The Mirror of Twilight in Breath of the Wild?

[@theteacher3160]

Ultimately I think the monument was just a neat little throwback to Twilight Princess. Not the actual Mirror of Twilight, just an homage to it. Breath of the Wild and Twilight Princess are my favorite Zelda games so I appreciate any connection between the two!

[@malvulable4351]

not gonna lie, I have a feeling ganoncorpse is going to stand up and start directly referencing the Twilight Princess ending first hand, in BOTW2. At the end of TP, they had to have done something with his body that was left standing in the field, right? I think on the way to the Mirror Chamber, Link, Zelda, and Midna drug Ganondorf's body along with them and placed that seal on it in the Arbiter's Grounds, before Midna broke the mirror and left.

[@TwilightPrincessFR]

They emphasised this would be a darker game so I thought this could make sense, on the other hand, we've seen Picoori's (The Minish people) and a minish village have been made and unused, someone pointed out how this looked like an enlarge Kinstone (check this out if u have not played the game, the game is really good as well) - it could be another minish- referance. I am also a huge Twilight Princess fan (do'oh), i'm in my 30's now and still stick to this name many places 🙈

[@Mangaka-Knight]

@@malvulable4351 I'm very hopeful for something similar. I really believe that is Ganon from Twilight Princess. It makes sense. In Breath of the Wild Demise's curse is acknowledged. I think this is the Hyrule Family's attempt at stopping the reincarnating of Ganon.

[@Zeivusgaming]

Midna destroyed it in Twilight Princess

[@revilno]

I have a feeling that the similar green patterns in all of the Tears of the Kingdom trailer has to do something with the twilight princess colors and images

[@TrinityProcessing]

I like your new thumbnail aesthetic. They all look really pretty recently

[@MonsterMaze]

Thanks! I definitely feel like I found a bit of a vibe when it comes to thumbnails ^^

[@ChavinMedina]

Yup, they’re looking really great!

[@danijadedd]

I was just thinking that too! They are so bold and aesthetic.

[@newjumpcityjosh9333]

Agreed

[@danielmcelroy4505]

💯💯💯

[@danieldonnert3747]

The text reads: "When two lives match breath and kneel, the door to the trial will be opened." starting from left of the lower-right crack and reading counter-clockwise. There's a number of symbols that cover more than one letter and a couple letters that are covered by more than one symbol (some have both), there seems to be a couple of intentional mistakes, and a bizarre plurality rule. Maybe no one checked his work. letter for letter, it reads: "wlen towd tlive matches vreathp and kn~l the d~or to the trial will be opened" (~ is the symbol for double vowel, it's the rhombus on a table symbol)

[@papersonic9941]

Say the line, Monster Maze. "It is connected to the Zonai" YAAAAAAY!

[@peachrain6016]

I love how there’s a small group of Zeldatubers that all use “OMG IS THAT A ZONAI SWIRL” y’all are my favorite and definitely the most entertaining.

[@stevefelber]

y e s

[@NytroDesigns]

I wasn't expecting it at all and almost died inhaling a cookie while laughing xD

[@saber7534]

Ah, small detail to consider here is that different languages don't have each word spelled with the same amount of characters as the one you're comparing it to. Even with the character amount being different, this could very well still be more than gibberish. As for any possible Zonai connections? I take the same side as you in this, that topic isn't for this video or time. But hopefully, we'll find out in two weeks. See you all when BOTW2 doesn't have a playable Zelda, Saber out!

[@centurosproductions8827]

Plus, if it's a cypher of japanese, that makes a very different size.

[@KryyssTV]

The thing is that when you visit the Twilight you find that, as a people, the Twili are not one race but actually a society of at least three. You have Zant himself who has very reptilian qualities, Midna is almost Gerudo except for her skin colour and the other you meet bear similarities to the Gorons. The Twili were also formerly called The Interlopers rather than being specifically named as one race but it's never explained what they were trespassing into to be given that description. Did they invade Hyrule? Or the Sacred Realm? Furthermore, Twili architecture and fashion incorporates many symbols and styles iconic to multiple Hyrulean races. A stylised Gerudo crest appears on Zant's robe and the Sheika eye can be seen behind the throne in the Twilight Palace for example. It would therefore be fair to conclude that if Nintendo were to give them an alphabet and language of their own it too would also be an amalgamation of multiple Hyrulean languages and scripts. That may explain why parts of these runes have the curved Gerudo script style while other runes do not.

[@FedEx867]

@@KryyssTV Thank you.

[@UltimateTobi]

While I agree with this, Hylian seems to be one-to-one to English in grammar and word, since you can swap the Hylian letters for latin ones. I believe the same goes for Gerudo and Sheikah script. So this supposed Zonai script would be the first foreign language to actually be different and foreign, instead of just an exchanged version of English.

[@KryyssTV]

@@UltimateTobi As it turns out, the text is based on English. I've identified two consonants and one vowel already based upon how symbols are being used. Part of the text appears to read as TIMING IS or TIMING IT. The second symbol on the two symbol word is very distorted so it's hard to tell if it's been used in other words. But the fact is there are very few two letter words in English so it's just going to take more study and comparison.

