Woodfall and the Southern Swamp
“This swamp you are in has lost its guardian deity. But it was destined to fade anyway . . . and that destiny is not solely limited to this swamp.”
– He Who Soars, Majora’s Mask
– He Who Soars, Majora’s Mask
Echoing the mechanistic precision of Time within Termina, the four regions of this land are arranged with navigational certainty in each primary direction, with Clock Town as their center. The plot of this game unfolds first in the south, across a brief expanse of Termina Field covered in long grass and dead trees. Each cardinal exit of Clock Town is an architectural appreciation to the people that live in that region, and as the Southern Swamp is home to the Deku Civilization, the southern gate reflects the architectural heritage of that people. Every fundamental element of Deku design is present in this gate, and in the posts that mark the route to the Southern Swamp. The base material of Deku construction appears to be a light-brown wood, which is felled and shaped into simple boards and posts; from there, they are lashed together, painted, and covered with thatch. Much of the wood is left uncolored, but the colorful geometric designs that grace the upper and lower portions of each board or post are done in stark green, red, and white. With those chief elements in place, it is subsequently easier to analyze the simplicity and straightforward architecture of the Deku people. The gate itself is composed of a line of boards around the rectangular gate out of Clock Town; the uppermost portions of these posts are painted white, with a brief splash of red below. A small awning overhangs this entrance, and is thatch but for a row of alternating white, green, and red stripes, done vertically. The entire gate, held between two small walls of similarly-embellished wood, stands upon a raised platform and is visually framed by two freestanding square pillars, each of which has a carved apex of green and red. One small step leads downward from the platform, and the only route to the Southern Swamp is a path of grass bound only by pairs of these same painted, wooden pillars. The grass changes drastically in shade between the third and fourth pairs of posts, from a light green to a dark jade with spots of tan coloration. The trees in this area are dead, and some lie fallen, while others have been carved into tunnels, or chopped up for use in construction. Patches of long grass appear outside the bounds of the post-lined pathway, and one last pair of pillars frames the southern exit from Termina Field into the swamp beyond.
Just before entering the path to the swamp, a strange scene plays itself out. At the foot of a desiccated tree to the right of the path is an image drawn by the Skull Kid, Tatl, and Tael shortly after the three met. Retelling the brief history of this etching, Tatl tells Link that she and her brother found the Skull Kid here, alone, after his friends had abandoned him over a grave disagreement. He was found crouching in the hollowed-out section of tree in this part of the field, taking shelter from the rain. The three quickly became fast friends, delighting in each other’s company, until the mischief and trickery of the Skull Kid went too far when he took a strange mask from a traveling salesman.
The Road to the Southern Swamp is a forked clearing within an evergreen forest. While not much is present in this area, but for a few enemies, shrubs, and the Swamp Shooting Gallery, this trail is an important route through an otherwise impassable forest. The shooting gallery in this area is nestled into a small canyon at the end of the eastern part of the divide, and is a simple building in the Deku style. Four carved steps lead to a simple doorway below a thatched roof and painted awning. Two potted plants frame the doorway; otherwise, everything else along this path is completely natural. Along the western track, the walls of forest eventually give way to walls of stone before the path opens up, giving Link his first view of the Southern Swamp.
The Road to the Southern Swamp is a forked clearing within an evergreen forest. While not much is present in this area, but for a few enemies, shrubs, and the Swamp Shooting Gallery, this trail is an important route through an otherwise impassable forest. The shooting gallery in this area is nestled into a small canyon at the end of the eastern part of the divide, and is a simple building in the Deku style. Four carved steps lead to a simple doorway below a thatched roof and painted awning. Two potted plants frame the doorway; otherwise, everything else along this path is completely natural. Along the western track, the walls of forest eventually give way to walls of stone before the path opens up, giving Link his first view of the Southern Swamp.
|
The Swamp Tourist Center, seen on the left from the outside, and above from the inside. This center serves as an entry point to help acclimate outsiders to the region, giving tours, photography lessons, and transportation by boat to other areas.
