What's really creepy is the fact that Kakariko villagers would drink/use water from the well that may or may not contain leftovers from all the stuff inside the bottom of the well 🤢🤮
When my sister and I were little, we used to play this mini game called "poisoning the water supply" wherein we would pour fish and bugs into the Kakariko Well. As we progressed in the game... well, we found out the well didn't need our help.
@@Macrocosm_Of_Dorian Maybe?? Except nobody else does. It doesn’t take much time at all to get sick from a poisoned water supply, otherwise it wouldn’t have been such a brutally effective siege tactic. So, even if Impa and Dampe are the only remaining original inhabitants from Kakariko since before The War completely decimated the Sheikah (which is implied by one npc claiming Impa’s The Last Sheikah), there were hylians inhabiting Kakariko before the 7 Year timeskip (with more coming in After) They should all be long dead.
The stal children could be inspired by the japanese Gashadokuro, a giant skeleton made from regular skeletons, who manifests in places that have mass graves usually from war and starvation. The skeleton eventually disappears when it's energy is used up (which could explain why there are none when Link is an adult) but before they disappear they hunt down any nearby person. They're usually depicted just being a big skeleton, but zelda could just take creative liberties Either that, or there was a race in Hyrule we never saw that was wiped out during the war.
Ohhh I love this explanation. It fits perfectly. Also the more I look at the stalchildren’s skulls and claws, the more they look like some sort of animal-wolfos, maybe, that scavenged the corpses, got killed themselves, and became part of the bone collection
They look to me like the skeletal remains of Wolfos. If you compare the skull shape, glowing red eyes, long sharp claws, and size, it all lines up. How that many Wolfos that usually reside in the forest got onto and died on Hyrule field is another mystery. Unless Hyrule field used to be a forest and it got deforested and all the Wolfos living there died, and they come up each night for revenge on the lumberjacks who destroyed their home?
To this day, that darn Ghost Ship is still one of the more daunting things in The Legend of Zelda. It was the one thing I was curious about when going into Phantom Hourglass.
I'm glad someone is finally talking about Bongo Bongo. In my opinion it's just the creepiest boss in OOT bc of the possible backstory. A man who was executed possibly by the Sheikah bc of being an enemy to the Royal Family bc of his ability to see the truth and then turned into a monstrous beast in the said torture chamber.
Very well said. Even creepier when you think about he has only one eye since they used the other one to craft the lens of truth. Or I’m wrong on that assessment.
@@adpainter77 No, I think you're right. It truly just makes the Sheikah and the Royal Family seem even more like a villain bc of the fact that they might have killed the man bc of his ability but then used his ability for their own good.
@@adpainter77 It’s difficult to tell because Bongo Bongo’s been executed and his remaining ‘eye’ is actually the section of his neck where the guillotine severed his head (and presumably his hands)
He is creepy. What’s weird is that his hands were severed, yet he still has them, but not his head (probably too graphic for E rating). Imagine Bongo Bongo looking at you through his neck eye, while his disembodied head still floats and bobs around above his neck, not being used, maybe even throwing his head at the player. Fwiw I think he himself just had the lens which was created from magic and that was how he saw things, possibly eventually being killed over it.
Considering Bongo Bongo, I hadn't really considered it, but you talking about execution and decapitation made me realize that Bongo Bongo's "head" could potentially be the stump of his neck after his head was cut off. Quite the gruesome boss beast.
I always thought his hands also being separate from his arms was due to the fact that he was a thief of some sort, because in some cultures, the price of thievery was the severance of one's hand
Yes, please. BotW2 needs some spooky locations. Like some really unnerving places where you see it at a distance and go "yeah no I'm good here"... until the game forces you to go there for a quest. Like the Dunwich Building/Quarry in Fallouts 3 & 4.
I still remember my first time playing WW… I just finished the second dungeon and was hyped that I could now sail across the whole map so I ignored the main quest for quiet some time until I arrived at Greatfish Isle by mere coincidence. I was shocked to see the island destroyed and decided to look around for something useful. Then I turned around and saw it: the Ghost Ship, highlighted by a perfectly timed lightning strike! That was the first time I saw the Ship and my heart skipped more then just one beat that day… Up to this day, most things in the horror genre do not even come close to that scare the Ghost Ship gave me…😅
Hm, but I don't think it's possible to approach Greatfish Isle before it becomes relevant to the story of the game; the King of Red Lions will literally turn you around if you try to approach it. This is because there's no intact version of the island in the game, and it's implied to have been destroyed much later in the story. There are plenty of islands in the game where it shows up depending on the phase of the moon in-game, tho, so it's not too far off to encounter it randomly elsewhere.
The concept of a ghost ship works so well in a game like WW. Obviously, the maritime setting lends itself well, but it's also in the presentation. You can see it looming in the horizon, and it makes for a chilling effect.
I don't think the bottom of the well is an extension of the shadow temple. I think it was part of the house that stood on the well, and was used by the man who had the lens of truth. I also think he was the torturer hired by the royal family (having "an eye that can see the truth" would help with extracting information), that is until his secret is discovered and he's killed. His hands are cut off as a fitting punishment for what he did with them and his eye of truth is hidden in the torture chamber he built below his house and is protected by a well.
It’s possible he’s either a prior Shadow Sage, or he corrupted the Shadow Temple into what it is now, as well as being the redeads’ creator. The sheikah then gave him the punishment as-described, but by then their tribe’s reputation was ruined. Those who didn’t die in the war were no-doubt hunted down and murdered until only Impa remained. At some point the Spirit returns. Impa manages to seal him inside his own “laboratory,” but he later escapes into and draws power from the Shadow Temple he already corrupted long ago. - Impa “opening Kakariko to others” and hiding Zelda as Sheik was an act of goodwill, yes; but it was also an effort to rebuild her destroyed tribe and change her tribe’s tarnished reputation.
It seems the Sheikah pulled his "Third Eye" out and copied it. It also seems like the Torture was sanctioned by The Sheikah for the Royal Family. It is an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing.
I love the mystery behind Bongo Bongo- honestly, my favorite theory on him is that he was a Sheikah who did work for the Royal Family during the war- interrogation work. With his ability to ‘see’ what others couldn’t, he was a stellar interrogator. But when the war was over and Hyrule wanted to hide its bloody deeds, Bongo Bongo was executed. The lens of truth may have been made from one of his eyes (hence the boss only having one eye left) and it’s possible his hands were removed to keep him from continuing his torturous work in the life beyond. A handful of this theory is conjecture to connect bits, but it’s one I still greatly enjoy.
In regards to Bongo Bongo, back in medieval times, hands were cut off for theft. Also the beat he drums sounds like an execution drumbeat. The muttering we hear from him sounds like "You're gonna die" or something like that to me but can't actually say it because well no head. He may be reliving his own execution.
Not necessarily a theory, but I think Breath of the Wild would’ve been a lot creepier if instead of having stal variants of monsters, there were skeletons of dead Hyruleans killed by Ganon that climb out of the ground around all the village ruins
i think Bongo Bongo is an amalgamation of all the negitive energy accumilated over Hyrules dirty past. the drum symbolizes the racing heartbeat of a fearful person.
When fighting the stalfos for the bow in the forest temple in ocarina of time, if you defeat one of them, but are then defeated by the other, triggering a bottled fairy to revive you, the stalfos that you had defeated is revived as well, rising to fight you again. I had thought this was something that I made up as a kid, but in a recent play through I tested it out (totally intentionally, and not because I got cocky or anything, cough cough. XP ), and confirmed it to be true. Not sure if there's any reason behind this, or if it's just a neat little easter egg, but it is an interesting detail that I've never seen mentioned online (though I didn't exactly look for it specifically). Still, I have to wonder, why would a fairy restore an undead creature to un-life? Does that say something about the stalfos, the fairy, or both? Notably, I did get the fairy from the fairy fountain just outside the temple, but is that relevant? The stalfos that was revived was across the room from me when it happened, so it's not a matter of the fairy healing it because it was next to me at the time, as I had thought as a kid, and the stalfos that was still attacking me didn't seem to regain health, oddly enough (though I'm not sure if that's just a matter of me doing jump attacks or something that would decrease the number of hits compared to the revived one). Anyway, I just thought it was an interesting detail, and perhaps worthy of a theory or two. *Shrugs*
@@arcticdino1650 Possibly, but it's quite a coincidence for them to revive right when the fairy is used, without the fight taking all that long (If I wasn't so hasty, maybe I wouldn't have died.). Still, maybe there's something about the revival animation that causes time to pass or something. It certainly lowers the light level during the animation, so that might be connected.