[@kaitoudark1]

Let's be honest. It's just an oversized kinstone from Minish Cap. This makes sense, as the Minish have their own language, which likely means they have their own writing; and Minish were originally planned to be in Breath of the Wild. The Minish (Picori) also are known to make Hylian sized items, particularly those used in sealing rituals such as the four sword; so a tribute shrine to that kinship isn't entirely unreasonable.

[@FRD-cf2hp]

YEEEESSSS that would be a dream come true!!!

[@sunte91]

Woah 🤯

[@dayshallcomeagain]

That...actually makes a lot of sense. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the picori show up in botw 2. I don't know why but the little mouse in the trailer screams Minish to me, as the picori look like little mice people.

[@NormalLunk]

On top of that the pedestal the monument is on looks like a sword pedestal. Mayhaps the four sword used to be there or it was in reference to it?

[@TwilightPrincessFR]

😱 omg YES! 100% !!

[@DantheGif]

I think its likely the Mirror of Twilight was made of Luminous Stone. I always theorize that the reason there isn't much Luminous Stone in past games is because it is quite rare and used in sacred objects only. And only after Calamity Ganon kills most of Hyrule does so much soul energy of the die exist and cause the stones to glow.

[@danwg3368]

I always figured that slab was supposed to be kind of a reference to the mirror of twilight, without actually being the mirror itself. Another great video! You make some of the best LoZ content on KZbin, and I'm always stoked to see a new video pop up in my notifications. Honestly, I think Zeltik is the only one who rivals the quality of your content, but that's just my opinion, of course.

[@MonsterMaze]

Thanks Dan! Yeah Zeltik is amazing!

[@jeremiah6945]

Monster and Zeltik are the best

[@FedEx867]

Monster and NBC, then Zeltik are the best.

[@ChavinMedina]

@@FedEx867 my exact thoughts

[@shisuileaf7072]

Yeah

[@ShaggyDabbyDank]

The surface being devoid of any details is rather easy to explain, as it looks quite ancient and sat in the middle of a desert with constant huge sandstorms. Over time, the etchings would be ground away by all that whipping sand.

[@BrigColby]

Regardless as to what the truth of this is, I really can’t blame anyone for wanting a more direct connection to another Zelda game in breath of the wild. The sheer amount of time and history that has passed since any other game can make it feel really detached from the rest of the series lore wise. There are nods to many of the other games of course but never anything concrete. We never see the aftermath of a certain timeline or game have a direct effect on anything that happens in breath of the wild. It really does seem like from this end of the spectrum everything else is just legend and stories. Perhaps that was intentional to keep the placement of breath of the wild on the timeline ambiguous but it certainly makes it feel a bit more lonely as a result. Having Gannondorf return in the sequel makes me hopeful that the Zelda team are looking to fill that void a little bit.

[@MonsterMaze]

I couldn't agree more with this! A little bit of a reward for having played previous games would go a long way!

[@papersonic9941]

Well the OOT sages get name dropped and Fi all but appears.

[@BrigColby]

@@MonsterMaze Absolutely. I like that Zelda team try not to get too attached to the legacy of the series and try where ever they can to experiment and innovate, but I always love that feeling of knowing the full significance of a piece of the past coming back into play. Maybe the most impactful moment of BotW (for me anyways) was when we heard Fi's sound coming from the master sword when Zelda was crying over Link's body. Unlike say the song of time being embedded in the royal crest this callback was actually a significant story beat (hearing the voice of the sword) and it was such a suprise to know she was still existing within the sword all along. It wasn't until after that how much I realized how starving I was for more moments like that one, that make Zelda feel a bit more like a saga rather than separate pieces (which in all fairness, is how they were originally made).

[@kmcsciguy]

@@BrigColby I got so excited when we heard Fi’s voice in that cutscene

[@AlqhemyA]

what about the Arbiter's Grounds in the gerudo desert? that's a direct connection to twilight princess

[@benjaminstiles]

I love the “ oh my gosh is that a ZONI swirl?” Meme.

[@definitelyacabbagefarmer5996]

Gully is the origin of the zonai

[@benjaminstiles]

@@definitelyacabbagefarmer5996 Ah, that would make sense as I have no idea who that is and the voice is unfamiliar.

[@bigtimes1]

More like the emerald stone of the Kokiri.

[@definitelyacabbagefarmer5996]

@benjamin stiles I believe it’s from a Nintendo black crisis video on unused material in Zelda games- The phrase is from the two swirls of Gully’s (that one kid who wants the bug net in ss) cheeks

[@benjaminstiles]

@@definitelyacabbagefarmer5996 oh

[@heartsbreaktwice872]

Erosion? Maybe the mirror had to be thickened because it was falling apart. Maybe the legs rusted, so replaced. Maybe the ornaments eroded? And then they couldnt fix it or it became too powerful and destroyed it with a magical sledgehammer?

[@kmcsciguy]

I wish the stone tablet would have been put back together once you found all the pieces

[@L337M4573RK]

7:42 There's ACTUALLY a 3rd option that many don't usually want to talk about. That 3rd option is the theory that the Sheikah Shrines were ORIGINALLY made by the Zonai, but were refurbished to meet the needs of the Sheikah after the Zonai "mysteriously disappeared"... (Hint: The Sheikah may not be as innocent nor as "technologically advanced" as we're first made to believe! Could the "mysterious disappearance" of the Zonai have been caused by the Sheikah (either by banishment to another realm, or by complete eradication)?

