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Forest Temple and the Happy Mask Salesman

Castle

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Who - or what - is the Happy Mask Salesman?

It is one of the Zelda series' most prolific mysteries.

First appearing as just another run of the mill shopkeeper in Hyrule's Castle Town Market, the Happy Mask Salesman is revealed in Majora's Mask to be a world traveling purveyor of ancient magical relics and the only known individual other than Skull Kid to know of the link between Hyrule and Termina in the Lost Woods and he possesses the means to cross that interdimensional border between the two worlds freely. Fancy that! A humble shopkeeper!

He possesses extensive knowledge of Termina given his acquisition of Majora's Mask via unknown means and an understanding of its nature and origin. So it would stand to reason that he has spent a great deal of time in Termina to be so well acquainted with its lands and history and culture.

He also apparently possesses magical powers and there is even some evidence to suggest that he may be omniscient, given that Termina's three day time loop doesn't seem to affect him.

He is also prone to sudden and physically aggressive mood swings that stand in stark contrast to his usually calm placid demeanor, which is none-the-less creepy and unsettling.

Is this guy even human?

There could be a link between the Salesman and one of Ocarina of Time's most enigmatic locals. The haunted ruins of the Lost Wood's Forest Temple.

Just what is this place? A haunted old manor built deep within a perilous wood that warps space time so hard that it hides an interdimensional portal to a parallel world and most creatures other than supernatural monsters can't navigate it without getting hopelessly lost and turning into something horrible. Who in Hyrule would build a castle in an impossible place? Who in Hyrule even could build a castle anywhere at all given that by any indication only the Royal Family of Hyrule appears to be wealthy enough to build a castle on such a scale. The other races certainly didn't build it.

But the place was clearly inhabited at one point and there is strong indication to suggest that it was a home of some sort given the furnishings, decor and the nature of the grounds. During the events of Ocarina of Time, however, the place is in ruins and haunted - principally by uniquely named sister poes who in all likelihood were once residents of the estate.

But what does the forest temple have to do with the Happy Mask Salesman? Well, it could be that he was a former resident of the manor. The Salesman is the only known figure not from the forest who is capable of navigating the Lost Woods. So that would make him the only known person other than Saria and eventually Link who is capable of finding the Forest Temple. Furthermore, the interdimensional border between Hyrule and Termina is also in the Lost Woods. This demonstrates that HMS doesn't just have the ability to navigate the Woods safely but also possesses a familiarity with its environs.

The origins of the Forest Temple remain unknown as do whatever circumstances lead to its ruined and haunted state. But if there's weird unexplainable stuff going on in Hyrule, it's easy to blame the Sheikah - the Royal Family of Hyrule's mystic ninja servants and secret enforcers. The Sheikah are responsible for the communications network of magical Sheikah Stones scattered across Hyrule and are known for their research into magical melodies (the Sun's Song) and their use of magical artifacts like the Lens of Truth.

The Sheikah are also associated with one other of Hyrule's temples: the Shadow Temple, which is commonly believed to have been a clandestine torture and murder dungeon operated by the Sheikah in service to the Royal Family. Could the Forest Temple have served a similar purpose? Could the Forest Temple have been a Sheikah fortress? Perhaps it was the secret headquarters of the Sheikah? It would have served such a purpose well, given the nature of the Lost Woods to confound travelers and turn them into undead stalfos. The Forest Temple would have been well hidden. And if the Sheikah possessed a means by which to safely navigate the Woods like the Lens of Truth is capable of navigating the Haunted Wasteland, it would have been the perfect hideout for this secret caste of shadow ninjas.

The Happy Mask Salesman could be a Sheikah. Like the Sheikah, the Salesman has a knowledge of and predisposition towards magical artifacts. Indeed, hunting them is a personal past time of his at the very least perhaps even his life's work. He appears to possess innate magical abilities as Sheikah are known for. He can even teach songs for the Ocarina, an ability he shares with known Sheikah Impa which she presumably passes on to trained Sheikah "Sheik" and also exhibited by Sheikah brothers Sharp and Flat (who are also, incidentally, uniquely named Poes, we'll get to that later...) Few other figures are capable of knowing or directly teaching songs for the Ocarina of Time, a magical heirloom of the Royal Family of whom the Sheikah are associated but whom the Salesman has no apparent connection to. And if the Sheikah are capable of navigating the Lost Woods, then this is another ability the Salesman has in common with them.

Furthermore, in the spirit of a clandestine ninja, the HMS first appears as a nondescript shopkeeper living and working amidst the general Hylian population of Castle Town, but yet no one seems to be aware of his unique abilities and extraordinary ventures. He hides his true nature in plain sight... like some sort of ninja or something!

