The Mystery of Twilight Princess' DARKEST Dungeon (Zelda Theory)

[@RyuuKageDesu]

It is worth noting that executioner swords tend to have flat ends. There was no need for stabbing, just chopping.

[@leargamma4912]

It even (death sword) looks like a repurposed butcher's knife. So.... yeah

[@Thrillhou]

Also a thick spine, and a blade only on one side, like a cleaver. (Which, really, they basically are.) Blades also tend to have a spineward curve (exactly opposite a kukri) because since you're chopping downward, you want to level-out the downward angle (some machetes preserve this.)

[@lonelystrategos]

@Andrew McLoughlin The German style of execution sword (straight blade, flat tip) were actually used to decapitate people who were kneeling, but with their back straight, so with a sideways swing. This was done as a more honourable death for higher class people, whereas commoners were executed by axe with a downward chop.

[@Thrillhou]

@Lonely Strategos oh, word! I appreciate the clarification. That's interesting -- I'll have to read up on that.

[@sarahangel3481]

@@lonelystrategos Yes, that's true, I also read something about it and it was mentioned in a documentary that I once saw. I find that very interesting.

[@EinsamPibroch278]

Death Sword has no point at its end, it was designed as an Executioner's Great Sword. It seems as if the Sword soaked through the blood of so many of the Executed, it became possessed by that Demon, which required all those chains and Talismans to contain it.

[@nikolaitea8776]

I like that theory, thats cool!

[@conwaysquest6961]

I agree. The death sword is designed for beheading. We know that hatred can be a powerful force.

[@loki4807]

Could it be Zonai?

[@katsukioshimara7397]

​@@loki4807 I Am Not Sure If I Should Take This Seriously Or Not ...

[@loki4807]

@@katsukioshimara7397 you can if you want, i mean it is just a theory.

[@MonsterMaze]

50 minutes of theorizing about my favourite Twilight Princess dungeon? You sir, are a legend 🤩

[@draquafina]

Indeedily-deedily-do!

[@Aryathehunter]

Right??

[@TraxFighter]

LETS GOOO

[@michaelthem3]

Indeed, Mr MM. 🔥😌🙌🏼

[@cakeloxlove9612]

Could you do a theory about the goddess of the sand?

[@treybrzezowski3259]

One note; Stallord's Title of "Twilit Fossil" isn't indicative of a link to the Twili, as every Dungeon boss (Except Zant and Ganondorf) have "Twilit" in the title: Twilit Parasite Diababa Twilit Igniter Fyrus Twilit Aquatic Morpheel Twilit Fossil Stallord Twilit Ice Mass Blizzeta Twilit Arachnid Armoghoma and Twilit Dragon Argorok. "Twilit" isn't linking them to the Twili, it's just the English version's less wordy naming scheme.

[@EDMIRE]

Yeah, Twilit seems very indicitive of the idea that the bosses are filled with twilight magic similar to a light, hence the term "Twilit"

[@aaronolson6736]

Right, the bosses themselves aren't of the Twilight, they are simply empowered/possessed by it.

[@ShadowSkyX]

More like they are bosses corrupted by twilight magic or malice, aka ganon's magic. You can't tell me that the sword wasn't enbued with malice, given it reanimated Stallord.

[@treybrzezowski3259]

@@ShadowSkyX And we know from BOTW that malice can revive fallen monsters

[@petermiller4953]

Let's not forget though that those bosses were first infected with shards of that mask. That bosses after the Arbiter's Grounds were all possessed by mirror shards. So, Twilit could be very intentional

[@BradStarnes]

Back when I originally played the game I thought that the Arbiter's Grounds could have been part prison, part colosseum where criminals of a certain level of "merit" weren't immediately put to death but might have been forced to fight one another for entertainment, with the victor then being forced to fight the Stallord. Which, y'know, they didn't tend to survive. Never thought that it could have been something living before.

[@dabmonstr7403]

I would say it was alive. Until ganondorf killed it

[@loki4807]

Or if the criminal won they got to go free.

[@klatelbat]

😊0

[@brandondiotte2104]

For the Sheikah's Shadow Temple to operate in secret without ever being discovered by the populace a public prison/execution sight like the Arbiter's Ground would be needed, so it would make sense for the Hylians to either work with the Gerudo or reappropriate a Gerudo site to create it. Also since the Hyrulian Civil War only occurred only recently before Ganondorf's imprisonment in which the Gerudo were hostile to Hyrule it would mean the Sheikah would have to rely solely on the Shadow Temple hence why both existing is a reasonable investment by the royal family to ensure stability. Also this means that Stallord would likely have been dead long before the War since I don't think a resource like that would be neglected when on the losing side of a conflict.

[@Palemagpie]

Or Stalords purpose was specific. Human history is littered with examples of people using animals for executions or tortures. Feeding Christians to lions or using elephants to step on criminals in India spring to mind. Stalord could, reasonably have been used for executions or torture in the original structure before the hylians moved It, found a giant monster in the basement and killed it because, "holy crap, have you seen the monster in the basement?"

[@maximedemers3467]

There is also the very simple question of "can we control it?" If the Gerudo let it out (and it was alive), would it have obeyed them or just killed them the moment the door was open? Wait, was there a way it could get out? Because if not, then, assuming Stallord was alive, it was simply not considered because nobody knew how to get it out without demolishing a good part of the temple. And a war is not the time for that kind of thing.

