Purpose of the Green Hand?

[Pimpweasel]

Ok so I've been thinking, and idk if this has been said before, but what if the hand is being used as some sort of stasis on ganondorf so that the cycle never continues for him? And all calamity ganon(s) is just the malice we see pouring out of ganondorf, just built up over a long amount time?

It would make sense if a long time ago they figured out that a cycle existed, or if they had just invented (or found) the technology and had known for a while. They could just lock him up under Hyrule Castle and just like that, no more ganon. Of course, that's not what happened, but to them it would sound good.

 

[Spirit]

Ok so I've been thinking, and idk if this has been said before, but what if the hand is being used as some sort of stasis on ganondorf so that the cycle never continues for him? And all calamity ganon(s) is just the malice we see pouring out of ganondorf, just built up over a long amount time?

It would make sense if a long time ago they figured out that a cycle existed, or if they had just invented (or found) the technology and had known for a while. They could just lock him up under Hyrule Castle and just like that, no more ganon. Of course, that's not what happened, but to them it would sound good.

I'm thinking the green hand is a Zonai hand or at least a spell and that the Blights and Calamity Ganon were more like Phantom Ganon that Ganondorf could still control or at least create while being held by the hand.

Some people have translated the glyphs coming from the hand and it supposedly says 'Ganon Seal'.

I think Ganondorf being there and the Zonai disappearing are linked. I think Ganondorf tried to take the Zonai out and they took him down with them or something similar.

EDIT
Trying to stop the cycle would be a smart move, the Zonai seemed to have knowledge of the Triforce and other divine designs. If that is the same Ganon as the one that attacked in the 10,000 year back story then he'll have been down there for quite some time already.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

It's obviously there to keep a seal on Ganondorf I assume.

Some people have translated the glyphs coming from the hand and it supposedly says 'Ganon Seal'

I've seen people saying it says that in Gerudo, but those images of the Gerudo Text photoshopped over the green spiral from the hand are deceptive. If you take the Gerudo text away the green designs don't really look like the Gerudo text at all.

 

[MapelSerup]

It’s definitely a seal on Ganondorf, and I think his malice was the source of Calamity Ganon. The hand releasing the seal to grab Link’s hand seems to me to result in his freedom.
A great video analyzing the trailer:

 

[akahime]

Ganondorf never reincarnated during the 10,000 years so I do think the hand in the botw sequel could indeed be halting the cycle. Neither did Link or Zelda. They were reborn just before Calamity Ganon's seal was breaking. As if they knew he would reappear.

 

[GZ Zelda]

I subscribe to the "Ganon Battery" theory. If you look at the source of the hand on the ceiling, it looks like there are 5 little Sheikah "tips" sticking out. These are most likely the start of the 5 pillars that rose from the ground when Ganon attacked, probably activated by his malice emerging deep within the castle.

There is also a series of what looks to be wiring, or primitive stonework, at the source of the green hand. We know that Hyrule Castle acts as a central hub for the Sheikah technology, what with the Astral Observatory, the 5 pillars, and the source of the signal for the Sheikah towers (as confirmed by Master Works). And at what is presumably the deepest depths of Hyrule Castle (as shown by the raising of it in the second trailer), we see Ganondorf's body being held by a Zonai spirit-hand feeding into a network of stone wiring. Fishy fishy.

The green hand is harnessing Ganon's power to power the Sheikah technology. This is why Malice can so easily corrupt Sheikah technology. The Zonai energy converts Malice into the blue energy we know. Which is a, um, not good idea. And probably was one of the reasons for the Sheikah banishment; because their technology is literally dangerous. We also know that the Sheikah at the very least converted Zonai relics into Sheikah-based artifacts (Thundra Plateau, Thyphlo Ruins, the three labyrinths), so they may have done the same with the ruins below Hyrule Castle, or directly helped the Zonai in the sealing process.

To the original theory raised, that seems plausible. By mummifying him, I guess it prevents reincarnation as Ganondorf (like what happened in FSA). But they did a shoddy job sealing him up. The theory that there was a war with Ganon and the Zonai is interesting, but I think it's probably the Royal Family and the Zonai. Having another powerful kingdom with more powerful magic probably wasn't great, so the Royal Family likely wiped out the Zonai to keep a grip on power in the subsequent years after Ganondorf's sealing.