My theory is that the Forest Temple is another Sheikah facility and the Happy Mask Salesman is a Sheikah who was a former resident or occupant of the manor or who was associated with it enough to have spent some time there. At some point possibly during the Hylian Civil War, something happened to cause the manor to become abandoned and haunted. It is possible that some sort of magical ritual went awry or the manor was somehow infiltrated or attacked and the Sheikah abandoned it. I suspect that the Poe sisters who haunt the Forest Temple and who confront Link during his time there were Sheikah in life who died when the castle fell or who were otherwise left behind when it was abandoned. The only other named poe ghosts in the game are Sheikah brothers Sharp and Flat, all of whom demonstrate a degree of sentience that other generic poe ghosts show no indication of which may be due to their Sheikah heritage.

It could also be that the HMS has no affiliation with the Sheikah, but that he was a prior inhabitant or resident of the manor. Perhaps a family of powerful magicians. Given the evidence of demon activity in the Forest Temple to account for the haunting, it could be that the manor fell to demons, perhaps as a result of a tragic event or the Lost Wood's influence on the place, and somehow whoever the HMS was at the time became influenced by or possessed by demons which would account for his supernatural abilities. Such an event would have taken the lives of the Poe Sisters, leaving him (or whatever's left of him) as the sole survivor. Demonic possession would also explain the HMS's creepy demeanor and sudden fits of rage.
 
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Spiritual Mask Salesman

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I've always hesitated to say he is demon possessed because he doesn't seem overly powerful. But then I thought about it and it occured to me that there could be different leveled demons. The Happy Mask Salesman may not be possessed by a cheif demon or anything, assuming he is even possessed at all. Maybe he is a demon but is taking on the appearence of a Hylian?

I was also just thinking, why does he want to spread happiness? Perhaps he feeds off the death of happy people? A stretch, I know.

I always at the very least thought of him as a magic weilder. Possibly a timelord of sorts. But atleast for sure the former.
 

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I was also just thinking, why does he want to spread happiness?
Maybe he actually does want to spread happiness? Even as a demon, maybe a demon wants to spread happiness? Or maybe its idea of happiness is a sick joke played on people? That could even explain why he wants Majora's Mask; to spread the same terror and calamity Skull Kid did.

Or maybe trading masks is just a job for him and Happy Mask Salesman is just a catchy moniker to draw in the customers? His commercial trade is likely a cover for his realm trotting magical artifact recovery exploits.
 

Jirohnagi

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I don't really see the Forest Temple as having a connection to the mask salesman, the place was inhabited, most likely by the poe sisters, or possibly the royal family in times gone past.

I'd assume the reason that Termina's Time doesn't affect him is for 2 reasons:
1)Time doesn't exist for some reason within the Clock Tower (unlikely, but given the start of the game who knows)
2) the reversal of time seems to affect only the locality, hence why link wasn't affected he wasn't a part of termina and neithers the maskman.

I'd say yes he did find his way to termina via the Lost Woods but not through any magical skills, he states he searched for a long time to find Majora's Mask and that shows he was willing to go to any lengths or times to get it. The Lost Woods seems to have many exits and entraces that go to many places and in all honesty i feel like it's not so much as luck finding yer way to another world but more luck that you stay within your own world.
 

Dizzi

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I dont think theres any connection between hms and forest temple, i mean it could be the poe sistas did a bad spell that killed them...
 

Jirohnagi

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I dont think theres any connection between hms and forest temple, i mean it could be the poe sistas did a bad spell that killed them...

Judging by the fact we don't see any other poe in the game (possibly the series) that are not only named but have the portrait skill i'd say it was once their mansion and after death haunted it instead, possibly they were minor royalty in hyrule, though chances are the portraiture manipulation was only done after Phantom ganon took up residence, though it's curious to note that only Meg doesn't have a portrait in the mansion but can instead split herself (are all the poe sisters in fact just one sister split into 4)


Overall the Forest temple just feels like it's an abandoned home in a glade that's been reclaimed by the forest, the atmosphere isn't really creepy but it is haunting, i at least don't get the feeling of evil in the place nor of magic, those feelings only become apprant in the basement where you fight phantom ganon or when you deal directly with the poe sisters.

The Mask Salesman however is genuinely creepy in the way that he seems to be able to slip between the cracks of reality and enter different dimensions, theres nothing to really tie him too bar happy mask shop in hyrule and you kinda get the feeling that was partly ruse to search the land and partly a desire to spread his idea of "happiness" though we do have to remember one of the masks recipents actually ended up finding their way to Termina and stealing Majora's Mask and the carrier found their way there and destroyed the darkness within. Maybe Maskman is evil and was manipulating events in such a way that he could get Majora's Mask for himself, he does seem saddened that it's power is gone, so he probably had plans of his own for it. Or maybe he just wanted to set up a curiosity shop with it as the headliner.
 

