The Earth Temple
“Hundreds of years passed, and Ganondorf, who should have been sealed at the bottom of the ocean along with Hyrule, was resurrected once again. He gave an order to his minions to attack the Wind and Earth temples, killing the two sages whose prayers gave the Master Sword the ability to destroy evil.”
— Hyrule Historia, p. 124
“The temples were sunk to the sea floor along with Hyrule, and there they continue to slumber. However, because their entrances sit atop tall mountains, it is possible to access them from the ocean’s surface in the Era of the Great Sea.”
— Hyrule Historia, p.127
— Hyrule Historia, p. 124
“The temples were sunk to the sea floor along with Hyrule, and there they continue to slumber. However, because their entrances sit atop tall mountains, it is possible to access them from the ocean’s surface in the Era of the Great Sea.”
— Hyrule Historia, p.127
Earth is the element long tied to immutability and strength. Of the elements, it is perceived of as being the most stable, and because of this characteristic it has also become the one that embodies the unchangeable nature of finality. In this dungeon, for that is what it should be called, a respectful and unnerving appreciation is shown for that embodiment. While other temples, notably those from Ocarina of Time, have focused on how humans feel about and imagine death, this underground tomb portrays the material and cultural exigencies imposed upon the living by the dead. Through funerals and wakes, the lives of those now gone are celebrated and mourned, but this is not what the Earth Temple reflects. It means to exhibit the separation of the living from the dead. Corpses, both from spiritual and hygienic viewpoints, cannot be left simply lying around. Oftentimes, the rituals of entombment and departure are the most solemnly-observed traditions in a culture, and require unique observances and serious considerations. Laying the dead to rest is how we envision finality, and come to grips with loss. Once this sundering has occurred, the mind adapts to reflect this bereavement, and only then can a different perception come into being pertaining to the eventuality of death, and the treatment of the dead as what they are — memories and dust.
These large Sage Stones serve as the primary obstacles to each temple, disappearing to the melody of their Sage when played in conjunction with the Wind Waker.
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Located under Headstone Island, which immediately draws a parallel to a graveyard, the Earth Temple, like the Wind Temple, is a structure buried deep within the ground. These temples were created to safeguard the power of the Master Sword, and to be a place of worship for the Sages wherein they could offer up prayers to the Three Goddesses of Hyrule. It would seem that the power of the Master Sword is contingent upon these petitions, and that without the pleas of the Sages, the Master Sword is nothing more than a hollow blade. The temples were lost long ago under the depths of the Great Sea after their Sages were killed, leaving only one forgotten entrance to each; these places of entry are hidden upon diminutive islands, whose plainness masks what lies below. Only through the recital of two enchanted songs, as passed down through the bloodlines of the Sages, can one enter therein. Huge stones bar the path, and are only capable of being destroyed when these holy melodies are performed upon the instruments of the sages when conducted by the Wind Waker.
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As the passageways into these two temples lead deep into the earth, the portals there are more like wells than doors.
Symbols of the grave are first met in the antechamber. Two spiked columns stand freely before a large gate, around which rest devices of the enemy. As Ganondorf sent his underlings to destroy whatever life could be found within these complexes, such sigils are to be found upon tapestries and pennants throughout this dungeon. Skulls litter the floor, and are commonly found upon the doorways in this temple. As the theme of this location is the demise of the body, an almost-archaeological atmosphere accompanies the voyage from beginning to end. Unlike the Shadow Temple, which vividly portrayed torture and annihilation, and the Spirit Temple, which sought to foster remembrance and reflection, this crypt is modest and purposeful. Most rooms are unadorned, and aside from the various types of interesting statues, nothing is meant for ostentation or to inspire fear. The monsters that dwell here are what evoke terror; Poes, Bubbles, and Stalfos are abundant, rising from the haze that emanates from the deepest recesses of this temple, or breaking free of their sarcophagi in order to wander the halls of this crypt.