[@Palemagpie]

@@maximedemers3467 or, the original living creature, or even it's corpse was their for a very very long time. Perhaps originally it could be moved. But if (in a fantasy sense, the creature was extremely long lives or biologically immortal) then the structure could have been altered over time...... Wait, even better head cannon fiction. Maybe stalord was the prisoner? Arbiters grounds was a temple turned prison correct? And then execution site. Maybe all three are intrinsically connected. Perhaps stalord was a sort of primordial deity creature. Akin to Volvagia to the Gorons in OoF. But when the hylians took the land. The temple became a prison, not for standard prisoners. But for Stalord? It turned from a place of worship. To one of containment. Then overtime, eventually deprived of food and water, the creature that originally comprised Stalord was eventually weakened enough to be slain. Thus. Arbiters grounds goes from temple. To prison, to execution grounds. It would also explain why the hylians had a prison outside their own kingdom in the first place. And why it was subsequently abandoned. It had furfilled it's purpose in that sense. What do you think?

[@james13sylar]

It makes sense that Din would be interpreted by the Gerudo as wicked. It bring to my mind the words of Ganondorf in Windwaker, the calm wind that the people in Hyrule enjoyed, was more harsh in the desert. For those living in a fertile land, Din would seen as a benevolent god, but for the Gerudo, she would see like a goddess that likes to mess up with people, just like the desert wind does. A harsh mistress, one might say.

[@JackSpadeTaylor]

Seriously, that is a cool AF idea :O

[@revilno]

I think the reason the Arbiters grounds are so good is because it is filled with ghosts and skeletons, but still has that advanced feeling to it. It has an ancient feel aswell as a futuristic feel.

[@hintonempire1178]

Stallord is most akin to Onox in his dragon form. Both are related to Gerudo, both are giant dragons that are serpentine and have arms and horns.

[@NintendoBlackCrisis]

Forgot to mention that lol. Had a lot of stuff to cover and the video was still 50 minutes

[@NicholasWalker-gu3xw]

@@NintendoBlackCrisis I love the level of research you put into your projects! - you definitely make me want to be more research minded; one thing i wanted to offer as **inspiration: Did you know that ancient cultures used to have different ways to write the same thing?! @ 10:30, When you compared the mixture of what seemed to be Gerudo, Hylian and '...some unknown text or language...', you said that some of the column text had both distinct and "similar" Hylian letters - Have You Ever Considered Ancient HEBREW? In ancient Old Testament manuscripts - there would be words and letters that had more, shall we say "flowery" personality in their creation (and if you investigated if they had different meaning from the words and letters that were more plain style in other exact origin manuscripts - the answer was NO😁); in a similar way, that concept could be carried over to the lore of Zelda!** thought this would be a fun thing to consider! - Jesus is the Lord

[@NicholasWalker-gu3xw]

@@NintendoBlackCrisis Ps., just like we have "fonts" in word documents - ancient cultures had the same concept for different purposes and occasions! (ex. = The difference between something official being written for Royalty or high class - vs. something official being written for regular townsfolk or "commoners")

[@Zerolink30]

Love the idea that Stallord was practically used as Lions were used back in the Roman Empire days. If the prisoner survives the encounter, they may go free.

[@D4Skewer]

Even if that's more than likely what happened, only the lesser were released. I'm fairly certain Ganondorf was pitted against Stallord and defeated it it some point, and was later condemned via use of the sages' favorite toy: the Mirror of Twilight.

[@Zerolink30]

@@D4Skewer oh 100%

[@Innominatus4491]

I have a theory that the Arbiters Ground was used for executions when it was first built and they used Stallord for the executions but after so many years, Stallord either died or the Arbiters were forced to kill him, after Stallord they used the Death Sword but that too became too dangerous from all the malice from the people who were executed. After the Death Sword was sealed, Hyrule created the shadow temple as a new place for execution.

[@sirtroba]

28:42 King Dodongo, Volvagia, & Stallord are all bosses revived thru magic, so could also be a possible reason they share a theme

[@sirtroba]

Song slaps too!🕺

[@angbandsbane]

One thing too, as far as how often the mirror was used, don't forget that it wasn't supposed to be used on Ganondorf. They rammed a sword right through his heart and it was only after he woke up for that and killed the Water Sage that they used the mirror to get rid of him

[@Pigismal]

I feel like the Mirror is the last ditch, like if someone killed the king of hyrule of something

[@Shinobin333]

As for the one who created the Twilight Mirror: There is one goddess who is both associated with the Triforce, Snakes ,as well as being associated with the dessert: The Sand Goddess of the Gerudo. It's possible that instead of being one of the existing 3 Goddesses she might actually be a separate goddess that herself has been erased from history for opposing the goddess Hylia.

[@Loop_Kat]

45:58 Curiously, not only does the symbol on Zant's sash look like a modified Gerudo crest, but it also looks _very_ similar to pig/beast Ganon's face. Not only that, but looking at his unmasked model makes me realize that Zant also has distinctly red hair peaking out from beneath his headdress. Makes me wonder if Zant is actually another Gerudo male, possibly one who was _supposed_ to acquire Ganondorf's power, yet never did for whatever reason. Could very well explain his lust for power beyond simply being banished to the Twilight realm

[@fantasystaplesuwu1554]

Have you ever played the game? It is stated that Ganon did in fact lend his power to Zant. Ganon was banished to the Twilight Realm by the sages before the mirror was scattered. Ganon IS the "god" Zant speaks of. However, there are many compelling indications in the design and environment of this world that do suggest that the Twili people are descendants of gerudo.

[@Loop_Kat]

@@fantasystaplesuwu1554 I mean, Ganondorf giving Zant his power is one of the major plot points, so that one's pretty hard to forget, yeah. I've fully played through Twilight Princess twice, but that was way back when it released on Gamecube and later released on the Wii. Considering that was nearly 20 years ago, I do remember a lot of the broad strokes and more important details, but I'm sure some of the more subtle things have escaped me, such as the more explicit connections between the Twili and the Gerudo That said, my original comment was directed more at the fact that I'd never really gotten a good look at Zant's red hair until watching this video, I always thought it was just the inner lining of his headdress or something. That, and it was just a bit of general theory crafting based on what I did remember and what the video covered

[@EmissaryofWind]

Some of the arguments you bring up for the Hylians and the Gerudo having built the interior of the Arbiter's Grounds together could also be explained by the Hylians taking it over after it was built. It was common in Ancient Egypt for later rulers to take over their predecessors' constructions and having their names and likenesses carved over existing walls and statues. The parts with the hylian crests look slightly different, like new stones brought in to replace previous ones, and columns were re-used because moving massive stones is a lot of work so using what's already there is just sensible. The stones used in construction would be cut nearby in both time periods, so they would look the same.

