What Will Become of Skyloft?

[Majora's Cat]

Skyloft itself hasn’t been excessively discussed, but after thinking about Skyloft’s existence and what it could be or couldn’t be, it becomes a topic of interest. It’s pretty much a fact that Ocarina of Time follows right after Skyward Sword. That leaves several questions unanswered, one of which being this: if Ocarina of Time immediately succeeds Skyward Sword (presumably with no other titles in between), where does the city of Skyloft go off to? Does it meet a painful demise, or does it still exist, but is forgotten by the forthcoming generations of living beings to inhabit the land of Hyrule? That being said, the Zelda series is well-known for its poor logic, vague story elements and loose timeline (which, as you all know, is very open to discussion and interpretation). All this makes it difficult to figure out what exactly became of the civilization above the clouds. (Shown below are three views of Skyloft from the Skyward Sword E3 2011 Trailer)

So what exactly do we know about Skyloft as of now? Well, since Skyloft resides in the air, a flying creature is the most convenient and fitting form of transportation. These birds (still unnamed) seem to be able to be tamed by even children, who appear to be training with said birds. Much like in “Avatar” by James Cameron, it seems that each rider has a flying partner, but the two must have good chemistry. This hasn’t been proven yet, but like Epona and horses from previous Zelda games, the rider only has a single partner that will willingly carry him/her around. This will make for some unique and exciting gameplay, but the level of fun to be had will all depend on how much freedom the player is given, both in to what amount of control the player is given and how freely the player can explore the airspace. (Shown below are a picture of said birds and what appears to be a takeoff dock, both from the Skyward Sword E3 2011 Trailer)

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Before E3 2011, there was some speculation about Skyloft possibly being the former version of the City in the Sky from Twilight Princess and/or the Cloud Tops from the Minish Cap. What makes this slightly possible is the fact that many consider the Minish Cap and Twilight Princess to be on the same timeline. And since Skyward Sword is before the split, the City in the Sky, Cloud Tops and Skyloft could easily be in the same timeline. Now that that’s out of the way, what resemblance does the Cloud Tops or City in the Sky bear to Skyloft? There isn’t much resemblance, but the appearance of said “sky city” can change drastically over time. The floating series of islands could easily be remodeled and completely redesigned over time, therefore making the Minish Cap and Twilight Princess’ “sky cities” possible versions of Skyloft. After all, it’s probably not as possible for there to be three coexisting sky cities in the same timeline. (Shown below are the City in the Sky and Cloud Tops)

Skyloft has been confirmed to be pieces broken off from Hyrule (that happen to float). The article is here: http://n4g.com/news/547016/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-interview-eiji-aonuma. That’s the reason why the residents of Skyloft look so much like Hylians - Skyloftians are Hylians. There can be debate about whether the Skyloftians somehow evolved into the Oocca or the Wind Tribe. While Hylians do not have the ability to fly, they could have adapted to their new environment after the bird race has become extinct and developed wings to become the Oocca. However, the Minish Cap is one of the most debated Zelda games in terms of chronological order, making it quite difficult to figure out whether the Skyloftians could possibly evolve into the Wind Tribe over a certain period of time. The differences between the Wind Tribe and Skyloftians/Hylians aren’t major, and there are no distinguishing characteristics that make it so the Skyloftians would have to develop different traits and characteristics. If Ocarina of Time is placed near the beginning of the timeline, the Minish Cap is usually placed near the end of the Child Timeline. That means the Skyloftians will have ample time to evolve into the Wind Tribe, provided developing into the Oocca doesn’t prove to be that much of a roadblock (after all, the Oocca and Wind Tribe are worlds apart). (Shown below are residents of Skyloft, sharing a friendly conversation)