The sun-masked titan ripping its way out of the earth is the chief thematic element of this temple. It is a Redead, lunging forward in a pit of poisonous miasma, paradoxically carrying the warped emblem of the shining sun. Like the actual Redeads, it wears identical earrings and bracelets, and is covered in the same curved lines of paint. It stands guard above a staircase into the lower chambers of the area, a hulking and tattooed mass. Undeath is a common theme in many world mythologies. After a body is laid to rest, there can be no worse thing than to see the figure of a loved one resurrected in a state of perpetual non-life; it is made more horrible due to the fact that these beings are often mindless, twisted, and ever hungry. This temple makes absurd human interment rituals, creating a mockery of death, as it refuses to let creatures have their eternal respite. Instead, it reincarnates them as Redeads which aimlessly stalk the dimly-lit passages with no hope of autonomy or the ability to independently solve the crisis of which they are likely completely unaware. Death is the ultimate, the one certainty of existence, and we thusly afford great respect to it. This temple, however, renders mortality farcical, which manifests itself in an unsettling location and concept.
The darkened mask of the Redead figure prior to receiving sunlight in its darkened chamber
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After light has reached the panels located within the eyes, this sunburst mask appears, illuminating the room
Above: Oculate Being Mask, Paracas culture, Peru, 300 BCE - 1 CE. The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Left: Mask of the Oculate Being, Paracas culture, Peru, 200 - 1 BCE — ceramic with resin paint. Princeton University Art Museum. |
The Redead mask, especially in its sunburst form, very closely resembles certain ceramic masks of the Paracas culture of Peru. Paracas vessels often carry images of powerful animals and supernatural beings, among which the Oculate Being (so called because of its oversized eyes) appears frequently. But the Oculate Being doesn't solely appear on masks; in full-figure portrayals, "the Oculate Being often holds a trophy head and a knife, suggesting that he was associated with ritual sacrifice and decapitation." [1] The Earth Temple is a fitting place for such a figure. And while it is unlikely these masks were ever worn, they may have once adorned mummy bundles, a form of burial wherein the dead were placed in the fetal position and wrapped in roughly conical bundles of cloth which took many thousands of hours to make. Once wrapped for the afterlife, the mummies were then covered in coarse cloth which was sewn up to protect the inner cloth from the elements. [2][3] That these masks may have once served as faces for mummy bundles gives greater cultural backing to the themes of the Earth Temple.
Like the mask upon the large Redead in one of the main rooms, several smaller sun-crests are to be found in various areas. Prior to receiving the rays of the sun, they are half-sun, half-moon devices that control access to doors and hallways. The sun is nearly all-powerful within this dim area, and masking enemies with its symbol shows their tenuous relationship and balance in this temple, and between these creatures of the darkness and the force of the light. As should be obvious, light holds considerable sway within this dungeon. Its channeling is often the only way to defeat enemies, draw chests into the physical realm, and it also enables its controller to tread blocked roads and paths. The harp of the Sage of Earth is an instrument that is capable of focusing sunlight, giving its wielder the power of light in the darkness, a duality not uncommon in this series of games.
As for the construction and materials of this complex, everything, from the partitions to the columns, is incredibly linear. Even the pillars are ten-sided and taper at both sides angularly. The blocks of stone are roughly-hewn, and the only motifs to be found here are simple geometric patterns located near the ceiling. The walls feel of the hollowed-out earth, and the weak lighting evokes a sense of the first exploration into an ancient vault. The strange statues of a seated creature bearing only a helm are mysterious in origin, and their like are to be found also in the Wind Temple, raising questions of a common creator. It is likely that a common people constructed both places, considering the location of these temples, as well as their function as shrines. Much is left unexplained, as with most localities within this game franchise; the focus is never on making things explicable, but on creating a mood that is familiar, yet at the same time new and unexplored.
Like the mask upon the large Redead in one of the main rooms, several smaller sun-crests are to be found in various areas. Prior to receiving the rays of the sun, they are half-sun, half-moon devices that control access to doors and hallways. The sun is nearly all-powerful within this dim area, and masking enemies with its symbol shows their tenuous relationship and balance in this temple, and between these creatures of the darkness and the force of the light. As should be obvious, light holds considerable sway within this dungeon. Its channeling is often the only way to defeat enemies, draw chests into the physical realm, and it also enables its controller to tread blocked roads and paths. The harp of the Sage of Earth is an instrument that is capable of focusing sunlight, giving its wielder the power of light in the darkness, a duality not uncommon in this series of games.
