Majora's Cat
How about that
I’d like to discuss today a very important matter that all Zelda theorists should take into consideration: the locations of Ocarina of Time in Wind Waker’s drowned Hyrule. We all know of the story. To prevent the evil Ganon from wreaking havoc across all the land, the goddesses flooded the world of Hyrule in hopes of also extinguishing Ganon. Thus, the seeds of the future were scattered. We know there were many changes in the new world of Hyrule. For one, familiar locations from Ocarina of Time were noticeably missing from Wind Waker. But who ever said that such locations as Death Mountain and Kokiri Forest didn’t exist somewhere on the vast sea? Therefore, many fans of the series made their own conclusions on which islands from Wind Waker were reminiscent of those from OoT. Of the 49 islands, some are suspiciously similar (geographically and in other ways) to those of the N64 classic. I’ve done a fair amount of researching on the subject and have come to my own conclusions about the locations of OoT landmarks in the Great Sea. So without further ado, here are my thoughts.
Kokiri Forest = Forest Haven
This is pretty simple. Kokiri Forest and the Forest Haven have similarities galore. First off, both are forests and both have the Great Deku Tree planted somewhere. A tree of such magnitude (and rooted to the ground quite strongly) should not be able to move, even after hundreds of years, meaning the Great Deku Tree from WW and the one from OoT should be in the same relative spot. That being said, both the Kokiri Forest and the Forest Haven are also in the same general location. As you can see in the maps above, the Forest Haven is placed in the southeast (the same general location in which the Kokiri Forest is). To further strengthen my argument that the two forests are actually the same, the Koroks from Wind Waker have distinct characteristics that reminds us of the Kokiri. It’s been pointed out before that the Koroks are descendants of the Kokiri just as the Rito are descendants of the Zoras and also as the strange traveling merchants are descendants of the Gorons.
Onto my next point, the music in the Forest Haven should sound rather familiar to longtime fans of the Zelda franchise. The Kokiri Forest theme is remixed and squeezed into the Forest Haven theme. While some may not hear it, it’s clearly a reference back to Ocarina of Time - just more hard evidence that the Kokiri Forest and Forest Haven are two sides of the same coin. Another aspect I’ve yet to touch on is the dungeons Link must conquer in each location. Forest Temple is the main dungeon for the Kokiri Forest while the Forbidden Woods is the main dungeon for Wind Waker. There is, however, a small crevice in the seemingly perfect theory that “Kokiri Forest = Forest Haven“, and the one question arises: are the Lost Woods from OoT the Forbidden Woods from WW or is the Forest Temple equivalent to the Forbidden Woods? Well, it’s been made clear that the Lost Woods stretch all around Hyrule, far and wide (in OoT). The Forbidden Woods is merely a dungeon and may share little to no relation to the Lost Woods whatsoever. Perhaps another location within the Forest Haven is the Lost Woods? There is also the argument that the Forest Temple could possibly be the Forbidden Woods. Again, we cannot determine where exactly the Forest Temple is located because it lays somewhere in the Lost Woods, therefore its location is unidentifiable. My best bet, though, would have to be that the Lost Woods are the Forbidden Woods. Although I, too, am unsure of what the Forbidden Woods really is.
While the two don’t have striking similarities on the outside, nearly all the signs point to the two being one and the same.
Death Mountain = Dragon Roost Island
It’s become increasingly apparent to me that Death Mountain must be Dragon Roost. Why? Well, to start off, both are large mountains and only a landmark as gargantuan as Death Mountain could protrude from the Great Sea hundreds of years later. Although Dragon Roost’s size and height seem just a tad bit more than how tall Death Mountain was, there’s still not a doubt in my mind that the home of the Ritos was once the home of the Gorons. But why don’t the Gorons reside at Dragon Roost? Well, my only explanation for why the Ritos (descendants of the Zora) are now taking up residence at the mountain is because the Gorons were forcibly moved out of their habitat some hundred years after OoT took place (possibly because of the flood). Remember, the Gorons can hardly survive underwater (disproved in Twilight Princess, but that’s in a different timeline) and thus, the Great Sea surrounding Death Mountain (or any area for that matter) would become an appropriate living space for the Zoras. As time flowed by, the Zoras eventually became the Ritos and the rest is history. Now that the existence of the Ritos on Dragon Roost Island is cleared up (and also the existence of the traveling Goron merchants), I can move on to some similarities between the two. Both are active volcanoes and as stated before, very tall. Although there are also several other tall peaks throughout the Great Sea, only one is volcanic and plays a major role in the game: Dragon Roost Island.
