that we know for a fact that Koga fell into during the events of BOTW. So my theory is it was actually filled with water aside from a few pockets such as the one koga fell into. What if the depths are the dried up beds of where the great sea used to be, but over centuries with volcanic activity and/or some of the zonai's floating islands when they arrived to hyrule covered it up and it either dried out leaving the vast chasms or when the location where (Spoilers)...where we fight Ganondorf which we know is further down into the depths was opened caused the water to go even further underground.

[@jamiswamp]

I kind of wanted to know something not many people seem to comment about, the three colossal skeletons in the Depths that are directly below the other colossal ones! And they seem to be even bigger and longer

[@Zvoosh25]

Please do a video on what happened to all the sheikah stuff, and how many years have passed since botw, as well as the identity of the other dragons (given Zelda's fate in the game)

[@Did_U_Know..]

It is even stated that “a couple of years” have passed, how many exactly? Idk, but it seems around 3 or 4..

[@raskolnikov6443]

@@Did_U_Know..my guess is 5 years

[@missbeans]

​@Did you know? Considering we were at Hudson's wedding in botw, and they now have a daughter who looks to be about 5yo, I think at least 6 years have passed (assuming Gerudo gestation is 9 months), possibly more.

[@crunchyfresco]

Purah gives a lame answer 😑 she names the sheikah slate her name when she wasn't the one who created it originally or the towers 🙄 So..... Yea she says she and the others wanted to avoid Ganon taking over they had it destroyed and place with their similar technology that in my opinion could be corrupted as well but what ever 😐

[@ZombleBee]

​@@crunchyfrescoWhen does she say that? I thought they just completely ignored it. I'm interested.

[@splat-a-tat6780]

On the last point in the video, it’s been pointed out that “modern” Zonai architecture akin to what can be found in the sky can be seen UNDER the Zonai ruins in Faron, meaning that those ruins were built around them. If the Faron ruins are OLDER than the sky ruins, how can it be built AROUND another Zonai ruin that’s more like the ones in the sky? Furthermore, the small caves where you find the lightning attack armor in the Faron ruins resemble the ruins in the sky more as well, and it seems like the excavation site caves around the Faron region resemble the sky architecture as well. But then, there’s other caves in the same region that have architecture more similar to the Faron ruins specifically.

[@leobankowski7682]

a commenter said that they think the faron ruins were the ancestors of lurelin village

[@leobankowski7682]

or they changed the ruins

[@Fire_Summoner]

In the old games the Shiekah are theorized to have created redeads. It would make sense that after the Sealing war allies of Ganondorf were executed and their malice and vengeance allow them to come back stronger than a normal undead.

[@popculturehero]

My Theory about the monsters mining zoanite is because the Demon King is familiar with Rauru's forces using it against him. They may not be able to use it. But hoarding the material will prevent it from being used by the heroes.

[@bannie6151]

My favorite part is when he said “It's Don’n time!” and Don’d the whole video

[@MonsterMaze]

I Don'ed know what you're talking about...

[@KyleGK01]

I like to think that they turned a lot of the shiekah technology (the guardians and stuff like that) into the new towers, because we see guardian arms grab link and put the wire in his purah pad.

[@solgaleo3533]

11:30 I think there was a connection with the depths, as it’s said the Sheikah tech’s power source came from “deep underground”, there was seemingly an orb pedestal at the bottom of a chasm in BOTW as well as a tower seemingly built inside a chasm, and you can get ancient arrows in the depths.

[@johnmcbruce215]

I was avoiding the boss for that same sentiment... but when I got around to just doing it MAN I was so happy, rather than feeling like I'd hit the end of the game turns out I just found another fun thing to go do every now & again 😂

[@84LBB]

Regarding the Bargainers taking Yiga souls, maybe it's because they are actively working to assist Ganondorf? I found it interesting that the first one we encounter speaks through a certain other statue, so are they equally benevolent to some degree?

[@MichaelHeide]

That was the first one you encountered? Not the one in Robbie's new lab?

