Hope you all had a great weekend! Be sure to check out Commonwealth Realm's video as well: ruclips.net/video/9OzLBOQYAHM/видео.html See you all in the next one! ^^ Edit: I just noticed I've been using an older version of my End Screen. My apologies to Sam T and William Charles. I will make sure to add your names in the next video!
I just thought about something: maybe the reason why the gerudos call them the 7 heroines and not the 7 heroes is simply because their laungage might use the feminine version of the word if the genre is unspecified. That would make sence since they all are females. To give you an example, for us if the statues were half male and half female we would call them "heroes". But for the gerudos they would probably call that group "heroines". I find that interesting to think about
That would make a lot of sense. French does this as well. When there is a group of men and women you refer to them with the male plural. The female plural is only used when there are only women.
For all we know, gerudo language may not even have a word for a male "hero" specifically because the only male gerudo in the series is far from being a hero, while basically every female gerudo (which isn't a child, elderly or vendor) is a solder. Because words with little to no use are forgotten over time, the word "hero" could be a historical word (like thou in English), or it could have simply been lost in history.
My theory has always been that they were carving the statue for the 8th heroine and something tragic happened, like the heroine being depicted died, was defeated in combat, or disgraced in some sort of way. This led to her statue being abandoned and her sword being broken and discarded. Or, many times in ancient Egypt, an obelisk would be carved from a granite quarry and dragged to another location. Sometimes the granite cracked or a flaw was uncovered during its excavation and it was abandoned in site. Maybe the red stone that the 8th heroine was made of wasnt as strong as the other stone, and flaws made its eventual removal and transport impossible. Or more than likely, it's something the developers threw into the world for no real reason and left it up to the player to decide what it meant.
I'm surprised you didn't theorize a connection between Hylia and losing her sword. In Skyward Sword, the ancient reliefs depict Hylia with a sword, which she is never seen with in any other depictions. I assumed this is because her sword became the Goddess Sword/Fi/Master Sword. If the 8th heroine is Hylia, this also explains why her sword is located elsewhere from her.
Okay, I just had an idea: 8 swirls were represented on the carvings, there's 8 heroines/ sages, and there's 8 slots on Link hip in Tears of the Kingdom. And with the spiritual energy from the hand Link most probably gains new god-like capacities. What if this is indeed the hand of what was the 8th heroine, but this spiritual energy is a Tear Link must collect? And, for exemple, Link would need to find and collect the spiritual energy of all the 7 other heroines/sages, to complete hi task, and each of them would grant him a power we saw in the trailers: dematerialize, control time... etc. And those powers would correspond to the vertues associated to each heroine. (PS pardon my english, I'm French and lack practice)
This idea makes sense when you consider the abbilities Link has displayed in the most recent trailers may fit some of the powers attributed to the 7 Heroines: skill, spirit, endurance, knowledge, flight, motion, and gentleness. "Spirit" might be the power which allowed the Hand to maintain Ganondorf's Seal intact for thousands of years. Wether such a power will have an active role during gameplay is to be seen. "Motion" may be the time rewinding mechanic which allows Link to return incoming traps back towards enemies who threw them. "Flight" might involve the bird looking hovercraft as Link becomes able to summon it at will to travel the skies freely without the need of the parasail. This leaves us "skill, endurance, knowledge and gentleness" which as of now none of the trailers show anything remotedly concrete that would tie with any of the remaining powers. Should future trailers reveal more special abbilities for Link to use maybe they'll fit the powers of the 7 Heroines.
@@javiervasquez625 Maybe endurance will have something to do with the stamina gauge? edit: and maybe gentleness will have to do with taming? edit 2: there was a lot of unused horse mechanics. and we couldn't do much with doggos. in a lot of Zelda games, you can summon a bird of some sort...so maybe gentleness will play into music relating to animals. Like Epona's Song or that one song for calling birds.
@@javiervasquez625 Reply number two because I am enjoying this too much! What if skill is like...tied to game mechanics.. Like, what if Link learns new attack moves? Could this have something to do with upgrading equipment so it won't break?
@@moonflower1717 I guess endurance could certainly serve as an improvement to the stamina bar gameplay from BotW although i doubt it seeing as the current stamina system works fine as it is for the sequel to change it in any discernible way. Maybe what "endurance" will do for the Hand involves reducing elemental damage by creating magic shields similar to Daruk's Protection but with the aforementioned "elemental reduction" it'll provide. Wathever gentleness could ultimately do in the game i feel there's nothing gameplay wise that comes to mind fitting of such a general word. This power could either be related to stats by increasing defense and the such or it may affect the environment surrounding Link. It may as well involve the taming of animals as you suggest although i should remind that when it comes to animals having an active purpose in the gameplay this has always been done through the use of magical items such as the "flute" from A Link to the Past and the titular Ocarina of Time from the same game. ¿Perhaps the Hand is able to summon an instrument to affect animals and enemies alike? Now that you mention it there is that one scene from the second trailer which shows Link's left hand(not the right hand which has the Spirit Hand attached to it) carrying a flamethrower weapon with a dragon face like design which could be the "skill" abbility. If the flamethrower weapon is connected to the skill power then my guess would be that the Hand will be able to summon different kinds of special weapons for Link to use to defeat specific types of enemies like Megaman. It would be really cool if such an abbility was implemented in TotK as it would greatly improve the breakable weapons problems in BotW. Even if i'm ultimately wrong with my theory regarding the Hand i still hope that some of the gameplay "limitations" in BotW will still be improved somehow either via the Spirit Hand or by providing new creative methods to traverse the newly expanded Hyrule in TotK.
Personally I think it could represent the factions that band together to defeat Ganon: The Hylians, Gerudo, Zora, Ritos, Gorons, Sheikah, and the Koroks/ their ancient representatives or Sages as the statues with the 8th being the Zonai, who’ve mysteriously disappeared or were outcast. I dunno just a thought
I like that theory as it has backing in mystery that we know just about nothing on the subject of the Zonai, lynnels do seem to be linked to them with one near the sword and they do seem to be tougher lived which fits the climate issue.
I just thought about something, not related to the theory of who the Eight Heroine could be, but about the location’s purpose in the sequel. I think it’s a perfect place for a new dungeon, and maybe we’ll use the time reversal mechanic to return the sword to its owner, the statue….