Now I’d like to move on to the dungeons that exist in both Death Mountain and Dragon Roost Island. In Ocarina of Time, Link had to put his act together to survive both the Dodongo’s Cavern as well as the Fire Temple. On Dragon Roost Island, Link comes face-to-face with his first dungeon in the game: Dragon Roost Cavern. Not surprisingly, Dragon Roost Cavern has striking similarities to both Dodongo’s Cavern and the Fire Temple. That being said, the dungeon from WW could really translate to either one of them. There’s also the location of the two; just another reason that further proves that the two are alike. In OoT’s Hyrule, Goron City and Death Mountain were located at the top right. That doesn’t change at all in Wind Waker, and the sameness in location really holds the glue fast and strengthens the bond between the two. I’ve come to the conclusion that Death Mountain and Goron City from Ocarina of Time are indeed Dragon Roost Island.
Unlike the “Kokiri Forest = Forest Haven” match, Death Mountain and Dragon Roost Island share many similarities and look very much alike.
Gerudo Fortress = Forsaken Fortress
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much resemblance between Gerudo Fortress and the Forsaken Fortress. Gerudo Fortress is made a dry stone, somewhat like mud or sand. These stones are neatly stacked one atop the other in a fashion that creates a blocky kind of structure. More like a compilation of rectangles and squares, really. But the Forsaken Fortress looks entirely different - tall and sleek with an unorthodox design. It seems to be made of an entirely different stone, and the Forsaken Fortress were to be the Gerudo Fortress, it must’ve made built from bottom-to-top after the flood. So, there aren’t many similarities in the “looks” department. That really doesn’t matter because much can change over the course of hundreds of years. Plus, why else would Ganon choose the Forsaken Fortress to be his hiding place during the events of Wind Waker? Well, for one, if the Forsaken Fortress were built on top of Gerudo Fortress, that would mean something to the old pig, wouldn’t it? After all, Ganon is a Gerudo and must’ve felt entitled to make his hideout on top of the remains of his former home. It seems logical, yes, and the location of Gerudo Fortress and the Forsaken Fortress only verify my suspicions. In Ocarina of Time, Gerudo Fortress was a land far off to the northwest. But in fact, the Forsaken Fortress from Wind Waker actually occupies the very top-left space in the Great Sea. A mere coincidence? Probably not. I’d also like to point out that both are “fortresses” and are similar in their purpose. Both required some stealth action by Link as well. But what about the Pirates’ Fortress from Majora’s Mask? The Pirates’ Fortress looks a great deal more like the Forbidden Fortress, but unfortunately MM is a part of an entirely different timeline, disproving the theory that the Pirates’ Fortress could be the Forsaken Fortress.
With all great triumphs come an obstacle blocking the path. This obstacle (in this particular theory) just happens to be the dungeons. The Spirit Temple served as the final dungeon before Ganon’s Tower in OoT while the Forsaken Fortress remains a dungeon in itself. If the Forsaken Fortress is a dungeon, then where or what is the Spirit Temple in the Great Sea? My hunch is that it was buried under the sea along with the Gerudo Fortress (as both were low to the ground) and replaced with the Forsaken Fortress. Many might think that the Spirit Temple was similar to the Earth Temple in terms of dungeon design and overall atmosphere, or even the slightest bit similar to the Wind Temple. Could it be that either of these two dungeons could be the Spirit Temple? Unfortunately, both of these theories are incorrect. The Desert Colossus from Ocarina of Time was to the left of Gerudo Valley, meaning if the Spirit Temple were to exist, it would have to be off the map. Still, I remain certain that Gerudo Fortress is the Forsaken Fortress because they are too many correspondences to be dismissed.
Again, they do not look alike, but Gerudo Fortress is likely at the ocean’s bottom so it is not visible to the naked eye.
Hyrule Market = Windfall Island
First thought that come to many minds is this: “Isn’t Windfall Island a little bit like Kakariko Village?” That is true, but Kakariko Village was at a low altitude. It could’ve been easily swallowed whole by the flood. That’s why I’ve come to the say that Windfall Island from WW is more closely related to the Hyrule Market. But I wouldn’t say that the Hyrule Market was able to survive the flood - rather, I believe Windfall was built atop the ruins of the old Hyrule Market. As we saw in Wind Waker, the once-great previous kingdom of Hyrule is deep beneath the ocean depths. The Tower of the Gods rests on the surface, but we never exactly knew where Hyrule was buried under the ocean. On the map of OoT, the Market and Hyrule Castle are identified near the top-center of the kingdom - exactly where Windfall Island sits in the Great Sea. The structure of Hyrule Market is made of stones. These stones are assembled in a similar way to Windfall. They do indeed bear striking resemblances, and for that reason I am to believe that they are generally the same place. The core premise of both locations are pretty much identical: to help Link restock for the long journey ahead. Even Windfall’s lighthearted theme sounds somewhat similar to that of the Market. Mere coincidences? So far, it seems that these are not coincidences and that Windfall Island is the future version of the Hyrule Market.