As for the construction and materials of this complex, everything, from the partitions to the columns, is incredibly linear. Even the pillars are ten-sided and taper at both sides angularly. The blocks of stone are roughly-hewn, and the only motifs to be found here are simple geometric patterns located near the ceiling. The walls feel of the hollowed-out earth, and the weak lighting evokes a sense of the first exploration into an ancient vault. The strange statues of a seated creature bearing only a helm are mysterious in origin, and their like are to be found also in the Wind Temple, raising questions of a common creator. It is likely that a common people constructed both places, considering the location of these temples, as well as their function as shrines. Much is left unexplained, as with most localities within this game franchise; the focus is never on making things explicable, but on creating a mood that is familiar, yet at the same time new and unexplored.
The chambers leading up to final one are considerably more monumental than others. One such room features a series of platforms accessed only through puzzles of light. The mirrors here take the form of snakes and scorpions, which have led some to hypothesize a connection between this temple and the Spirit Temple from the Ocarina of Time, especially in conjunction with the sun discs and light-based puzzles. While the mood and atmosphere share similarities, the layout and interior design of the temples are too different for this to be the same place, even after centuries of modification.
Ultimately, the path leads to a yawning shaft of fog reaching deep into the ground. The boss chambers in these dungeons are the shrines of the sages, wherein power is restored to the sacred blade. After the defeat of Jalhalla, ruler of all Poes, Medli rejoins Link for the restoration of the Master Sword. With the sword in its pedestal, its ability to destroy evil is partially regained, fulfilling Medli’s wish to truly do something for the world. While it is difficult to imagine why this temple was built as it was, containing such otherworldly thematic influences, its nature as a place of worship is undeniable. Why it manifests itself as it does is an unanswerable question, which makes it all the more alluring.
References:
[1] "Mask of the Oculate Being, 2013-80," Princeton University Art Museums collections online, October 25, 2023, https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/86998.
[2] De León, Christina. “Paracas Mummy Bundles.” Bard Graduate Center, 5 Mar. 2017, www.bgc.bard.edu/research-forum/articles/358/paracas-mummy-bundles.
"In the Paracas Peninsula two distinct types of cemeteries have been found. The earliest example called Paracas Cavernas is characterized by compact internments in subterranean caverns with burials customarily conical in shape and wrapped in a coarse outer cloth sewn closed. Each person was wrapped and buried individually in an extended position, while caverns held both male and female adults, as well as children — a possible sign of familial groupings . . . Textiles were a central medium in which cosmological beliefs could be expressed meaningfully through iconography. Textiles also denoted a person’s status within the greater community and it is believed that mummy bundles with the most prestigious members of society had supremely opulent textiles that were immensely labor intensive to produce. Some burial cloths that spread over 1000 square feet, could have taken one weaver an estimated 30,000 hours (or three and half years) to create, however studies have suggested that the production of these works were often collaborative efforts."
[3] Stone-Miller, Rebecca. Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca. Thames and Hudson, 1995.
[1] "Mask of the Oculate Being, 2013-80," Princeton University Art Museums collections online, October 25, 2023, https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/collections/objects/86998.
[2] De León, Christina. “Paracas Mummy Bundles.” Bard Graduate Center, 5 Mar. 2017, www.bgc.bard.edu/research-forum/articles/358/paracas-mummy-bundles.
"In the Paracas Peninsula two distinct types of cemeteries have been found. The earliest example called Paracas Cavernas is characterized by compact internments in subterranean caverns with burials customarily conical in shape and wrapped in a coarse outer cloth sewn closed. Each person was wrapped and buried individually in an extended position, while caverns held both male and female adults, as well as children — a possible sign of familial groupings . . . Textiles were a central medium in which cosmological beliefs could be expressed meaningfully through iconography. Textiles also denoted a person’s status within the greater community and it is believed that mummy bundles with the most prestigious members of society had supremely opulent textiles that were immensely labor intensive to produce. Some burial cloths that spread over 1000 square feet, could have taken one weaver an estimated 30,000 hours (or three and half years) to create, however studies have suggested that the production of these works were often collaborative efforts."
[3] Stone-Miller, Rebecca. Art of the Andes: From Chavín to Inca. Thames and Hudson, 1995.