Wonder if there’s some lore that could be extracted from that. Like if the fairies in the forest are responsible for all the stalfos existing in the first place, people who get lost in the forest don’t “transform” into them, but when they die they’re unwillingly resurrected into stalfos and the fairies keep them in this undead limbo.
The part in the Wind Waker where you go underneath the habana that the school teacher owned and you end up going underground and discover redeads. It made me feel like Hyrule's Past is full of creepy stuff compared to what's on the surface.
If you really think about it, the Stalchildren could just be the dead children who tried to escape Hyrule like Link but ended up getting killed in the conflict - makes you think how lucky Link really had it
I like that theory and believe it to some degree but if they were dead children then why would they have dog like heads and snouts. My other theory is that they’re really the remains of people who died in the hyrulian civil war (soldiers and civilians and maybe animals I guess) and their bodies are made up of their remains
The fact bongo bongo has the lense of truth (a shieka artifact) and he is missing his hands there is a strong indication that he stole it from the tribe. Theft was often punished with limbs being removed in some medieval cultures. I'd say it's a pretty concrete theory that he was once human.
Personally I always thought that the Stal Children (this is going to be dark) WERE ACTUAL CHILDREN WHO DIED DURING THE WAR! I think that these were kids who died during the war and because they were killed in war their soul and skelton were deformed into the stal children which would explain why a) the stals are child size and b) they dont look like hylians.
Here's an interesting theory about the Stalchildren: What if they were a race that was wiped out completely during the Hyrule Civil War and now haunt the field at night seeking revenge.
@@c0smosage804 Nah. Dead Dekuscrubs look like shriveled up wood. Mogma’s an interesting idea-right skull shape and teeth, presense of claws, and they emerge from the ground -dang. This is far better than my own theory.-
How about this one guys, what if they were the Zonai? We see their ruins all over BOTW but they were never mentioned in any other game prior to that. What if they existed in Hyrule prior to the Civil War but were all killed?
@@paradygmshift7826 …I mean. I’m still of the opinion that the Zonai was the name of an ancient Monsters civilization. It’s too Blin in aesthetic + there is a looooooong franchise history of Monster NPCs since the first NES game
"some things are best left without an answer.." gosh I love that line! It's so true and fuels so many points of discussion and theory crafting. I love the form of story telling that allows the audience to fill in the blanks with their own ideas, personalizing the story for them.
It's possible that the Stalchildren were a form of the Mogmas from Skyward Sword! They're not perfectly on par with each other, but share similar features. Smaller legs, extended noses/faces, digging claws. I mean, we've seen Zora go through evolution like changes in the series, why not Mogmas? Maybe they were wiped out in the war. Edit: I see now I was not the first with this idea LOL
Man, the inside of the ghostship was such a let-down. All this build-up thoughout the game, then you finally get inside and... it's exactly like all the other (much smaller) ships you've been in, only with a little fog on the floor. 😐
Stalchildren: Also of note; I believe that it's unusual and a relatively recent phenomena that the Stalchildren are getting up and stalking the night in the first place, and are animating as a result of Ganondorf's influence.
If they appeared during Ganondorf's time as the King of Evil, that would make sense to me, but they are completely absent in the future when you play as Adult Link, only appearing in the past when you play as Young Link.
@@MaxRobertoErikson Well, the reason I came to that conclusion is because, if you talk to Saria after talking to Mido and him telling you you need to find a sword and shield, she mentions that the forest has been getting more dangerous lately. Furthermore, Link himself has been having nightmares lately at the start of the game, due to some evil influence. So it's not like Ganondorf doesn't have any power or influence before he grabs the triforce. You do have a good point about why they disappear as an adult, though. There's a meta answer, I'm sure, but that's not why we're here, now is it?
@@ilovethelegend Well, the forest was getting more monsters because Ganondorf placed a curse on the Great Deku Tree, because he wanted the Kokiri Emerald. All the places where Ganondorf explicitly caused trouble when Link was a child were places that had Spiritual Stones, with the exception of the Spirit Temple, which was under his domain as the Gerudo King. I just don't see any reason why Ganondorf would curse Hyrule Field. ...Unless they were ONLY attacking Link, because now that I think about it, I don't remember any NPCs talking about the Stalchildren, in any capacity. It's been a while since I played OT, so I could be wrong about that. Then again, Ganondorf didn't know about Link until Link met Zelda in the garden, and even then he didn't know Link was the one who destroyed Gohma. Could it be possible that Gohma placed a "get attacked by Stalchildren" curse on Link with her dying breath (?) that wore off after seven years?
The war that took place before Ocarina of Time wasn't a *civil* war, technically; it ended with the unification of Hyrule as one kingdom, meaning it started off as a war between independent states. As for the ghost ship, I think we do have one hint to its origins. Tetra said that the Forsaken Fortress used to belong to a crew of small-time pirates before Ganondorf and his monsters moved in. It was never explained why those pirates were no longer there. So perhaps those pirates died and the ghost ship belongs to them. That would still leave the mystery of what led to their demise/disappearance, though.
It was a civil war, technically; it didn't end with the just unification but reunification as the kingdom had already existed in at least a similar state leading up to the war
I have always interpreted the stalchiodren as being the wandering remains of nameless losses from the war, be them soldiers, adult civilians or kids caught in the conflict. Their twisted forms being just as they end up appearing from not remembering who they were or why they died. Bongo Bongo I have always seen as the man who had the lens of truth, but was captured and experimented on even if he was a normal citizen for his eye, and Bongo Bongo is his vengeful spirit wanting to lash out at his assailants.
I think I know what happened to Jabu Jabu. For the recovering zora, who were starving and couldn’t break through the ice to eat what they ate, fish or something, I dunno, the closest thing that they had was Jabu Jabu, and that’s why the ice is broken over there. They broke him out to eat him, the only way for the zora to live. Then they could access their food at the bottom of where he once was. Sorry I’m late to the video lol.
The Ghostship, one of the places where the very shard of divine courage resides. Why would such a haunting and chilling place have it? What is it really? When Link went away the Triforce of Courage was broken. It's pieces scattered around Hyrule to be found again in the future by one worthy enough of it. - The First is Left in a steel clad fortress protected by canons. Then further sealed away so one must know the right melody to call the treasure out. - The second is kept hidden on a private island with possible connections to the Sheika. In the basement that is filled with redeads who protect it from being taken. Even then, only the owner of the place is able to step foot into the building. - The Third is found on Bird Peak Rock a place with 5 switches that must be triggered by taming a seagull and hitting them. A task that would be no easy feat for anyone but the hero. - The Fourth is found hidden in the depths of the Savage Labyrinth, on Outset Island where the people tell the stories of the Hero of Time and even honor said hero by having their children bear his colors at adulthood. - The Fifth is on Stone Watcher Island, hidden by a massive stone head that needs to be moved by someone bearing the power bracelets. Then defeat the enemies within. - The Sixth has already been found and taken by the Evil and kept moving on the sea by a golden warship. That leads the last one, on a haunted ghost ship a place that sails around to never be taken by anyone but someone both daring and courageous enough to take it. Each one a challenge and a Trial to find someone worthy of taking the pieces. Even More so, aside from the Ghost Ship all the other 6 can be found and taken by enough brutal "Power". Ganon could easily take each and every piece by force if he wished. The Ghost Ship is the only one that will always remain away from him. Add in the fact that the Shieka are known as the Shadow Folk and have already had locations like the area Under the Well and Shadow Temple. It isn't a grand stretch to imagine that the Ghost Ship was once a Shieka ship that was tasked to forever protect the Triforce Shard from all who would claim it. Even in death they fight to keep it from anyone, even from someone who would look like the Hero. When Link gets it, the ghost ship "Shrieks" and then fades away. However, it lets him off in a safe spot on a ship. It would be easy for such a phantom ship to sink under the water with Link as well. What if that Shriek was meant to be a cheer of joy as someone finally earned the Treasure of the Ship?