The windmill at Windfall is one of the main reasons gamers tend to believe that Windfall is Kakariko, but the main issue with that is the location and altitude of Kakariko itself.
Lake Hylia = Outset Island
I guess I saved the most questionable for last. There really isn’t much hard proof that Lake Hylia is Outset Island. I determined that the two were the same because of their placement on the maps. Lake Hylia is at the very bottom of Hyrule, inching just the teensiest bit towards the left. Meanwhile, Outset Island is around the same general area and sports similar features to OoT’s Lake Hylia. First off, Lake Hylia is known for its connecting bridges. Those make a reappearance in Outset Island, just slightly altered, though. It’s possible that some parts of Lake Hylia were able to survive after the flood, therefore spawning Outset Island. Also, the rivers flowing into Lake Hylia from Zora’s Domain were most likely flooded as well, explaining the way the island is seemingly divided in half. The upper half could possibly be the unseen forest behind Lake Hylia.
Next on the agenda is the Water Temple. It probably doesn’t have a counterpart on Outset Island, though, because it is at the bottom of the Lake. Therefore, the Water Temple is likely buried beneath the ocean waves. There isn’t much to say about Lake Hylia, though, since there aren’t many geographical landmarks situated there. I‘m somewhat skeptical of my own “Lake Hylia = Outset Island” remark, but it’s the most logical theory I can muster.
As stated before, the two look pretty similar. There are still too many differences to call it a day, though, so I intend to do some further investigating on the matter.
Final Words
So, there you have it. I was previously thinking of making a point about Zora’s Domain and its equivalent in Wind Waker, but there are just not enough possibilities. I’ll leave it at that for now, as these seem to be the most logical matches I could possibly make. Feel free to add any matches you’ve found or any arguments. Discuss.
Edit: There were supposed to be comparison pictures under each category for both OoT and WW, but most of the OoT pictures didn't show up when I saved the thread. Sorry for the inconvenience.
[Wind Waker map of the Great Sea]
[Ocarina of Time map of Hyrule]
Kokiri Forest = Forest Haven
This is pretty simple. Kokiri Forest and the Forest Haven have similarities galore. First off, both are forests and both have the Great Deku Tree planted somewhere. A tree of such magnitude (and rooted to the ground quite strongly) should not be able to move, even after hundreds of years, meaning the Great Deku Tree from WW and the one from OoT should be in the same relative spot. That being said, both the Kokiri Forest and the Forest Haven are also in the same general location. As you can see in the maps above, the Forest Haven is placed in the southeast (the same general location in which the Kokiri Forest is). To further strengthen my argument that the two forests are actually the same, the Koroks from Wind Waker have distinct characteristics that reminds us of the Kokiri. It’s been pointed out before that the Koroks are descendants of the Kokiri just as the Rito are descendants of the Zoras and also as the strange traveling merchants are descendants of the Gorons.
Onto my next point, the music in the Forest Haven should sound rather familiar to longtime fans of the Zelda franchise. The Kokiri Forest theme is remixed and squeezed into the Forest Haven theme. While some may not hear it, it’s clearly a reference back to Ocarina of Time - just more hard evidence that the Kokiri Forest and Forest Haven are two sides of the same coin. Another aspect I’ve yet to touch on is the dungeons Link must conquer in each location. Forest Temple is the main dungeon for the Kokiri Forest while the Forbidden Woods is the main dungeon for Wind Waker. There is, however, a small crevice in the seemingly perfect theory that “Kokiri Forest = Forest Haven“, and the one question arises: are the Lost Woods from OoT the Forbidden Woods from WW or is the Forest Temple equivalent to the Forbidden Woods? Well, it’s been made clear that the Lost Woods stretch all around Hyrule, far and wide (in OoT). The Forbidden Woods is merely a dungeon and may share little to no relation to the Lost Woods whatsoever. Perhaps another location within the Forest Haven is the Lost Woods? There is also the argument that the Forest Temple could possibly be the Forbidden Woods. Again, we cannot determine where exactly the Forest Temple is located because it lays somewhere in the Lost Woods, therefore its location is unidentifiable. My best bet, though, would have to be that the Lost Woods are the Forbidden Woods. Although I, too, am unsure of what the Forbidden Woods really is.