The Master Sword is also being forged at the time of Skyward Sword, though not everything is clear about its creation. The Skyward Sword is said to become the Master Sword through the course of the game, but how so? One of the only feasible answers is that it evolves like Pokemon, but we don’t really want to believe that, do we? It’s Zelda, of course, so the Skyward Sword must transform into the Master Sword in a more, shall we say, respectable way. The Skyward Sword will have the ability to transport Link from Skyloft, the safe haven above the clouds, to the evil-infested Hyrule. The sword will eventually be able to repel evil and give Link added strength against dark magic (or so it is in other Zelda games). Not to make any bold predictions though, but I believe that Link will likely be led into some sort of Sacred Realm by Rauru, where he learns of something (perhaps some prophecy involving him saving Hyrule?), understand what he must do and goes off to save Hyrule and/or Skyloft with the Master Sword in hand. Probably not too far-fetched, if you’ve played most of the Zelda games. The issue of the Skyward Sword being the Master Sword is still very open and debatable, and there probably won’t be much information released before the game to prove or disprove any theories about this subject. (Shown below is, as you are all familiar with, the Master Sword)

So what will happen to Skyloft? As explained previously, there are several trains of thought on the matter. Those that are less skeptical may consider Skyloft to be the previous form of the City in the Sky and/or Cloud Tops. And for those that are skeptical, Skyloft, the City in the Sky and Cloud Tops are three completely different civilizations/locations that are either still existent in the future (but are unbeknownst to those living in the mainland), uninhabited and forgotten, or simply destroyed by someone or something. Of the four feasible possibilities for both non-skeptics and skeptics, the first is the most probable. While Nintendo isn’t the type to put much thought into the logic in their video games, there’s always a rational answer to our questions.

What do you think happened to Skyloft? Will it just up and disappear forever from the sight of the mainlanders (though still exist in secret), will it meet an upsetting doom, or will it live on to become the City in the Sky and/or the Cloud Tops? Feel free to discuss and add your own thoughts to the conversation.

Note: All SS pictures are my own screenshots.

 

[Djinn]

It is hard to say when it comes to the City in the Sky of TP. Since Nintendo of America gave the Oocca a name trying to figure things out with them has become complicated. In the Japanese version they did not have an official name, there were basically Sky People.

The Japanese name of the Oocca is 天空人, "tenkū" meaning "sky" and "jin" meaning "folk". As previously with the トカゲ人 from Oracle of Ages, rather than providing a literal translation as Western name, the localization team chose to offer some creativity and gave the "sky folk" a proper designation that fits with the rest of the races' names. "Oocca", as well as "Ooccoo" who in Japan essentially goes nameless as "kind older lady", is a play on "Cucco", the popular term for chicken in the The Legend of Zelda series.

This makes the theory that the Oocca who were considered the creators of Hyrule according to Shad's story more complex. Since he originally did not say Oocca, but "Sky People" created Hyrule. This could mean possible race or tribe that happened to live in the sky. Assuming the birdlike oocca were the ones in the legend could be an assumption on Shad's, Link's, or the player's part since they were the only inhabitants in the City in the Sky during the game. It could very well have been the Skyloftians who returned to the ground and settled the land once it was made safe again. This event could easily become a legend that a people from the sky came down and created the land of Hyrule.

"The common opinion is that Hyrule was created by the Hylia people, the race closest to the gods, but...truth be told, there's also a theory saying that in ancient times, there was a race even closer to the gods than the Hylia people, and THEY created it." — Shad

The people of Skyloft must have some sort of favor of the gods since they live far above the earth in the clouds. Normally living in the heavens is reserved for the deities and those closest to them. This could create the myth that the people in the sky were even closer to the gods than the modern Hylians of TP. They did seem to have some favor of the gods, since they were protected from the demons of the world below, while Zelda was also rescued from the demons by a "servant of the goddess." If they were considered important enough to rescue from the demons of the world below they might just be closer to the gods than the other tribes. There do not appear to be any Gorons or Zora present in Skyloft so far.

"And they, simultaneously with the birth of the Hylia people, created a new capital, a capital that floated in the heavens." — Shad

This implies that the City in the Sky was not even created until after Hyrule was settled. These might be the people that the Royal Family maintained contact with. So according to this myth, I do not think the City in the Sky will be present in SS in any form. At least not until possibly the end when Hyrule is formed.

