HOME | DD
UndyingNephalim β Study - Majora
Published: 2009-03-28 19:54:19 +0000 UTC; Views: 28638; Favourites: 479; Downloads: 423
Redirect to original
Description
I felt it would be fun to make a study of every Zelda character once in awhile, both canon and OC that I have drawn or will come to draw in my series and maybe shed light as to why I chose their designs."He, or she is twisted relative to our glorious Goddesses. None dare discover the secrets of the Goddess Mocker, lest they risk being pulled by the demon's vile heart down into the pit of the Mask. -Father Kafei
Full name and other titles: Majora, the Goddess Mocker
Appearances: Majora's Mask (canon), The Gerudo Wars, Time's Menagerie (non-canon)
Design Notes: In my humble opinion, Majora is the ultimate force of evil in the Zelda series. There are tons of references in Majora's Mask that point to the demonic creature as being the opposite antithesis to the Goddesses (hint: Stone Tower...). Whether Nintnedo intended to make Majora an anti-Goddess on purpose or accident, in my view Majora is indeed the satanic force that corrupts all in Hyrule. For Majora's upcoming appearance, I really wanted to leave a lot to the viewer's imagination when they see the demonic entity. With the obvious exception of Majora's eyes, horns, and black hole of a heart, the rest of it's body is horribly distorted in dark clouds with twisted faces and hands. I not only wanted to give then impression that Majora was a bringer of pain, but I really wanted Majora to look like it was in pain more then anyone or anything else. Being the ultimate force of evil does that to you sometimes...
Other Zelda related studies: [link]
Related content
Comments: 137
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 0
I swear In my head I can hear majora screaming these words as it dies:
"YOU CANNOT KILL ME! I AM EVERYTHING! I AM YOUR DESTRUCTION! I SHALL NEVER FALL FOR I AM ALL THAT LIGHT DOES NOT TOUCH! I SHALL ONLY RISE FROM THE ASHES OF THE DAMNED TO TAKE BACK WHATS RIGHTFULLY MINE! AND WHEN THAT DAY COMES KNOW THIS: THERE WILL BE NO MORE IDOLS! ILL MAKE SURE THAT THE PEDESTALS SHALL FALL! THOSE FALSE DEITIES SHALL BURN IN HELL LIKE THEY MADE ME TO DO!"
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 0
Β No MoRe IdOlS!
tHe PeDeStAlS wIlL fAlL
π: 1 β©: 0
Can I just say... That is what Majora SHOULD look like not like a figure with skinny legs that runs around the boss room
π: 0 β©: 0
Amazing, AMAZING work. I don't mean just this, I mean your stuff in general, with HTW coming to mind easily. This is a particular eye-catcher, though. Just beautiful.
Out of curiosity, have you read the theory that Majora was the antithesis not to the Goddesses, but to the Terminan Giants as punishment for the Terminans' blasphemy? The Stone Tower of Babel, I think they called it. Dunno for certain, lost the link.
Anyway, awesome work, man!
π: 0 β©: 0
It's no secret to how evil the thing is. Ganondorf is King of Evil, but there's a method to his villainy - he's out for conquest to secure wealth and power. Majora on the other hand is a malevolent force of pure destruction, out for nothing but destruction and chaos, spreading misery and fear wherever it can before stamping out all life. What's sick about it - is that it's all a game to it. But yes - I believe that Majora's Mask was back when Nintendo put deep thought and true effort into the narrative of their games. I think they intended it to be some kind of Dark God - considering that an ancient tribe used it in their Rituals - maybe some kind of Voodoo Idol or something. But I doubt that they intended it to eclipse Ganon in the views of the fans - I guess they failed.
Speaking of such things - I'm curious; how do you view Termina? Do you think that it is an actual Parallel Universe, or do you think that Termina and Hyrule could exist on the same planet?
π: 0 β©: 1
I think Lorule is shaping up to be Termina at this rate.
π: 0 β©: 1
...Oh no. Oh say it ain't so. This just pretty much brings the whole reason why I think A Link Between Worlds is just so dry. Cause the whole Parallel World/Dark World has been done before - and in SO many Zelda Games; a Link to the Past, Ocarina, Majora's Mask. I'm just so tired of it. So now, they're just going to use Lorule to Replace Termina...Well that's what happens when you keep changing the lore of a franchise with every game you make.