If the stonework translation reads "seven sages", it would make sense for the 8th to represent Link from the era of Time, lost to time and forgotten about. His sword representing the Master Sword, always laying just out of reach. EDIT: I'm aware link is not a sage. All I'm saying is it would be cool if the 8th figure represents him. There have only been one or two instances I can think of where there have been 8 sage's, and those instances do not line up with any theory on who these heroines represent. I'm aware the theory doesn't work, it's just a cool idea 🤷♀️
The "Sages" mentioned by the runes could also be referring to the 7 *Maidens* from A Link to the Past which as their name confirms were all female descendants of the 7 Sages who sealed Ganon away during the Sealing War. Maybe the deity like figure in the trailer is a Sage Maiden who used her godly power to seal both Ganondorf and herself away in an attempt to permanently stop him from ever threatening Hyrule again.
@@javiervasquez625 Its a common and growing theme for these speculation videos to completely ignore "A link to the past" I think many of them are too young to have played it. It would certainly benefit them to play it. Even on an emulator.
Biggest revelation in this video for me is that the magatama symbol all over the latest trailer is also found on the orbs connected to the seven heroines, confirmed by text transliteration to be representations of the seven sages. Hot damn.
0:08 It's like shes reaching out her arms crying for Tear's actual content to fall into them so that she can have something to play with in the vast emptiness and loose, open-ended promises that is the game she's in.
Another minor point of evidence that the Eighth Heroine could be Hylia: There is a Goddess Statue in Gerudo Town, just as in the other settlements, but the Gerudo don’t seem to hold much reverence for her. An older Gerudo that hangs around the statue says that people often ignore it, and she’s the only one who keeps it company. If Hylia isn’t an important figure to the modern-day Gerudo, it makes a lot of sense that a bigger statue in her honor would be completely forgotten.
The Gerudo didn’t give much importance to Hylia, but they didn’t hate her. They wouldn’t have destroyed her sword and moved it to a completely different location unless they absolutely hated her
@@Ash-bl7vm Also let's not forget the fact that some Gerudo such as Rhondson are willing to marry with the "blessing of Goddess Hylia" which she wouldn't have allowed if she hated Hylia. The Gerudo might simply be apathetic towards her which is why they don't have anything to say in favor or against her.
@@Ash-bl7vm nobody said they hated her, just that they forgot her. And we don't know how the sword was moved. The sword looks to be fully intact and the statue itself is also in good condition. If it was vandalized you would expect broken pieces.
@@Ash-bl7vm It could be that it was done on orders of Ganondorf at some point, either when he was leading the Gerudo, or sometime later by his non-Gerudo minions. Most Gerudo may be indifferent, but he likely wouldn't be.
I think you gloss right over the most plausible theory. The Yiga live in a conquered Gerudo complex with the only known depiction of all 8 heroines together. The Gerudo who actually used that complex before the Yiga took it over must have known about her. What if the "rumors" of worshipers in the Highlands are outdated, and it's not referring to the Yiga but to the Gerudo they chased out?
The gerudo most likely built it far back in the past. But the present day Gerudo do not venture into the highlands, nor speak about the statue. The dialogue and quest log speak about a group who worship them in the present. Not in the distant past. That's the mystery of it. Who would worship a long forgotten statue in present day Hyrule?
Monster Maze you are truly my favourite creator when it comes to theory videos. You breathe your essense into these videos and on top of that the production is always top tier. I appreciate you man
After playing the 8th heroine questline in TotK….well….certainly was not expecting it to be SPOILER: A past incarnation of Link. Like what? Honestly I was pretty surprised. And going off of the quest and the statues and tablets, the heroines are NOT sages. They ended up just genuinely being the pride and joy of the Gerdudo, just mighty legendary warriors. That’s it. But some past Link helped them out in a battle they fought, and they honored him, but couldn’t fully accept him for his male status. So, here we are with the 8th heroine being forgotten and kept secret
this kinda makes sense, as rauru himself can’t even remember someone along the names of Link, or any of his aliases (from what i remember), during his time. despite this, we can still obtain an outfit representing what Link could’ve looked like if he existed back in raurus time. it’s weird tho, how Link’s selfless persona could’ve been reincarnated to this time, but rauru has no recollection of a hero similar to him.
The issue with the 8th Heroine supposedly being Hylia is that if it were built to represent Hylia, surely Link would be able to pray to it? Or when the final Monk tells Link to retrieve a gift (the Cap, Tunic, and Trousers of the Wild) from the "largest goddess statue", it would've been from the 8th Heroine and not the much smaller goddess statue in the Forgotten Temple. If we accept that the 7 "Heroines" represent the 6 Sages (+1 Zelda), then it could be the case that they're all only referred to as female in BotW because of the culture we learn about them from in BotW - the all-female tribe of the Gerudo - as we know the genders of the original sages are actually mixed, meaning the 8th could very well actually be a male. (edit: good points raised in the replies to this that could mean the 7 Heroines statues are actually of female characters - but that doesn't necessarily rule out my following conclusion..) If the 8th statue isn't a repeat of one of the sages, and also isn't Hylia - then I propose that it's of the Hero of Time. - related, and deeply tied to the sages, but not one among them. - equally important role in Hyrule's past, but not nearly as celebrated - almost completely forgotten. - separated from his famous sword, as Link usually is, until such a time that he needs it. Finally, if you pin the location of the 7 Heroines (Zelda's Statue), the 8th statue (Link), and the Arbiter's grounds (speculated to be Ganondorf's tomb, and where he was "executed", and imprisoned) on the map, you get a triangle with each point representing one of the bearers of each of the 3 pieces of the Triforce - even in the correct positions relative to each other.
Amazing find about the Triangle between the 3 locations! I should mention that despite the prominent diversity of genders among the many incarnations of the 7 Sages we should consider the fact that back in A Link to the Past the Sages were all female as they were Maidens who descended from the Sages who sealed Ganon during the Sealing War. It's always possible that the 7 Heroine statues in Breath of the Wild were made in reference to 7 Maidens who, like their predecessors from A Link to the Past, also fulfilled the role of the 7 Sages.
IF we include a link to the past, we get 7 FEMALE decedents to the sages, the maidens. and the 8th , the hero of time, forgotten, the 8th statue, and his sword, the master sword, forever just out of reach.
@@crisnmaryfam7344 Can the 8th statue truly be a reference to the Hero of Time? Remember that as of Breath of the Wild we have at least 12 different incarnations of Link who, in one way or another, made their mark in History by defeating a powerful demonic entity in his Quest to rule the World. ¿Why should this one forgotten statue in the middle of a snowy nowhere be specifically dedicated to the Hero of Time and not any other incarnation of the Hero who's ever walked the Zelda world? I seriously doubt this statue has any connection any incarnation of Link given the simple fact that he's never been a member of the Sages in any game in the series.