"Among the legends of my clan, there is a story from the time when the Oocca still maintained contact with the royal family. Yes, it said that a mysterious rod was handed down from the people of the sky, and it was called the Dominion Rod... The rod was only to be carried by the messenger to the heavens when the royal family needed to communicate with the Oocca." — Impaz

The Dominion Rod that Impaz mentioned was kept within the Temple of Time, even a carving near the beginning portrays a sage carrying it.

The Rod must have come later after the events of SS and was used by the ancient sages during the founding or at least the early years of Hyrule. When the Hylians still maintained contact with the Sky People. If the rumors are to be believed that SS is the origin tale of the Master Sword, then this adventure would predate the Temple of Time and the Door of Time created by the ancient sages of Hyrule. With the mention that the Sky People maintained contact with the Royal Family, the official messenger carried the Dominion Rod, and the Shiekah elder maintaining ownership of the book of the ancient sky language, this points to the Sky people, or at least a sizable number of them, remained in the sky for some time after the founding if Hyrule and the building of the Temple of Time. They apparently built the City in the Sky simultaneously as a new capital for the ones who remained in the sky. The Royal Family of the Hylians would keep contact with them for a while longer, eventually to lose contact with them, either by disaster or simply leaving them to their own fate over time.

"I am Rauru, one of the ancient Sages... Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm... This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light... The Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces. The Master Sword--the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time--was the final key to the Sacred Realm. Link... Don't be alarmed... Look at yourself...! - Rauru

Judging by the images of SS, there is no triforce symbolism anywhere. Only the bird crest of the Hylian people and a diamond pattern that is present in the dungeons. The Triforce and the sacred realm seem to be unknown to the people of Skyloft. The Master sword did not come until later during the events of SS, so the ancient sages who built the Temple of Time might have come after the founding of Hyrule.

For the Wind Tribe of Minish Cap, they were said to have come from the Wind Ruins then moved to the cloud tops later in their history. The Wind Ruins were a on the ground of Hyrule, in the far southwest. There is no evidence that it was a part of some island or that it ever floated. It is only the ruins of an old civilization.

Later they moved to the Cloud Tops and built the Wind Tower and the Palace of Winds to house the Wind element. During this time they also maintained contact with the Hylian Royal family. The Cloud Tops which they live in do not resemble Skyloft in any way, they really are solid clouds that the Wind Tribe can walk on easily because of their magic. A few of the Wind Tribe members were surprised at Link's ability to walk on the clouds, since most Hylians were not supposed to be capable of doing that.

"Welcome, welcome. Long, long ago, and then an age before that... Our tribe abandoned the place you call the Wind Ruins... With our magic, we moved our palace up into the skies. We are the Wind Tribe. We have been watching, and we know all that happens on your surface world. We know a small boy collects elements to lift the curse from a princess. We know of Vaati and his evil acts..." — Siroc

This goes against what we were previously told about the people of Skyloft who know nothing of the world below. This could change over the course of SS, but based on Siroc's words the Wind Tribe originated on the ground first then moved to the clouds using their own magic. Instead of an island, they live in the Tower of the Winds, settled on a large cloud.

"In this tower dwell the people of the Wind Tribe. We left your surface world long ago to serve a greater duty. We now protect the gate to the Palace of Winds, where the Wind Element lies." — Strata

The Wind Tribe of MC are a little too different to be related to the people of Skyloft. Their own history stated that they came from the ground first and moved to the sky under their own power while maintaining contact with the Hylian royal family. They appear to have a common look among the tribe, all members have red hair and eyes. While the people of Skyloft have various hair and eye colors. A closer connection would be the Sky People of Shad's story who created Hyrule then made a new capitol in the skies with the City in the Sky. With the mention that they maintained contact with the Royal Family through the messenger, that means they might have remained in the sky. Or at least a large number of them did if others settled the lands of Hyrule below. There had to be a reason they built the City in the Sky, it could be possible that Skyloft was damaged or lost and the people needed a new capitol. The fate of the people after that is unknown, they might have moved to the ground eventually or have died off.