|
Small footpaths lead often to greater things. As the path through the rock grows wider, it slowly angles downward until it meets the edge of the water. Poison has overcome the purity of the swamp, and the source of this corruption stems from Woodfall Temple, which rests atop the purple mountain at the center of the swamp. Plant life here is robust and varied, and colors, as in all tropical areas, are exaggerated and vibrant. Green lily pads and red flowers dot the surface of the water, and striped green and red palms interrupt an otherwise open scene. While much of the swamp is held in a basin of stone walls, mangrove trees, with their many thousands of roots feeding off of the nutrient-rich water, form channels through the wetland and provide some semblance of cultivation. Based upon the architecture and flora of this region, we can surmise that the weather is warm, and the climate wet. A dock of water-worn wood extends into the water, and leads to the Swamp Tourist Center, which serves as the hub of transportation around the swamp. Raised upon four posts high above the surface of the marsh, this building is itself incredibly simple. A four-walled structure of the now-familiar swamp wood supports a roof of interwoven vines, whose gables are thrown upward into two accented points. Two bands of geometric lines wrap around the structure, in the same bright colors found upon the southern gate out of Clock Town. Two spiked shield designs of concentric circles rest on either side of the door, and serve to accentuate the otherwise plain materials of the building. This place is the center of both Old Koume’s Boat Cruise, and the Pictograph Contest, and both have counters set up on the interior of the building; inside, the décor is reserved, with walls and floor of natural woods and woven reeds. Thatched mats, potted plants, and animal trophies represent aspects of the cultural milieu of this region, and the use of local materials in building provides a simple framework by which to judge the people of this region: there is little ostentation, and structures reflect their purpose.
By 3coma14 — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8840313
|
By Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia — Longhouse, Sarawak, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29767356
|
Stilt houses of this sort are found universally throughout the architectural traditions of our world, primarily in areas prone to flooding. While they can serve to mitigate flood damage, they also elevate their inhabitants above the level of wild animals, and provide a comforting amount of protection against other environmental forces. Shown here are two stylistic examples of stilt houses: one from Burma, and the other from Chile. Stilt houses can come in any size, shape, or style, as should be illustrated from this small sampling.
Following the lily pads to the northeast section of the swamp, Link finds another small dock and pathway leading to the Magic Hags’ Potion Shop, an elevated, flask-shaped building which rests atop the trunk of a large tree. Discovering that one of the hags has gone missing, Link eventually saves Koume from the Woods of Mystery, a strange Lost Woods-esque forest nestled north of the swamp, assumedly cradled between the swamp, Termina Field, and the eastern region of Ikana. The path through these woods changes with each passing day, though it can eventually be fixed once order is restored to the swamp. Within this forest, Link meets a group of monkeys, who enjoin Link to save their missing brother, who has been taken prisoner by the Deku King. With Koume saved, Link is now able to take a boat to the Deku Palace, wherein the monkey prisoner is being held. The Deku Palace is located in the southernmost portion of the swamp, where the effects of the poison appear to be greatest; the plant life surrounding the palace is a dust-red imitation of the greenness found to the north.
|
|
Left: One of the inner courtyards of the palace. Right: The initial area between outer and inner gates.
The Deku Palace is the residence of the Deku Royal Family, consisting of the current Deku King and his daughter, the Deku Princess. There are five primary sections of this fortress, the first of which is the outer gate, swamp, and inner gate. Link can only enter into the inner portion of the palace in his Deku form, as the guards seem determined to keep out all other peoples. As we have seen elsewhere leading up to this point, the palace is also of the Deku tradition; the first thing Link sees in this part of the swamp are the two high walls of green, white, and red that reach from the moat below to the sky above. Sharpened logs seem randomly dispersed throughout the wall itself, and the wall is divided into distinct colored sections that maintain their separation everywhere within this palace. There are two inner courtyards, referred to as gardens, and one such garden outside the wall, which Link is able to reach by hopping from lily pad to lily pad. The gardens hold plants, it is true, and are more ornamental than productive from their appearances; patrolled by guards, there are rows of plants, fences of varying heights, large stones, and watchtowers. And if Link learns anything through passing within these gardens, it is that the Deku are a fiercely protective people. This is evidenced by the surplus of guards, the tall defensive walls, watch towers, patrols, and large moat.