Oh awesome! I'm fairly new to the Zelda series so I'm not familiar with the stories in all of the older games, but that checks out too! Whether, the 7 heroines are meant to be the Sages, the Maidens, or just representations of the powers they/their descendants held - there's no doubt in my mind the 8th one is meant to represent Link
@@TheiBunny Why Link? There's no evidence to suggest the Hero is been referenced with the 8th statue despite the incidental lack of a sword "somehow" referencing Link having to return the Master Sword to a pedestal after the end of his adventure. Whoever left the statue there probably did so for reasons which have nothing to do with the guy who's been sacrificing himself multiple times to save the world from all sorts of Evil.
how cool would it be that in tears of the kingdom Naydra restores her flight path and ends up near the heroine as well and a special event occurs when the 3 converge on the statue's vecinity
Personally, I still think the 8th Heroine is the Desert Colossus, from Ocarina of time. A few things to consider, is that the 8th Heroine is positioned almost directly at the forgotten temple, and that the canyon between the two locations has the appearance of being collapsed, rather than eroded, with the collapse even swallowing the temple. There are also a few near by shrines, close enough that they couldn't have missed the statue. I find it more likely that the monks did know where the statue was, and chose not to construct a shrine there. I don't even think that the seven were originally built to reflect Hyrule's seven sages, but were connected after the fact.
When copper undergoes oxidation, it turns green. Like the sky statue robot thing we saw in the trailer... 🤔 Eighth heroine is the Statue of Liberty, and Breath of the Wild is a Planet of the Apes story 🗽
In ocarina of time, and in Twilight Princess (for sure) there is a goddess in the desert temples. I think this goddess is this 8th heroine. It would make sense to me. LoZ hasn’t really canonized the fact that there is a sand goddess. But with depictions of her throughout the desert temple in Ocarina of time, it makes sense to me that the Gerudo may have worshipped another Figure. I don’t have proof that’s who this is because she’s just another statue.
I would definitely like to learn more about the Sand Goddess - if she is real, if she was evil, if she’s just a different interpretation of a deity we already know about, etc. Wish they’d explore that a bit more explicitly in a Zelda game or something
Building on that the pre- first Calamity Gerudo may have been in the process of making the statues as a welcome area for travelers to the dessert but when the Calamity hit construction was haulted and post Calamity never resumed. The reason for the differnce in material could be this Statue depicts a Gerudo with the other seven being the other races of Hyrule. For example: the OoT sages to include even Link. The sword was being moved first but got as far as it did before the war broke out. Or the wrong side of history idea mentioned, these statues may depict previous Gerudo cheifs or other leaders and the eight one represents the leader that sided with the Kiga or through their action allowed the Yiga to invade the territory. These events being so painful the Gerudo leadership chose to effectivly erase this from their culture. Or with the Deity of Tears of the Kingdom, Anamitity may be vital to keeping the corpse of Ganondorf secure in wich all symbols and history that could be removed, disguised or hidden was so to prevent the revival of the evil king and his Triforce peice. Then the scholar princess driven by curiosity had to go and undo her ancestors work just like her past OoT life went and accidently helped create the evil king.
I always assumed it was meant for Link, or rather A Link. Several of his adventures involve the seven sages or seven maidens in the child timeline. Link was instrumental in saving the land of Hyrule with these seven, but is pretty well remembered as a male. Since the Gerudo put more emphasis on females rather than males, it stands to reason that any reverence for link would be pretty controversial
You know I was thinking about this a few days ago and it crossed my mind that maybe the 7 represents the sages while the 8th represents link. he's always been kinda detached from the sages with the whole time stuff. and the reason the statue doesn't have the sword is cause it's the master sword that is usually separated from link
I was thinking about this too. Consider the only time the gerudo have had confirmed contact with the sages: Ocarina of Time, with Nabooru. At the end of this, Link either leaves, effectively abandoning the Master sword but also metaphorically abandoning his duty, or dies. This leading to Ganondorfs win leading to Wind Waker or alttp. Given who Ganondorf is it's possible the gerudo who built this at the time (and have since been forgotten) were particularly resentful of the hero, perhaps not knowing the whole story or not caring. As for why the Yiga potentially revere it, it could because this is the hero that lost and lead to Ganondorfs win. The details could have been lost to time, perhaps they believe the hero supported Ganondorf which is why he won in either of those eras.
@@Drew_150 Would either the Yiga or whoever be naive enough to think the Hero would support Ganondorf? I personally doubt it given how contradictory that would be.
@@Drew_150 I'd be surprised if they even know of it. There isn't anything to even point to the yiga knowing or caring. On top of that the theory of it being hylia doesn't make much sense considering the large amount of hylia statues in hyrule. And the gruedo don't worship her so it wouldn't make sense for them to make a satute for her. I think link makes the most sense. a hero forgotten in time with only a passing whisper of him. tragic just like the lost statue with no fame or recognition
One thing you didn't consider is that this "Bronze Goddess" was actually an even older Devine Beast. This would explain why the sword is found embedded far away on a mountain top as it was the site of a final battle. It may be broken or stuck in the ground so this giant "bronze" mecha-goddess had to return to this spot empty handed. The statues of the seven heroines would therefore have been stone replicas of the original.
While it may be unconnected, there does seem to be a suggestion that some prior conflict took place with a being capable of killing the guardian spirits of Hyrule. The great skeletons have long been a point of discussion with many speculating that Hyrule was once under the ocean which is how these Leviathans ended up on land. But their locations tell another story. Eldin, a region associated with fire, the colour red and Din. Hebra, a land associated with water/ice, the color blue and Nayru. Finally we have the Gerudo Leviathan. Now this may be hard to swallow but have you noticed BotW depicts electrical energy as green? This appears to be a shift for Farore but as the Goddess of Wind it isn't a huge shift to associate her with lightning. And the Gerudo desert is now associated with lightning too. Therefore the Great Gerudo Skeleton is the remains of the Spiritual Guardian associated with Farore just as the other two are the guardians associated with Din and Nayru. Meaning in the ancient past someone killed the guardians and they needed to be replaced or reborn as the current dragons.