 

[Aelic7]

This might be either a really good theory or a really dumb one, but I think that Skyloft might have been separated from Hyrule because Ghirahim cursed it to be separated. I think that Skyloft was once a thriving town in Hyrule, but Ghirahim heard an ancient legend saying that a boy from that town would ultimately lead to his downfall. So, fearing for his life, Ghirahim separated "Skyloft" (or whatever it was named before it was in the sky) from Hyrule and hurled it into the sky, seemingly putting the hero out of commission. So Link grows up and the events of Skyward Sword happen. During Skyward Sword, (I would assume) Ghirahim is defeated, thus the curse is broken, and Skyloft returns to Hyrule.

 

[ironknuckle1]

Seeing that in TP and MC the city like sky areas are seen to be in bad shape I would have to guess that Skyloft is destroyed most likely by Ghirahim.

 

[Vault Boy]

I hope it's number 2. I want the villian to be really evil, I want to feel upset by what he does. If Nintendo can establish a relationship with the characters, show some emotion,and have the villian take it all away and destroy it, it would be awesome.

 

[Axelanderson]

I think Skyloft will disappear, much like Hyrule in Wind Waker.

 

[MartDiamond]

I guess that Skyloft will become the city in the sky however it will be destroyed and on the remains the city will be build.

 

[JuicieJ]

Well, it can't be the City in the Sky, as that was built, while Skyloft was once part of the land below. I say it will be reuinited with the land at the end at the game.

This might be either a really good theory or a really dumb one, but I think that Skyloft might have been separated from Hyrule because Ghirahim cursed it to be separated. I think that Skyloft was once a thriving town in Hyrule, but Ghirahim heard an ancient legend saying that a boy from that town would ultimately lead to his downfall. So, fearing for his life, Ghirahim separated "Skyloft" (or whatever it was named before it was in the sky) from Hyrule and hurled it into the sky, seemingly putting the hero out of commission. So Link grows up and the events of Skyward Sword happen. During Skyward Sword, (I would assume) Ghirahim is defeated, thus the curse is broken, and Skyloft returns to Hyrule.

I believe Skyloft was separated by the gods/goddesses to protect the people.

 

[Majora's Cat]

I have a few things to say in reply to the posts on this thread thus far.

This makes the theory that the Oocca who were considered the creators of Hyrule according to Shad's story more complex. Since he originally did not say Oocca, but "Sky People" created Hyrule. This could mean possible race or tribe that happened to live in the sky. Assuming the birdlike oocca were the ones in the legend could be an assumption on Shad's, Link's, or the player's part since they were the only inhabitants in the City in the Sky during the game. It could very well have been the Skyloftians who returned to the ground and settled the land once it was made safe again. This event could easily become a legend that a people from the sky came down and created the land of Hyrule.

It's a very possible theory, but I honestly don't believe that the Skyloftians are meant to be the original settlers of Hyrule. Shad also says it's a common "opinion" that there were beings closer to the gods that created the kingdom of Hyrule. There's absolutely no indication that it's the Skyloftians that Shad's referring to. The concept and storyline for Skyward Sword probably wasn't even being conceived when the plot of Twilight Princess was being formed and finalized, so I really think that Shad intended to say that it was the Oocca that created Hyrule. After all, Shad was researching the Oocca, and from what I could tell in Twilight Princess, it is meant for the player to understand that the Oocca are the race closest to the gods, not the Skyloftians or Hylians. Your theory that Skyloft being home to the race that would eventually become the Hylians after the events of Skyward Sword is debatable. It's also possible that Skyloft was dug out of the ground and taken into the sky by the gods to protect them from the evil force that is Ghirahim. The looming threat could have been foretold in a prophecy, so therefore the gods may have known about Ghirahim before his conception and moved Skyloft into the air. This would mean that Hyrule was already populated, and there's no proof against such a theory. But why Skyloft? Why not some other part of the land? There are a few trains of thought for this, but the most probable possibilities are the following: Skyloft was of some importance or significance to the gods, so they decided to save it, or Skyloft is a heavily populated area, and much like the actions of the goddesses told in the prologue of the Wind Waker, Skyloft was chosen to be saved and then repopulate Hyrule after the evil was extinguished.