|
Two visions of the Deku Throne Room.
|
At the heart of this complex lies the throne room. Set into a strange, seemingly-natural trunk of variegated greens, the throne rests in a circular chamber that stretches no small distance into the heavens. Several irregular holes in the walls serve to ventilate this room, which is a necessity given the large bonfire which burns endlessly throughout the course of these events. The floor is of packed sand, and the bonfire sits in a circular indentation in the middle of the chamber, around which rests a carpet of leaves and flowers. The dais sits opposite the entrance, upon which the throne of the Deku King is found. Several tall palm branches thrust upward from behind the dais, which is itself made of wood colored with now-familiar designs and colors. Four guards stand present, and off to one side is a prison cell, now holding the brother of the monkeys first encountered in the Woods of Mystery. Driven to action by the poisoned swamp and the threatened extinction of all life in her land, the Deku Princess, after having learned the Sonata of Awakening on the Deku Pipes, left with the imprisoned monkey to the site of Woodfall Temple, a place sacred to her people, which only royalty could enter. Kidnapped by a malign spirit, the Deku Princess was imprisoned, and the monkey taken as retribution for her disappearance. The monkey was simply trying to discover the source of the poison eating away at the swamp, and his courage and compassion only served as the impetus for his imprisonment at the hands of the Deku King. As there is no Hyrule in this realm, and therefore no unified governing body, the Deku seem to be a sovereign people, with the full authority to police, judge, and sentence all beings who inhabit the swamp.
|
From these two pictures, it is easy to see where the symbol of the Deku Civilization derives its form; as with humans, the Deku seem to represent themselves centrally in their art and design.
|
The last section of the Deku stronghold is a hidden one. Located on the eastern side of the Deku Palace, the Deku Shrine is a vast labyrinth of enormous caverns, slender passageways, and a momentous sanctity. While much of the Shrine appears natural, the Deku-constructed passageways exhibit an astute knowledge of masonry, and of design. Grey bricks and carved, sheer walls form the backdrop, and flowers and shapes of many colors are painted ad infinitum throughout the maze. Walls of fire, thin bridges over yawning depths, and time-sealed doors only serve to remind us of the secrecy and protectiveness that the Deku seem to embody and display through their architecture. The true shrine is lit by flames of cobalt and pale gold, and is protected by no fewer than four guards. The walls are painted with yellow and teal flowers, with larger tropical blossoms done in red and green upon the farthest wall. An alcove is set into the back of the chamber, with a small apse, as is customary in many religious buildings. Though we cannot know for sure where this terminal chapel actually is in relation to the palace, the upward, generally southerly movement suggests that this room is indeed the most southern part within all of Termina. And even through the passing terror of traversing this shrine, we come to know the artistry and appreciation of beauty upheld by the Deku.
The Crater Bog is the highest point in the Southern Swamp, and it is within this gently-flowing spring that Woodfall Temple waits. Flowing outward from the center of the great pool, the water is entrapped within a natural basin of stone. Wooden bridges and platforms make their way through the reeds and across the surface of the water, eventually leading to a raised platform decorated with the insignia of the Deku people. Four posts enclose this open space with lines of colorful prayer flags, and a slight platform stands at the center of this wooden structure. Playing the Sonata of Awakening lifts the temple from the crater bottom, first breaking into sight with two immense trees. These nearly leafless trees cling to two corners of the temple’s exterior, providing an air of botanic earthiness. The material is a dark grey-brown stone, covered with green lichen and algae. Curiously, the shape of this temple is taken from the deserts of ancient Mesopotamia — about as far removed from a lush swamp as is possible. The terraced platforms of Woodfall Temple, which recede as they ascend, are likely based off of the ziggurats of the ancient Middle East. Essentially constructed of stacked mastabas, the earliest ziggurats date from Mesopotamia’s Early Dynastic Period in the third millennium BCE. Though there are only two tiers present at Woodfall Temple, much of the temple itself rests underground. And like Woodfall Temple, early ziggurats had a distinctly religious purpose, the topmost tier usually holding a shrine to any number of old gods, though these were anything but public spaces. As gods were thought to reside at the apex of these pyramidal structures, the holy space atop the ziggurat was only accessible to priests and other powerful societal figures. Echoing true history, Woodfall Temple can only be summoned forth by the Deku Royal Family, though at the time of Link’s arrival, it has been abandoned by the Deku and inhabited by the masked spirit Odolwa.