[@_My_YouTube]

One key feature that was not mentioned in this video is the significance of the inner circle. It looks like one half of the inner circle is light in color, while the other half is noticeably darker. Could this be a homage to the normal world and the twilight world? They almost appear to be reflections of each other, with one half being in darkness or shadow? Seems like something worth exploring more about to see if there are other possible connections with this detail.

[@ferrishthefish]

If Misae Suma could predict that a heat-stroked Gerudo chick would be blocking his shrine entrance at the exact moment when Link shows up, then Kah Yah can predict the Zonai's language---a precursor to which might have existed when he built the shrine. Most of the shrine quests in botw hint at the ancient Sheikah being clairvoyant.

[@ScarletDuke]

I've always thought of Lurelin being said as "Lure-line" like a fishing lure and line.

[@travgillard6834]

Yesssss someone else who noticed

[@AskMia411]

I'm dyslexic and read it as "lure in" village (not spaced obviously, just for clarity) and the yiga had left me with such trust issues towards npcs that I never looked for it, thinking it was a trap of some kind. Only when i was finishing up looking for the last few shrines and looked it up did i realize my mistake 😅 As embarrassing as it was, it was actually pretty cool to discover an entirely new village so late in the game, gave me the feeling of that first view of Hyrule after the shrine of resurrection all over again

[@heisit]

It is just too strange and random to be a coincidence. Whatever the zelda team wanted to point out, I hope the sequel brings some answers and/or new questions. It is also possible Ganondorf him self or one of his soldiers broke the relic to prevent the hero to gain access to the shrine. Lovely video

[@chompythebeast]

There is also the hand-wavey possibility that the Zonai had a prophecy or something to build the monument, even not knowing what the writing on it really meant, or knowing anything about the Shrines. And then the Sheikah came in later and finished the job. As outlandish as that seems, it's still well within the realm possibility for this game that's _full_ of poorly-understood prophecies

[@ast.4049]

Well done Maze, again! I love that you elaborate further on the effect of the three timelines merging into botw. This theory goes in line with the Majoras Mask theoey. My additional spice on that is that the twili from the other timelines were able to come to this hyrule with this more primitive mirror.

[@joesunday199]

I hope one day the Twili return. I really loved their designs! Especially Midna's! Both Midna's and Zant's clothing looks really interesting. It'd be nice to see new Twili characters. However, I'll admit I wasn't a fan of the other Denizen's designs.

[@nivalack9964]

Growing up, me and my friends imagined Link and Zelda collecting all the shattered pieces from the sand and super gluing the mirror back together.

[@RyuuKageDesu]

I've always thought the stone was crafted to reference the mirror, making it an in universe reference. With a large number of shrines coupled with Zoni structures, a connection is undeniable. I think the most likely answer is that the Sheikah repurposed the ruins while researching the Zoni themselves. If there were a more direct connection between the groups, I would thing there would be more information on the Zoni, preserved by the Sheikah.

[@RyuuKageDesu]

Wait, if the mirror is Sheikah technology, and the Zoni predate them, that would make the mirror a reference to the stone.

[@spiritlink1585]

That random:" OH MY GASH, IS THAT A ZONAI SWIRL?!" Made my day, anyways great vid as always MM

[@TheDaktary24]

I have a theory, since BOTW takes place about 30,100 years after the sealing of Ganondorf, I suspect that the Kingdom of Hyrule made a request to make the monument to symbolize the new friendship between princess Zelda and princess Midna, and that the riddle has not to do with the shrine, but with Twilight Link Also, you'll all notice that I'm saying 30,100 years after the seal on Ganondorf, well let's break it through, first you have a POWERFUL foe that cannot be defeated but you manage to seal him, but malice starts to flow from his body, but you don't care since the malice cannot reach the surface, but 10,000 years later it strikes, unprepared and unaware of how it came to be Zelda and Link manage to destroy the very first calamity Ganon, and order the Sheika and the Zonai to create tech that can help them if it happens again, 10,000 after, the second strike and this time, well prepared with the Divine Beasts and the Guardians they manage to destroy it again, but easier, at the same time some sheika thinks on using the tech to overcome the Hyrulean Royal Family and are banished from the clan and form the Yiga, as a result the Kingdom orders the Sheika to hide all of the tech, but know 10,000 after they are unearthing everything as news of the calamity approaching hits the Kingdom, but Ganon gains control of the machines and we have BOTW, but this is my theory

[@DrAqua2Fresh]

When I saw the slab in my first playthrough I just thought it was a pretty neat reference. A circular mysterious object broken into 4 pieces, where you have to find 3 of those pieces? That's a good little reference! 9:50 Best part of the video btw, I snorted out the water I was drinking haha!

[@dayshallcomeagain]

OH MY GOSH IS THAT A ZONAI SWIRL??????!!!!!!!! lol. The word Zonai is like the word aliens to us Zelda fans.