[@Chrysoprase-rq2kn]

Did I hear mention of an analysis on city in the sky? Now THAT I would love to see! There’s so much mystery surrounding that place and the Ooccoo. Love this content!

[@josephbeaulieu1569]

Thanks so much for addressing my comment! I’d address the first issue by saying that the king was probably angry at Ganondorf’s betrayal and wanted to watch him get killed by Stallord. Second, I think the Royal Family may have reopened the grounds briefly after the child ending of Ocarina of Time. I think the remaining hair on Stallord’s head is proof that he hasn’t been dead for thousands of years. I’m no expert but I think 100 years is enough time for all that to decompose. Again, thanks so much!

[@NintendoBlackCrisis]

Woah, glad to see the person who made that comment saw this video! Loved the idea 😊

[@rishanjeyakumar4738]

Consider this, when you start to fight this Death Sword, it initially appears as though the sword itself rises on its own and proceeds to attack you with intent to kill. It's not until you turn into a wolf and see the spirit holding it that you realize that someone is wielding the sword. Normal people with no means to see spirits would believe the sword is only itself, and thus, they call it a Death Sword.

[@DarkLordGanondorf190]

Small additional detail: Zant's shoes are very similar to the ones Ganondorf wears in Wind Waker.

[@zerowolf42]

I recall a theory of the Death sword being Ganons actual sword, as the sword we see him using is actually the sages sword, meaning his own weapon is missing. the skeleton creature wielding it would essentially be either a creature of malice/the spirits of enemies killed with the sword, or a phantom ganon perse, much like OoT and WW had. The seals on it could have been a precaution to keep it away from him once they captured him, fearing the power it held

[@jonahbutterfield5792]

it be sick if in Tears of the Kingdom, Arbiter's ground rises up from the sands once again and is a dungeon we have to go through

[@Enigmaculate]

@Jonah Butterfield, My humble brotha, if you haven't seen the third pre-launch trailer of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, please do so, because your comment surreally describes a certain portion of the trailer.

[@Enigmaculate]

@@jonahbutterfield5792 Same here man😄. Even though I've never played Twilight Princess, I've seen multiple gamers do let's plays of it, and with me being a huge Zelda fan myself, even I know about the fact of Ganondorf being a descendant of the Gerudo tribe. And considering the fact that Ganondorf is going to be in Tears of the Kingdom, AND that the Arbiter's Grounds is a VERY significant place/dungeon, there's no doubt in my mind that it's going to play a truly significant role this time around. After all, the Arbiter's Grounds is buried beneath the sand in Breath of the Wild, and it's the same place where the mirror of twilight was/is, the seven sages, and where Ganondorf was punished for his crimes. So it makes absolute complete sense that his reappearance would trigger the resurfacing of the Arbiter's Grounds. I know we're not crazy, I just KNOW it, we saw a temple/dungeon rise out of the ground in this third pre-launch trailer. It's either the Spirit Temple, Lanayru Mining Facility, OR it is in fact the Arbiter's Grounds. SOMETHING major is happening in the Gerudo Desert, and it's only a matter of time before we find out.

[@joelikespotatoes8321]

Eh sort of...

[@harrynevarez5361]

That would've been great 👍 lighting temple is close enough lol

[@phantomspider89]

OH BOY DO I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU

[@siberianbull9]

arbiter grounds quite possibly my favorite dungeon in the series

[@keeganh1924]

7:55 Always thought that King Rhoam's middle name 'Bosphoramus' referred to the Strait of Bosphorus near Constantinople and therefore Ancient Rome. It serves to connect his character to the idea of a vey ancient and long ruling dynasty.

[@tjeerdtrekkie1030]

"Oh My gOsH iS ThaT a ZonAI SwIrl?!?!" just sends me every single time

[@LunaP1]

Same. I love it.😂

[@danniobrien1831]

lmao same its a good bit

[@ferretappreciator]

I wish I found it funny tbh

[@saltypolarbear8039]

The twilight throne looks very similar to the style of the cave drawings in the most recent Tears of the Kingdom trailer. Specifically, it looks a lot like the highlighted figure

[@poobs3540]

alternativly, the Arbiter's Grounds could have been built as a collaborative effort between the Oocca and the Hylians. Later, after it was abandoned and replaced by the shadow temple, the Gerudo came and inhabited the near intact ruins.

[@Bulldosaur]

I believe Zant is the Gerudo male born every hundred years, which would explain why he wanted so badly to be king and why no one else wanted. "Anything you desire, I shall desire too" they're literally the reincarnation of one another, that's why they fuse so well. It would also explain the ending scene in which Zant cracks his neck and kills Ganondorf. It's just him destroying his first body, now living only inside Zant's body.

[@awanderingcommenter]

If this is true, why is Zant in the Twilight Relm? Maybe he was banished there too, long ago, and assumed power, as kings of the Gerudo often do.

[@youare-not-alone864]

Unfortunately that can’t be true. The only time a new “form” of Ganon/malice is reincarnated is after the current one dies. Ganon is alive in twilight princess.

[@SplitWasTaken]

​@@youare-not-alone864 the Gerudo male doesn't necessarily have to be Ganon, does he?