[@84LBB]

@@MichaelHeide You know that is a good point and also brings up the question of why there are small and large ones. But yeah what I meant the one that sends you on the whole quest lol.

[@missbeans]

I interpreted it as the Yiga are lost souls even though they are living.

[@AbeM.]

@@missbeansyeah I think that’s the implication too, the Yiga are lost souls. They just had the misfortune of being capable of walking right up to the statue, unlike the poes.

[@Miss_Trillium]

I'm inclined to say that it's just that the statue didn't recognize them as any different than a poe. In that case, that would make link similar to a grim reaper, a harbinger of lost souls. Come to think of it, they did mention that poes are formed of souls that lost their way. Does that mean, then, that the yiga are people whose souls are lost? Makes sense, from a point of view.

[@KBroly]

I found that Torch in my playthrough. I'm pretty sure my reaction was the same as everyone else's. Quite a few of the Sheikah Shrine locations in BotW are Chasms in TotK, while the one on the Cape overseeing Eventide Island is now a Dirt circle, implying they sank back into the ground at some point? Or went to the moon?

[@ajlucky0076]

The Barbarian set might hint to a Zonai civilization that is different from the 2 zonai we saw in the story. The Zonai aztec-like armor is way different than the barbarian set, which consists of bones and animal fur rather than elaborate feathers and zoanite plates. There may have been a rival or even older zonai settlement

[@Ericshadowblade]

My running theory is that the botw zonia we know were hylains that moved into the area and adopted the culture

[@zanderdev57]

​@Eric shadowblade or the ones that were there before zonai, as in just some tribal people who were still mostly wild before the zonai made contact

[@bloodgodmeowth]

I genuinely appreciate how detailed you were about the possible spoilers at the start of the video, it feels like you actually care haha! I mean that in a good way!!

[@Keanine]

"It predates the ruins falling from the sky" I misread this to mean that the ruins were there before the sky ruins appeared, aka they were there in BotW. The way you've interpreted it makes more sense! I'd be interested to see this line translated from the original Japanese too to see if the intention carries over

[@Dyundu]

It is always good to check the original text, no matter what.

[@pinkcatminht]

I'm so glad you mentioned that the architecture in faron doesn't match the zonai architecture shown in the rest of the game! It was something I noticed as well and it made me very confused. As well, the Barbarian Armor, which a lot of people theorized was Zonai, seems to not be related. I hope they go into it in a DLC, it's so fascinating

[@joshooah86]

this is the exact kind of content i want for the next couple months. I appreciate the specification of spoiler topics at the beginning of the video, and i find it really interesting to delve into tangential lore not relevant to the main story. thanks!

[@CireMystery]

After hearing about the yiga members and the bargainer statues. I think the statue could tell their spirit was lost despite them still being alive. I mean, imagine being stuck underground in a mostly pitch black darkness for a long period of time. You might become 'lost' too.

[@freshlymemed5680]

It might not even be lost in the literal sense. The entire Yiga clan are basically just tragic idiots. Sure they had the right to be angry at the Hylians for being banished despite having done so much but that was centuries ago. They're holding on to a hatred that isn't even theirs, the fact that they don't or possibly can't work with the monsters under Ganon's control shows that even Ganon doesn't see them as allies. They're following a path that even they probably don't fully believe in.

[@micahvance8382]

This video was perfect for me cuz i’m one of those people who felt like all i have left to do is defeat Ganandorf but you helped me realize that theres actually a lot more exploring to do! I feel like i can enjoy a bit more of it now before i go in for the finishing blow. 😊

[@user-if4nx2jn8r]

It's also worth noting that some of the Gibdos in other places also come out of sarcophagi like the ones in the cemetery, and the Arbiter's Grounds are even called Execution Grounds in Japanese, so yes, I think at least some of them are corpses. Since the Queen controls sand as well, it's possible the sand can combine with dead matter to form Gibdos.

