Tribes of Skyward Sword: The Shadow Folk
Posted on July 23 2011 by Nathanial Rumphol-Janc
Recently one of our mainsite commenters and forum members discovered a suspicious-looking emblem in the E3 2011 Skyward Sword trailer. You can probably recognize it in the article banner displayed above: it’s the Sheikah’s symbol… sort of. It’s got all the components of the shadow clan’s emblem – the eye in the center, the stylized upper lashes, the long “teardrop” at the bottom – but it seems to have been modified to fit the context of Skyward Sword.
What could this mean? It seems likely that we’ll see something related to the Sheikah in this game, whether it’s one or more of their members, Sheikah artifacts like the ones we see in Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess, or just ancient ruins tied to their tribe. But given what we know about the clan from Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, how might the tribe factor into Skyward Sword?
I think what’s most intriguing about the possibilities for the Sheikah is that they’re largely a blank slate. All we really know about them is that they’re in some way connected to shadows, which probably has to do with their secretive nature and the ninja-like presentation we glimpsed in Ocarina of Time. We can presume some degree of clairvoyance thanks to the tribe’s connection to “seeing” through the Lens of Truth, Madame Fanadi’s fortune-telling, and the prophecies Zelda told to us as Sheik. (Although the latter could have actually come from the royal family, with Zelda saying they belonged to the Sheikah as part of her cover.)
As for their history, a quote from Twilight Princess sums up what we know pretty well:
[There was once a] tribe that protected the Hylian royal family long ago. They worked in secret, so they lived in a lonely, forgotten place. But I heard that tribe dwindled in the prolonged wars…
– Gor Coron, Twilight Princess
This part always struck me as odd, since in Ocarina of Time it was stated that the Sheikah lived in Kakariko Village, which contrary to being lonely and forgotten was eventually populated by the common folk. I can’t presume to say that Skyward Sword might shed light on this, since it seems that the village “going public” happened during the lifetime of Ocarina‘s Impa and thus this game’s probably set long before that.
I do think, however, that we might very well see the “Old Kakariko” in all its glory, while the Sheikah are still alive and active. In an earlier article I explored the possibility that Skyward Sword might directly depict the Prolonged Wars mentioned in that quote above (or at least a portion of them), so it’s also possible that we might find out more about why their tribe “dwindled.”
But none of this necessarily speaks to anything we know about Skyward Sword. What I really want to focus on is the Sheikah symbol we saw in the E3 trailer, as it’s the biggest piece of concrete evidence pointing towards a relationship to this game. Specifically, I want to look at where the symbol appears in the trailer as well as how it differs from previous incarnations of the emblem seen in other games.
Let’s get down to business: we know the “Sheikah emblem” shows up on a purplish stone. When Link strikes this stone, the area around it fills with life and regains its full vibrant color. But something that I don’t think people notice as much is that there’s a minecart track that also activates alongside the stone. And where else have we seen minecarts in Skyward Sword? There’s a short scene a few seconds later showing Link riding into what appear to be a very technologically advanced temple. Now, what other mechanical marvels have we seen or heard about in Hyrule?
The ancestors of the Hylians created the temple… Signs of their civilization—ancient, but very sophisticated—are everywhere.
– Rusl, Twilight Princess
Yes, according to legend, Hyrule was made by the Hylians, who, as we all know, are the closest race to the gods. But also according to legend, long ago there was a race even closer to the gods, and some say THESE creatures made the Hylians. When they created the people of Hylia, they simultaneously created a new capital, a city that floated in the heavens. They dwelt there…and some scholars believe that this race lives there still, somewhere in the great sky.
– Shad, Twilight Princess
That’s right, I’m thinking of the Oocca, who were first introduced in Twilight Princess. Several of the elements seen on the surface world seem to fit: the highly sophisticated ancient technology everywhere, the bird- and egg-shaped structures adorning the Sky Temple, and the fact that what we see in Skyward Sword predates the Hylian civilization we know from Ocarina of Time and other games. (Oh yeah, and that whole “civilization in the sky” thing.)
But what do the Oocca have to do with the Sheikah, you ask? Just look at this quote from Impaz from Twilight Princess:
Among the legends of my clan, there is a story from the time when the Oocca still maintained contact with the royal family. Yes, it said that a mysterious rod was handed down from the people of the sky, and it was called the Dominion Rod… The rod was only to be carried by the messenger to the heavens when the royal family needed to communicate with the Oocca. From generation to generation, my ancestors have guarded the book that, by royal decree, was to be given to the messenger to the heavens.
Clearly the Sheikah have an important role in relation to the sky people, and that had to have come about somehow. Seeing a look-alike mark nearby such advanced technology tells me that that relationship may just be featured in Skyward Sword. The question is: how will the Sheikah relate to the Oocca?
It really depends how far the Oocca’s role as the “ancestors of the Hylians” has progressed by Skyward Sword. Do Skyloft’s Hylian-like people descend in some way from a post-Oocca culture, or is their civilization still waiting to be fashioned in the world below? Whether or not the Temple of Time already exists by Skyward Sword‘s time or the Oocca themselves already live somewhere above the clouds should both be good indicators.