[@slopernafti902]

35:23 It doesnt.... In fact, it says that they were sent to the underworld, or "hell". That's kind of the general idea with dying, you can go to the underworld. The mirror seems like _a_ method of execution, not the only one.

[@alanhersch4617]

I always interpretted the "Twilit" bosses, as just creatures taht have been influenced by the fused shadows, and not as actually having any connection to the Twili Edit (And zants magic in stallords case)

[@novakitty1619]

That Twilight Princess music is so hauntingly nostalgic... I love it, it makes me feel lonely, but it also makes me want to play it while someone else watches

[@veeetox]

Funny thing, the voices with the religious lyrics that you can hear in OoT's Fire Temple were not made for OoT. Those are just stock sounds you can use. Those same lyrics can be heard in a song in Cruis'n World in the Egypt's track, and in a fighting game for the Xbox called Kakuto Chojin

[@Banuune]

You know, even if you don't upload like you used to, you put so much effort in your videos and they end up more like a documentary than "just" a theory i love it. Sometimes it's unbelievable how much data you go through for just one video. Amazing done 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@RevolutionaryOven]

Random theory: Anyone else find it weird that stallord needs to be revived, while the power of the death sword is merely "sealed away" and still very much a threat? I think stallord might have somehow been killed by death sword itself. I mean, you don't need a blade THAT big to kill people, right? That could be how stallord's body was separated. I'm thinking that might have something to do with it. Maybe if we follow the theory that ganon killed stallord himself, that would explain why the sword was sealed away, being that powerful. Also... it explodes like an enemy summoned by ganon's magic. Something I still can't get out of my mind is the fact that the spirit turns into insects when defeated, it doesn't die, it just... runs away. I think that the blade was manifested from vengeful spirits (or ganon), and the sword spirit is the LITERAL manifestation of Death as a concept. Think about it, those insects could potentially be locusts, often associated with the great plague or death itself. It would be eerie to consider that Death itself shook metaphorical hands with ganon and agreed to use his weapon to stop link in his quest. That, or to execute the people within.

[@Peterporker92]

I haven't played this game since I was 16 (15 years ago now) and have just splurged on a Wii U before the store closes and am playing it as I watch. You've given me more inspiration to race ahead now. Also release the full length video! I love this long form more indepth dives!

[@itsmehere1]

I only just now thought of this while watching the cutscene in this video but when the sages tried to execute Gannon they made a fatal mistake (literally for one of them) and they... "Should have gone for the head"

[@HelloJellojrl]

Renovations can happen. If they go through all the trouble of putting up a new exterior, its even less work to add a few pedestals and carved symbols of hyrule. Also when you make a building especially before modern transportation it makes more sense to use the material in the area. While hyrule built it, theirs a high chance alot of the worker base was made up of local workers and craftswomen.

[@noabsolutelynot3660]

The script at 10:46 is almost recognisable as arabic letters. It's gibberish in Arabic and some letters are made up but I can clearly recognise vau, hah, jeem, yeh, laam, and alif, as well as some punctuation marks like madh.

[@humanbeing4321]

15:50 It seems that something is rising from the sand in totk. Could it be a hidden arbiter’s grounds under the sand?

[@darkangelpictures]

Personally seeing Hylian designs in the Gerudo structure doesn't necessarily mean collaboration. The Hylians may have just modified the interior after removing the Gerudo. My personal theory is the Grounds are the Spirit Temple with the Mirrors in the Spirit Temple being the inspiration for the Mirror of Twilight and retroactively probably stored there somewhere. I think after Young Link returned from the Adult timeline and warned Hyrule of Ganondorf's treachery Hyrule attacked and conquered the entire Gerudo nation to prevent the attack, converting the Temple into the Grounds, claiming the mirror and executing Ganon as shown and either eliminating or scattering the Gerudo race, resulting in them being absent from Twilight Princess other than possible rare descendants who have survived such as Telma

[@PeterFerr]

I think the mirror was created AFTER the Interlopers were sent to the Twilight Realm, and for one big reason: only the true leader of the Twili can destroy it, and Midna knew about that prior to doing so. How would she know that, unless her people had some part in creating it?

[@jeremyearley9162]

I always thought Stallord was the 'Twilit Fossil" because he was LIT with twilight. Making him the TwiLIT Fossil. Which could go along with the Japanese name of him being resurrected

[@thetexantyrant8244]

Even though I have never played this particular Zelda game, Arbiters grounds is my favorite dungeon. Personally I think the desert parts of games are the best.

[@leargamma4912]

I have the Wii version. Do you want it?

[@Beenevolence]

@48:44 Also Ganondorf never transformed into Ganon until you fight him in Twilight Princess, Ganondorf only received the Power part of the triforce during the execution cutscene.

[@wizziep]

its likely the "hair" is the fibrous material that occurs in large dead animals, whale corpses are often described as being skeletons coated in a strange hair substance which is just decomposed muscles

[@TetraTheThief]

It is worth noting that it COULD have been built at the time of the Interlopers' banishment, and it isn't just a colisseum, but the top of a tower, similar to the Tower of the Gods from Wind Waker.

[@autumnmusic22]

To me, the bosses in the Arbiters Grounds felt more like they were a means of execution or were the executioners. It's kind of like the colosseums of Rome where they made prisoners fight as their punishment and if they made it out alive they were able to be set free. Though I know potentially in the game, they didn't intend to let anyone go lol The idea that Ganondorf might've killed Stallord is a plausible one. I do believe that the Death Sword was sealed away when they decided to not use the grounds anymore, maybe before Ganon arrived there. Anyway, I loved Arbiters Grounds in TP, it seemed it had a lot of lore behind it that they weren't able to tell us fully in the game!

[@skullkid7989]

100 days until totk

[@dannygee7589]

It's deilaid

[@junkjingle5190]

LETS GOO

[@Skelterbane69]

@@dannygee7589 Delayed?