Now if you'll excuse me - I'm going into the Forest to scream.
π: 0 β©: 0
....Awe inspiring fear and Horror is what I would associate this image with...
The way the Eyes glow and how much this is contrasted by the darkness around and the physical part that the "Mask" forms just simply gives this a truly sinister feeling.....
Excellent work here.....I hope your other artworks will be in their own way as fantastic fantastic as this masterpiece.....
π: 0 β©: 0
Majoria if anything is the personification of distored uncrontrolled chaos.
Demsie is "Perfect" chaos.
Ganon/Ganondorf is "organized" chaos, evil at its most nobel, and at times current.
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 1 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 0
As it would turn out it was in fact Demise, the original incarnation of Ganon, who holds this role. Demise made it fairly clear that he would rather see the Triforce destroyed and all of the Goddesses works undone.
π: 0 β©: 1
Demise seemed more like a being that was less than supernatural. His abilities rarely went beyond pushing things over as a giant mouth with stubby feet and swinging a really big sword at people. Majora is far more supernatural, with cosmic spanning abilities such as pulling entire celestial bodies from orbit. Majora still fits the roll better if only because his portrayal and abilities are on the level of what we'd associate with a supernatural deity. Demise seems more grounded in physical means.
When Demise faced Hylia in the past (I do emphasize Hylia, not the three Goddesses who didn't even bother to interfere themselves because they probably had little concern and were beyond Demise), he relied on an entire army to accomplish his work. Majora had no army, it accomplished everything simply by turning everyone in Termina against themselves while he pulled a moon from orbit. One of the three Goddesses actually had to involve herself and aid Link in order to overcome Majora by giving him the ability to travel through time. If we are going based on portrayals in video games, Majora could probably crush Demise like a bug without Demise even knowing Majora existed. To me Majora is still a far more powerful and primordial force that fits an anti-goddess role.
π: 1 β©: 2
oh then you'll love how in the legend of zelda the anime series how majora connects to hyrule. 
π: 0 β©: 0
Demise would easily crush Majora. Majora's nothing, and that moon was clearly a construct of its design (Tatl: Then that moon, it's...!). There's a reason Demise/Ganondorf is considered the main villain of the series. His modus operandi is different, that's all. He likes physical attacks because he likes to feel the warm blood gush from the wounds and see the pain and terror on the faces of those he kills. Demise specifically targeted a goddess, who was there on request of the Three (I know the text said something about her descending to babysit the people). He created a pocket dimension and summoned lightning to fight Link, AND he cursed both Link and Zelda's spirits to never be free of him (which by the way makes me think Malladus has something to do with him).
No, Majora is the bug. It often relies on tricks to appear stronger than it is (not to play down his power). The Moon was fake, and the lowly Gilded Sword is enough to destroy it.
π: 0 β©: 2
You know what? Skyward Sword fucking sucks anyway and Demise is a lame villain!
I honestly disregard it as canon since dickless nerds like you gotta point out the unnecessary timeline which Zelda never EVER needed to begin with!
Don't care if this is an old comment unless your statement is obsolete.
π: 0 β©: 0
That moon sure was fake enough to completely wipe out the entire planet and kill everything whenever I failed to go back in time at the end of the third day. :wink:
Yes, Majora is underhanded, but guess who else is? The devil, whom I was comparing Majora to. Majora is the satanic figure of the Zelda series, an utterly evil trickster that leads people into madness, insanity, and spiritual destruction without them even realizing it. Demise is just a big brute who goes around knocking over whatever he feels like. He's not subtle in the least bit.
Majora deceived the entire Kingdom of Ikana into turning on themselves and starting a civil war. Majora deceived the Deku Tribes and made them paranoid to the point of going on a witch hunt after innocent monkeys. Majora keeps everyone in Termina so distracted and so caught up in their personal selfish conflicts to the point where barely anyone even notices the giant moon with a demoic face crashing into the planet, and of the people that are aware almost all of them willingly choose to ignore the moon. Which is why I said Demise would not even be aware Majora existed before it was too late.
π: 1 β©: 1
That last one isn't really certain, there's no explanation as to why the Ikana Kingdom descended into undeath besides the war with the Garo and the opening of Stone Tower. And no that moon didn't destroy a planet, at best it decimated a small region around Clock Town.