Now that _Tears of the Kingdom_ is out, we have *a Definitive Answer to this Mystery* (told in my own Words, not in-game dialogue)... "Some Time long ago, _a Fearsome Monster_ threatened to destroy the Gerudo. *Seven Strong Heroines* set out to defeat this foul beast, but each sought to claim _the glory of besting the Creature herself_ - as a result, each one was *flung around ruthlessly* by the giant Monster. It was only _when the Eighth appeared,_ and convinced them *to unite their Individual Strengths,* that the combined Strength of the Seven Heroines _succeeded in Slaying the Beast."_ "The Seven Heroines *wished for the Eighth to be Celebrated,* but the Eighth happened to be _a Voe_ - people that are expressly Forbidden from interacting with the Gerudo. Unable to give this Hero *the Glory he rightly deserves,* the Seven Heroines decided to _secretly create Two Monuments_ to pay Tribute to them: *An Eighth Statue,* placed within the Gerudo Highlands, _keeping watch over the Seven in secrecy;_ and *a Hidden Chamber* within the Sanctuary outside Gerudo City housing _the Gifts for this Unspoken Hero,_ if ever they are to Forgive the Gerudo People for *their Stubborn Hatred towards the Voe..."* Once again, _the in-game Text is different,_ but I convey what it tells us in Brief. *The 'Eighth Heroine' is,* as many likely suspected, _a Voe: the Gerudo Term for a Male._ This is clearly *why the Eighth Statue wasn't erected along with the other Seven,* and why this undesirable History was _hidden from the populace and Forgotten._ From *the accounts given,* I'm guessing the Voe was _a Hylian Man,_ and the Monster _one of the Molduga players face nowadays_ - Molduga seemed to be *quite Smaller* in the Past, _judging by the Memories seen in-game,_ so *a Gigantic one* like we fight in-game _would be significant enough to threaten the City..._ These Events however, *still do not pre-date* whatever caused the Gerudo Race to have such _a long-standing Grudge against the Male Gender,_ despite having *a Prophecy Glorifying Males born to Gerudo Women...*
I never finished this quest as I just burnt out on the game before I got to it so thank you for this. I do have one thing about the Gerudo not being the biggest fans of males, or at least Gerudo Males (I think the hate for males or voe evolved over time). I think Ganondorf is actually the reason. I mean he basically destroyed the world and in TotK, we see that the Gerudo clearly don't support and actively oppose him after he takes Sonia's stone and becomes the Demon King. I think over the thousands and thousands of years that pass and the fact that it seems like Geurdo Males have just stopped being born all together by Breath of the Wild (Can't remember where but someone mentions that it's usually every 100 years but it's been far far longer since a male was born) so it's possible over time the hate for the male Gerudo that just stopped existing spread to males in general although we know they clearly don't hate voe a whole lot as they are thought how to attract a mate and do settle down and marry and such so it's almost like it's less hate and more just town tradition.
@@FriedCassowary Yeah, _the Prophecy I mentioned_ is the one about the *Male Gerudo born every 100 Years that's meant to become Leader of their Race.* For that Prophecy to _still be known and abided by, despite_ there not having been a Male Gerudo born *for several hundreds to Thousands* of Years, means _it wasn't abolished after Ganondorf._ That then suggests that *the Gerudo's grudge with Voe* had to come from _elsewhere in their Timeline,_ possibly even *Pre-Dating Ganondorf!* I should probably also state that *contrary* to what the Video says, _the Sages have no relevance_ to the Tale of the Seven Heroines. *All Seven Heroines were Gerudo Women* who were _legendary in their own rights,_ and each *fought for their own Glory as Solo Warriors* - that's why _an Eighth was required to get them to Cooperate_ to fight the Threat...
@@lianaverwood9810 Yeah, I assumed based on your first message that they had no relation to the sages, especially since the 7 were all Gerudo which would be unlikely. I do wish I didn't fall of the game like I did so I could have seen this stuff myself but it is what it is. I got about 40 hours in and just felt like that was all I wanted to do. I did finish the story after that and hit the dragon tears, etc which I must say, I absolutely loved. This Zelda is without a doubt my favorite portrayal of the character.
@@FriedCassowary They can't have stopped being born bc in botw, you get your gerudo outfit from a male gerudo. He doesn't show up in totk at all though, which is really weird. I'm guessing he lives in hiding for some reason, maybe he just doesn't wanna be king.
An unconfirmed theory of mine is that the 8th statue wasn't *removed* from the circle, but instead hasn't been moved *towards* it. The statue is embedded in the cliffside, but what if... that is because it hasn't been carved out yet? The canyon leading up to the statue may have been, at one point, part of the highlands. One by one, the seven statues are carved out of the rockface, and then moved forward towards the valley. For some reason, the entire operation was halted before the 8th statue could be completed, leaving it half-formed in the cliffside.
Maybe the explanation is a lot simpler. Maybe the 8th statue was the template for the other 7? The mountains opposite the 8th heroine are about the same colour of the 7. Considering how the divine beast maps look in the shiekah slate, they may also have been able to project the image of the statue onto another mountain face to help the stone carving process, and inverting the picture in the process, thus explaining the mirroring. Also, anyone who's seen Mel Brooks' History of the World knows that there have been 15 commandments originally but Moses dropped the third stone plate 😉
I would agree although that wouldn't explain why the Gerudo would have conveniently built a cave temple near the 8th Heroine statue when they could have built it either within or around the 7 statues. It comes off as too convenient for the 8th Heroine to be nearby Yiga territory.
8:20 I feel it should be pointed out that the translation here says "She is worshiped by her followers in the Garudo Highlands" not "Her followers in the Garudo Highlands worship her". This semantic difference means that her worshipers go to Garudo Highlands to worship her, not that her worshipers reside in the Garudo Highlands. Another nail in the coffin of the idea that it is the Yiga.
in the orb quest thing i noticed it mentioned the 8th heroine as a voe, and as another "race." when reading the slate it says that he was also not a gerudo, it does not specify what race exactly he was but it was implied he was not gerudo. it makes me wonder if maybe it was some version of link, idk lol it feels like every old heroine in the game is somehow link
I personally think the Eighth Heroine statue might have just originally been intended to part of the original seven. It's basically been confirmed just by looking at the backs of the seven heroines that they were likely carved out of a sheer cliff face (given their size) and then cut away from the rock, but perhaps the "Eighth Heroine" suffered some kind of flaw that made it too dangerous to cut out of the rock once it was finished, forcing the ancient Gerudo to start that particular statue over again from scratch. As for the sword, given how it's positioned, it's possible that it too was meant as one of the original set of seven swords for the main seven heroines (each heroine and sword are two different entities obviously), but fell over while in transit, and the ancient Gerudo were simply not advanced enough at the time to be able to "pick it back up", forcing them to start that particular sword over from scratch as well, regrettably. As for why there are eight similar statues in the Yiga Clan hideout, it's possible that these statues are depicting a group of people other than the Sages. The Seven Sages are, as Monster Maze and Konrad have pointed out, a recurring theme in the Zelda series, but they haven't been the same individuals again and again, so the Seven Heroines don't necessarily need to be any specific set of Seven Sages. But the eight statues in the Yiga Clan Hideout could, again, be a separate group of people entirely. We're given no history about the Yiga Clan hideout, except for the fact that it was originally built by the Gerudo. Obviously neither the Gerudo, nor the Sheikah have been able to study it while the Yiga Clan occupied it. And we know the Yiga Clan originally defected from the Sheikah after their technology was banned in the wake of the first Calamity Ganon, so it's likely that the Yiga Clan have been there long enough that the Gerudo have probably forgotten who these eight people are. Maybe they represent a group of Gerudo elders, or possibly a line of Gerudo queens.