[@butterychalupa3633]

@@Skelterbane69 no you heard him, it's deilaid

[@frstack3006]

@@butterychalupa3633 deilaid will be playable??!!

[@sethfeldpausch4337]

I LOVE how all the Zeldatubers are so friggin wholesome! Not only do you guys get along, but you actively reference each others works and point your viewers to each others videos. I gotta say: you guys are a big reason why the Zelda community is so positive and uplifting. Thanks for all you do and keep up the great content!

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

Dork alert!

[@katking326]

The ganon in the mural is the same ganondorf at hyrule's founding, and that is the link that Zelda told Rauru would come in ToTK.

[@TheCongressman1]

I've always assumed that Death Sword is a Lich, who's soul was bound to the sword.

[@PhilHarmon1]

The weapons lodged into Stallord´s skull, unlike Zant´s sword, seemingly not shatter or crack it, which could suggest that this did not kill it. And it may lived with weapons stuck to it´s face until it perished by other means. Well, either that or it was just a design oversight.

[@sharksuperiority9736]

Semantics, but Stallord isn’t a fossil, its made of bone not rock. The title “Twilit Fossil” is probably either a misnomer or just a reference to it’s age, like calling an old person a “fossil”. Also, it’s unlikely but I’d love the idea that the “fur” on Stallord’s body is actually a colony something like Osedax worms, some sort of flesh-eating organism feeding on its decaying body like animals on a whale fall

[@kotdish]

i really like your explanation on how they must've killed stallord, by filling its pit with sand. that would explain why it might seem to have 'hair' growing inside of it - really, its skin must've been desiccated and the long hair still clinging to the shrink wrapped skin. we see this with corpses, when the skin tightens and retracts the hair seems to grow longer. bodies in dry places do that, but making the point that it must've been from the sand is a good arguement!

[@ZeldaLore]

something I'd like to add with Stallord's name is that it's japanese name, "Hāra Jiganto", could be derived from "Sahara", the real world desert, making it the "Sahara Giant"

[@peepysprite]

The upward tiger stripes on the Goddess of the Sands's body match up with some of the body paint on the Ancient Set. The blurb for the leggings of this set specifies that _it is the body paint_ which gives the bonus to your strength stat when wearing this set. Sounds like more good evidence that she and Din are one and the same.

[@happysmilesworldandgames8755]

28:56 king dodongo and volvagia are in the same game in the same area Stalord is in a different game in another area

[@jojol.2630]

The reclaimed twilight portals are blue and black instead of red. It could be that Zant’s power is mixed with malice that makes it red

[@winterwox]

THE THING AT 12:38 AFTER HAVING PLAYED TEARS OF THE KINGDOM OMFG

[@Schwarzakilla]

How about this: The Arbiters Ground were a execution place of the gerudo or Gyptos. Stallord was the Beast who have to fight against the prisoners. Then after a long time The Royal Family take this place and used it as an execution ground too, but instad of Stalllord (Who is dead now) they used a Executionier with the Death Sword. Then there comes Ganondorf, who is to powerful to execute with this sword. So the the sages do it by themselfs and execute him. This leads to the story we all know. After the vanishing of Ganondorf the Arbiters Grounds were shut down and the Death Sword has been sealed, because of the many never resting Souls of the executed. This seal could be done before or after Ganonsdorfs exile. The Mirror was there since the early days of hyrule, and was used only once bevor.

[@JinbaHGS]

I would love to see you do a full Twilight Princess playthrough!

[@DeyDreamer614]

I love how yall support each other, mm, zeltik, and other zelda content creators

[@JoshuaRWorkman]

Well, one thing I'd not considered on the first watch until now, months later, maybe Stallord starved to death. Yeah, maybe Ganondorf killed it before the failed execution attempt that led to his banishment, but look at the state of the Arbiter's Grounds and the number of undead in it. The place had clearly been abandoned long before Link goes there, and since we can't say for sure how Stallord died or if it was even affected by the weapons of the condemned made to fight it, assuming that was the case at all, there's no way of knowing if the Sages or whoever made the decision of how the condemned were to be executed would have even tried putting Ganondorf before it. As a result, we don't know exactly when Stallord died, only that it was long enough ago to have withered away to bone by the time Link goes there. That being the case, coupled with the fact that the Arbiter's Grounds had been abandoned at some point after Ganondorf had been banished, if we consider the possibility that Stallord was not slain but did eat some if not many of the condemned made to fight it with a false promise that they'd be released if they could slay it, starvation is also a possibility.

[@UltimateTobi]

What's the track called that starts @44:42? Good video, as usual NBC. Edit: NVM, found it out. It's Temporal Spire of the game Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.

[@SubjectTo]

Death Sword might be the execution weapon used on whoever was killed at the grounds, that would be a believable reason to have it end up infused with dark magic and sealed away. Similarly, I suspect the entity that appears to wield Death Sword is somehow related to the entity of "Stallord" they both have horns, a similarly shaped face, and similarly long teeth. It's difficult to imagine what sort of entity either was in the context of other things that we've seen.

[@thatroxxguy]

6:14 that isn't really a good argument, a lot of different culture all around the world have their own version of a pyramid. Actually, the pyramid here looks more like a mayan pyramid than an egyptian one.

[@lillii9119]

Stallord actually reminds me of Stalblind, an undead version of The Blind in ALBW, The Blind himself being a human transformed by the dark world. It wouldn't surprise me that Stallord is also a kind of transformed Twili that, perhaps because of some magic or a curse, became this giant monster and later died.