You might enjoy this. Re: Wind Waker's Ghost Ship, my head canon is that it's an ancient Hyrulean naval vessel charged directly by the King or the Gods themselves to keep watch and protect the Triforce chart (or shard) until a new Hero comes to claim it. Over time the crew devolve into undead entities to better serve to protect the Shard. Ol' Boaty Boi and his Kingly Crimson Cat come along and whack em to fetch the bloody thing and put the crew to rest. However, after so incomprehensibly long sailing, the crew have actually devolved into actual malevolent monsters that genuinely make the deadly rumors about the vessel true.
I think the ghost soldiers of Twilight Princess are very intriguing. They kinda look like the Hero's Shade (is that his name?), which is a benign spirit, so that might explain why they don't attack and instead guide you. The thing that I find odd is that the graveyard where you find them first seems to have no access. I don't remember it having doors, and it is in a state of disarray and abandonment. Sure, Kakariko Graveyard is also very messy, but Kakariko is a poor village. One would think a graveyard within the *Castle* would be magnificent, even more so given that the only people who seem to have been buried there are soldiers. Hyrule Castle's higher levels show significant damage, and here we can find a bunch of these ghost soldiers. Could it be that Ganondorf killed the castle guards and threw them all into the Royal Family's Graveyard? Like a mass grave or a way to show disrespect towards both the Royalty and the armed Hyrulean forces?
If you haven't seen "5 Unexplained Zelda Mysteries! #3" yet, Zeltik talked about them there. Funnily enough, that came up in the recommended videos right alongside where this comment showed up. XD
I always felt Bongo Bongo was different from the other Ocarina of Time bosses, and now that it's actually clicked in my head that the Bottom of the Well is an old torture site I understand why. Unlike all the other bosses (With the exception of King Dodongo, but he's not exactly out of place where he is at) Bongo Bongo has no connection to Ganondorf, he's not a servant of Ganondorf, or one of his creations. He's a Vengeful Spirit, one that is vengeful against the Sheikah, he sent fire to Kakariko Village (I assume so at least), manhandled Sheik for a moment before tossing Sheik aside and effectively just shoving Link out of the way instead of killing them. They weren't Sheikah, Sheik had his attention for a moment, but once learning Sheik wasn't actually a Sheikah by blood tossed him aside, and Link was just in his way while he was looking for an actual Sheikah. He then went to the Shadow Temple because he figured the only ones that would come after him and be able to find him were the Sheikah and their Mind's Eye to see the false walls of the temple.
Chilling on Mekar Island with the fully upgraded Radiant Set is such a fun experience. Nice to know that when Link feels alone he can go chill on the island with his undead friends.
Things as mysterious and uncommon like the Ghost ship in Wind Waker is so cool. I remember seeing it as a 7/8 year and today I still get an ominous nostalgia looking at it.
5:45 Didn’t that Hyrule warriors game shed light on him being like a former sheikah or something who went rogue and for his actions was tortured, hands cut off, then finally beheaded and left to rot?
You know what's even creepier about that mask in The Wind Waker? Not just the grin, but the fact that if you try to get closer to the mask in the GameCube version of The Wind Waker by jumpslashing over the treasure chest, the game crashes.
Nope, LoZ reference. Single dead tree at the center of a tiny island on a lake? Level 1, the first dungeon you're likely to find. The undead jerkfaces? The first enemies you meet in Level 1 are a room full of Stalfos, at that time a very weak enemy with no defenses, just a pair of swords, sometimes visibly containing a key or a bomb in their ribs they'd drop upon defeat.
I really enjoy your creepy Zelda content. Your videos about the All-Night Mask, "Them" aliens, ReDeads and all scary enemies, this one, etc. It shows the depth and personality of the series and each individual game. I feel that each character and the themes in Majora's Mask all have a dark story that could be explored. Excited to see more content, especially when more news and information becomes available for BOTW2!
At the very beginning of the video, less than a minute in, I suddenly came to a realization. A _dark_ realization. I've yet to watch beyond the 1:36 mark, but I fear Zeltik may have come to the same conclusion as I did just now. Think about it. These aren't _Stalfos..._ they're _Stalchildren._ Now, consider the state of Hyrule when Link was first brought to Kokiri Forest as an infant. What was happening at the time? ...Can you put 2 and 2 together?
I'm so glad you included the ghost ship! That was always one of the things that stuck out to me when thinking about creepy stuff in the Zelda series. It also helps that I encountered it randomly, waaaaaay before I even knew that I'd have to eventually go aboard.
A theory about Mekar island: Perhaps the lone tree is actually what remains of Makar. I don't think we know what happens to Koroks if/when they die. Perhaps they become trees as well? The fact that they have a single dead tree, a dead giveaway rock that would normally hide a Korok, the fact the island is named after him, the eastward blowing wind... it all leads me to believe that this was meant to be his grave.
I think Bongo Bongo isn't a specific person resurrected to haunt the area but in fact a culmination of dark energy that was made from all those that were tortured and killed in those dungeons. Like it's the manifestation of the dark deeds.
Man I love the ghost ship. It added so much life to the open sea, just knowing it sails around on its own in the dark of night. Really upped the immersion, would've been awesome to see more things going around on their own accord regardless of the player.
What if tingle is connected to the ghost ship. In the gamecube version, tingle is the only one who can translate the triforce charts. And one of those charts is collected on the ghost ship. He can read cursed objects. And charges you hundreds of rupees to do so. His face also kinda resembles the mask inside the ship.
I know this is not an mystery but... The octopus in Wind waiker is one of the most terrifying things I ever run into in a Zelda game. I remember when I was young and played that game on Gamecube and were just sailing the seas trying to find my way through the game. and randomly getting stuck in an whirlpool on the open seas and having the Octopus come out and attack me. it was such an stressful experience back then. It was so bad that I was Scared to leave the islands afterward and was got terrified anytime an storm would appear when I was on the open sea. it really messed me up as an child.
"It is the legend of the Zora that offering a fish to the patron deity will bring happiness" Me to the Zora who sells fish: *I'Ll TaKE YoUr EnTIrE StoCk*
Given that you get sucked in the mouth of the deity, I might suggest that's an unaliving joke XD Ah yes, the happiness of the sweet release of death, lmao
Great video! Maybe Bongo Bongo was a military drummer/musician the Sheikah were torturing/experimenting on rather than the guy who created the Eye of Truth? I'd always read the Old Man's comment as referring to the lens. The man whose house was over the well didn't train his eye to see the truth; he used his invention instead. Though I guess that version of things would make that man a great candidate for being the origin of Deadhand 😱
The stalchildren could still be the reanimared corpses of fallen soldiers. They don't look like any of the races currently living in Hyrule, but who says they have to be? If they truly are victims of the war, they could be the remains of a race that simply did not want to bend and was completely wiped out in the process, hence we don't see any of them around anymore. The kingdom of Hyrule is capable of some dark stuff as can be seen in the well and shadow temple, so this would be feasible.
I just came across this channel pretty recently. I got my first LoZ games (OoT and WW) back in 2002. I was 7 years old then. Time flies, and life gets harder. I don't have as much time as I used to to sort myself out and recoup. These videos bring me a heavy sense of nostalgia and remind me that things will be alright. So thank you for making these, Bro. Truly.
The creepiest thing in Zelda is windmill guy I mean he's alone in a creepy windmill hes got a creepy smile playing creepy music all night long makes me shiver.
The thing I love about Bongo Bongo is his name compared to everything else about him. He's a tortured, executed, undead being left at the bottom of the dungeon he died in. And then he's named "Bongo Bongo" I would be offended in his place. Not only was I tortured and executed, they gave me a silly name and a giant bongo. Don't you think something like "Tortured Captive" with a giant sword or scythe is spookier? I guess to be fair, BB probably has some sick tunes when he's not attempting to kill heroes destined to save the kingdom.
Got a theory: I personally think that the Stalchildren are essentially just references to Dry Bones from the Mario series. Reasons why this makes since(in my mind): -Both Zelda and Mario are Nintendo properties(obviously doesn’t guarantee that they’ll get referenced, but they do tend to reference their other franchises at times). -Just look at Em, dude.
The ghost ship does have several burning blue flames that we're more familiar with now. It also has the spirit temple vibes going on as well. Perhaps there is a connection to where the Shiekah went?
Is it too early to bring up Ben Drowned? I feel like the story has lost momentum over the past couple years, this generation needs to be introduced if they haven't already.