|
|
On the left is a simple mastaba (simply put, one tier of a ziggurat or step pyramid), while on the right is the famous Ziggurat of Ur, consisting of a series of tiers connected by monumental staircases. Like historical ziggurats, the uppermost tier of Woodfall Temple holds the entrance, which is framed by two simple posts of stone. Upon each post is what is to become a familiar carving — a rectangular, bestial face with highly abstracted features. And where the lintel would be, an old root gracefully rests atop the doorway, accentuating the darkness below perfectly.
Left image: By Jon Bodsworth — www.egyptarchive.co.uk, Copyrighted free use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2316988
Right image: By Kaufingdude — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30031562
Right image: By Kaufingdude — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30031562
The first chamber within is a large, dark room, whose corners are hidden in shadows, and whose space is interrupted by huge, snaking tree roots which pass from floor to ceiling. Like other rooms within this temple, darkness plays a key role in obfuscating the correct path, and many beings of shadow have taken up residence in the darker corners of these chambers. Upon the initial platform is a pedestal in the shape of Majora’s Mask, with a similar symbol carved into it; if the forest etchings in Termina Field are any sign of the Skull Kid’s inclination to mark where he has been, then perhaps this insignia is simply a grander rendition of those same playful markings.
While most of the temple is made of a dull stone, panels of several designs dispel the monotony, and the first style is present in this room, upon each wall. In harmony with the rest of the style of the Southern Swamp, the embellishments of this temple are a vague conceptualization of “the jungle.” While this idea of the jungle connotes the tribal, the feral, and the exotic — tropes which have been at play within Western society for a number of centuries — the style itself transcends any one ethnic, religious, or cultural group, and has come to embody the beliefs and symbols of equatorial cultures the world over. And as this temple plays out its themes within this rather nebulous Jungle School, it draws from all conflated cultures and peoples from Papua New Guinea to Mexico. The image present upon these first panels is that of a square head embedded between four closed fists; a long nose extends well past the simple, circular eyes, and a mouth of swollen lips completes the stoic, featureless appearance of these faces. The final door of the chamber (upon which some inscrutable series of lines appears) is flanked by two columns who share some of the same features as the panels. The shaft of each column bulges with an exaggerated entasis at the middle, and the capital of the column is a face with white, pupil-less eyes, and bulging pink lips, giving much the same appearance as the panels. In a more normal setting, such a cartoonish, distended face would be comical, but here, such faces are only unnerving in their emotionless vigil. The door is itself set into a small alcove in the wall, above which two insects appear. While one has the obvious appearance of a golden dragonfly, its red counterpart is more difficult to identify, though its malevolence is clear.
While most of the temple is made of a dull stone, panels of several designs dispel the monotony, and the first style is present in this room, upon each wall. In harmony with the rest of the style of the Southern Swamp, the embellishments of this temple are a vague conceptualization of “the jungle.” While this idea of the jungle connotes the tribal, the feral, and the exotic — tropes which have been at play within Western society for a number of centuries — the style itself transcends any one ethnic, religious, or cultural group, and has come to embody the beliefs and symbols of equatorial cultures the world over. And as this temple plays out its themes within this rather nebulous Jungle School, it draws from all conflated cultures and peoples from Papua New Guinea to Mexico. The image present upon these first panels is that of a square head embedded between four closed fists; a long nose extends well past the simple, circular eyes, and a mouth of swollen lips completes the stoic, featureless appearance of these faces. The final door of the chamber (upon which some inscrutable series of lines appears) is flanked by two columns who share some of the same features as the panels. The shaft of each column bulges with an exaggerated entasis at the middle, and the capital of the column is a face with white, pupil-less eyes, and bulging pink lips, giving much the same appearance as the panels. In a more normal setting, such a cartoonish, distended face would be comical, but here, such faces are only unnerving in their emotionless vigil. The door is itself set into a small alcove in the wall, above which two insects appear. While one has the obvious appearance of a golden dragonfly, its red counterpart is more difficult to identify, though its malevolence is clear.