I may be looking at this from an overly archeological point of view, but I think the 8th Heroine was built before the other 7 and was never finished. It's located far from any present settlement nor is it close to any roads for worshipers to access. This leads me to believe the Gerudo used to live closer to or in the present day Yiga hideout due to its proximity to the construction site and the 8 Heroine Statues present inside. I believe it is unfinished because the sword was likely sculpted on the highlands above with elaborate scaffoldings and planned to be lowered down. Furthermore, the other Heroine statues have been separated from their rock faces while the 8th is still embedded in the side of the mountain. Before construction was finished however, something happened that forced the Gerudo to move and forsake one of the Heroines.
What would be cool is if we could use the rewind function(as seen in the second & third trailers for Tears of the Kingdom) on the Eighth Heroine's sword, especially if doing so unlocked the entrance to an underground dungeon or ruins.
The 8th heroine...or bronze goddess..."forgotten" or purposely obscured/erased to prevent people from searching for its tomb... thus keeping Gannondorf hidden
6:16 I immediately thought of the movie The History of the World when Moses came down with 15 commandments on 3 tablets but one broke 🤣🤣🤣 "The Lord Jehovah giveth thee FIFTEEN... *tablet falls and breaks* I mean TEN... TEN Commandments!"
The three dragons are connected to the three golden goddesses; Din = Dinraal, Farore = Farosh, and Nayru = Naydra. Due to Nayru representing the triforce of wisdom, it makes sense to assume that Naydra and Zelda are connected as well. With Ganondorf's malice corrupting and weakening Naydra, my belief is that it represents Zelda's spiritual state weakening as she has been fighting Ganon for the past 100 years and is growing tired.
@@ghostlyfae8721 that's a good point. I was going to mention how naydra represents wisdom and it could be Gannon going after a symbol of his hatred towards zelda.
I like how well edited and formatted your videos are; they’re like mini movies or documentaries, with cool transitions and soothing music, it’s just really compelling and well put together.
As a random thought, what if the 8th 'heroine' was just... Link? Given he brought them all together, vanished/left to wander in both timelines where he didn't die and left, and in many cases lost or left his sword behind.
idk how significant this could end up being, but, has any video ever pointed out the fact that, despite there being snow covering the mountains surrounding the 8th heroine statue, there's none on the statue itself? i'd imagine this would mean that there are human followers who have recently come to clear the snow from the statue before link woke up.
The Japanese text seems to support the idea that the reference to Highlands is the place where the followers have to travel to worship the statue, not where the followers live. The English version can mean the same thing, but is a bit more shrouded in grammar to not be clear the Highlands are where the statue is, not where the people who worship her are from.
I just think it's really cool how, at both the statue and the summit where the sword is, it really looks carved out Like, the statue is at the back of a long valley where the tops of each side look like they could easily have connected, while the sword is just south of a massive gash in the top of the mountain, possibly caused by whatever put the sword there in the first place. And, actually, that gash if you follow its curve, connects to both the valley of the 8th Heroine and also another valley by the Cliffs of Ruvara. Like, literally lines up perfectly.
15:40 There is always a story where someone gets sacrificed or do so willingly tends to be considered tainted by the thing which they were sacrificed for by future generations just like Naruto. The eight heroine might be the same and her statue was being built by her followers but stopped by the others who thinks she is a tainted one. Also her followers were mocked and dwindled until the point her existence became a myth. Just a theory.
You didn't mention what I consider to be the most mysterious part of the 8th heroine mystery - the fact that the Gerudo Highlands themselves are shaped like a giant heroine state!
love the video you guys and always enjoy the collab. I'm on the side where I think that being in the mural for totk is a good guy or goddess that helped long ago
i never did believe that the 8th heroine was gannondorf but i COMPLETELY believe its the new mural figure i mean there are way too many coincidences if its not.....that person
All very interesting ideas! I like the idea of it being the "eight sage," whomever that might be. My own thoughts on the mural for Tears is that it's a Twili, but that's a whoooole thing I'm not going into on a RUclips comment, ha. That said, I do have one particular... It's not really a nitpick? Well, whatever you call it, it's this: Why is the statue there? The logic is that it was carved there as a specific memorial, but that doesn't add up to any of the few known details. I could be misremembering, but that statue appears to have been moved from the group of 7. If you look at the circle where the 7 reside, there should be room for an eighth statue. Being made of a different material could have been their way to signify it's importance compared to the seven sages; perhaps Zelda, Link, or Hylia. But more interestingly, even if the statue was carved where it lies today, the sword isn't. That sword moved. Whether from where the statue was originally positioned, likely falling off the statue in it's own strange relocation, or somehow taken /from/ the statue and moved /up/ into the highlands. For me, this has always been the more important thing to know rather than the identity. Now that we have confirmation of Sky Folks, I wonder: did a faction use some kind of magic or technology to lift the massive statue and dump it into the highlands to be forgotten? It certainly feels haphazardly tossed aside. I'm not sure what we have in Breath of the Wild to explain it (other than ALIENS), but we have seen massive objects moved with magic before... in Twilight Princess. The magic of the Twili would be capable of making this kind of move. Combined with my earlier point about the main figure being a member of the Twili, what if the Eight Heroine represents some leader of the Twili people, The Interlopers. A forgotten sage banished for their involvement with the attempt to steal the triforce. It's all conjecture, of course, but hey! What isn't? Anyway thanks for reading. Love y'all!
Maze, if you ever have the time and or leisure, it would be amazing if you could do a video on Malon/horse fairy. I mean its inherent significance for the gameplay is to revive dead meat, but there "has to be" more...