-I think the stalchildren are actually somewhat related to the Kokiri and Skullkids: they’re all children who have died or have been orphaned and therefore neglected then died as a result of the Civil War. The residual magic left behind in the conflict-like the magic of the Lost Woods-causes them to reanimate and mutate. While this doesn’t apply to all Kokiri (like Link, and Mido who’s seen in the credits at Lon Lon Ranch; so many are probably just orphans), the Kokiri are told that if they leave the Forest that they will die. I don’t remember where it’s said that Skullkids are Lost Kokiri, but: what if a (dead child) Kokiri who wanders from Kokiri Forest into the Lost Woods for too long becomes a Skullkid, and if they wander further…they join the stalchildren. -JabuJabu’s enclosure is far too small. It’s no wonder he became sick and eventually ate Ruto-a child cannot be sustained on a fish. HOW can a WHALE. So…Ganondorf isn’t actually responsible for this one. JabuJabu became ill and/or malnourished enough that he finally died sometime during the Seven Years. Without the Guardian Deity keeping the source waters unfrozen, Zora’s Domain reverted to a mountain spring, with its snowmelt still providing fresh water for the Hylians and Gerudo, but the Zora have since fled or froze solid. Then in the absence of a water spirit, Morpha took up residence, hoarded Lake Hylia’s water for itself, then cursed the few Zora who did remain with Red Ice to prevent anyone from interfering
When I got ambushed by the Stal enemies on that damn island I legit got freaked out. Just when I thought Zelda games couldn’t scare me much as an adult.
Do you think the Stalchildren appearing incessantly every night was inspired by Berserk, where the hero, Guts, due to a curse, is assualted by monsters and evil spirits every night? I'd have to double check some dates, but it seems possible.
I could be mistaken, but isn't Bongo Bongo explained as a conglomeration of souls of criminals tortured and executed by the Hyrulian Royal Family, or the Sheikah?
Might be a shot in the dark but now that i'm looking at him, Bongo Bongo reminds me of the twili invaders in Twilight Princess. Just some common design elements or a deliberate allusion?
I'm so glad I clicked this video. Excellent coverage and examination of the lore and creatures in the Zelda series. And I had forgotten about that face on the ghost ship. Please Nintendo, put Wind Waker on the Switch!
At the beginning of the Wind Waker, Tetra mentions how Forsaken Fortress was the home of a rival gang of pirates. What if the ghost ship was their ship and the inhabitants were the rival pirates themselves
And that is another reason why Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game. I wish we had another similar apparition in BOTW that could be seen if you looked out at sea. It'd be cool to see the ghosts of fallen knights in some places too, just wandering around.
I'm sure you get this a lot, but it still continues to make my day to see your content!!! I rewatch your "Top XX" videos all the time. your lore videos are my favorite, and I still am shaken and taken aback by the redead theories!!! I do nothing short of a happy dance when I see you have new videos posted, and I'm so, so happy i discoveed you late last year! You get me through chores, nights i can't sleep, and give me my zelda fix without fail! Love your stuff, thank you for all your hard work!!!!
I say the Ghost Ship was a creation of the Triforce of Courage when it split apart into 8 pieces, as a self-defense from all but the hero's successor, to the point of cursing anyone else who tried to document it.
10:45 Of course the meta reason for his disappearance is to prevent players from accessing two of the dungeons that require child items to navigate, those being the Slingshot for Great Deku Tree and Boomerang for Jabu-Jabu's Belly. That's also why Dodongo's Cavern can be visited as an adult because Bombs are always usable.
I became a fan of yours a year ago with your redead theory, and frankly I’ve been really excited to see what you pull out of the bag for Halloween this year. Thanks for not disappointing, and here’s to many more spooky Zelda Halloween theories!
i remember as a kid all my friends were scared of the shadow temple/bongo bongo but i, ever the weirdo of the group, just thought his name was super funny and wasn’t scared at all. i used to draw dead hands in the corners of my schoolbooks. anyway i still think bongo bongo is a funny name for a big ol spooky boss
One thing I noticed about mekar island while playing. Is that wind on the side of the island closest to the lost woods blows from the direction of the lost woods. The only direction to do so. I think Mekar island is a dumping ground for all the enemies that get lost in the woods. They turn into stal versions and get blown onto this small island out of the woods.
What's really creepy is the fact that Kakariko villagers would drink/use water from the well that may or may not contain leftovers from all the stuff inside the bottom of the well 🤢🤮
This!!! Looong thought this. HOW are they not all dead?! There’s even raw sewage and acid down there, nevermind the corpses!!!!
When my sister and I were little, we used to play this mini game called "poisoning the water supply" wherein we would pour fish and bugs into the Kakariko Well. As we progressed in the game... well, we found out the well didn't need our help.
i played this game during my childhood and putting all this together now as an adult... oh boy
Would that explain why Dampé the grave keeper looks like the way he looks now?
@@Macrocosm_Of_Dorian
Maybe?? Except nobody else does. It doesn’t take much time at all to get sick from a poisoned water supply, otherwise it wouldn’t have been such a brutally effective siege tactic. So, even if Impa and Dampe are the only remaining original inhabitants from Kakariko since before The War completely decimated the Sheikah (which is implied by one npc claiming Impa’s The Last Sheikah), there were hylians inhabiting Kakariko before the 7 Year timeskip (with more coming in After)
They should all be long dead.
I always thought Bongo Bongo’s “eye” was his cut neck
@Just a Frog That makes it even more terrifying
that's what I thought too
Pretty sure it's both
That's what I thought the implication was too, especially with all the guillotines throughout the Shadow Temple.
@@DarshanBhambhani there was no malice in the lore at the time
The stal children could be inspired by the japanese Gashadokuro, a giant skeleton made from regular skeletons, who manifests in places that have mass graves usually from war and starvation. The skeleton eventually disappears when it's energy is used up (which could explain why there are none when Link is an adult) but before they disappear they hunt down any nearby person. They're usually depicted just being a big skeleton, but zelda could just take creative liberties
Either that, or there was a race in Hyrule we never saw that was wiped out during the war.
Ohhh I love this explanation. It fits perfectly.
Also the more I look at the stalchildren’s skulls and claws, the more they look like some sort of animal-wolfos, maybe, that scavenged the corpses, got killed themselves, and became part of the bone collection
They def match how I've seen that monster drawn in manga. Really good idea!
They look to me like the skeletal remains of Wolfos. If you compare the skull shape, glowing red eyes, long sharp claws, and size, it all lines up. How that many Wolfos that usually reside in the forest got onto and died on Hyrule field is another mystery. Unless Hyrule field used to be a forest and it got deforested and all the Wolfos living there died, and they come up each night for revenge on the lumberjacks who destroyed their home?
If remain killing Stal children sometimes will spawn a larger one, and the more you kill, The larger they can spawn
Maybe it’s both. Giant minish skeletons
To this day, that darn Ghost Ship is still one of the more daunting things in The Legend of Zelda.
It was the one thing I was curious about when going into Phantom Hourglass.
GET ON TEAM SEAS MAKE THE SEASE A BETTER Place for the zora and other creatures
@@MADMEKWURRWAZZA ...wat?
The King of Red Lions disappeared, and the Ghost Ship stays…
Hey Zelda Universe, love your content!
@@chrislevack405 Team Seas is another project Mr.Beast is working on. It's to raise money to clean up waste that have been dumped into the ocean.
I'm glad someone is finally talking about Bongo Bongo. In my opinion it's just the creepiest boss in OOT bc of the possible backstory. A man who was executed possibly by the Sheikah bc of being an enemy to the Royal Family bc of his ability to see the truth and then turned into a monstrous beast in the said torture chamber.
Very well said. Even creepier when you think about he has only one eye since they used the other one to craft the lens of truth. Or I’m wrong on that assessment.
@@adpainter77 No, I think you're right. It truly just makes the Sheikah and the Royal Family seem even more like a villain bc of the fact that they might have killed the man bc of his ability but then used his ability for their own good.
@@adpainter77 It’s difficult to tell because Bongo Bongo’s been executed and his remaining ‘eye’ is actually the section of his neck where the guillotine severed his head (and presumably his hands)
How do I not realise it’s not scary,I’ve Killed it already it’s to easy
He is creepy. What’s weird is that his hands were severed, yet he still has them, but not his head (probably too graphic for E rating). Imagine Bongo Bongo looking at you through his neck eye, while his disembodied head still floats and bobs around above his neck, not being used, maybe even throwing his head at the player.