[@RoryRose_]

10:18 A lot of cultures have used completely separate languages for writing and speaking

[@lozeldatkm]

You know the part in the new BotW2 trailer where it looks like Link is lying on the ground while his arm is glowing? Pretty sure he's lying on the Lurelin monument

[@game-enjoyer13]

HUH? Hold on lemme rewatch the trailer Edit: YO WTF!!! You might be onto something. I never noticed the stone object he’s lying on has a pattern on it. And it really does resembles the circular design of this Tablet! I hate to say it, but does this LEGIT prove Zonai involvement??? Also a side thing: HES NOT WEARING THE HYLIAN PANTS!!! In the first trailer when the green arm was latching onto him, he was clearly wearing his Champions tunic and hylian pants. BUT In the new trailer when he’s lying down, the fucker is shirtless and wearing dark brown/blackish pants???!!! WHAT?!! Do these two Events in both trailers involving the hand take place at COMPLETELY separate times?!?!

[@KryyssTV]

There really is a lot of suggestions in-game that Nintendo intend to reveal that the Zobai are the Twili. While this may not be the Mirror of Twilight it seems far too random that there is similarities. The eerie green runes are also not typical of Sheika technology vwhuch is typically blue. In the Zelda series, the designers have established a very distinctive visual language which has persisted from game to game. Aside from the earth, air, fire and water elemental themes associated with the Kokiri/Korok, Gerudo, Gorons and Zora respectively we've even seen the colour purple associated with evil and dark energy. These angular runes glowing with neon green energy were first introduced as part of the Twili's visual language in order to make them distinct from the other races. So it's inclusion in BotW is unlikely to be meaningless.

[@Tilda_the_mage]

I’m not sure about the Gerudo being air. At all really. If anything, a better fit would be: Korok/Kokiri: Nature (Lime green) Gerudo: Earth (Orange) Zora: Water (blue) Gorons: Fire (Red) Shikah: Shadow (Purple) Anouki: Snow (White) Yook: Ice (Light Blue) Rito: Air (Mid Green) Zoni: Electricity? (Turquoise) Edit: Made Zoni and Yook adjustments, and removed Gerudo being electric

[@Tilda_the_mage]

There is then Malice, which is a dark purple and tends to be connected to the Monsters and evil.

[@KryyssTV]

@@Tilda_the_mage The Gerudo aesthetic have been rooted in the air element theme for along time. It's even reflected in things which are said about the region. Lightning itself is used to reflect the wind element which is why the desert creatures in BotW were Lightning and not fire. Urbosa's ability and her Devine Beast also use this theme. In WW, Ganondorf reflects upon the harsh wind of his homeland which had such an impact on his daily life. In MC, we often suspect that there is a connection between the Sky Tribe and the Gerudo. I could really go on at length about the symbolic connections which appear again and again but you can see my point.

[@dungeonmasterlink908]

I too believe that it's either the Zonai being Twili or they ( atleast tried to) recreated an artifact that can be used like the Mirror.

[@Tilda_the_mage]

Fair enough. I’ve always seen the connection to be closer to earth, what with living in a desert and all, along with their colour in OOT (orange) being the same colour as Amber in BoTW which in in game lore, is said to draw power from the earth itself, as the Amber earrings do this to boost your defense. And then also the Gerudo fortress in OOT literally being carved out from a cliffside making them the second most connected to the element of earth besides the Gorons. Ganon did talk about the wind a fair bit in Wind Waker, but you should also consider it’s a theme of the game itself. He dosnt spout on about the winds in any other game that I know of. Then again, Lightning being an evolution of the gerudo’s old air theme would be the only real way it makes sense that they’re the people of lightning in BoTW rather then earth/ground. Would make more sense if the Zoni, who lived in the Thunderous Faron Jungle, and have a monument at the Thunderous Plateau were the people of lightning. Could then also attribute to their savageness, striking fast and hard. 2/3 of the peices of the rubber armour are also found in the Faron region, with the exception being on the Zoni built Plateau. And of course you have to consider that there is 0 natural lightning or electricity in the Gerudo desert, there’s just sandstorms, sand and stone. The Gerudo’s mastering the barren mass of sand as part of their way of life, living among the dunes. So yes obviously the people who live in the massive desert are the best fit to be the people of lightning and not the people of the sand/earth. It’s also possible that it wasn’t a Gerudo who originally piloted Naboris. Could of very easily been a Zoni, with the Gerudo still far from Hyrule after the events of their persecution between OOT and TP. The cliffs of the Wastelands were seen as the best place to bury the Devine beast, being relatively exposed. Imagen trying to pilot Naboris through the Faron region? Would of been a nightmare. 10,000 years later, Zoni are gone and Gerudo are back. Searching for a suitable pilot, Naboris chooses Urbosa to receive the power of thunder, due to her skill, ranking, and proximity to the Devine beast. In regards to the Sky tribe, it’s possible that they’re the ancestors of the Occa, evolving over time, maybe from there settling to become the Rito. As seen in another Monster Maze Video where he went over the growth of Hyrule, the Gerudo desert wasn’t discovered by the Hylians at the time of Minish cap, just like how the Tabantha region wasn’t discovered beyond the Gerudo Canyon until Hyrule had 10,000 years of history to go through. Edit: Consilidated 3 messages into one

[@spacejay2677]

When I first did this shrine quest I read and watched everything I could find about this monument and the palmorae ruins. Sadly there was not much out there, but this video is exactly what I’d been looking for. So thank you monster maze!! One weird thing is that when I tried to read the text and find repeated letters, they seemed to be often poorly drawn. Like, why aren’t the letters neater? Someone had to draw them out digitally, so idk why they designed them the way they did. Even if they were going for an un-neat carved look, it doesn’t even make sense that carvings would look this way.