If the Oocca have already vacated the surface world, I get the impression that the Sheikah may be stewards left behind to safeguard the temples and relics that remain there. The stone that activates the minecart track would work well with this idea – the Sheikah may have placed it there to keep the ruins dormant and safe from evil forces. I should think that because the Hylian people live in Skyloft, the period of time when the royal family kept in contact with the Oocca would not have passed yet, so the Sheikah should still remain.
It’s also possible that the Oocca haven’t completed their work in Hyrule yet – and this is especially likely if the Temple of Time doesn’t exist yet, since they are credited with its creation. In that case, might we see the groundwork for the “messenger to the heavens” sideplot take shape? Could the Oocca and Sheikah be working together to protect Skyloft in order to prepare for the inevitable creation of the Master Sword, the final seals on the Triforce and the Sacred Realm, and the triumphant establishment of the Hyrule Kingdom? If the Oocca really did play a guiding hand in all of this, that certainly explains why the Sheikah hang onto their calling card so tightly for so many generations.
What about the symbol itself? While the general shape is largely the same, as I’ve already described, there are some differences. It’s more angular, has some embellishments around the upper lashes, and the famous teardrop… well, it doesn’t really look much like a teardrop. Could this be intentional?
Of course, the teardrop has never been officially acknowledged in any of the games like it was in the Ocarina of Time manga, so it’s hard to say what this means, but I like to think that it might suggest that whatever tragedy led to the addition of the teardrop hasn’t happened yet. So what does the symbol represent, then? The answer, I think, is obvious:
A long time ago… There was a man in this very village who had an eye they said could see the truth! Now usually, you have to train your mind’s eye most strenuously to actually see the truth… But this fella, no, they say he had a different way of doing things…
– Old Man in Kakariko Village, Ocarina of Time
The symbol signifies Truth. More specifically, the Lens of Truth. I don’t think the item itself will necessarily feature in Skyward Sword (although what better time to bring it back?), but I think the shape of the symbol might well have been inspired by the object itself and its truth-seeking nature. Other relics bearing the symbol such as the Mask of Truth, Gossip Stones, and more recently the Sheikah Stones also conform to this common theme.
What’s more, look at the Lens itself. What shape do you see in the center of the glass? A diamond – one of the most commonly-spotted shapes in Skyward Sword. Another major difference between the Sheikah symbol spotted in the trailer and the ones from previous games is that the eye’s pupil is – oh look, a diamond. There’s got to be something to that.
But that relationship opens up yet more possibilities, since diamonds are most closely associated with Phi and Ghirahim. In a recent interview, Bill Trinen suggested that the two might have some connection, but does this mean anything for the Sheikah? And could the Sheikah perhaps be aligned with Ghirahim, not the good guys? I’ll save that particular discussion when I go more in-depth about Ghirahim in a later article, but it’s definitely something to chew on.
So how does the symbol evolve from the diamond-shaped one we see in Skyward Sword to the teardrop emblem from Ocarina of Time? I think we’ve kind of answered that one already, haven’t we?
I heard that tribe dwindled in the prolonged wars…
The Sheikah eventually all but died out. Whether this is a consequence of the events of Skyward Sword or a later event isn’t known, but the near-extermination of their clan would certainly explain how their tribal crest became a symbol of mourning.
That’s a lot to potentially go by. I’m sure the real story Nintendo has cooking is a lot juicier than anything I could come up with, especially when it comes down to the finer details, but if I had to hedge my bets, this would be my speculation:
The Sheikah and Oocca work together to protect Skyloft in order to keep the Hylian people as well as the Triforce safe from evil hands. Because of the Sheikah’s close ties to the mysteries and secrets behind how the two worlds became separated, they gain a strong affinity with Truth and Shadow. The Sheikah will have some connection to the power to “see the truth,” which may have something to do with recognizing and confronting evil illusions or their knowledge of the hidden protections on the sky world (or both). These roles eventually result in the creation of the Lens of Truth, Gossip Stones, et cetera that we see in Ocarina of Time (though I doubt the game will show this directly). When the Hylians up in Skyloft return to the surface world to establish the kingdom of Hyrule that we know, the surviving Sheikah pledge fealty to the royal family.
Yeah, I’ll admit this is somewhat generic, but it’s pretty much all I can narrow down as somewhat likely. Of course, I’d love for Nintendo to include the Sheikah in a more unexpected way… But in any case this is how I think the Sheikah could tie into Skyward Sword. Aonuma has promised that there’ll be all kinds of elements familiar to players who enjoyed Ocarina of Time 3D, so there’s definitely a lot of potential for some great, nostalgic throwbacks to the most popular Zelda adventure ever. It seems like they’ll include the Sheikah, but we’ll only know come launch day.
The Skyward Sword Speculation Series is a column that focuses on speculated possibilities for Skyward Sword‘s gameplay and storyline. The idea came from a general speculation article we published in the wake of E3 2010, and I’m bringing it back in the wake of E3 and Comic Con 2011! While I try to make my guesses based on confirmed or suggested facts, bear in mind that they are still just that – guesses – and may or may not prove to be true, or even at all accurate. I’ll be dealing with all kinds of other possibilities in future articles, so stay tuned for upcoming installments!