The people of Skyloft must have some sort of favor of the gods since they live far above the earth in the clouds. Normally living in the heavens is reserved for the deities and those closest to them. This could create the myth that the people in the sky were even closer to the gods than the modern Hylians of TP. They did seem to have some favor of the gods, since they were protected from the demons of the world below, while Zelda was also rescued from the demons by a "servant of the goddess." If they were considered important enough to rescue from the demons of the world below they might just be closer to the gods than the other tribes. There do not appear to be any Gorons or Zora present in Skyloft so far.

The Gorons and the Zora probably don't even exist during Skyward Sword. The Skyloftians are either Hylians that were moved into the sky to be protected from Ghirahim or the very foundation of life in Hyrule, in which after the events of SS, they will be moved back down to the purified Hyrule and continue to carry out their lives on the mainland. The Gorons and Zora races aren't the earliest of races. There's a gap to be bridged between Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time, since there's a lot of changes in the time between the two games. I agree with the part about the gods favoring the Skyloftians, since all life left behind is forgotten and left to die (unless Hyrule is populated at the end of Skyward Sword). The concept is not so different from the Wind Waker, so the theory doesn't venture too far out of the realm of the possible.

This implies that the City in the Sky was not even created until after Hyrule was settled. These might be the people that the Royal Family maintained contact with. So according to this myth, I do not think the City in the Sky will be present in SS in any form. At least not until possibly the end when Hyrule is formed.

Not exactly. Shad said that the birth of the Hylians and formation of the City in the Sky were simultaneous. Therefore, City in the Sky could've very well been built before the events of Skyword Sword and Skyloft being torn from the ground. I say this because, as stated previously, the land of Hyrule was likely already populated before the events of Skyward Sword. The gods merely moved Skyloft into the heavens because it was of some importance to them (does the fairy statue from the trailer ring a bell?) or because of Skyloft's large population. There's really no information to support the fact that Ghirahim knows that Skyloft even exists. Considering it's a supposed safe haven for Link, this only further supports the fact that Hyrule was previously populated and the gods moved Skyloft out of Ghirahim's path of destruction.

The Wind Tribe of MC are a little too different to be related to the people of Skyloft. Their own history stated that they came from the ground first and moved to the sky under their own power while maintaining contact with the Hylian royal family. They appear to have a common look among the tribe, all members have red hair and eyes. While the people of Skyloft have various hair and eye colors. A closer connection would be the Sky People of Shad's story who created Hyrule then made a new capitol in the skies with the City in the Sky.

Or are they? Remember, if Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time are placed at the beginning of the timeline, the Minish Cap is most likely placed near the end. This will provide the Skyloftians ample time to evolve and become like those who built the Palace of Winds. There's not as much evidence to suggest that Skyloft and the Cloud Tops cannot be the same (like I said before, with the technology of sky beings, anything's possible) compared to the evidence stacked up against Skyloft being the City in the Sky.

This might be either a really good theory or a really dumb one, but I think that Skyloft might have been separated from Hyrule because Ghirahim cursed it to be separated. I think that Skyloft was once a thriving town in Hyrule, but Ghirahim heard an ancient legend saying that a boy from that town would ultimately lead to his downfall. So, fearing for his life, Ghirahim separated "Skyloft" (or whatever it was named before it was in the sky) from Hyrule and hurled it into the sky, seemingly putting the hero out of commission. So Link grows up and the events of Skyward Sword happen. During Skyward Sword, (I would assume) Ghirahim is defeated, thus the curse is broken, and Skyloft returns to Hyrule.

Although Skyloft isn't necessarily going to become City in the Sky and then the Cloud Tops afterward, there isn't enough evidence to thoroughly support or disprove the theory. As I've explained earlier on in this post, there are several factors that we hadn't yet considered. If Hyrule was not populated before the events of Skyward Sword but rather after (but Skyloft is not returned to the ground), the Oocca could still use Skyloft as the base or building ground for their City in the Sky. After all, the Oocca have the technology to turn a few floating, broken islands like Skyloft into their glorious capitol.