[@slapper360]

I will admit, while everyone called that tablet the Mirror of Twilight, I was never able to see it as such. To me, it looked like a regular stone tablet.

[@cifge_404]

Same though. When I first heard the question, "Could this be the Mirror of Twilight?" My first thought was, "...No?" Because their only similarity is their shape. The two artifacts don't look the same at all; they're not the same size, nor do they have _any_ similarity in design; not to mention the fact that the Mirror was completely obliterated. The only thing connecting the two is that they're broken in four pieces, with three missing--which could indeed be a reference to TP but nothing more.

[@ketochiesesoyyo]

I remember Aunuma saying that playing TP HD would give us “oh now I get it” moments in BotW, but quite frankly I’ve had none... this game is just so confusing in terms of timelines, yet at the same time it is fantastic to open up theories for the fan base and drive your imagination...

[@MonsterMaze]

Exactly this! In hindsight, it feels like it was just sales talk to help sell TP HD

[@94ncd]

I think it was the extra details on the pillars in TP, my best guess anyway

[@sxywyka]

I might in the minority here, but I LOVE the theory videos that just discuss things with no confident answer. Lets us draw our own conclusions...

[@MonsterMaze]

Im very glad you say that. I was a bit hesitant about this video, since it doesn't really give any answers or big revelations.

[@Timberwolf69]

@@MonsterMaze Sometimes there are no apparent answers. But enough clues to build a theroy on.

[@Vandreand]

I'm sure I've seen references to the mirror and arbiter's grounds somewhere in the Gerudo dessert.

[@WackyWatch]

If the theory were to go into the route of the relic being constructed by a race other than zonai, it is totally valid to consider that multiple people groups came together to make the monument. You said it yourself: the language contains script that compares to multiple different written languages. Since it compares to all of the languages in BoTW, the text on the monument could be a pidgin language! Pidgin languages occur when two or more people groups combine languages into a simplified vocabulary so they both can understand one another. The only problem with this though is that pidgin languages are usually not limited to strictly written forms! Also, I’m not an expert on this or anything, so I suggest you do your own research before taking my word for it! This is just what I’ve learned in school over the years :)

[@livgeneral6487]

My question is without that guy there to read the broken mirror then how would link know what to do? and who was supposed to kneel with the hero of the wild if he has no friends or family who is alive at this time? What was the real purpose of that shrine if these are all supposed to prepare the hero for battle?? So many questions!!

[@NightClawprower]

Guys, remember how many ruins seems to reference events of the LoZ's past? I'm starting to wonder if it also applies to Zonai ruin puzzles... Edit: Also, I know you're saying the disk lacks details, but remember that the Zonai do not depict the triforce itself, using instead animal representations of the three virtues. A simplified version to relate the story of Twilight Princess doesn't seem too out of place for that civilisation. On another half-related note, I also believe that this same thinking can be applied to the Lomei Labyrinths, in the sense that where people see discrepancies (the dragon columns directed towards the ground where those same columns are directed towards the sky everywhere else), there may be a simple explanation: The Zonai venerated the dragons who traversed the land only to make one final stretch towards the sky, explaining the columns depicting this divine ascension. If we assume that the Zonai were still alive during the construction of the shrines, we can also explain the labyrinths as the zonai might have interpreted the inner sanctums as somewhat divine or at least occult, building the surrounding structures with a dragon (also a symbol of courage) flying within the ground (entering the shrine). In one of the puzzles, you even go under the labyrinths only to find a structure reminiscent of the interior of the shrines with cubic structures hanging or sprouting from the ceiling everywhere. Ok, I'm done.

[@SirisLayer]

Always saw this mirror more as a reference to the time portal in skyward sword. But time in general seems to be coded green/turquoise in the game

[@EthanMiguelScott]

You are totally neglecting the third option in which the monument already said that (assuming it is Zonai writing, the Zonai must have had a word for shrine which presumably means they had shrines of some sort) and that the Shiekah deliberately created the shrine challenge to match it, rather than the other way around.

[@5h0ckblock]

While I don't believe it's a twilight mirror, we also have to remember that the mirror was only shattered in the child timeline. Not every timeline.

[@ChavinMedina]

What if the “mirror” from breath of the wild is evidence of breath of the wild *not* being in the child timeline? Or in other words this disc (if it were the mirror) is a version of the mirror that was never involved in the events of twilight princess because twilight princess never would have happened in this timeline. Let me explain: For example the one we see in breath of the wild is the mirror of twilight but it’s one from an alternate timeline. In that case it might have been forged in a different style and it was never tampered with in the timeline breath of the wild takes place in. That would explain why it is still intact and not completely shattered like the one in twilight princess, and it would also explain the difference in appearance. Idk I’m not a theorist but I do think that’s an interesting idea- by all means though I think it’s most likely just a coincidence that this disc looks similar in ways to the mirror of twilight. Also great video, Monster!