Fwiw I think he himself just had the lens which was created from magic and that was how he saw things, possibly eventually being killed over it.
Considering Bongo Bongo, I hadn't really considered it, but you talking about execution and decapitation made me realize that Bongo Bongo's "head" could potentially be the stump of his neck after his head was cut off. Quite the gruesome boss beast.
i thought the same thing.
I always thought his hands also being separate from his arms was due to the fact that he was a thief of some sort, because in some cultures, the price of thievery was the severance of one's hand
I feel the same way about the Poe Collector and his glowing red "eye"
For some reason I kinda want a temple in new BOTW game to match the creepiness of the Shadow Temple
agreed.
That would be nice
I just want more actual temples and dungeons. While I liked breath of the wild it felt empty on an actual storyline and dungeons.
Yeah
Yes, please. BotW2 needs some spooky locations. Like some really unnerving places where you see it at a distance and go "yeah no I'm good here"... until the game forces you to go there for a quest. Like the Dunwich Building/Quarry in Fallouts 3 & 4.
Fun fact: that scream that you hear on the ghost ship once you open the chest is actually Jabun's unused scream but sped up and higher pitched
Even then Jabun himself is pretty creepy.
Just the idea of an Ocean world is unsettling.
@@Tobunari are we not living on big islands in an ocean world?
@@sheehase If you want to call the continents that, sure.
But the fact is, I'm still on land, not smack dab in the middle of the ocean.
@@Tobunari i dont want to know what lives at the bottom of the ocean seems way to creepy
Who is Jabun?
I still remember my first time playing WW… I just finished the second dungeon and was hyped that I could now sail across the whole map so I ignored the main quest for quiet some time until I arrived at Greatfish Isle by mere coincidence. I was shocked to see the island destroyed and decided to look around for something useful. Then I turned around and saw it: the Ghost Ship, highlighted by a perfectly timed lightning strike!
That was the first time I saw the Ship and my heart skipped more then just one beat that day… Up to this day, most things in the horror genre do not even come close to that scare the Ghost Ship gave me…😅
You just said it perfectly haha that was my experience too! Or the first time encountering the giant oktorok, that had me terrified
Hm, but I don't think it's possible to approach Greatfish Isle before it becomes relevant to the story of the game; the King of Red Lions will literally turn you around if you try to approach it. This is because there's no intact version of the island in the game, and it's implied to have been destroyed much later in the story. There are plenty of islands in the game where it shows up depending on the phase of the moon in-game, tho, so it's not too far off to encounter it randomly elsewhere.
The concept of a ghost ship works so well in a game like WW. Obviously, the maritime setting lends itself well, but it's also in the presentation. You can see it looming in the horizon, and it makes for a chilling effect.
I don't think the bottom of the well is an extension of the shadow temple. I think it was part of the house that stood on the well, and was used by the man who had the lens of truth. I also think he was the torturer hired by the royal family (having "an eye that can see the truth" would help with extracting information), that is until his secret is discovered and he's killed. His hands are cut off as a fitting punishment for what he did with them and his eye of truth is hidden in the torture chamber he built below his house and is protected by a well.
It’s possible he’s either a prior Shadow Sage, or he corrupted the Shadow Temple into what it is now, as well as being the redeads’ creator.
The sheikah then gave him the punishment as-described, but by then their tribe’s reputation was ruined. Those who didn’t die in the war were no-doubt hunted down and murdered until only Impa remained.
At some point the Spirit returns. Impa manages to seal him inside his own “laboratory,” but he later escapes into and draws power from the Shadow Temple he already corrupted long ago.
-
Impa “opening Kakariko to others” and hiding Zelda as Sheik was an act of goodwill, yes; but it was also an effort to rebuild her destroyed tribe and change her tribe’s tarnished reputation.
It seems the Sheikah pulled his "Third Eye" out and copied it. It also seems like the Torture was sanctioned by The Sheikah for the Royal Family. It is an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing.
I was always curious as to the background of Bongo-Bongo, because having your hands cut off was the punishment for a thief.
@@DreadeDragon What if he didn’t make the lens of truth, but rather stole it from somewhere?
@@ToastReaper That could have happened! And then he used it and found out about things he never should have seen, so the shiekah punished him for it.
I love the mystery behind Bongo Bongo- honestly, my favorite theory on him is that he was a Sheikah who did work for the Royal Family during the war- interrogation work. With his ability to ‘see’ what others couldn’t, he was a stellar interrogator. But when the war was over and Hyrule wanted to hide its bloody deeds, Bongo Bongo was executed. The lens of truth may have been made from one of his eyes (hence the boss only having one eye left) and it’s possible his hands were removed to keep him from continuing his torturous work in the life beyond. A handful of this theory is conjecture to connect bits, but it’s one I still greatly enjoy.
In regards to Bongo Bongo, back in medieval times, hands were cut off for theft. Also the beat he drums sounds like an execution drumbeat. The muttering we hear from him sounds like "You're gonna die" or something like that to me but can't actually say it because well no head. He may be reliving his own execution.
Next Video: are boos the ghosts of dead Toads?
Hey man what about YOUR next video? Lol just kidding take it easy.
So what would that make king boo by that logic?
@@crimsonblack9774 toadsworth
@@bendrowned8506 I was thinking like maybe a former king who got axed but interesting
Paper Mario TTYD has a ghost toad on the train though
your intro still remains one of the most polished things I've seen
I second that
an image and some music, truly spectacular
I number that
Agreed
@@ScLuigi but it's not just an image, is it? it's several hundred images shown very quickly to create the illusion of motion
Not necessarily a theory, but I think Breath of the Wild would’ve been a lot creepier if instead of having stal variants of monsters, there were skeletons of dead Hyruleans killed by Ganon that climb out of the ground around all the village ruins
Haunting-ly beautiful thumbnail and intro mate! 💪
Super video for Halloween too!!
GET ON TEAM SEASSSSSSSS
Hey Hyrule Gamer, love your content!
I honestly thought it was glitching out lol
i think Bongo Bongo is an amalgamation of all the negitive energy accumilated over Hyrules dirty past. the drum symbolizes the racing heartbeat of a fearful person.
When fighting the stalfos for the bow in the forest temple in ocarina of time, if you defeat one of them, but are then defeated by the other, triggering a bottled fairy to revive you, the stalfos that you had defeated is revived as well, rising to fight you again. I had thought this was something that I made up as a kid, but in a recent play through I tested it out (totally intentionally, and not because I got cocky or anything, cough cough. XP ), and confirmed it to be true. Not sure if there's any reason behind this, or if it's just a neat little easter egg, but it is an interesting detail that I've never seen mentioned online (though I didn't exactly look for it specifically). Still, I have to wonder, why would a fairy restore an undead creature to un-life? Does that say something about the stalfos, the fairy, or both? Notably, I did get the fairy from the fairy fountain just outside the temple, but is that relevant? The stalfos that was revived was across the room from me when it happened, so it's not a matter of the fairy healing it because it was next to me at the time, as I had thought as a kid, and the stalfos that was still attacking me didn't seem to regain health, oddly enough (though I'm not sure if that's just a matter of me doing jump attacks or something that would decrease the number of hits compared to the revived one). Anyway, I just thought it was an interesting detail, and perhaps worthy of a theory or two. *Shrugs*
If I'm not mistaken they are just supposed to respawn if you take too long to defeat both
@@arcticdino1650 Possibly, but it's quite a coincidence for them to revive right when the fairy is used, without the fight taking all that long (If I wasn't so hasty, maybe I wouldn't have died.). Still, maybe there's something about the revival animation that causes time to pass or something. It certainly lowers the light level during the animation, so that might be connected.
@@Ryu_D maybe when you get defeated and revived they think that's cheap so the other one comes back to prove if you are worthy for the bow
Wonder if there’s some lore that could be extracted from that. Like if the fairies in the forest are responsible for all the stalfos existing in the first place, people who get lost in the forest don’t “transform” into them, but when they die they’re unwillingly resurrected into stalfos and the fairies keep them in this undead limbo.
"Speaking of unsettling things in Ocarina of time not much compares to bongo bongo"
Deadhand: "Am I a joke to you?"