Which represents Link narratively (in the original intention of the game, before the timeline was thought of), the statue has a sword and the triforce on her left hand, and the cobra head wrap is green, representing his cap.
Didnt really think about it but the base of the 8th statue out in the middle of nowhere could be a nice spot for a cave or dungeon to hide inside the massive Mountain she is backed up against
I keep going back to the being in the trailers being Minda. The height makes sense to me. If you look, she’s (princess form) about a head length taller than Zelda… same as the trailer shows. The green color and markings match too. Minda has red hair like the Zonai. I just can’t get her out of my head.
@@heinrichvonschnitzel8600 Nobody knows Twili lifespan for certain. Nintendo really can make anything happen with story writing. I mean… Link was in stasis. That’s not very realistic. Using realistic constraints in a Zelda game doesn’t really stick… with anything. You never know.
@@tidalboxer link was only in stasis for a 100 years and that technology only existed presumably thousands of years after Twilight princess. Also taking in the fact the twili are descendants of the interlopers and not the interlopers implies twili don't live for 10k+ years.
@@heinrichvonschnitzel8600 My point is trying to justify storylines on what can and can’t happen is near impossible. Nintendo can rework anything they want to even if it’s based on canon. They can decide to make a magical dimension that connects the two in time and space. Anything is a possibility. It’s countless the times they added to, contradicted, and changed details just because they’ve wanted to…. And the canon changes with it. But if basing extremely logical things on a fantasy video game works for you… go with it. But by nature, fantasy isn’t logical.
Maybe there’s another more simple reason as to why it’s there. Looking at the sword itself, it seems like it was separated and placed/lost there. If the theory of Dungeons in TotK is to be true, then maybe the statue was purposefully moved from its initial spot in the circle with the other heroines and placed to seal/guard the entrance to the dungeon in order to keep whatever is sealed within. The sword could have also just been lost in the transportation. I believe that some ancient Sheikah technology from the monks, or maybe even the Zonai themselves before they disappeared to the sky used ancient magic to transport it to its current location. Similarly to how Midna could transport large objects through portals. Just a thought that could also be plausible.
That's a bit of an exaggeration at 7:35. It's a recurring thing here and there, but it hasn't "plagued" it. I've played the English and Japanese versions of most games and they're usually the same aside from insignificant changes. Not that significant ones don't exist, though. There's a ZeldaLegends page with side by side text comparisons of both versions of multiple games. Aside from a few errors by the fan translator, it shows that there are very few major changes.
I encourage watching QuestForAaron. His channel has a few videos on it that show the biggest differences between the japanese and english version. Skyward Sword especially changed quite a few things. Especially the context surrounding demons. I'd say "plagued" is fitting enough. It's been present since the very first Zelda. Some clues in that game are either completely different or taken out of context, making them close to useless.
@@MonsterMaze I've seen his videos. Some of them are good (particularly the one about the demons), but in a lot of them, there are things that he chooses to translate a little differently and calls them "different" when that's not necessarily the case. For example, referring to the Skull Kid as a little demon in the Japanese and an imp in the English. He called that a difference when the Japanese term can translate to either _and_ they're directly synonymous. There are also some glaring mistakes in his videos. Aside from the multiple references to the clan of demons being omitted (i don't understand why), there isn't really any major difference between the Japanese and English versions of skyward sword. Most other differences are purely trivial. Twilight princess had the most differences, but even then, they're limited. The changes aren't major for the most part.
Saying it's "plagued" suggests it's super common, which it undeniably is not. There are differences, but that's an overexaggeration made by weebs or the like. Zelda is fine, mate.
@@inejxjejdgjrormkxle9763 Also, the point he makes about the difference between "people" and "followers" really isn't a big one, even in the context of the theory. He says that "people" rules out it possibly meaning monsters, so he goes to the japanese. But the fact he suggested that means that it is a valid interpretation of the English. He's trying to make it mean something that it isn't.
12:56 You know what's nutty? In the enclosure with the seven other heroines (not the Yiga's hideout) where you must solve the ball puzzle to uncover the shrine? I noticed in my recent playthrough of the game that there's a symbol on one of the balls that looks eerily similar to the tear symbols in the latest trailer for Tears of the Kingdom. The one in the teaser looks a bit more stylized, but it might be worth looking into regardless.
I saw Dr. Wily talk about this for Tears of the Kingdom. I actually love this theory! I think this is the most highly likely for the upcoming sequel. For the Twilight Princess die hards, I almost want to break out into the Let it Go song...😂
Something that I thought might be linked was the name of the statue, the copper giant goddess, and the murial, which looks to me to be made out of slightly tarnished copper, or at least a copper coloured metal. Especially the way you edited it made it impossible to miss. Interesting, no?
Intersting indeed. I think someone already pointed out how the Mural seems to have a lot in common with Gerudo stone work, as opposed to Zonai or other cultures. Especially the rock it's carved into.
Theory 100% accepted. I love this idea that the green hand is the eighth sage. That would also explain the placement of their sword. The other statues hold their swords by the butt with the blade in the ground. This is usually symbolic of a triumphant warrior. But the eighth is not holding their sword. Perhaps because their battle remains unfinished or even more because their hands are holding something else….
In my theoretical construct, i believe that BotWs Hyrule has been vastly influenced by the legacy of Zelda I and Zelda II. I think it is possible to connect narratives from these games to BotW especially regarding the sages and heroes/heroines!
Up in those snowy mountain was where I had my most EPIC battle... fighting the Winter Lynel... and during the middle of the fight Dragon Nedra flew by super close at the cliffs edge... the pic I took right then and there was about the coolest thing ever.
Also there is a good chance that, that goddess seen in the TotK trailer is definitely related with courage. There is this video made by AwesomeFaceProd and its the only theory I click with for who that figure is.
On a random note: in TOTK, what if Ganondorf messed up the Master Sword to release what was left of the spirit of Demise that was trapped in the Master Sword? That way he could absorb it and empower himself
Probably not. In skyward sword it said the master sword is distinguishing demise while in the sword. But ghirahim telephoned away so... maybe that's important
@@tumultuousv I watched a playthrough recently and I’m pretty sure Fi tells Link that “what’s left of Demise” will “slowly deteriorate over time inside the Master Sword” or something like that tho?
Oh that new intro is *C L E A N* Edit: Something worth a mention is that translation of Gerudo text you brought up. The text on the statues reads "Seven Sages", even the text on the eighth heroine statue. If they were on the same level as the other seven, surely it would say "Eight Sages" not seven right? So the implication of it being on a higher level in the pantheon hierarchy does make a lot of sense. Couple that with what you said about it being nicknamed as a "Goddess" in the original Japanese text, and bang, the theory becomes even more iron-clad. Well done on this video.