Demise is the Satanic figure, not Majora. Majora's a minor demon. Demise devastated the entire world before he was sealed, and that seal only barely held (as opposed to Majora who was only released from his cell by the Mask Man). And even imprisoned he used his sword to manipulate events to his own ends. I'm sorry but you're 100% wrong here. Demise is the Demon King, and so powerful that even death doesn't end his evil. Instead he went the same way as Hylia and reincarnated as a mortal who gained unfettered access to the power of Din. Demise/Ganondorf are the ultimate evil in the Zelda universe, and in the end the Goddesses DID have to step in to stop him.
π: 0 β©: 1
The fact that you also blocked me shows you are clearly biased and not willing to debate the points like a decent person. Understand that it's ok to think Demise is cool and if you appreciate Demise more then Majora please be my guest, but I'm simply stating the facts that were presented in the games.
King Igos clearly states that their kingdom fell apart after a small individual with a mask appeared in Ikana. Pretty sure that fits the bill of Skull Kid who was possessed by Majora. Also I'm pretty sure an entire moon would do permanent damage to an entire planet. The impact site might only be a few thousand miles in radius (which is still quite massive), but the environment would be so horribly beyond repair. Not to mention tidal shifts, the ash from the actual explosion blocking out the sun, and the sheer force of the impact causing geologic tension under the planet's crust would cause hundreds of volcanoes to rise across the entire world. Remember the Chicuagra Asteroid that destroyed nearly all life on Earth, namely the dinosaurs? Yeah, that asteroid was not even a quarter the size of our moon and it almost permanently destroyed all life on Earth. Pretty sure Majora killed everything in the game over scenario, maybe not directly from the impact but the environmental damage would eventually destroy everything. I find it quite baffling that you really are trying to reduce the cataclysm of a falling celestial body, even more so that you really are trying to pit a sword against a moon. I'd really like to see someone try to fight a falling moon with a sword and come out on top.
I also really don't think you know what exactly a "satanic" figure is. As I said before, a Satanic figure does not walk around revealed with armies enslaving and destroying the entire world like Demise does. A Satanic figure manipulates and deceives people into turning on each other and falling into corruption. A Satanic figure never lets anyone ever know they are even there. Subliminal messages and possession (two things which Majora clearly does and Demise does not) are key traits of a Satanic figure. A Satanic figures goal is not to destroy God (Majora does not seek to destroy the Goddesses), but to subvert Him and corrupt his creations (Majora corrupts all the people in Termina. The Stone Tower Temple even has depictions of him being worshipped and twisted beasts with the Triforce engraved on their reproductive organs). Demise clearly wants to destroy Hylia and everything for no real reason, not corrupt them and ruin them spiritually. Majora corrupts everything in Termina and turns people against each other, again a key and critical trait of a Satanic figure.
I also get the impression you do not know what the Japanese interpretation of a "Demon" is, which is understandable I guess since I am going to assume you were raised in a western society where your only conception of a Demon was the classical Judeo-Christian interpretation. In Japanese mythology Demons are nothing like the classical Judeo-Christian interpretation which are essentially fallen angels with supernatural abilities. Demon in Japanese simply refers to a powerful beast, usually not even a supernatural one. The most famous Japanese demon, an Oni, is little more then a big physical Ogre that can be killed by anyone with a pitchfork. "Demon King" in Japanese Mythology does not mean "The Devil," there are actually dozens of different Demon Kings in Japanese mythology. Demon in Japanese is used to describe anything weird and inhuman (usually an animal like beast), so a "Demon King" literally could mean "Lord of Beings that are different." Demise's name in Japanese also seems to confirm this: Daiou ShΕ«en no Mono which literally translates to "Great King, Person of Demise." If anything Demise is much more metaphorical of a Greek War Deity, not a Satanic Figure. Aries instantly comes to mind, who's goal is to bring endless war and destruction to earth. Considering Demise also has flaming hair, a Greek skirt, and uses physical weapons rather then otherworldly and celestial abilities (all traits of Aries) it's probably safe to say the creators of Skyward Sword based him much more on Aries rather than Satan.
π: 1 β©: 2
I see I'm not the only person he has blocked mid-argument so we can't defend our viewpoints. He bugged me about an old comic I'm not even working on anymore and got mad because Dark Link could talk.
