Termina

A map of Termina from Majora's Mask.
Termia
Type	Land
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Termina is a mysterious land that was featured as the setting for The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. It is apparently located on a parallel world to that of Hyrule.

Information

Termina is an expansive land that consists of four regions (also referred to as worlds), one in each cardinal direction. Clock Town acts as the center of Termina and its largest known civilization. The expansive Termina field separates Clock Town from the four regions, where several tribes of other species live. Termina reveres four giants as their protective deities. It is said that the giants once lived amongst the people where Clock Town was, before they each set out in one direction to each protect a different region. The giants are also said to have created the four worlds. There is also the vague mentioning of an ancient tribe (although it is never specified that they were even located in Termina) that performed hexes and wound up creating Majora's Mask.

Termina's culture had an emphasis on masks. Every year, they celebrate the harmony of nature and time in the Carnival of Time, which is held when the sun and moon align. People used to wear masks resembling the four giants to these events, but it eventually became a tradition to prepare homemade masks for these occasions. This tradition may have played a part in the high volume of magical masks found in Termina. Weddings were commonly held during the Carnival, and Clock Town's clock tower acted as the centerpiece of it all. Termina also had Rupees as the currency, which is one thing they shared in common with Hyrule.

During Majora's Mask, the Skull Kid attempted to destroy Termina while under the influence of Majora's Mask by slowly dropping the moon onto the land. He also caused various other troubles varying from minor mischief to major damage in all of Termina's regions. Most notably, the four giants were trapped by evil bosses in the temples of each region. Within the three days leading up to the Carnival of Time, Link was able to solve most of the people's problems after being lured into Termina, although he had to use time travel to take care of everything. Once all four giants were freed, they were able to stop the moon from falling on the third night, and once Link destroyed Majora's Mask, Termina was safe for the time being. The Carnival of Time was able to proceed in peace.

Regions

Termina has four main regions, along with several other minor areas.

Clock Town

Clock Town is a bustling town that is full of various shops and businesses. Clock Town itself is also divided into four sections: North, South, East and West Clock Town. It is primarily inhabited by humans, but there are also some inhabitants who are of other species, including some that visit during the carnival time. Some of the busiest places in the town include the exclusive Milk Bar, which is stocked by the Romani Ranch, and the Clock Town Inn, which is run by Anju's family. The town is also known for its very efficient postman, and a group of kids called the Bombers helped to take care of the place in their own childlike way. Clock Town was moderated by the fretful and indecisive Mayor Dotour. The clock tower itself is a prominent symbol of the carnival and seems to have its own secrets, as it connects to the passage that Link took from Hyrule. The top of the Clock Tower, which seems to be where the Skull Kid operates, can only be reached when its upper door opens at midnight the night before the Carnival of Time.

The Skull Kid does not directly affect Clock Town, aside from it being the moon's main target. He instead causes personal trouble for a few of its citizens, such as Kafei, whom he turns into a child which sabotages his engagement with Anju. This problem seems to be solved in the end, and the Carnival of Time was shown proceeding as planned with Kafei and Anju's wedding.

Woodfall

This is the southern swamp area. It is home to the Deku Scrub Kingdom as well as a tribe of monkeys. Koume and Kotake also run a potion shop in the area, and Tingle's father runs a boat cruise which is accompanied by a Pictograph contest. Other areas include the Maze Woods and a Spider House, and there is also a shooting gallery located nearby. The local temple is Woodfall Temple. The Skull Kid managed to corrupt Woodfall by making the water toxic and having the Deku Princess captured, framing a monkey in the process. Odolwa was the guardian of the Woodfall Temple until Link defeated him, which restored the water. The Deku Scrubs and monkeys were shown to have made peace in the end.

Snowhead

Snowhead is the northern mountain area. It is known for being very frigid during the winter, but the weather is much more mild during the spring. The mountain is primarily inhabited by the Goron tribe, who are based in a small shrine, and they have their own racetrack there where they compete in the Patriarch's Race every spring. The Gorons also sold high-end explosives there, such as their well-known Powder Keg. The only humans in the area are the swordsmiths Gabora and Zubora. A frog chorus also appears in the lake there during the spring to perform. Their local temple was the Snowhead Temple, which was located higher in the mountains in an area that seemed to be perpetually frigid and dangerous due to the slippery slopes, snow boulders and dangers creatures such as the White Wolfos.