[@slopernafti902]

13:28, 35:21 They actually say the same in both versions 32:09 They carried the ambiguity imo. They can both be interpreted the same way. "The worst criminals" could refer to the interlopers like the Jp could be. Likely some of the worst criminals if the gods intervened XD. Or it could be referring to a different, particular group of criminals... like the Japanese could also be referring to. In all honesty, I never interpreted the English to mean he was referring to criminals as a whole. It seemed pretty clear he was referring to specific criminals, like the Japanese. But there's also the fact that the Japanese doesn't necessarily refer to a specific group either. You've used an interpretation of a translator. Both JP and English are ambiguous.

[@Raan-Shi]

Considering the new theory that Tear of the Kingdom is both the start and the end of the series, and makes the whole zeldaverse a loop, what if the ruins in OoT are actually the same temple, one loop later, and that some structures are surviving again and again, being rediscovered forever ?

[@SemiramisAudron]

always thought the stuff on stallord isnt hair but muscle fibers that dried out rather than fully rotting away

[@ApocalypticEmu]

Iirc, and i did a little cursory googling to confirm and get some names here, there’s an old Japanese belief that objects can become a sort of yokai called tsukumogami after 100 years, esp if the object has been neglected or mistreated. There’s also general belief that all things have a spirit of some sort, and in the case of swords and other man made items, that spirit can be influenced by its maker and/or owner. I wonder if Death Sword might be something like that; an executioner’s sword influenced by its purpose and use by a string of malicious executioners, eventually gaining a malicious will of its own and being sealed as a result. Or perhaps found by unrelated parties in the dungeon after being left behind for a century who sealed it for their safety.

[@Agentname69]

You just got Anubis wrong. Anubis does not judge the dead that is the job of Ocyrus, Anubis ferry's or shepherd's the souls across the land of the dead to be judged, which is why Anubis is always depicted with a shepherd's hook. He's basically Cheron from Greek mythology, they protect dead souls so that they may cross over to the after life.

[@mitch4904]

King Rhoam is a reference to a cut character from ALTTP named Rhoam who was kept in the comic story, alongside a ton of other elements cut from the game.

[@theannoyingdahg]

36:40 I think the best part about this theory is that it makes the Coliseum imagery make sense-- Stallord was a gladiator creature! Similar to how gladiators would fight lions, sinners/criminals/what-have-you would be pitted against Stallord. Many gladiators were also prisoners, made to fight for the entertainment of the people, so it very well could have taken inspiration from the real-life gladiator fights.

[@scheherazade2291]

Maybe the Arbiter’s grounds used to be the HQ or base or the Interloper’s during the Interloper war. Maybe they used Stallord to kill POWs. The interlopers could have been a diverse group made of both gerudo, Hylians, Sheikah, etc which is why it has multiple architecture styles. Maybe the Interloper’s developed the mirror and the Arbiter’s grounds were used to experiment with magic and whatnot. When the Hylians won the Interloper war, they could have taken over the Arbiter’s grounds and added some things, such as the royal crest, to lay claim to the building. And used the building to imprison the Interloper’s when they won before being sent to the twilight realm.

[@geminimaxxim]

Dang, I actually didn't know that the sealing of the interlopers was placed before MC. I always liked to believe they were Ganondorf's secret service of sorts, made up of Gerudo, corrupt Sheikah, and other parties, and operating behind the scenes during the civil war. So much for that theory. I loved the video, in any case, and I only hope future entries in the Zelda franchise can enlighten us a little bit.

[@Jacobulous]

has nobody questioned how the hyrulian royal family and hyrule itself is like 20,000+ years old and still going strong even after the great calamity?

[@jjc1994]

What's the song starting around 41:20?

[@jacedawg355]

I find it VERY funny that one of the darkest Zelda dungeons ever is paired with the most goofy item in the series

[@linkeastwood3283]

My head cannon was always too dark to be true, but I noticed that long with a new exacutioner's ground there is also a complete lack of Gerudo. I put two and two together and assumed that almost the entire race was wiped out there, likely as a result of Ganondorf's actions. It would also fit the interpretation that that this was built for hardend criminals, the gerudo being a tribe of thieves. But yea perhaps mass scale genocide is maybe a tad bit too dark for Nintendo

[@CaptBurgerson]

This was a great video. Definitely a dungeon filled with a lot of mystery, but that’s the allure for sure. One note, and I don’t know if someone has or hasn’t already brought this up, but the naming for Stallord having “Twilit” as a sort of prefix is shared among most bosses of the game, so my interpretation of that is that it refers more to that he’s powered by Twili magic rather than having a direct connection to the twili tribe or interlopers directly. In this case he’s “Twilit” as in lit up by twilight power in a sense, brought on by the fact that Zant was the one to resurrect him. Otherwise, yeah that shared iconography and typography all tends to yield more questions than answers, but that’s sorta what I love about it all. Great video again sir.

[@NintendoBlackCrisis]

thanks man!

[@michelled.4874]

Oh and it's criminals plural, not singular, they wouldn't have built Arbiter's Grounds for ONE big "criminal". This is garbage. And considering the crap ton of monsters in there, there must have been a lot of prisoners (most of them probably Gerudo since they were mass genocided by the Hylian royals around that time and have completely disappeared by the time of TP) tortured and exectuted/murdered in the Arbiter's grounds like in the Shadow Temple and it's their hatred and ressentment not to mention their traumatic death and restlessness that reanimated them as monsters and those horrific spirits (redeads, stalkins, staltroops, bubbles, stalfoes, etc). So the person who wrote that translation at 32:28 is at least partially wrong. Please note that the Shadow Temple, Well of Three Features and Arbiter's Grounds, all of them had the Hylian royal family crest plastered on it (the crest can be found in ALL THREE places, these were torture and execution/murder chambers built by the evil Hylian royal family to kill every single person who questions, knows too much, disagree with them on anything, etc, anything to keep theselves in the seat of power so they can continue to commit atrocities against the people of Hyrule with impunity, they also wanted a monopoly on the triforce and by refusing to share it with the other races they kept all the power, prosperity and blessings to themselves, denying other races their fair share and equal rights, especially the Gerudo and the Zonai both of which were mass genocided by the Hylian royals). There's a playlist on my channel entitled "The Hylian oppressors brought this upon themselves" exposing the atrocities committed by the Hylian royal family against various peoples of Hyrule (Gerudo, dissenting Sheikah, the Twili, the Zonai and plenty of other species). Please note that the Hylian royals severely punished and even killed people for the so-called "crime" of dissenting, people who don't allow for dissent are fascist, that's what they are. The Hylian royals didn't tolerate dissent, protest, or anyone disagreeing with them on anything. They are fascists.