[Kokiri Forest in Ocarina of Time (above) as compared to Forest Haven in Wind Waker (below)]
While the two don’t have striking similarities on the outside, nearly all the signs point to the two being one and the same.
Death Mountain = Dragon Roost Island
It’s become increasingly apparent to me that Death Mountain must be Dragon Roost. Why? Well, to start off, both are large mountains and only a landmark as gargantuan as Death Mountain could protrude from the Great Sea hundreds of years later. Although Dragon Roost’s size and height seem just a tad bit more than how tall Death Mountain was, there’s still not a doubt in my mind that the home of the Ritos was once the home of the Gorons. But why don’t the Gorons reside at Dragon Roost? Well, my only explanation for why the Ritos (descendants of the Zora) are now taking up residence at the mountain is because the Gorons were forcibly moved out of their habitat some hundred years after OoT took place (possibly because of the flood). Remember, the Gorons can hardly survive underwater (disproved in Twilight Princess, but that’s in a different timeline) and thus, the Great Sea surrounding Death Mountain (or any area for that matter) would become an appropriate living space for the Zoras. As time flowed by, the Zoras eventually became the Ritos and the rest is history. Now that the existence of the Ritos on Dragon Roost Island is cleared up (and also the existence of the traveling Goron merchants), I can move on to some similarities between the two. Both are active volcanoes and as stated before, very tall. Although there are also several other tall peaks throughout the Great Sea, only one is volcanic and plays a major role in the game: Dragon Roost Island.
Now I’d like to move on to the dungeons that exist in both Death Mountain and Dragon Roost Island. In Ocarina of Time, Link had to put his act together to survive both the Dodongo’s Cavern as well as the Fire Temple. On Dragon Roost Island, Link comes face-to-face with his first dungeon in the game: Dragon Roost Cavern. Not surprisingly, Dragon Roost Cavern has striking similarities to both Dodongo’s Cavern and the Fire Temple. That being said, the dungeon from WW could really translate to either one of them. There’s also the location of the two; just another reason that further proves that the two are alike. In OoT’s Hyrule, Goron City and Death Mountain were located at the top right. That doesn’t change at all in Wind Waker, and the sameness in location really holds the glue fast and strengthens the bond between the two. I’ve come to the conclusion that Death Mountain and Goron City from Ocarina of Time are indeed Dragon Roost Island.
[Dragon Roost Island in Wind Waker (below)]
Unlike the “Kokiri Forest = Forest Haven” match, Death Mountain and Dragon Roost Island share many similarities and look very much alike.
Gerudo Fortress = Forsaken Fortress
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much resemblance between Gerudo Fortress and the Forsaken Fortress. Gerudo Fortress is made a dry stone, somewhat like mud or sand. These stones are neatly stacked one atop the other in a fashion that creates a blocky kind of structure. More like a compilation of rectangles and squares, really. But the Forsaken Fortress looks entirely different - tall and sleek with an unorthodox design. It seems to be made of an entirely different stone, and the Forsaken Fortress were to be the Gerudo Fortress, it must’ve made built from bottom-to-top after the flood. So, there aren’t many similarities in the “looks” department. That really doesn’t matter because much can change over the course of hundreds of years. Plus, why else would Ganon choose the Forsaken Fortress to be his hiding place during the events of Wind Waker? Well, for one, if the Forsaken Fortress were built on top of Gerudo Fortress, that would mean something to the old pig, wouldn’t it? After all, Ganon is a Gerudo and must’ve felt entitled to make his hideout on top of the remains of his former home. It seems logical, yes, and the location of Gerudo Fortress and the Forsaken Fortress only verify my suspicions. In Ocarina of Time, Gerudo Fortress was a land far off to the northwest. But in fact, the Forsaken Fortress from Wind Waker actually occupies the very top-left space in the Great Sea. A mere coincidence? Probably not. I’d also like to point out that both are “fortresses” and are similar in their purpose. Both required some stealth action by Link as well. But what about the Pirates’ Fortress from Majora’s Mask? The Pirates’ Fortress looks a great deal more like the Forbidden Fortress, but unfortunately MM is a part of an entirely different timeline, disproving the theory that the Pirates’ Fortress could be the Forsaken Fortress.