[@yativilli]

8:30 That doesn't have to mean anything; In german, you say "Ich" & in english you say "I", one has 3 letters & one has 1 letter, but they both have the same meaning.

[@MonsterMaze]

All written languages in BotW can be translated to english alone. No other languages, not even japanese.

[@xiggles]

Well... Now we know it probably is a Zonai swirl after all lol

[@kikosawa]

How so?

[@ionosphere9566]

The description is gold. NOT TAKE MIRROR *blizzeta boss music starts"

[@Matthiass721]

Funny coincidence, I just did this broken monument shrine quest a couple days ago for the first time.

[@Tatokat]

People actually thought that, that thing is the Mirror of Twilight? They must be REALLY desperate to see Midna again.

[@kirbykid2635]

Nintendo: puts swirl in any Zelda game just because it looks cool OH MY GOSH IS THAT A ZONI SWIRL!!!!

[@r_e_e_e_c_h]

Another Monster Maze video? Color me happy. You have the best voice and editing skills of any Zeldatuber :) Also, I love how you can make theory about a chunk of suspected Zonai relic and not make a whole narrative theory about how this proves the Zonai were behind the scenes the whole time. Glad you haven't fallen into that trap :)

[@MonsterMaze]

Wow, thanks!

[@hanbeihood3202]

at about 10:10, it sort of click in my head that the 2 semi-circles on the completed stone looks an awful lot like the dual dragon/serpents that make up the Ouroboros-like image we see in the logo for Tears of the Kingdom. idk if the similarity is enough to be worth looking into more, but who knows!

[@Melont06]

This was super interesting I love your videos!! I always called the stone slab the "Mini mirror of Twilight" lol

[@MonsterMaze]

Mini Mirror, I love it!

[@ericastein3926]

Has anyone looked at the characters through a mirror? I feel if it’s meant to be able to be deciphered there’s going to be a quirk like that to solve it

[@pockyboxes5902]

Came back to this video after the title reveal trailer for Tears of the Kingdom because I wanted to check for similarities between the text on the monument and the text all over the new sky setting. There's a lot more duality theming in this quest than I remembered, between needing two people to complete the puzzle, and the mismatched circle pattern in the center of the monument that instantly made me think of both the twinned serpents in the logo, and the hand gesture made by Zelda and the unknown figure. Food for thought!

[@jorgecuevas8843]

If botw is either in the downfall or adult timeline, the mirror wouldn't be destroyed 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@prinxen1733]

*If it's a merged timeline there could even be two mirrors around lmao

[@dimetime35c]

I think its an Easter egg. It seems like the devs where really into making this game and put a bunch of nods to the older games and the fans in this one. Love when devs love their work.

[@peachrain6016]

I can’t WAIT for more Zonai content from NBC tho I’m stokedddd I love theory videos lol

[@the1ofus]

Looks a bit small to be considered the mirror of twilight, but i like the idea!

[@docAvid314]

OK, I don't think it's supposed to actually be the mirror, for the other reasons you give. It could be a reference to the mirror. But the destruction in Twilight Princess only happened on one timeline, to our knowledge, so isn't proof of anything.

[@crowpond3665]

You have no idea how hard I was emotionally preparing myself for the “OH MY GOSH IS THAT A ZONA-“

[@zahnpasta7967]

Swirl

[@MonsterMaze]

Courtesy of mister NintendoBlackCrisis ^^

[@peachrain6016]

TP is my fav game and I wish they had more references to the same as it had one of the BEST story lines.

[@nicholaszacharewicz693]

Great video as always! I think that the slab could just be a single Sheikah's attempt to create a replica of the Mirror of Twilight as part of their shrine building assignment.

[@hokton8555]

i think this is a new twillight mirror because other portal-mirrors which look very different (Magic Mirror & Dark Mirror) are said to be connected to twillight mirror

[@LittleChortle]

THAT'S THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR THAT ZONAI CLIP GOT ME FUUUUUUUUU

[@FRD-cf2hp]

The crest in the castle is supposed to be the time gate from SS but t is also all the note for Zelda's lullaby from OoT.

[@MegaLpso]

It could be a reference too it. But it also could be a clue too Ganon in breath of the wild 2.

[@echostwitt9648]

I've had this thought for a while: In SS, there were two temples, and we know that at least one of those temples had a slab of rock that held the gate of time. A slab similar to this seems to hold the Gate to the twilight realm when activated by the Mirror. What if there are two gates of time, but they're inactive due to the hero only needing the Master Sword and/or the ocarina of time to time travel. The Sheikah might have converted it to open a Gate to the Twilight instead of through time. This "other mirror" in botw could have been a prototype or even a different key to a different realm. Just a thought.

[@echostwitt9648]

Additionally, what if the Zonai created one Mirror and the Sheikah, another? Kind of a competition between the two races....