[@jonas_sickler]

Personally, the baby size skeletons in the Arbiter’s Grounds are terrifying. Why are there kid sized skeletons in there? 😮 And the clip you showed of the giant fish skeleton in BOTW makes me want underwater exploration even more. Maybe instead of a fake barrier if you go too far you get swallowed by a giant fish sea monster

[@milestinker2178]

I'm glad you brought up the fact that certain lines of dialogue text in this game's English translation weren't completely accurate to the original Japanese text, since there is another particular part of this game whose text was also a bit inaccurate, that being the backstory of the Interlopers: 混沌とし何もない世界に神々は　降臨し生命と秩序を造られ The goddesses descended to the world of chaos where there was nothing at all, and created life and order. そして、全ての者達に平等に力を与え　天へお戻りになられた And after granting power equally to all people, they returned to the heavens. 神々が最初に降り立った地は聖地と呼ばれ The place where the goddesses first landed is called the holy land. 世界は長きにわたり信心深い者達の心で平安であった… For a long time, the world was at peace, with people's hearts being deeply faithful… しかし、やがて聖地ハイラルを巡り争いが起こった But at length, a rivalry ensued over Hyrule, the holy land. 人々の中に、魔術に長けた者達が現れ In the midst of the people, persons who excelled at magic appeared. 強力な魔力によって聖地を治めようとした With powerful sorcery, they tried to rule the holy land. しかし、神は我ら光の精霊を遣わし　その者達の巨大なる魔力を封じこませたのだ But the goddesses sent us light spirits to seal away the gigantic magic of those people. そして、その魔力こそが　黒き力・・・影の結晶石である And that very sorcery is the black power… the Crystal Stone of Shadow. As you say in the video, the "interlopers" were never referred to as such in the Japanese version, instead simply referred to as "persons who excelled in magic". BUT, the biggest difference here is that they weren't fighting over the Sacred Realm, but the holy land of Hyrule itself. The Japanese texts refers to Hyrule as a "holy land" (聖地 seichi), the same Japanese name for the Sacred Realm, so it's easy to see how the mistake was made. Nonetheless, it was "a rivalry" over Hyrule itself that happened, not "word of the Sacred Realm" spreading like the English text says. This means the event didn't necessarily happen right after the goddesses left the Triforce in the world Hyrule. It could have instead happened later, at some point after the kingdom was established. This event also seems to match up with past events described in A Link to the Past (in which people quarreled over the Triforce's whereabouts), Four Swords Adventures (jn which a "tribe of darkness" once invaded Hyrule and were then banished with the use of a mirror), and A Link Between Worlds (in which a war was fought over the Triforce). While Ocarina of Time also mentions a fierce war that took place in the past, Twilight Princess also mentions that there were "prolonged wars" in the past, so the war mentioned in OOT would have just been the last of those many wars, with the conflict over the Triforce happening earlier since ALBW also mentions that that particular war ended with the Sages hiding the Triforce away inside the Sacred Realm.

[@CyrilOfTheWind]

The two bosses being used as an execution method actually fits the theme of the coliseum. That also explains why the beast has swords in it. If the prisoners were meant to battle a giant beast for the entertainment of the royal family or something. That shit is EVERYWHERE in history. The same with death sword. They seal and unseal it when fights are meant to occur.

[@michelled.4874]