The spider house
Majora's masks "toilet hand.
@@MrChickennugget360 have you SEEN deadhand? I don't think knockoff hanako is much of a contender frankly...
@@matthewrawlings1284 it was a joke. i mean what could be more scary than having a hand reach out for toilet paper when you are on the pot?
@@MrChickennugget360 running out of toilet paper, obviously.
The part in the Wind Waker where you go underneath the habana that the school teacher owned and you end up going underground and discover redeads. It made me feel like Hyrule's Past is full of creepy stuff compared to what's on the surface.
I was terrified of the WW ReDeads when I was a kid so it was the nastiest surprise ever.
If you really think about it, the Stalchildren could just be the dead children who tried to escape Hyrule like Link but ended up getting killed in the conflict - makes you think how lucky Link really had it
Link was carried as a baby by his mother
I like that theory and believe it to some degree but if they were dead children then why would they have dog like heads and snouts. My other theory is that they’re really the remains of people who died in the hyrulian civil war (soldiers and civilians and maybe animals I guess) and their bodies are made up of their remains
The fact bongo bongo has the lense of truth (a shieka artifact) and he is missing his hands there is a strong indication that he stole it from the tribe.
Theft was often punished with limbs being removed in some medieval cultures. I'd say it's a pretty concrete theory that he was once human.
Personally I always thought that the Stal Children (this is going to be dark) WERE ACTUAL CHILDREN WHO DIED DURING THE WAR! I think that these were kids who died during the war and because they were killed in war their soul and skelton were deformed into the stal children which would explain why a) the stals are child size and b) they dont look like hylians.
Here's an interesting theory about the Stalchildren:
What if they were a race that was wiped out completely during the Hyrule Civil War and now haunt the field at night seeking revenge.
Yes! They could be SS-variety bokoblins or Mogmas.
Their skull shapes vaguely remind of Deku Scrubs for som reason
@@c0smosage804
Nah. Dead Dekuscrubs look like shriveled up wood.
Mogma’s an interesting idea-right skull shape and teeth, presense of claws, and they emerge from the ground -dang. This is far better than my own theory.-
How about this one guys, what if they were the Zonai? We see their ruins all over BOTW but they were never mentioned in any other game prior to that. What if they existed in Hyrule prior to the Civil War but were all killed?
@@paradygmshift7826
…I mean. I’m still of the opinion that the Zonai was the name of an ancient Monsters civilization. It’s too Blin in aesthetic + there is a looooooong franchise history of Monster NPCs since the first NES game
12:00 That "face" when approaching towards it really creeps me out when I first played The Wind Waker... and it still feels unnerving to this day.
"some things are best left without an answer.." gosh I love that line! It's so true and fuels so many points of discussion and theory crafting. I love the form of story telling that allows the audience to fill in the blanks with their own ideas, personalizing the story for them.
You
It's possible that the Stalchildren were a form of the Mogmas from Skyward Sword! They're not perfectly on par with each other, but share similar features. Smaller legs, extended noses/faces, digging claws. I mean, we've seen Zora go through evolution like changes in the series, why not Mogmas? Maybe they were wiped out in the war.
Edit: I see now I was not the first with this idea LOL
Man, the inside of the ghostship was such a let-down. All this build-up thoughout the game, then you finally get inside and... it's exactly like all the other (much smaller) ships you've been in, only with a little fog on the floor. 😐
Stalchildren: Also of note; I believe that it's unusual and a relatively recent phenomena that the Stalchildren are getting up and stalking the night in the first place, and are animating as a result of Ganondorf's influence.
If they appeared during Ganondorf's time as the King of Evil, that would make sense to me, but they are completely absent in the future when you play as Adult Link, only appearing in the past when you play as Young Link.
@@MaxRobertoErikson Well, the reason I came to that conclusion is because, if you talk to Saria after talking to Mido and him telling you you need to find a sword and shield, she mentions that the forest has been getting more dangerous lately. Furthermore, Link himself has been having nightmares lately at the start of the game, due to some evil influence. So it's not like Ganondorf doesn't have any power or influence before he grabs the triforce.
You do have a good point about why they disappear as an adult, though. There's a meta answer, I'm sure, but that's not why we're here, now is it?
@@ilovethelegend Well, the forest was getting more monsters because Ganondorf placed a curse on the Great Deku Tree, because he wanted the Kokiri Emerald. All the places where Ganondorf explicitly caused trouble when Link was a child were places that had Spiritual Stones, with the exception of the Spirit Temple, which was under his domain as the Gerudo King. I just don't see any reason why Ganondorf would curse Hyrule Field.
...Unless they were ONLY attacking Link, because now that I think about it, I don't remember any NPCs talking about the Stalchildren, in any capacity. It's been a while since I played OT, so I could be wrong about that. Then again, Ganondorf didn't know about Link until Link met Zelda in the garden, and even then he didn't know Link was the one who destroyed Gohma. Could it be possible that Gohma placed a "get attacked by Stalchildren" curse on Link with her dying breath (?) that wore off after seven years?
The war that took place before Ocarina of Time wasn't a *civil* war, technically; it ended with the unification of Hyrule as one kingdom, meaning it started off as a war between independent states.
As for the ghost ship, I think we do have one hint to its origins. Tetra said that the Forsaken Fortress used to belong to a crew of small-time pirates before Ganondorf and his monsters moved in. It was never explained why those pirates were no longer there. So perhaps those pirates died and the ghost ship belongs to them. That would still leave the mystery of what led to their demise/disappearance, though.
It was a civil war, technically; it didn't end with the just unification but reunification as the kingdom had already existed in at least a similar state leading up to the war
I have always interpreted the stalchiodren as being the wandering remains of nameless losses from the war, be them soldiers, adult civilians or kids caught in the conflict.
Their twisted forms being just as they end up appearing from not remembering who they were or why they died.
Bongo Bongo I have always seen as the man who had the lens of truth, but was captured and experimented on even if he was a normal citizen for his eye, and Bongo Bongo is his vengeful spirit wanting to lash out at his assailants.
I think I know what happened to Jabu Jabu. For the recovering zora, who were starving and couldn’t break through the ice to eat what they ate, fish or something, I dunno, the closest thing that they had was Jabu Jabu, and that’s why the ice is broken over there. They broke him out to eat him, the only way for the zora to live. Then they could access their food at the bottom of where he once was. Sorry I’m late to the video lol.
Edit: yeah, it’s dark
Snorkel
The Ghostship, one of the places where the very shard of divine courage resides. Why would such a haunting and chilling place have it? What is it really? When Link went away the Triforce of Courage was broken. It's pieces scattered around Hyrule to be found again in the future by one worthy enough of it.
- The First is Left in a steel clad fortress protected by canons. Then further sealed away so one must know the right melody to call the treasure out.
- The second is kept hidden on a private island with possible connections to the Sheika. In the basement that is filled with redeads who protect it from being taken. Even then, only the owner of the place is able to step foot into the building.
- The Third is found on Bird Peak Rock a place with 5 switches that must be triggered by taming a seagull and hitting them. A task that would be no easy feat for anyone but the hero.
- The Fourth is found hidden in the depths of the Savage Labyrinth, on Outset Island where the people tell the stories of the Hero of Time and even honor said hero by having their children bear his colors at adulthood.
- The Fifth is on Stone Watcher Island, hidden by a massive stone head that needs to be moved by someone bearing the power bracelets. Then defeat the enemies within.
- The Sixth has already been found and taken by the Evil and kept moving on the sea by a golden warship.
That leads the last one, on a haunted ghost ship a place that sails around to never be taken by anyone but someone both daring and courageous enough to take it. Each one a challenge and a Trial to find someone worthy of taking the pieces. Even More so, aside from the Ghost Ship all the other 6 can be found and taken by enough brutal "Power". Ganon could easily take each and every piece by force if he wished. The Ghost Ship is the only one that will always remain away from him.
Add in the fact that the Shieka are known as the Shadow Folk and have already had locations like the area Under the Well and Shadow Temple. It isn't a grand stretch to imagine that the Ghost Ship was once a Shieka ship that was tasked to forever protect the Triforce Shard from all who would claim it. Even in death they fight to keep it from anyone, even from someone who would look like the Hero. When Link gets it, the ghost ship "Shrieks" and then fades away. However, it lets him off in a safe spot on a ship. It would be easy for such a phantom ship to sink under the water with Link as well. What if that Shriek was meant to be a cheer of joy as someone finally earned the Treasure of the Ship?