π: 0 β©: 1
π: 0 β©: 0
you sir, are incredible. Oh how I'd love to debate Ghirahim or Malladus with you just to see what brilliance you can share. I absolutely love the idea of comparing Demise to Aries, and also the idea that perhaps Majora is the counterpart to the three goddesses as Demise is the counterpart to Hylia.
π: 0 β©: 1
How does he even do that?
π: 0 β©: 0
Awesome artwork and cool thoughts behind it. Great job. Looks really evil and wretched.
π: 0 β©: 0
I like to think of Majora as the embodiment of the oblivion that will come when time finally ends. Just as the goddesses created the world at the beginning of time. Majora, as their opposite, will consume the world at the end of time.
Link reached Termina by falling down a huge chasm, then going through a gravity screw like the ones in the forest temple. Implying Termina is the gravity-inverted underbelly of Hyrule. If Hyrule were a coin, then termina would be the other side of it. Majora dwells in the heavens of termina. The farthest possible place from the goddesses. From where it subjects Termina to a state of constant doom. Majora's Mask was about going beyond just delaying the inevitable. And becoming strong enough to actually prevent it. With that in mind Majora fits perfectly with my conjecture. ah, do I love thinking about this.
π: 0 β©: 0
An excellent interpretation of the vile creature.
I agree with your espousings, and do wish to see more art like this.
π: 0 β©: 0
A question, Undying. Now that Demise, which is Hyrule's (disappointing) ultimate evil, do you keep the same stance about Majora's satanic role in Hyrule, or has it changed?
Asking out of curiosity
π: 0 β©: 1
Well it's not changed in my stuff, if that's a suitable answer.
π: 0 β©: 1
Considering how long it's taking you to make Hyrule: Total War, Majora's role in Time's Menagerie, and how Demise is described in the Total War wiki as 'Previous Moblin King', I suspected Majora's anti-goddess role would have been kept intact for the game being (good luck)
However, I ask, do you see possible a way still to merge your theories with canons? After all, Demise seems more to be a dark equivalent to Hylia than the Goddesses themselves. Overall, while Demise is more of a Satan individual, Majora is more of an Anti-God (I use such different as in Cristianity God will always be superior to Satan, something I can see if putting the Golden Goddesses before Demise).
Do you think it's possible Majora was pulling Demise's strings all along in the story told in Skyward Sword (Even with the Demon King not knowing this)?
Either way, good luck for your work. I have been followinng you since the Gerudo Wars Manga and I have to admit. I might not share your view with a few things but you put an enviable effort in all you make ^^ Kudos and best wishes for what might be your magnus opus (ie. Total War)
π: 0 β©: 2
((I am also a devout believer in the Majora God of Evil theory, so naturally I devised a somewhat suitable explanation for Demise. My theory states that Majora's responsible for the creation of the demon race, and Demise was his greatest creation. Demise was stronger, smarter, and more powerful than any other demon, so Majora appointed him their divine (so to speak) king. I imagine Demise to be Majora's answer to the Chosen Hero. But that's just my theories.))
π: 0 β©: 1
Technically, Demise is born BEFORE Link's existance (according to skyward sword), but yes, I think more that Demise is Majora's... more than creation, corruption. She (I see Majora as female, yes... sort of, long story. Due to her insanity, even her gender is messed up) took a poor creation of her sisters and corrupted her into Demise, turning him into the Demon King, a senseless brute who strived only for war and destruction(sorry, but I don't see Demise smart. He is a brute, IMO).
All of this why? Because Majora wanted to have fun and so thought that instigating a war spread to all creation was a new way to play with her sister's creation and also what brought her to fully snap from a formerly benevolent Goddess to a giggling raving monster who loved getting off Hyrule's pain. But i see your idea. Again, my vision of Zelda
Btw, I once read that you disliked Hylia because she was 'against everything you believed about the Goddesses'. What do you mean in that?
π: 0 β©: 1
((I sort of changed my thoughts and wove her into my headcanon as being one of the Guardian Gods alongside Onigami (Fierce Deity) sent by the Goddesses to protect Hyrule from Majora and his armies.))
π: 0 β©: 1
I think Demise. Frankly enough, I think Majora is an equivalent to the Goddesses while Demise is equivalent to Hylia adn the Fierce Deity
π: 0 β©: 1
((An equivalent to Hylia, but not Fierce Deity, (I prefer to call him Onigami) as Onigami is the one who can match Majora's power, being a great warrior. I personally believe that just as Zelda is the reincarnation of Hylia, Link is the reincarnation of Onigami. Majora and Onigami are on a slightly lower tier than the Golden Goddesses, in my mind.))