The Skull Kid interfered with this area by preventing spring from coming, which forced the Gorons to contend with a seemingly endless winter that began killing them off and even caused the death of the beloved Goron hero Darmani. A possibly unrelated factor was a giant invisible Goron who was sitting near the bridge to Snowhead, as the air he blew became harsh winds which repelled anyone who tried to cross the bridge. Goht was the boss protecting Snowhead Temple, and after Link destroyed it, spring finally came to the mountains. This also lead to the racetrack and the frog choir opening for business.

Great Bay

The western shore was home to both Zoras and a Gerudo tribe. The Zoras lived a peaceful existence in Zora Hall, which was the home of a famous Zora band called the Indigo-Gos. The Gerudo had their own fortress located further up the shore, from which they worked as pirates. Along the shore, there was also another spider house as well as the Fisherman's Hut and the Marine Observatory, the latter place being where a man observed the local creatures. The ocean was also fed by a nearby waterfall, and the Waterfall Rapids were the home of the Beaver Bros. Like Likes also prowled the areas and appeared in great numbers on the shore at night. There was also Pinnacle Rock, which was a deep sea deep area that was filled with sea snakes and hidden by murky water. It could only be found with the guidance of a seahorse. The Great Bay Temple itself was also hidden in the sea, and it could only be reached by riding on a giant turtle with an island-like shell that slept at the bottom of Great Bay.

The Skull Kid also had a boss, Gyorg, take over the Great Bay Temple. The temple produced abnormal weather that caused the ocean's temperature to rise so that Zora eggs would die, including the ones that Lulu, the descendant of the temple's guardian, had hatched. Link was able to ensure that the eggs hatched safely in the Marine Research Laboratory, and Lulu then regained her voice which was able to summon the turtle, so that Link could use it to reach and liberate the Great Bay Temple. This also restored the water to normal.

Ikana Canyon

The eastern canyon contained a once-great kingdom that had died away in a very literal sense. Most of the areas were primarily filled with the angry spirits of the kingdom's inhabitants in some form due to a curse. Ikana is said to be "stained by a history of darkness" and "drenched in blood". They were known to have an enemy nation which employed the Garos. Ikana Castle's remains still stood and was watched over by the skeletal remains of its king, Igos du Ikana. There was also Ikana Graveyard, which was inhabited by various Stalchildren as well as Captain Skull Keeta, who was still guarding the royal family's treasure even as a giant Stalchild. Ikana's underground, which was accessed through a well, was filled with Gibdos that bartered for items that they missed from life. The only living humans in the area were Dampé (who maintained the graveyard), Paula and her father (who lived in a music box house) and the thief Sakon (who made a cave into his base). There was also a mysterious figure who ran the Ghost Hut.

Ikana Canyon suffered from some vague curse which seemed to spread the darkness in the area. This was implied to have been caused by the Skull Kid opening the doors of the Stone Tower. The Stone Tower was a very tall tower which contained the Stone Tower Temple at the top, and the boss there was Twinmold. Both of these areas were unique in that they could be flipped upside down or sideways through various puzzles. During his time in Ikana Canyon, Link was able to calm or defeat (sometimes both) most of these spirits and cleared the Stone Tower Temple as he had the others, which freed the last giant.

Other Areas

There were agricultural areas located southwest of Clock Town along a path known as Milk Road. The famed Romani Ranch was stationed there, housing cuccos, cows and a doggy racetrack. The Gorman Brothers had their own racetrack nearby, from which they did everything they could to sabotage Romani Ranch. The Astral Observatory was also located in Termina Field, although it could only be entered through a hidden passage from Clock Town.

Connection to Hyrule

Termina's connection to Hyrule is not fleshed out beyond being said to be a parallel world. This seems to also explain why many of the characters in Termina resemble Hyrule's inhabitants (although in reality, the character models were recycled to save time on production). Some characters (the Skull Kid and the Happy Mask Salesman) seem to pass between the two worlds, but it is uncertain which of the lands they hailed from.

Another point of uncertainty is the passage between Hyrule and Termina. The passage is found within a giant tree somewhere deep within the Lost Woods, although there are several areas that could count as the passage. First, Link falls down a void full of swirling faces which seem to represent the denizens of Hyrule and Termina. However, there were still forest features at the bottom of the pit which indicated he may he still have been within the Lost Woods. This area eventually leads into a particular corridor that could also be the gateway between the worlds, as it rotates oddly as Link walks through it. This corridor connects to the basement of the Clock Tower.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Great Bay appeared as a stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The stage is set by the Marine Observatory, and the giant turtle also irregularly rises from and returns into the water. In the background, the moon is shown descending, being caught by the giants and returned to the sky.

Trivia

• Its name may come from "determination" (which seems to be a recurring theme in the game's script). It could alternately be derived from "terminal" or "terminate", due to the threat of destruction that Termina faces within the game.