You might enjoy this.
Re: Wind Waker's Ghost Ship, my head canon is that it's an ancient Hyrulean naval vessel charged directly by the King or the Gods themselves to keep watch and protect the Triforce chart (or shard) until a new Hero comes to claim it. Over time the crew devolve into undead entities to better serve to protect the Shard. Ol' Boaty Boi and his Kingly Crimson Cat come along and whack em to fetch the bloody thing and put the crew to rest. However, after so incomprehensibly long sailing, the crew have actually devolved into actual malevolent monsters that genuinely make the deadly rumors about the vessel true.
0:04 well played, well freaking played
I think the ghost soldiers of Twilight Princess are very intriguing.
They kinda look like the Hero's Shade (is that his name?), which is a benign spirit, so that might explain why they don't attack and instead guide you. The thing that I find odd is that the graveyard where you find them first seems to have no access. I don't remember it having doors, and it is in a state of disarray and abandonment. Sure, Kakariko Graveyard is also very messy, but Kakariko is a poor village. One would think a graveyard within the *Castle* would be magnificent, even more so given that the only people who seem to have been buried there are soldiers.
Hyrule Castle's higher levels show significant damage, and here we can find a bunch of these ghost soldiers. Could it be that Ganondorf killed the castle guards and threw them all into the Royal Family's Graveyard? Like a mass grave or a way to show disrespect towards both the Royalty and the armed Hyrulean forces?
If you haven't seen "5 Unexplained Zelda Mysteries! #3" yet, Zeltik talked about them there. Funnily enough, that came up in the recommended videos right alongside where this comment showed up. XD
I always felt Bongo Bongo was different from the other Ocarina of Time bosses, and now that it's actually clicked in my head that the Bottom of the Well is an old torture site I understand why.
Unlike all the other bosses (With the exception of King Dodongo, but he's not exactly out of place where he is at) Bongo Bongo has no connection to Ganondorf, he's not a servant of Ganondorf, or one of his creations.
He's a Vengeful Spirit, one that is vengeful against the Sheikah, he sent fire to Kakariko Village (I assume so at least), manhandled Sheik for a moment before tossing Sheik aside and effectively just shoving Link out of the way instead of killing them.
They weren't Sheikah, Sheik had his attention for a moment, but once learning Sheik wasn't actually a Sheikah by blood tossed him aside, and Link was just in his way while he was looking for an actual Sheikah. He then went to the Shadow Temple because he figured the only ones that would come after him and be able to find him were the Sheikah and their Mind's Eye to see the false walls of the temple.
Sheik. Do you mean PRINCESS ZELDA?
Chilling on Mekar Island with the fully upgraded Radiant Set is such a fun experience. Nice to know that when Link feels alone he can go chill on the island with his undead friends.
The Face Shrine music is a great choice for a spooky video.
That’s the Eagle’s Tower music
"Claiming Islands as my home." That's so wholesome.
Lenzo always creeped me out with that story… and his eyes when he tells it while following you around
10:18 jabu jabu could have done a fish flip over that fence back there and said "peace" when it got cold
A lore/theory video on the Hyrulean Civil War would be a really cool idea, would love to see your thoughts on the subject
2:55 wait, WHAT???? I had NO IDEA this was a thing! Thank goodness i never saw THAT as a child!!!
Great work, as always! These mysteries are quite unsettling, especially the Ghost Ship one as that's always been so creepy to me!
Things as mysterious and uncommon like the Ghost ship in Wind Waker is so cool.
I remember seeing it as a 7/8 year and today I still get an ominous nostalgia looking at it.
5:45 Didn’t that Hyrule warriors game shed light on him being like a former sheikah or something who went rogue and for his actions was tortured, hands cut off, then finally beheaded and left to rot?
Which one?
@@matthewrawlings1284 bongo bongo
Hyrule Warriors isn’t canonical, though -although it does a better job imo of respecting Zelda Lore than the so-called “official” timelines do…-
@@rockk9753 i meant which Hyrule Warriors
@@matthewrawlings1284 well I dont remember anything like that said in the first hyrule warriors
You know what's even creepier about that mask in The Wind Waker? Not just the grin, but the fact that if you try to get closer to the mask in the GameCube version of The Wind Waker by jumpslashing over the treasure chest, the game crashes.
I always assumed Makar Island was a Dark Souls reference.
Extinguished camp fire, undead enemies & 0 reason for being there.
Sounds like DS to me.
Nope, LoZ reference. Single dead tree at the center of a tiny island on a lake? Level 1, the first dungeon you're likely to find. The undead jerkfaces? The first enemies you meet in Level 1 are a room full of Stalfos, at that time a very weak enemy with no defenses, just a pair of swords, sometimes visibly containing a key or a bomb in their ribs they'd drop upon defeat.
@@Archgeek0 Holy shit! That never occurred to me! You’re right!! That’s bad ass!!!!
The way you just slowly walked with the stal children following you triggered my fight or flight lol I avoided them at all costs
Zeltik has an amazingly great voice for going to sleep.
I really enjoy your creepy Zelda content. Your videos about the All-Night Mask, "Them" aliens, ReDeads and all scary enemies, this one, etc. It shows the depth and personality of the series and each individual game. I feel that each character and the themes in Majora's Mask all have a dark story that could be explored. Excited to see more content, especially when more news and information becomes available for BOTW2!
At the very beginning of the video, less than a minute in, I suddenly came to a realization.
A _dark_ realization.
I've yet to watch beyond the 1:36 mark, but I fear Zeltik may have come to the same conclusion as I did just now.
Think about it. These aren't _Stalfos..._ they're _Stalchildren._
Now, consider the state of Hyrule when Link was first brought to Kokiri Forest as an infant. What was happening at the time?
...Can you put 2 and 2 together?
Would make sense why he was taken there in the first place.
9:00 Now there's a gloom hand in the island
Stalchildren always just resemble dry-bones to me.
I'm so glad you included the ghost ship! That was always one of the things that stuck out to me when thinking about creepy stuff in the Zelda series. It also helps that I encountered it randomly, waaaaaay before I even knew that I'd have to eventually go aboard.
When i was little i use to thing the ice bergs in Zora's fountain were frozen hunts of Jabu meat.
They are. You ever look up when you get the heart piece down in the water?
@@Zeivusgaming I thought that HP was there even in the child timeline but if it isn’t then that’s VERY messed up.
A theory about Mekar island:
Perhaps the lone tree is actually what remains of Makar. I don't think we know what happens to Koroks if/when they die. Perhaps they become trees as well? The fact that they have a single dead tree, a dead giveaway rock that would normally hide a Korok, the fact the island is named after him, the eastward blowing wind... it all leads me to believe that this was meant to be his grave.
The stallchildren are just dead yoshis.
Lol
I think Bongo Bongo isn't a specific person resurrected to haunt the area but in fact a culmination of dark energy that was made from all those that were tortured and killed in those dungeons. Like it's the manifestation of the dark deeds.
The spooky intro is back, and better than ever ! Can't wait to see what you've got for us this time.
Man I love the ghost ship. It added so much life to the open sea, just knowing it sails around on its own in the dark of night. Really upped the immersion, would've been awesome to see more things going around on their own accord regardless of the player.
Theory: the tree on mekar Island might actually be the sage of Wind himself
edit: can you wish me a happy birthday:)
Happy birthday, stranger
What if tingle is connected to the ghost ship. In the gamecube version, tingle is the only one who can translate the triforce charts. And one of those charts is collected on the ghost ship. He can read cursed objects. And charges you hundreds of rupees to do so. His face also kinda resembles the mask inside the ship.
Finally Halloween Zelda content is here B)
I know this is not an mystery but... The octopus in Wind waiker is one of the most terrifying things I ever run into in a Zelda game. I remember when I was young and played that game on Gamecube and were just sailing the seas trying to find my way through the game. and randomly getting stuck in an whirlpool on the open seas and having the Octopus come out and attack me. it was such an stressful experience back then. It was so bad that I was Scared to leave the islands afterward and was got terrified anytime an storm would appear when I was on the open sea. it really messed me up as an child.