31:17 Those are NOT minor changes, NintendoBlackCrisis, those are NOT minor at all. The Japanese version calls it "the other world", NOT the "underworld", and it says nothing about "being sentenced to death" only that they were dispatched to the other world, I call the english translation a MAJOR change. It's a very gross mistranslation, there is no mention of the Twilight Realm being a so-called underworld in the Japanese version and Midna herself said (even in the english translation) that people mistook the Twilight Realm to be an afterlife realm (the underworld IS an afterlife realm according to believers in the underworld from various cultures) and that the Twilight Realm is NOT an afterlife realm, is NOT a realm of the dead. It's obviously a parallel dimension and the miror of Twilight creates a portal that transports people to this parallel dimension where a civilization of LIVING Twili have been living, PROCREATING (they had many descendants, which is something that only the LIVING can do) and building a city and living there for a very long time. The sage intended to murder Ganondorf, but did so near the mirror so they would have a contingency, rather than the mirror being the actual plan, because only the LIVING can be sent to the Twilight Realm since it's NOT an afterlife Realm, there would be no point in trying to send a corpse there and the soul would have departed for the ACTUAL afterlife. Some people will bring up Ganondorf's "ghostly" face that appeared to Zant, that was onviously one of Ganodorf's magic tricks or a magical holographic-style projection and when he overthrows the evil Hylian Royal family (who committed numerous atrocities against the people of Hyrule; I mean just look at the Shadow Temple, Well of Three Features and Arbiter's Grounds with the Hylian Royal family's crest plastered all over it and what about the atrocities they've committed against Ganondorf and the Gerudo whom they forced to live in a ghetto in the deadly desert where they were forced them to attack and rob travelers for the bear necessities of life because the ressources are in scarcity in the deadly desert and it was their only mean of survival and they wouldn't give the Gerudo race equality and a share of the prosperity and caused the Gerudo race nothing but suffering and what about the atrocities the Hylian royals have committed against the Sheikah, the Twili, the Zonai and countless other races) and came back to Hyrule at the end of the game he is very much ALIVE. Of course he is, because the barbaric execution was obviously botched. He was sent to the Twilight Realm after he killed the sage of water in self-defense after they all tried to murder him. And the sages later "apologized" to Midna as if a mere apology could ever make up for the fact that those sages are responsible for Ganondorf and the Gerudo's suffering and the Twili's suffering and the suffering of everyone involved. Well them and the Hylian royals, because Zelda herself admitted that the Hylian royals were responsible for the Twili people's suffering (NOT Ganondorf, what Ganondorf did was as a result of what the Hylian royals did to him and his people, he and his people were victims too just like the Twili). Zelda said "These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty." The "Light Dwellers", especally the Hylian royals were at fault for the Twili people's suffering and the suffering of everyone involved. The Hylian royals are NOT so-called "good guys", not after all of the atrocities they have perpetrated. The stupid translators should have played the damn game and should have paid attention to what Midna said about the Twilight Realm not being an afterlife realm or a realm of the dead, she made it very clear that the Twilight Realm is NOT an afterlife realm. Also the whole "did you think we would forget that we lost a king to such greed?" line from Midna in the english translation does not exist in the Japanese version, the translators pulled it right out of their ass. Not to mention the fake creation story in TP about how the chicken Oocca race supposedly created the Hylian species/people instead of the city inhabited by the Hylians. Another gross mistranslation. The Oocca are mere messengers of the gods, they are not deities and cannot create life or species. Why do people continue to trust those english translations and those incompetent translators, rely on those english translations for their theories and keep taking what those translators said in the texts at face value? It baffles me to this day. Some of the things you say in this video make perfect sense, NintendoBlackCrisis, but there's also a lot of the things you say in this video that are way off, from now on please pay close attention to what the Japanese version say when you talk about your theories instead of only the english translation. Stupid Nintendo of America "mistakes". The other MAJOR thing is that you can't trust NoA for anything. Mimi. Edit: Btw, NintendoBlackCrisis, I love your collab video you made with HMK entitled "Zonai history" on his channel. It'd be great if you made more collab videos with him, because together you're doing a great job of exposing the atrocities of the Hylian royal family.

[@kameronvalladares6795]

Man I wish this was available in podcast form, then I could listen all day

[@JLEsquire]

Best one you've made in a long while, very cool video!

[@erubianwarlord8208]

looking at the distribution of 'hair' on Stallord i think it could be Desiccated flesh

[@MLennholm]

There was never any controversy over OoT's Fire Temple music or Gerudo crest. It was Nintendo of America that decided to change it simply because at the time they had a policy of never including any direct references to real-world religions in their own games.

[@geoffdroid4121]

Nice video length, I managed to get all my homework done right as the outro played.

[@monroerobbins7551]

50 minutes of theory, YES!! ☺️ love your work, my dude, it inspires me to draw.

[@Mesphisgrostoles]

"Is that a zonai symbol!?" gets me every time.

[@joesunday199]

OMG is that a Zonai swirl?!

[@ghsvideosreviews5499]

OMG 😳😳😳😳😳 ZONAI ? 🔥🔥❓⁉️⁉️‼️‼️❌❌⭕

[@trillberd]

this temple always scared the hell out of me as a kid, ill admit im still freaked out by it

[@user-my7qk3rj6j]

Just a note I think navi makes the comment that the face of the deity statue in the spirit temple is just a hint that you need to break it with light (the mirror sheild)

[@Oddmanoutre]

Azazel having a goat's head may be a reference to the tradition of the Israelites' high priest reciting all the sins of the people over a goat, then leading the animal out into the wilderness (azazel) to die,thus letting the sins of the people symbolically die with it. A black sword of unknown origin, possessed of an evil and malevolent will, is reminiscent of Stormbringer, the sentient greatsword in the Elric cycle. Disappearing in a cloud of flies seems like a reference to Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. At various times, Azazel and Beelzebub have been associated with Shaitan, which was supposedly the original form of Stormbringer. Nintendo's developers have long since learned the wisdom of Dan O'Bannon : "Plagiarism is stealing from somebody else's work; genius is ripping off everybody."

[@Silvio_Nightwind]

I’m making this post before I watch the video, and I’ll edit it once I finish the video but something I’ve always wondered about the Arbiter’s Grounds was this: What if it was a place of worship for the Gerudo that was reappropriated and then desecrated by the Hylians? We see that statue of the Sand Goddess, in a dungeon surrounded by death and decay. If that’s not desecration then I dunno what is, but it’s something I’ve always thought about (which made this dungeon one of my favorites).

[@Cloudy0559]

If it's true that to kill stallord they just kinda covered him in sand and left him to suffocate that would be an example of the malice of the dead, cause who would be happy about suffocating under sand? And also the twili being somehow related to the oocca could work since zant kinda looks like one of the occo things.

[@pa-pa-plasma]

29:10 I always viewed Stallord's furry appearance actually not as fur, but as decaying (or preserved mid decay) blubber & connective tissue, like is seen in dead whales & dolphins. Am I implying Stallord was aquatic? Mayhaps. The region used to be an ocean, after all. Edit: thought I should add that Stallord's skull looks kind of similar to an otter's. now that I'm comparing them side by side, my new headcanon is that Stallord is a giant species of otter that used to live in Lake Hylia before being brought to the Arbiter's Grounds (where else is there a giant cylindrical room like Arbiter's Grounds? That's right, the Lakebed Temple). The pipes now used for sand could have been used for water in the past. I shant accept any other theory at this time

[@ChibiProwl]

Nice theory….but, how do you explain the horns, weird hair, and huge body?🤔Me curious.🤔

[@Sydney_Jones]

6:33 That edit was DOPE