[@theferretman2157]

This is a very nice video and I'd like to bring up a couple things: 1. The fossilized gibdo hives probably were related to Ganondorf all things considered (unless monsters existed before he came around but we have no evidence for or against that), as the 10,000+ years between the Imprisoning War and the Upheaval is more than enough to fossilize those hives. Along with that, it would appear that a lot of monster species and monster variety went extinct (at least on the surface in the case of gibdos), as since stuff like Aerocudas and the strange weapon horns of Tears of the Kingdom's monsters were present during the imprisoning War but by Breath of the Wild were gone. 2. The fact that diurnal monsters are down in the Depths is interesting, as it implies their senses are suddenly much better for low-light activity (if not areas with no light whatsoever). This would especially be the case for Aerocudas, because they go from flying in daylight and sleeping at night to flying in pitch black conditions since presumably the light of gloom and other light sources won't reach them. Thank you for listening to this rant.

[@benester4225]

Editing is top notch as always, Don. Really great points of intrigue you’ve chosen for this video as well! I had never found the Gerudo Ancient Prison in my first playthrough so hearing about it here and combining that with the Yiga notebook on “the executed” is so so fascinating. Can’t wait to talk more about this game :))

[@danwg3368]

The moment we've all been waiting for, TOTK content from Monster Maze!

[@tamber9893]

There is soooo much stuff to talk about in this game, im looking forward to all the theories and mysteries Love the vids Don, have great one

[@thectrqueenmedina92]

Fun fact about normal people not seeing the ghost statues, if you try to photograph them they get shy and disappear as if you were a normal person unable to see them

[@jadedisaster]

Absolute banger of a video! I've been apprehensive to watch any theory videos since I'm actively postponing finishing the game, but the disclamer and clear explenation at the beginning of the video is a huge help and greatly appreciated!! It's been good to watch your stuff again! thanks so much for doin what you do!

[@browncow5210]

Dondon's are basically Zelda's take on Donphan, and I kind of love the little guys. Here's an interesting tidbit I learned in the Yiga hideout. According to a diary left laying around, the Thunder Helm we get in this game is a reproduction. When they had the real thing in their possession during BotW, they reverse engineered it. The member who wrote the diary claims that he tested it by repeatedly being struck by lightning until they got it right. The end of the diary claims he was about to die from these experiments. Go figure they gave it to Link as a reward for beating them up quickly enough. I would honestly feel bad for the guy if it weren't for the whole evil ninja cult thing. So if Ganondorf was sealed under the castle for nearly the entire timeline, does that mean that he got swamped with lava in Ocarina of Time whenever Ganondorf lifted the castle into the air with a huge lava moat under it?

[@dbass9544]

The consensus is still out on how these games are related to the original “timelines”. We’re still not sure if Raru was the literal first king of Hyrule, or just the first king of Hyrule post whatever time period jump that takes place between the previous Zelda games and Breath of the Wild. It seems odd that there was multiple Ganondorfs existing in the same time period, but that DOES seem to be what is being implied.

[@joshuaarnett762]

Assuming what making a Champion says about BotW still holds true this Ganondorf is yet again reborn, long after OoT, when this Hyrule was founded, since we've seen that Hyrule falls and is rebuilt a few times. There's only every 1 Ganondorf.

[@raffaelm6558]

That was an amazing video. I'm 250h in and finishing up side quests (and looking for damn Addison all over the place) so I had found a lot of the stuff mentioned here but it was so good to see it all put together like this. I especially loved the Gibdo section bc the Gerudo ruins are so eerie and fascinating and the bit about the monument in the Royal Secret Passage. This game has sooooo much to talk about and I can't wait for more videos from you.

[@vvlaze]

I love your style of covering these details, the narration is very fitting and calming.

[@davisbowe8668]

Glad to have you back! I've been waiting to see what theories you, NintendoBlackCrisis, and Zeltik have cooked up since TotK has released, especially in relation to the timeline. You guys are easily the only Zelda theorists I trust when it comes to lore theories.