This would imply the 8th one to represent Hylia/Zelda, being a part would be to pay tribute, and forgotten simply due to time, the Gerudo's goddess statue is tucked away off to the side.
@@Margar02 True that. But in A Link Between Worlds there were 7 sages, wihout Zelda included. And in Wind Waker there were only 2. Safe to say that there is some wiggle room in the amount of sages present ^^
Then again it's always possible that this "Goddess" could in fact be below the 7 Sages for reasons that we'll learn in Tears of the Kingdom. The fact that a Goddess would be treated so poorly to have her statue left forgotten by most of the people in Hyrule leaves open the possibility that she lost her "authority" within the pantheon allowing the 7 Sages to be above her in comparison.
@@MonsterMaze You mention a link between worlds but NOT a link to the past? What kind of zelda fan are you. For shame. IN a link to the past Zelda (a decedent) was the catalyst that allowed Ganon out of the Dark Realm.
I have a suspicion that the 8th is Midna. At the Arbiters Grounds there were the 7 sages and Midna who separated herself from this realm by destroying the Twilight Mirror and had a big impact on Zelda who would have spread her memory of Midna. Not to mention the Arbiters Ground still exists(Next to the statues) as well as the Mirror of Twilight. And of course she is a Heroine. After the video I had to add in that Zelda became part of Midna towards the end of TP
The Gerudo were gone in TP before they knew of Midna's existence or her efforts in saving hyrule and Zelda. Ganondorf and Telma are the only Gerudo left in that game. can't make a statue of someone youve never heard of
@@stephanos6128 That's what would make it the forgotten statue and why no one remembers why it was built. Zelda and the royal family could have passed down the legend to the gerudo. Also I did not know telma was a gerudo!! That's extremely interesting!
I think its possible that the ancient Shekiah did know about the statue, but did not build a shrine at her alter because she was on the wrong side of history. They didn't consider her worthy of a shrine.
It's almost like Nintendo was writing Tears of the kingdom with Breath of the wild, with many things seemingly being important in the sequel, despite being glorified easter eggs in Botw. I'm interested to see what they do with the story, and if any of these theories will be confirmed!
Arguably. During the time of ganondorf. The patriarch of the gerudo people. There was probably 7 possibly 8 gerudo heroin sages that fought against his tyranny before he was even a god.
Something interesting that may or may not have a place in this theory: there is actually a Sheikah shrine relatively close to the statue. It's the Keeha Yoog shrine, the one revealed as part of the "Cliffside Etchings" quest, by shooting a shock arrow into a pedestal. And I think it's interesting that Farosh--the dragon of lightning who flies so close to this pedestal--is one of the only creatures in Hyrule capable of both reaching and revealing this shrine. We know the Sheikah have appropriated the ruins of other cultures for their shrine locations, like in the Palmorae and Typhlo Ruins. It's possible this pedestal had a different purpose before the Sheikah took it over. The Gerudo, and especially its chiefs, is heavily associated with lightning (Urbosa, Riju in AoC, her family's Thunder Helm, and Divine Beast Vah Nabooris). Maybe the Eighth Heroine was also gifted with electricity. Maybe she's an ancestor to Urbosa? The Gerudo Highlands is such an interesting area with a whole lot of secrets hiding under that snow. I really hope we get to see more of it in Tears of the Kingdom!
I always thought the eight heroine corresponded with the “eighth” sage, that being Zelda. The timelines are a little loopy in BOTW, but the royal family versus the Gerudo has always been a thing regardless of timelines. The sages and what they did would have surely found its way into history, and then into lore: that’s always how that works. There are a lot of possible scenarios as to the exact reason why, be it a dispute of territory, a war of revenge on one of their parts, etc, but some unknown Zelda of the past most likely played a big part in a conflict with the Gerudo, and I bet that was a bit of a culture shock to them. We don’t know how many times the sages were reborn. It’s very possible that some point in the past, the Gerudo incorporated the history of the sages into their own culture (due to their own culture’s part played in OoT’s sages), and all eight of the sages naturally turned to eight Gerudo heroes of old. (That’s also how that works.) But when they were confronted with a living embodiment of that legend, or worse, that living legend on the opposite side of some sort of conflict, it would make perfect sense as to why you would chuck the statue representing that person as far away as you could, either due to anger at what they did, or simply to create cultural simplicity. Anyone ever heard of Thomas Paine? No? That’s not surprising. He was an American founding father with as much significance as many of the ones you’ve heard about, but he was British. America and England had obvious beef at the time, and even though without Paine we may have never even become a country in the first place, most people don’t remember him. And that’s in part due to sweeping him under the rug. Not the people at the time who liked and respected him, but the people in subsequent generations who wanted to pretend that their political ideology was self created and self inherited without any external sources. (Because we’re dumb and bigoted like that.) It’s very possible for the Gerudo to have done something similar. If you grew up in the desert hearing a legend about a group of your people who once saved the world countless years in the past, and then one of them ended up not being part of your culture, and you find that out because one of them basically showed up to prove you wrong one day, you would want to protect your political/cultural/whatever continuity as well. Anyway, I think the eighth heroine is Zelda.
I’ve had this crazy idea since hearing of the heroine mystery for the first time years ago, but to me at least, the formation of the Gerardo Highlands as a whole have a very similar shape to the statues just on a much much larger scale and clearly much more weathered. With the idea of the dragons following the eighth heroine, what if the very first ever statue was the highlands itself? It would definitely be to scale relative to the dragons.
Another detail worth mentioning is that they appear to have been part of a larger structure, against the walls of a large room. All that remains is the floor and the parts of the walls the statuses are touching.
![The Evolution of Hyrule [Part 1] - Zelda Theory](/img/1.gif)
Hope you all had a great weekend! Be sure to check out Commonwealth Realm's video as well:
ruclips.net/video/9OzLBOQYAHM/видео.html
See you all in the next one! ^^
Edit: I just noticed I've been using an older version of my End Screen. My apologies to Sam T and William Charles. I will make sure to add your names in the next video!
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Awesome video
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I just thought about something: maybe the reason why the gerudos call them the 7 heroines and not the 7 heroes is simply because their laungage might use the feminine version of the word if the genre is unspecified. That would make sence since they all are females. To give you an example, for us if the statues were half male and half female we would call them "heroes". But for the gerudos they would probably call that group "heroines". I find that interesting to think about
That would make a lot of sense. French does this as well. When there is a group of men and women you refer to them with the male plural. The female plural is only used when there are only women.