 

[Jedizora]

I personally, think of a combo between 2 and 3. I am one of those people that still think that MC is the first in the timeline. I do think that, given how skyloft loooks much more moderized then sky tops, and the skyloft is sky tops, but in the futer. I also think that Some one will possible partialy destroy skyloft, turning it into the city in the sky.

 

[Majoras ocarina]

It'll fall and slowly become kokiri forest

 

[Wolf Sage]

I am really starting to think we might see whole A LOT of ret-con going on in Skyward Sword...wow.. For this very reason, I chose the "Other" option on the poll.

I think Skyloft will reunite with Hyrule at the end of SS, or some other point between SS and Ocarina of Time, as such an event would- under normal circumstances -take a vast amount of energy, manpower, and a lot of time to come to fruition. If this theory proves true, the processes by which it would occur remains to be seen (divine intervention, anyone?).

When it reunites (if it does), it may very well be "placed" in the area shown below on OoT's Hyrule Map:

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The above image is only one scenario which I consider; it's only one possibility in my "possibility pool (coined term?)." I had this hypothetical area on the map in mind under the popular assumption that the establishment of the Royal Family will take place in SS. Make note of the location...

Another placement for a reunited Skyloft I consider is:

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In the above image I include Lon Lon Ranch and Hyrule Field itself. The reason for my actions is that these locations are not only close to Hyrule Castle/Town, but also both appear calm and docile by comparison (to the surrounding locations) when one notes the lack of enemy activity in Child Link's Hyrule, as much of Skyloft and its various satellite islands are purported to be.

These areas are only two which I consider, as they are the strongest in my pool of the probable locations I've considered. I'm open, as always, to other locations in which the reunited Skyloft (and its satellite islands) could be placed, but my two strongest will have to suffice for now.

Concerning The City in the Sky: One of the theories I have around it includes the idea that it may be a remnant of the old Skyloft, which hypothetically is, by Twilight Princess's time period, well-reunified with Hyrule. From this theory off-shot the idea that The CitS was once an area of Skyloft or its satellite islands that was cursed and/or tainted by darkness(?), and outcasted and/or forbidden, and therefore excluded from reunification with the land below (Hyrule). I don't have much at this point to support this idea, however. Another theory is that it might be a floating ship-like continent (aah, Tales of Legendia ).

Just something I forgot to mention: Maybe (some of?) the various satellite islands in the sky reunite with Hyrule to the areas of Kakariko, Kokiri Forest, etc.? Wow...the world below in Skyward Sword might very well have an abundance of craters!

Original map (if it helps any)
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[Maxxxers]

I think that Ganon, yes, GANON, will destroy Skyloft and it will be a broken down, horrific place, then the Oocca will find it and make it there own.

 

[Link-182]

Guys, it's already been confirmed in that Eiji Aounuma interview that the game is about why Hyrule separated itself and how Link has to reunite the two lands in the end.

Skyloft WILL reunite with Hyrule at the end of the game, that's been confirmed!

 

[Wolf Sage]

Guys, it's already been confirmed in that Eiji Aounuma interview that the game is about why Hyrule separated itself and how Link has to reunite the two lands in the end.

Skyloft WILL reunite with Hyrule at the end of the game, that's been confirmed!

Many people will attest to this confirmation, including myself; I'm just curious to know HOW, WHY, and WHERE does Skyloft reunite with Hyrule, and what becomes of the supposed OTHER islands of the sky (if they're not a part of Skyloft) that were mentioned in the demos? We seem to forget about the other islands.

Do these supposed other islands mentioned in the demos even truly exist? If so, assuming they are NOT a part of main-Skyloft, why are they constantly excluded from discussion? (Hmmm...were we lied to about the sea of clouds in SS being similar to Great Sea of Wind Waker with there being more islands besides Skyloft?)

I always ask myself, Who? What? When? Where? How? and Why?...especially when it comes to Zelda...