- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
- Location
- Clock Town
“Extraordinary. You stand as a paragon of your kind, human. You fight like no man or demon I have ever known. Though this is not the end. My hate...never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end! I will rise again! Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!”
These are the Demon King Demise’s final words as spoken at the conclusion of Skyward Sword. Many have taken these words and applied a very literal, closed-interpretation of them. Many automatically assume that Demise is referring to Ganon, and many others have also interpreted Demise’s final words as completely literal: that not only is he talking about Ganon but that Ganon is literally a physical manifestation of Demise’s hatred.
Now, these are perfectly legitimate interpretations, but that is what they are: interpretations. I’ve heard many talk about Demise and Ganon as if Demise had said something like: “Let me tell you about this guy named Ganondorf…” Ganon was never mentioned once, nor are Demise’s words at all concrete or set in stone. The beauty of this ending is that, like so much else in The Legend of Zelda, Demise’s last words are completely open to interpretation. Here are a few interpretations one can take from these words:
1.) Ganon is a physical manifestation of Demise’s literal hatred.
2.) Ganon is the reincarnation of Demise.
3.) Demise’s hatred (or Demise himself, literally or spiritually) shall live on throughout the ages, manifesting in multiple incarnations. This implies every major villain in the Zelda series, from Vaati to Bellum, that haunt Link and Zelda. Perhaps Ganondorf is the strongest incarnation of Demise, and this might explain why Ganondorf bears physical similarities to Demise and is the most prominent of the Zelda villains post-Demise.
4.) Demise’s hatred and lust for power shall live on in future ages through other individuals, such as Ganon. This does not mean there is a literal connection between Demise and Ganon, just that they share similar forms of malice and a lust for the Triforce.
Personally, I believe Demise was speaking in metaphor, and interpret his words as something of a combination between options 3 and 4 above. I realize that Aonuma said prior to Skyward Sword’s release that the game would touch on “why Ganon showed up” in Ocarina of Time, and many have taken this as solid proof that Demise is referring to Ganon alone at the end. However, even if Demise was talking about every villain in the series, Aonuma’s quote would still hold true. The game would have touched on why Ganon showed up…as well as why all the other villains showed up.
I see Demise as the ultimate evil in the Zelda series, basically “the devil” of the Zelda universe if you want to look at it that way. He is the source of all evil and, Fi claims, all monsters, and the original evil in the legend. His hatred and malice gave birth to all the other evil in the Zelda universe. This is how I see it.
But as I said, Demise’s words are not set in stone. They are very malleable and very much open to interpretation, which is what I love about them. I wrote this because I’m tired of reading about Demise’s last words as 100% unarguably referring to Ganondorf being a manifestation of Demise’s hatred, and that is absolutely what Demise was implying. This is simply not the case. Also, Demise mentioned a “curse” and this could mean that he personally curses Link and Zelda OR that this curse already existed, and Demise is merely informing Link of it. This “curse” is thus also open to interpretation.
What is your personal interpretation of Demise’s final words?
These are the Demon King Demise’s final words as spoken at the conclusion of Skyward Sword. Many have taken these words and applied a very literal, closed-interpretation of them. Many automatically assume that Demise is referring to Ganon, and many others have also interpreted Demise’s final words as completely literal: that not only is he talking about Ganon but that Ganon is literally a physical manifestation of Demise’s hatred.
Now, these are perfectly legitimate interpretations, but that is what they are: interpretations. I’ve heard many talk about Demise and Ganon as if Demise had said something like: “Let me tell you about this guy named Ganondorf…” Ganon was never mentioned once, nor are Demise’s words at all concrete or set in stone. The beauty of this ending is that, like so much else in The Legend of Zelda, Demise’s last words are completely open to interpretation. Here are a few interpretations one can take from these words:
1.) Ganon is a physical manifestation of Demise’s literal hatred.
2.) Ganon is the reincarnation of Demise.
3.) Demise’s hatred (or Demise himself, literally or spiritually) shall live on throughout the ages, manifesting in multiple incarnations. This implies every major villain in the Zelda series, from Vaati to Bellum, that haunt Link and Zelda. Perhaps Ganondorf is the strongest incarnation of Demise, and this might explain why Ganondorf bears physical similarities to Demise and is the most prominent of the Zelda villains post-Demise.
4.) Demise’s hatred and lust for power shall live on in future ages through other individuals, such as Ganon. This does not mean there is a literal connection between Demise and Ganon, just that they share similar forms of malice and a lust for the Triforce.
Personally, I believe Demise was speaking in metaphor, and interpret his words as something of a combination between options 3 and 4 above. I realize that Aonuma said prior to Skyward Sword’s release that the game would touch on “why Ganon showed up” in Ocarina of Time, and many have taken this as solid proof that Demise is referring to Ganon alone at the end. However, even if Demise was talking about every villain in the series, Aonuma’s quote would still hold true. The game would have touched on why Ganon showed up…as well as why all the other villains showed up.
I see Demise as the ultimate evil in the Zelda series, basically “the devil” of the Zelda universe if you want to look at it that way. He is the source of all evil and, Fi claims, all monsters, and the original evil in the legend. His hatred and malice gave birth to all the other evil in the Zelda universe. This is how I see it.
But as I said, Demise’s words are not set in stone. They are very malleable and very much open to interpretation, which is what I love about them. I wrote this because I’m tired of reading about Demise’s last words as 100% unarguably referring to Ganondorf being a manifestation of Demise’s hatred, and that is absolutely what Demise was implying. This is simply not the case. Also, Demise mentioned a “curse” and this could mean that he personally curses Link and Zelda OR that this curse already existed, and Demise is merely informing Link of it. This “curse” is thus also open to interpretation.
What is your personal interpretation of Demise’s final words?
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