[@Josuh]

My god your video quality is immaculate

[@cifge_404]

9:50 "oH mY gOsH iS tHaT a ZoNaI sWiRl" 😂😂 That'll never get old

[@racheallange2056]

No matter what ..I so want to see Midna come back.. I love her so much ...So who is with me...Time travel is no stranger to the Zelda games ...We know that to well..lol

[@KryyssTV]

Bus, Midna would be like hundreds of thousands of years old by BotW. There's no suggestion that Twili live extremely long lives.

[@racheallange2056]

@@KryyssTV but time travel..just a thought...and hell we have Beetle look how old he must be..

[@KryyssTV]

@@racheallange2056 Well, I'll just say this. Don't you find it coincidental that Ganon's power grows strongest at twilight when a blood moon rises? His power has never been linked to the time of day or lunar cycles except when he was trapped in the Twilight Realm and using Zant to manifest in Hyrule.

[@racheallange2056]

@@KryyssTV Yes ...but old Ganon is from the Gerudo tribe as we know..but with Nintendo...anything goes..Tell the truth I think Nintendo wants confusion...So hell I am ready for what they give us..

[@KryyssTV]

@@racheallange2056 Ganondorf possessed the Triforce of Power which grants him eternal life. That's why he couldn't be executed. The only reason we see his corpse in the BotW2 trailer is because he evidently lost it at some point.

[@jenna_bean0_137]

YES THE NBC ZONAI AUDIO CLIP!!!!! That makes me laugh every single time and to hear it in your video was unexpected and in turn, even more hilarious

[@leechee6984]

I hope they make a connection to TP in Botw 2

[@Dragon-King1232]

That sounds like something I would love to see. I think it could be connected through an item or landmark we haven't seen yet or maybe more lore

[@leechee6984]

@@Dragon-King1232 yeah That would be awesome

[@maybeonastick]

Lmao I love the super nonchalant ‘hm.’ After the ‘Oh My GoSh Is ThAt A zOnAi SwIrL?!’

[@blinkin304]

the Elder Scrolls series also has multiple written languages within it's lore. one of those languages, Daedric, uses a direct letter conversion from English, EXCEPT there are 2 letters that are sometimes just ignored, 'X' and 'Y'. the character difference between the image and the translation could be a similar case of omitted letters in the alphabet if it is in fact a direct one to one translation.

[@MrAnimator-ud9cu]

Well the 2 of my fav Zelda games come together yet again!

[@KryyssTV]

Twilight Princess was originally the best selling Zelda game until BoTW came along. If Nintendo want to make something to be more successful than BotW they just need to mix the two best sellers together.

[@stpidstuff]

@@KryyssTV that wouldn't work it would fail

[@KryyssTV]

@@stpidstuff ...because...??

[@stpidstuff]

@@KryyssTV if you combine them both people wouldn't like it and it would fail. I mean if you literally combined them both

[@MrAnimator-ud9cu]

@@stpidstuff Hmmm...

[@ziggo3789]

Loved the video! I really love all the references to past Zelda titles the devs put in botw. Maybe they took inspiration from the mirror of twilight when they were designing this riddle? Who knows! I really appreciate all the effort you put in your videos! It shows!

[@janeintherain1480]

That’s exactly what I thought I haven’t even played twilight princess but I thought it looked like the mirror of twilight

[@RoseWillow13]

Finally, a Zelda fan who doesn't immediately call any big broken circle they see the Mirror of Twilight.

[@blackreaper2247]

third possibility, the monument and zonai magic was all researched by the sheikah who reversed engineered it, the monument was how to open the path to the zonai shrine which is no longer present and in ruins at the site. thus a great way to hide the shrine was to use a language of a lost people that only sheikah and few know and thus they also made it so their shrine opened the same way. They didn't count on the monument breaking in the interim 10K years, but luckily the zonai spirit ruins are made to last just as the sheikah were.

[@Ninjaananas]

Maybe that guy who translated the text was a Shiekah monk in disguise who wanted to test Link.

[@josuecenturiondomaniczky9297]

Monster Maze is Nayru, NBC Din and Zeltik Farore, together they form the triforce

[@alyssabelle817]

“100 year resurrection hangover”. I laughed far too loud at this.

[@kannonball5789]

If this was supposed to be the actual Mirror of Twilight, something massive happened because it's nowhere near the Arbiter's Grounds, which is in game although mostly buried by the desert.

[@Saturas35142]

Maybe someone found an ancient legend that described a parallel realm and a description of the mirror that was used to enter that realm and tried to recreat it?

[@ShadowSkyX]

What if the reason the monument being a clear reference to the twilight mirror is basically saying the zonai/twilight are the same group? It's one of the only ruins with glowing green (text) like the twili have instead of blue. The fused shadows though are suspiciously sheikah-like in origin - especially when the preorder bonus for AoC has a prototype guardian helmet fashioned similar to midna's, a third eye covering over the right eye. She does however have the trademark red eyes of the sheikah. Funny, its combined form creates something very similar to a guardian stalker too. Skyview temple has swirls everywhere - ones just like the swirls found in the zonai labrynths. The typhlo ruins is the only place to find bird statues similar to skyloft. Any other statues are either loftwings found at the springs and forgotten temple or the owl.

