Emphasis on Number 4 in Majora's Mask

[Octo Rocked]

Majora's Mask seems to place a large emphasis on the number four. There are four Giants at the end of four dungeons in the four compass directions. Clock town is divided into four sections. Their are four transformation masks, if you count the Fierce Deity mask. And the events of the game take place over the course of four days.

Considering the impact of the number four in Japanese culture (for those who don't want to read the article (warning, comes from highly addicting website), the Japanese words for "four" and "death" are homophones), do you think this is significant? After all, Termina (from the word "terminate") is a world doomed to end. Do you think this was done purposely, or is it just a coincidence?

 

[rnddim]

Never though about it, but it seems quite a reasonable non-coincidence. I did, however, notice the name Termina (really? couldn't be something like Eluryh?)

 

[zeldusfanaticus]

that is very very insightful. and MM is filled with all other kinds of symbols found throughout the game, so it makes sense that this is another important one

 

[Master Kokiri 9]

I never noticed that... dang am I slow. I wouldn't have known about four and death in Japanese becuase I don't know it. But Termina and Terminate... WHY DIDN'T I NOTICE IT?! Yeah and not to mention there are four bow arrow items.

 

[Rensch]

Since there are four directions to go, it's pretty logical to have four giants and temples.

 

[(◕‿◕✿)]

I noticed this. I think it sort of makes sense, seeing as there are four main points on a compass rose, and the games seems to revolve around four distinct directions, so the four giants, etc. make sense. The emphasis on 'four' in other places (in Clock Town, certain parts of the ground and walls have four-sided designs, etc.) might be due to the aforementioned four-directional layout of the world.

On a side note, I think Termina is more closely related to the word Terminus, than Terminate. Terminus meaning a ending or bounding point.

 

[ironknuckle1]

wow thats awesome i never noticed any of that. good catch. and yes they probably did that on purpose

 

[Coriolis Effect]

This is neat. I have always been trying to unlock some of the "mysteries" of MM....It could be both of them...who knows? (except the artists that made it)

 

[rnddim]

There are a lot of two or three letter suffixes for Termina. Let's go to dictionary.com...type termina*... and here:
terminable, terminal, terminate, termination, terminator, terminatory, etc.

 

[ironknuckle1]

There are a lot of two or three letter suffixes for Termina. Let's go to dictionary.com...type termina*... and here:
terminable, terminal, terminate, termination, terminator, terminatory, etc.

in other words termina stands for ending, destroying, so i guess the person who started this is technically still right

 

[Shadsie]

GREAT observation! I'm not sure I ever thought of the old "4 means death" in Japanese thing for the game before, but it honestly makes absolute perfect sense. I think you hit the nail on the head. It could also be because four is just a harmonious number, like four seasons, easy to divide... but it is "one off from three," too. (three =Triforce) Think about that.

Gah, I had this book somewhere... My father used to collect the Time/Life Mysteries of the Unknown series and he gave it to me because I was faciniated by reading the books. There's one in there that deals with Numerology and the works and followers of Pythagoras (If you've taken a math/geometry class, you know who he is. For the rest of you, "the triangle theory guy." Also a philosopher). All my Time/Life books are currently in a storage locker (in the process of moving...somehwere, for those who haven't yet seen me whine). Anyway, I remember reading about his theory of numbers being that which unlocks the secrets of the universe and numbers being almost like gods to him - (I'm recalliing this off the top of my head from one of the books I've read, so forgive me if I'm wrong if you've read different). There was stuff like how 1 was the perfect number, 2 was evil because it represented division and disharmony, 3 was the almost-perfect number below 1, I think that 4 represented further disharmony - though it might have represented something harmonious becuase it's connected to the seasons... Now I wish this book wasn't in storage.

As for Termina... I always felt that was obvious. It's an English name, sure... I always equted it to "Terminal" (add an "l" to Termina and you get Terminal). And - that is, in the sense of "will die." A terminal is also the place you go to in a bus station or airport that is the hub of pick up/drop off, the end nub of the building, but I think "Termina" being "Terminal" here is more like... a person getting a diagnosis from a doctor that their disease is terminal - which means that, barring some miracle, they are doomed to die. In the case of Termina. it is a terminal *world* - a world doomed to die barring some miracle. That miracle just happens to come along with a blue ocarina and a green tunic.

 

[Skull_Kid]

The whole 4 thing is clearly because there are for main directional points.
The name Termina clealry comes from the fact that the location is in it's Terminal state, or, because it's gonna be terminated

 

[Aki Graham]

None of it is coincidental. Four regions, leading to 4 transformation masks (I'd say the Giants Mask)leading to 4 sections of clock town, leading to 4 dungeons, leading to 4 giants. I repeat, nothing is coincidental.

 

[NULL]

Considering the town is at the centre, it's gonna have 4 points, to the rest is pretty obvious. The only thing i found odd was the part where you said "4 days" There's only 3.

 

[ironknuckle1]

Considering the town is at the centre, it's gonna have 4 points, to the rest is pretty obvious. The only thing i found odd was the part where you said "4 days" There's only 3.

its four if you count the ending day after the moon is kept from hitting Termina.

and i just thought about this but it doesnt apply as much but in MC their are 4 dungeons, with four elements to make the four sword.
but i dont think the same applies with it as it does with MM