Spiritual Mask Salesman

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Overall the Forest temple just feels like it's an abandoned home in a glade that's been reclaimed by the forest, the atmosphere isn't really creepy but it is haunting, i at least don't get the feeling of evil in the place nor of magic, those feelings only become apprant in the basement where you fight phantom ganon or when you deal directly with the poe sisters.
Speaking of the basement, it has like ritualistic place of summoning sort of vibe going on. But perhaps this was Ganondorf's doing?

latest
 

Jirohnagi

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Speaking of the basement, it has like ritualistic place of summoning sort of vibe going on. But perhaps this was Ganondorf's doing?

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True, but at the same time it also feels like it could've once been an actual art gallery, the barricades around the edges reminds me of the way they set it up so people don't touch art pieces and having a raised platform in the center would theoretically give you an excellent view of the art pieces on display.

I do feel like maybe the Poe Sisters were in life Artists, with meg possibly being the most artistic out of them all (or possibly the most schizophrenic) The entire mansion in a way feels like it's set up for Art, you've got the two sisters Joelle and Beth, who are directly opposite each other and so you could say they worked on projects together possibly the gardens (they look like they were once well tended, in their own way) or you could argue that they were fighters afterall it's claimed swordplay is an artform. You got Amy who loves puzzles and the house has many little puzzles leading to her and then you have the large gallery below which if i'll be honest reeks of Meg, the illutionist, the magician, possibly the one who killed them all, you can only see the real meg out of the corner of the camera and so it is with Phantom Ganon, i think that possibly the portraits existed before and were made by at least meg and over time they became.......inhabited by a creature that was later give form by ganondorf. Possibly that room was used as a summoning ring but i also think it more likely it was an art gallery and that over the years Amy modified some corridors and Beth n Joelle modfiied some rooms and i think Meg was in the basement making her "art" and possibly making more than art at the same time. After al, all it takes is belief to form something....anything
 

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Skyward_Sword_Demon_Tribe_(Prologue_Cutscene) 2.png

I don't think the happy mask salesman has anything to do with the Forest Temple in particular, I would expect he is just a very old demon. The guy is creepy and I doubt he wants to spread happiness at all, more likely that he wants to cause trouble. In the Manga of MM, which is non canon but still was allowed to be released the Mask Salesman is not concerned about Termina at all and even expresses excitement about its impending doom. Yes as I have said it is non canon, but Nintendo still allowed its release and therefore could not have been too unhappy at the way he was portrayed, if it was so out of character they would have gotten it changed. I am unsure what his ultimate agenda is but it is likely evil, and it is a possibility that many of the old demons that followed Demise in the beginning could still be living in Hyrule and causing problems, or perhaps some like Batreaux simply wanted to live a peaceful life
Skyward_Sword_Demon_Tribe_(Prologue_Cutscene).png
I believe the opening of SS shows the happy mask salesman as a follower of Demise, The creepy grin is unmistakable, the same hairstyle is there along with the outline of his collar and even the same jacket when you show it in colour. Then we have Demise in the middle who appears as he does in the SS manga, those horns are actually his helmet. We can clearly see Ghirahim on the far left and what looks to be the fishing man from OOT as the first demon on the left. It is likely he was one of those who like Batreaux wanted to become human and perhaps even succeeded and opened a fishing hole! Though it is also possible he is evil deep down and wants to cause mayhem once again and return as the main villain of a future Zelda game. There are as of now three unidentifiable demons who we have yet to see or were simply killed off during the first war against Hylia.
 

Spiritual Mask Salesman

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View attachment 39213

I don't think the happy mask salesman has anything to do with the Forest Temple in particular, I would expect he is just a very old demon. The guy is creepy and I doubt he wants to spread happiness at all, more likely that he wants to cause trouble. In the Manga of MM, which is non canon but still was allowed to be released the Mask Salesman is not concerned about Termina at all and even expresses excitement about its impending doom. Yes as I have said it is non canon, but Nintendo still allowed its release and therefore could not have been too unhappy at the way he was portrayed, if it was so out of character they would have gotten it changed. I am unsure what his ultimate agenda is but it is likely evil, and it is a possibility that many of the old demons that followed Demise in the beginning could still be living in Hyrule and causing problems, or perhaps some like Batreaux simply wanted to live a peaceful life
View attachment 39214
I believe the opening of SS shows the happy mask salesman as a follower of Demise, The creepy grin is unmistakable, the same hairstyle is there along with the outline of his collar and even the same jacket when you show it in colour. Then we have Demise in the middle who appears as he does in the SS manga, those horns are actually his helmet. We can clearly see Ghirahim on the far left and what looks to be the fishing man from OOT as the first demon on the left. It is likely he was one of those who like Batreaux wanted to become human and perhaps even succeeded and opened a fishing hole! Though it is also possible he is evil deep down and wants to cause mayhem once again and return as the main villain of a future Zelda game. There are as of now three unidentifiable demons who we have yet to see or were simply killed off during the first war against Hylia.
I have a hard time believing that theory about the HMS being a part of Demise's army. Also, first time I saw the Fishermen from OoT thrown in, and in my opinion that makes no sense.
 

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