[@corvidcapers]

I think the zonai/twili are likely the same group. I don't think the fused shadows are sheikah-like though. The full thing has the same squared-off spirals present in zonai architecture and has snakes/dragons on the top of the helmet. Zant's helmet does grant guardian resistance in BOTW, but Creating A Champion explicitly states that "zonai ruins throughout hyrule seem to have elements connecting them to the ancient shrines". Given that the sheikah and zonai in botw likely existed in hyrule at the same time at some point in history, it doesn't surprise me that the zonai might make items with some sheikah symbols or out of materials capable of countering sheikah war machines. I think the fused shadows/zant's helmet are likely technology derivative of the zonai (hence why they have guardian laser resist) and the green magic in botw is the leftover magic of the zonai

[@anthonibrookshire3704]

After seeing a Twili theory or two, I feel like they are a hodgepodge of the different races. The interlopers, I feel, consisted of folks from each race. Also, your stream of you playing through the Arbiter Grounds got me thinking maybe the boss and mini-boss WERE Phantom Ganon and Volvagia. Perhaps Ganondorf managed to make them during the little war and the two were trying to rescue him in the final battle before he was caught/"executed".

[@dragnbane]

I like your thought on it, but what if, it was made as a monument to the Hero of Twilight, or as a monument to the Twili themselves because of Midnas help saving the realm....maybe they made it in the shape of the mirror, but since the mirror was shattered to pieces, maybe it was made without knowing what the original mirror looked like, since it was so badly shattered, so they had to create it from hearsay?

[@sollumi3014]

While i dont think it is supposed to be mirror of twilight, iys provably just a similar design choice But talking abt the mirror and botw, its not like midna destroying it eliminates it from existance. The mirtor was used ages ago to banish the interlopers. In other words it did wxist before oot, so just like other old items ir does exist in all the tinelines. And since botw have the um Ruins of arbiters grounds Its most probable its still there, maybe undermeath the sand, as it was put yhere in the past so why would it be moved?

[@Tina93_]

The outro was so relaxing

[@nikolejlundquist9796]

I'm once again amazed by the sheer quility of this man's video. Incredible work

[@modula4167]

That slab is what link is laying on at :43 of the new trailer (or atleast something similar)

[@birdlegscass]

I wouldn't expect the characters in the English version of that message to line up with the characters on the monument since it's a japanese game

[@MrMyers758]

The biggest clue that it is not the mirror of Twilight, is that the mirror is the only (as far as we know) portal to an entirely different realm. The idea that a portal to another realm would be inscribed with the instruction on how to get to one of hundreds of shrines in the current world is absolutely ridiculous. It would be like if a giant military air-tight hangar door was intricately inscribed around its edge with the code to get into the local gym.

[@doodad6755]

Possibly ganondorf in the ruin purposefully destroyed it because his past reincarnation was trapped in the twilight realm and to prevent himself being trapped inside aswell

[@buzzzysin]

All these possible connections make the eventual release of the sequel even more interesting

[@danizelda4230]

This is my favorite mystery of the game (cuz Twilight Princess is my favorite Zelda lol), finally someone did a new video about it!

[@jonathanzink2194]

Check out the ruins near the Northern Icehouse in the Gerudo Desert. There's some hieroglyphics that don't resemble Hylian, Sheikah, or Gerudo text. They're super low res, though, so it's almost impossible to read them.

[@KryyssTV]

Some observations on the text, it appears to be based on English because there are repeated symbols that appear to be consonants and vowels. To see this pattern you need to read clockwise as if you are viewing from the centre with the inner circle as the bottom of the sentence line. I'll use clock face directions to show you what I've noticed. Start wit!h the 3-symbol word at 11 o'clock. It begins with a small circle which I'll refer to as O. Keep in mind that the text is deliberately distorted to make it look aged so we're mainly looking for the relative size and shape of symbols. The next O appears at 4 o'clock at the start of a 4-symbol word and again any 5 o'clock in a 6-symbol word and finally at 9 o'clock at then end of a 4-symbol word. The O therefore has the characteristics of a consonant. Possibly the letter T. Next is the triangle facing right which I'll refer to as V. It is frequently used throughout the text, often appears as the second symbol in a word and even appears twice within the same word. Notice it at the start of the two symbol word at 6 o'clock. This is most significant as there are very few two letter words in English and they all start with vowels. Notice how the V frequently appears as the third from last symbol on longer words. I suspect that the V is the letter I. So we have several words here that end with -ING. This also tells us another symbol's meaning. The N is represented by two triangles facing each other and oddly enough that is the shape formed by the negative space in the letter N. This -ING appears in the words at 5 and 1 o'clock although the lower half of the N is worn away on the latter but the top triangle is clearly visible. This gives us some of the meaning of the words at 5 o'clock which appears to read as TI*ING I*. Timing is? Timing in? Anyway, I'm sure with time and some community effort this can be deciphered now that I've set the ball rolling.

[@keiyakins]

The two half circles symbol also appears on the barbarian armor. (And the swirl *does not*.)

[@heffayguap]

Just like Eventide island is not at all close to being actual Koholint Island, but is clearly a reference to it, I think the shattered stone monument is not close to the actual mirror is twilight, but it's also clearly a reference. Very interesting that the writing on it is the only time we see that language.

[@sohopedeco]

Thanks for the shout out!

[@MonsterMaze]

My pleasure! Thank you for the support ^^