With all great triumphs come an obstacle blocking the path. This obstacle (in this particular theory) just happens to be the dungeons. The Spirit Temple served as the final dungeon before Ganon’s Tower in OoT while the Forsaken Fortress remains a dungeon in itself. If the Forsaken Fortress is a dungeon, then where or what is the Spirit Temple in the Great Sea? My hunch is that it was buried under the sea along with the Gerudo Fortress (as both were low to the ground) and replaced with the Forsaken Fortress. Many might think that the Spirit Temple was similar to the Earth Temple in terms of dungeon design and overall atmosphere, or even the slightest bit similar to the Wind Temple. Could it be that either of these two dungeons could be the Spirit Temple? Unfortunately, both of these theories are incorrect. The Desert Colossus from Ocarina of Time was to the left of Gerudo Valley, meaning if the Spirit Temple were to exist, it would have to be off the map. Still, I remain certain that Gerudo Fortress is the Forsaken Fortress because they are too many correspondences to be dismissed.
[Gerudo Fortress in Ocarina of Time (above) as compared to Forsaken Fortress in Wind Waker (below)]
Again, they do not look alike, but Gerudo Fortress is likely at the ocean’s bottom so it is not visible to the naked eye.
Hyrule Market = Windfall Island
First thought that come to many minds is this: “Isn’t Windfall Island a little bit like Kakariko Village?” That is true, but Kakariko Village was at a low altitude. It could’ve been easily swallowed whole by the flood. That’s why I’ve come to the say that Windfall Island from WW is more closely related to the Hyrule Market. But I wouldn’t say that the Hyrule Market was able to survive the flood - rather, I believe Windfall was built atop the ruins of the old Hyrule Market. As we saw in Wind Waker, the once-great previous kingdom of Hyrule is deep beneath the ocean depths. The Tower of the Gods rests on the surface, but we never exactly knew where Hyrule was buried under the ocean. On the map of OoT, the Market and Hyrule Castle are identified near the top-center of the kingdom - exactly where Windfall Island sits in the Great Sea. The structure of Hyrule Market is made of stones. These stones are assembled in a similar way to Windfall. They do indeed bear striking resemblances, and for that reason I am to believe that they are generally the same place. The core premise of both locations are pretty much identical: to help Link restock for the long journey ahead. Even Windfall’s lighthearted theme sounds somewhat similar to that of the Market. Mere coincidences? So far, it seems that these are not coincidences and that Windfall Island is the future version of the Hyrule Market.
[Hyrule Market in Ocarina of Time (above) as compared to Windfall Island in Wind Waker (below)]
The windmill at Windfall is one of the main reasons gamers tend to believe that Windfall is Kakariko, but the main issue with that is the location and altitude of Kakariko itself.
Lake Hylia = Outset Island
I guess I saved the most questionable for last. There really isn’t much hard proof that Lake Hylia is Outset Island. I determined that the two were the same because of their placement on the maps. Lake Hylia is at the very bottom of Hyrule, inching just the teensiest bit towards the left. Meanwhile, Outset Island is around the same general area and sports similar features to OoT’s Lake Hylia. First off, Lake Hylia is known for its connecting bridges. Those make a reappearance in Outset Island, just slightly altered, though. It’s possible that some parts of Lake Hylia were able to survive after the flood, therefore spawning Outset Island. Also, the rivers flowing into Lake Hylia from Zora’s Domain were most likely flooded as well, explaining the way the island is seemingly divided in half. The upper half could possibly be the unseen forest behind Lake Hylia.
Next on the agenda is the Water Temple. It probably doesn’t have a counterpart on Outset Island, though, because it is at the bottom of the Lake. Therefore, the Water Temple is likely buried beneath the ocean waves. There isn’t much to say about Lake Hylia, though, since there aren’t many geographical landmarks situated there. I‘m somewhat skeptical of my own “Lake Hylia = Outset Island” remark, but it’s the most logical theory I can muster.
[Outset Island in Wind Waker (below)]
As stated before, the two look pretty similar. There are still too many differences to call it a day, though, so I intend to do some further investigating on the matter.
Final Words
So, there you have it. I was previously thinking of making a point about Zora’s Domain and its equivalent in Wind Waker, but there are just not enough possibilities. I’ll leave it at that for now, as these seem to be the most logical matches I could possibly make. Feel free to add any matches you’ve found or any arguments. Discuss.
Edit: There were supposed to be comparison pictures under each category for both OoT and WW, but most of the OoT pictures didn't show up when I saved the thread. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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