|
|
Above: two Olmec colossal heads (numbers one and six) from around 900 BCE. There are seventeen such artifacts, all from the southern portion of the Gulf Coast region of Mexico. These Olmec statues vary in height from around 1.47 to 3.4 meters, and weigh between six and fifty tons. All statues are of men, and each depiction is a humble, realistic depiction of what were likely leaders of some sort. Take care to note the similarities between these heads and the face panels found upon the walls and columns of Woodfall Temple.
Left image: By Utilisateur:Olmec — Museo de Antropología de Xalapa, in Xalapa, Veracruz, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=687051
Right image: By ·Maunus·ƛ — I (·Maunus·ƛ·) created this work entirely by myself., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17848616
Right image: By ·Maunus·ƛ — I (·Maunus·ƛ·) created this work entirely by myself., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17848616
The second room is the first to reveal a floor of poisonous swamp water, across which Link must traverse as a Deku Scrub. As with the swamp outside of the temple, lily pads provide safety from the toxins, and tree limbs serve as platforms and walkways. As with the face panels in the previous room, this room presents a new panel, though one that is deeply incongruous with the tribal theme so meticulously constructed thus far. This new panel depicts a rather stereotypical gargoyle which might feature on the outside of a gothic cathedral in northern Germany or England. Aside from this small irregularity, the further rooms and passages of this temple all stay true to the previous style, incorporating visions of nature.
|
Two rooms within Woodfall Temple.
|
Throughout our journey here, we see that insects play a prominent role in the symbolic language of those that built this place. Above doors, we see two insects locked in dance or strife, and in further chambers and halls, fat green dragonflies encircle entire rooms, flying upward with wings linked. The last great incarnation of these insect designs is in the boss chamber, upon the walls, and even in the attack sequence of Odolwa, who can summon hordes of creatures through dance. Alongside these signs of life and nature are the things that generally attract insects more than all else — flowers. Yellow roots painted onto walls lead upward into red flowers, mirroring those in the Deku Shrine; the boss door is an immense tropical flower of vivid colors; and, most obvious of all, the central chamber has a large wooden shrine floating upon the water in the shape of a six-petaled flower. Each petal bears patterns of red, yellow, and green paint, primarily geometrical in nature, and it is this shrine which rises like a palm from the pool below, allowing access to even deeper rooms and passages. Given the direct surroundings of Woodfall — the Southern Swamp and the paths leading to it — it is clear that the natural environment has had clear impact on the architectural motifs and symbols of the people of this land.
Odolwa, the masked jungle warrior, is perhaps the strangest boss figure in this game. While most large monsters in this series are beasts or creatures with little resemblance to humanity, Odolwa is a gigantic humanoid dancer whose body is covered in tribal paint and tattoos. Having imprisoned one of the Four Giants of the land within his mask, his great power poisoned these southern waters, and indirectly led to great feuding between the sentient creatures dwelling within this region. With his defeat and the rescue of the Deku Princess, a vast biome is healed, and the conciliation of peoples is once again achieved.
Odolwa, the masked jungle warrior, is perhaps the strangest boss figure in this game. While most large monsters in this series are beasts or creatures with little resemblance to humanity, Odolwa is a gigantic humanoid dancer whose body is covered in tribal paint and tattoos. Having imprisoned one of the Four Giants of the land within his mask, his great power poisoned these southern waters, and indirectly led to great feuding between the sentient creatures dwelling within this region. With his defeat and the rescue of the Deku Princess, a vast biome is healed, and the conciliation of peoples is once again achieved.