π: 0 β©: 1
I use Fierce Deity as Onigami is just his japanese name. Being a warrior menas nothing in terms of power. Majora is, IMO, infinitely more powerful than the deity, but while Majora is a giggling raving mad goddess, the Fierce Deity is a more better warrior.
When they fought in MM, Majora was too weakened due to his seal and was still a fragment of what it was her 'real' power.
In my vision of canon, Majora is the Fourth Golden Goddess (former bearer of the Triforce of Order) gone insane due to several issues on her mind, the most important being her horrifying sadism
π: 0 β©: 1
((Ah well, that's your headcanon. I just call FD Onigami because FD sounds more like a surname than an actual name, so I went with the official name for him even though it was Japanese. I think the reason Majora made such a big mistake with giving Link the FD Mask was because he was essentially giving an already-powerful hero a mask containing the power of his original ancestor. I make Majora out to be sadistic and somewhat crazy, essentially the Joker without as pronounced a sense of humor, but not raving mad unless he's extremely pissed off or stressed.))
π: 0 β©: 1
I instead give Majora the personality of a particularly sadistic child who burns the ants with a zooming lense ... the worst part: we are the ants. She is utterly incoherent, usually answering with things unrelated to what she is asked or flat out ignoring others, even occasionally acting more like a bullied lonely child. Mostly because she thinks to be this.... but it's afar from the turth
While childish and insane, she is though far from stupid. It's more that her level of thinking is beyond others
Only that, behind that absolute madness, she is a cold master planner who literally pulls everyone's strings and who can make incredibly complexes plans. And when she answer lucidly... she is essentially the Devil, only that she does not care at all of her followers. Not even when prayed. She might follow your prayer as simply ignore them as to simply notice your presence, not listening to you at all, use you for her plans and then slowly rip your sanity to shreds and eat it for breakfast.
If you make Majora the Joker, I make her Azathoth with Nyarlatothep's sadistic steak and the power and knowledge of Yog Sothoth. A full blown Lovecraftian horror who only few can hope, if not to destroy, just to delay. Heck, I call her in a part of my fic'the abyss of blasphemous madness beyond time'
π: 0 β©: 1
((Well, that is pretty similar to how I imagine Majora, being a Lovecraftian-style horror that can't be truly destroyed, but what I meant to say is that my version of Majora's somewhat more mature than most others interpret him as. Plus, he only ever pays attention to the demons asking for favors, as said favors usually involve sowing chaos and destruction in Hyrule in some way. One thing we both share is that Majora does all this just to be a dick.))
π: 0 β©: 1
I see *nods* I don't like much mature Majora: I feel as if there is osme uniqueness lost
Not really, she does it because she likes to play.
She is aware she makes people suffer, but she does not care why it's so bad.
π: 0 β©: 0
I'm really not sure if my ideas really fit in with canon Zelda, but to be fair I don't think the creators of Zelda really have put much thought into initial consistency. To me at least it seems obvious they just make each game the way they want, and when fans ask the questions they appease and try to connect them all together. It's often said that each game is a different tale of the same legend, and while I personally feel that's a poor excuse to cover up an unwillingness to craft a deep and meaningful mythos, it pretty much is the only real explanation as to why there's so many inconsistencies between games in the series. Poor excuse or not I suppose it works, as each game in the series generally has a self contained story that really does not need any of the other games to attach to it.
Simply put I don't feel there's any point in trying to fit my stuff with canon, because each time a new Zelda game releases there's going to be some new addition of lore that just messes it up even more and creates more contradictions. Keeping my material separate gives me more freedom to craft a consistent narrative throughout the history of Hyrule without having to change it every so often.
π: 0 β©: 1
Yep, I suppose so. Still, references to the mother series are fun, uh?
Good luck for Hyrule: Total war
π: 0 β©: 0
Really beautiful! It shows the meaning of true Evil.
π: 0 β©: 0
you've really unlocked the creepiness of Majora with this art O_O
AMAIZING WORK!!
π: 0 β©: 0
Excuse my language but that is the most badass Majora's Mask i have ever seen good job!!! XD
π: 0 β©: 0
| Next =>