"It is the legend of the Zora that offering a fish to the patron deity will bring happiness"
Me to the Zora who sells fish: *I'Ll TaKE YoUr EnTIrE StoCk*
You can get some free ones in the shallow part of the domain
Given that you get sucked in the mouth of the deity, I might suggest that's an unaliving joke XD
Ah yes, the happiness of the sweet release of death, lmao
Great video!
Maybe Bongo Bongo was a military drummer/musician the Sheikah were torturing/experimenting on rather than the guy who created the Eye of Truth?
I'd always read the Old Man's comment as referring to the lens. The man whose house was over the well didn't train his eye to see the truth; he used his invention instead. Though I guess that version of things would make that man a great candidate for being the origin of Deadhand 😱
The stalchildren could still be the reanimared corpses of fallen soldiers. They don't look like any of the races currently living in Hyrule, but who says they have to be? If they truly are victims of the war, they could be the remains of a race that simply did not want to bend and was completely wiped out in the process, hence we don't see any of them around anymore. The kingdom of Hyrule is capable of some dark stuff as can be seen in the well and shadow temple, so this would be feasible.
I just came across this channel pretty recently.
I got my first LoZ games (OoT and WW) back in 2002.
I was 7 years old then.
Time flies, and life gets harder. I don't have as much time as I used to to sort myself out and recoup. These videos bring me a heavy sense of nostalgia and remind me that things will be alright.
So thank you for making these, Bro. Truly.
Change the intro as much as you want Zeltik. I’m still gonna love it.
Ali A intro like? xD
The creepiest thing in Zelda is windmill guy I mean he's alone in a creepy windmill hes got a creepy smile playing creepy music all night long makes me shiver.
I know why they call it Ocarina of time now, Its because everytime u pull it out time freezes lol
Hypothesis: Stalchildren are dead Mogmas (Skyward Sword). They have snouts, they have claws, and they burst up from the ground...
The thing I love about Bongo Bongo is his name compared to everything else about him.
He's a tortured, executed, undead being left at the bottom of the dungeon he died in.
And then he's named "Bongo Bongo"
I would be offended in his place. Not only was I tortured and executed, they gave me a silly name and a giant bongo. Don't you think something like "Tortured Captive" with a giant sword or scythe is spookier?
I guess to be fair, BB probably has some sick tunes when he's not attempting to kill heroes destined to save the kingdom.
bongo bongo is better sounding that ‘death sword,’ what kind of edgy oc deviantart name is that?
Got a theory: I personally think that the Stalchildren are essentially just references to Dry Bones from the Mario series.
Reasons why this makes since(in my mind):
-Both Zelda and Mario are Nintendo properties(obviously doesn’t guarantee that they’ll get referenced, but they do tend to reference their other franchises at times).
-Just look at Em, dude.
I've always thought of the Stal-children as Kokiri that left the forest.
The ghost ship does have several burning blue flames that we're more familiar with now. It also has the spirit temple vibes going on as well. Perhaps there is a connection to where the Shiekah went?
Is it too early to bring up Ben Drowned? I feel like the story has lost momentum over the past couple years, this generation needs to be introduced if they haven't already.
Modern kids are kinda desensitised to creepypastas. They probably wouldn't see the appeal.
why? it was bad
@@r.alexandercorbitt1554 Lol, I hoped you were wrong and then Kieran commented. Good call.
Always live these creepy zelda episodes. I wish they were longer though personally.
I want them to make a Zelda game that takes place during the civil war... I want Link to have to fight Gorons, Zoras, and Gerudo!
-I think the stalchildren are actually somewhat related to the Kokiri and Skullkids: they’re all children who have died or have been orphaned and therefore neglected then died as a result of the Civil War. The residual magic left behind in the conflict-like the magic of the Lost Woods-causes them to reanimate and mutate. While this doesn’t apply to all Kokiri (like Link, and Mido who’s seen in the credits at Lon Lon Ranch; so many are probably just orphans), the Kokiri are told that if they leave the Forest that they will die. I don’t remember where it’s said that Skullkids are Lost Kokiri, but: what if a (dead child) Kokiri who wanders from Kokiri Forest into the Lost Woods for too long becomes a Skullkid, and if they wander further…they join the stalchildren.
-JabuJabu’s enclosure is far too small. It’s no wonder he became sick and eventually ate Ruto-a child cannot be sustained on a fish. HOW can a WHALE. So…Ganondorf isn’t actually responsible for this one. JabuJabu became ill and/or malnourished enough that he finally died sometime during the Seven Years. Without the Guardian Deity keeping the source waters unfrozen, Zora’s Domain reverted to a mountain spring, with its snowmelt still providing fresh water for the Hylians and Gerudo, but the Zora have since fled or froze solid. Then in the absence of a water spirit, Morpha took up residence, hoarded Lake Hylia’s water for itself, then cursed the few Zora who did remain with Red Ice to prevent anyone from interfering
When I got ambushed by the Stal enemies on that damn island I legit got freaked out. Just when I thought Zelda games couldn’t scare me much as an adult.
Do you think the Stalchildren appearing incessantly every night was inspired by Berserk, where the hero, Guts, due to a curse, is assualted by monsters and evil spirits every night? I'd have to double check some dates, but it seems possible.
I could be mistaken, but isn't Bongo Bongo explained as a conglomeration of souls of criminals tortured and executed by the Hyrulian Royal Family, or the Sheikah?
Might be a shot in the dark but now that i'm looking at him, Bongo Bongo reminds me of the twili invaders in Twilight Princess. Just some common design elements or a deliberate allusion?
I'm so glad I clicked this video. Excellent coverage and examination of the lore and creatures in the Zelda series. And I had forgotten about that face on the ghost ship. Please Nintendo, put Wind Waker on the Switch!
i never get tired of dark Zelda lore/theories. especially from OOT & BOTW.
At the beginning of the Wind Waker, Tetra mentions how Forsaken Fortress was the home of a rival gang of pirates. What if the ghost ship was their ship and the inhabitants were the rival pirates themselves
I hope when I die I can be the captain of a ghost ship. It sounds wonderful, spending eternity sailing the seven seas and scaring people.
And that is another reason why Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game. I wish we had another similar apparition in BOTW that could be seen if you looked out at sea.
It'd be cool to see the ghosts of fallen knights in some places too, just wandering around.
I'm sure you get this a lot, but it still continues to make my day to see your content!!! I rewatch your "Top XX" videos all the time. your lore videos are my favorite, and I still am shaken and taken aback by the redead theories!!! I do nothing short of a happy dance when I see you have new videos posted, and I'm so, so happy i discoveed you late last year! You get me through chores, nights i can't sleep, and give me my zelda fix without fail! Love your stuff, thank you for all your hard work!!!!
The only thing to fear is fear itself, but the scariest around here are the thing we do know but don’t understand creating the fear itself!!!!
My head canon for Bongo Bongo has always been he’s playing the Shadow Temple music lol
I bet that flint under the rock on Mekar Island is a petrified, dead Korok
I say the Ghost Ship was a creation of the Triforce of Courage when it split apart into 8 pieces, as a self-defense from all but the hero's successor, to the point of cursing anyone else who tried to document it.
10:45 Of course the meta reason for his disappearance is to prevent players from accessing two of the dungeons that require child items to navigate, those being the Slingshot for Great Deku Tree and Boomerang for Jabu-Jabu's Belly. That's also why Dodongo's Cavern can be visited as an adult because Bombs are always usable.
See; we need stuff like this in video games. Games that aren’t horror; but then randomly turn up the creepiness to 11 for no reason.
This made me get a little chill down my back thinking about the implications.
I became a fan of yours a year ago with your redead theory, and frankly I’ve been really excited to see what you pull out of the bag for Halloween this year. Thanks for not disappointing, and here’s to many more spooky Zelda Halloween theories!
i remember as a kid all my friends were scared of the shadow temple/bongo bongo but i, ever the weirdo of the group, just thought his name was super funny and wasn’t scared at all. i used to draw dead hands in the corners of my schoolbooks. anyway i still think bongo bongo is a funny name for a big ol spooky boss
One thing I noticed about mekar island while playing. Is that wind on the side of the island closest to the lost woods blows from the direction of the lost woods. The only direction to do so. I think Mekar island is a dumping ground for all the enemies that get lost in the woods. They turn into stal versions and get blown onto this small island out of the woods.