Good one from a linguistic standpoint!
Interesting
For all we know, gerudo language may not even have a word for a male "hero" specifically because the only male gerudo in the series is far from being a hero, while basically every female gerudo (which isn't a child, elderly or vendor) is a solder. Because words with little to no use are forgotten over time, the word "hero" could be a historical word (like thou in English), or it could have simply been lost in history.
Maybe the Gerudo just really like certain drugs...?
My theory has always been that they were carving the statue for the 8th heroine and something tragic happened, like the heroine being depicted died, was defeated in combat, or disgraced in some sort of way. This led to her statue being abandoned and her sword being broken and discarded.
Or, many times in ancient Egypt, an obelisk would be carved from a granite quarry and dragged to another location. Sometimes the granite cracked or a flaw was uncovered during its excavation and it was abandoned in site. Maybe the red stone that the 8th heroine was made of wasnt as strong as the other stone, and flaws made its eventual removal and transport impossible.
Or more than likely, it's something the developers threw into the world for no real reason and left it up to the player to decide what it meant.
I'm surprised you didn't theorize a connection between Hylia and losing her sword. In Skyward Sword, the ancient reliefs depict Hylia with a sword, which she is never seen with in any other depictions. I assumed this is because her sword became the Goddess Sword/Fi/Master Sword. If the 8th heroine is Hylia, this also explains why her sword is located elsewhere from her.
What if… the missing sword is ghirahim 🤣
I love how you included the detail "Bozai, 35 and single" at 7:15, as great theorists always do.
Okay, I just had an idea: 8 swirls were represented on the carvings, there's 8 heroines/ sages, and there's 8 slots on Link hip in Tears of the Kingdom. And with the spiritual energy from the hand Link most probably gains new god-like capacities. What if this is indeed the hand of what was the 8th heroine, but this spiritual energy is a Tear Link must collect? And, for exemple, Link would need to find and collect the spiritual energy of all the 7 other heroines/sages, to complete hi task, and each of them would grant him a power we saw in the trailers: dematerialize, control time... etc. And those powers would correspond to the vertues associated to each heroine.
(PS pardon my english, I'm French and lack practice)
Your English is better than atleast half of Facebook.
This idea makes sense when you consider the abbilities Link has displayed in the most recent trailers may fit some of the powers attributed to the 7 Heroines: skill, spirit, endurance, knowledge, flight, motion, and gentleness.
"Spirit" might be the power which allowed the Hand to maintain Ganondorf's Seal intact for thousands of years. Wether such a power will have an active role during gameplay is to be seen.
"Motion" may be the time rewinding mechanic which allows Link to return incoming traps back towards enemies who threw them.
"Flight" might involve the bird looking hovercraft as Link becomes able to summon it at will to travel the skies freely without the need of the parasail.
This leaves us "skill, endurance, knowledge and gentleness" which as of now none of the trailers show anything remotedly concrete that would tie with any of the remaining powers. Should future trailers reveal more special abbilities for Link to use maybe they'll fit the powers of the 7 Heroines.
@@javiervasquez625 Maybe endurance will have something to do with the stamina gauge?
edit: and maybe gentleness will have to do with taming?
edit 2: there was a lot of unused horse mechanics. and we couldn't do much with doggos. in a lot of Zelda games, you can summon a bird of some sort...so maybe gentleness will play into music relating to animals. Like Epona's Song or that one song for calling birds.
@@javiervasquez625 Reply number two because I am enjoying this too much!
What if skill is like...tied to game mechanics.. Like, what if Link learns new attack moves? Could this have something to do with upgrading equipment so it won't break?
@@moonflower1717 I guess endurance could certainly serve as an improvement to the stamina bar gameplay from BotW although i doubt it seeing as the current stamina system works fine as it is for the sequel to change it in any discernible way. Maybe what "endurance" will do for the Hand involves reducing elemental damage by creating magic shields similar to Daruk's Protection but with the aforementioned "elemental reduction" it'll provide.
Wathever gentleness could ultimately do in the game i feel there's nothing gameplay wise that comes to mind fitting of such a general word. This power could either be related to stats by increasing defense and the such or it may affect the environment surrounding Link. It may as well involve the taming of animals as you suggest although i should remind that when it comes to animals having an active purpose in the gameplay this has always been done through the use of magical items such as the "flute" from A Link to the Past and the titular Ocarina of Time from the same game. ¿Perhaps the Hand is able to summon an instrument to affect animals and enemies alike?
Now that you mention it there is that one scene from the second trailer which shows Link's left hand(not the right hand which has the Spirit Hand attached to it) carrying a flamethrower weapon with a dragon face like design which could be the "skill" abbility. If the flamethrower weapon is connected to the skill power then my guess would be that the Hand will be able to summon different kinds of special weapons for Link to use to defeat specific types of enemies like Megaman. It would be really cool if such an abbility was implemented in TotK as it would greatly improve the breakable weapons problems in BotW.
Even if i'm ultimately wrong with my theory regarding the Hand i still hope that some of the gameplay "limitations" in BotW will still be improved somehow either via the Spirit Hand or by providing new creative methods to traverse the newly expanded Hyrule in TotK.
Personally I think it could represent the factions that band together to defeat Ganon: The Hylians, Gerudo, Zora, Ritos, Gorons, Sheikah, and the Koroks/ their ancient representatives or Sages as the statues with the 8th being the Zonai, who’ve mysteriously disappeared or were outcast. I dunno just a thought
I like that theory as it has backing in mystery that we know just about nothing on the subject of the Zonai, lynnels do seem to be linked to them with one near the sword and they do seem to be tougher lived which fits the climate issue.
I just thought about something, not related to the theory of who the Eight Heroine could be, but about the location’s purpose in the sequel.
I think it’s a perfect place for a new dungeon, and maybe we’ll use the time reversal mechanic to return the sword to its owner, the statue….
If the stonework translation reads "seven sages", it would make sense for the 8th to represent Link from the era of Time, lost to time and forgotten about. His sword representing the Master Sword, always laying just out of reach.
EDIT: I'm aware link is not a sage. All I'm saying is it would be cool if the 8th figure represents him. There have only been one or two instances I can think of where there have been 8 sage's, and those instances do not line up with any theory on who these heroines represent. I'm aware the theory doesn't work, it's just a cool idea 🤷♀️
That's what I was thinking
Cover your mouth, you're spitting facts again🔥😭
The "Sages" mentioned by the runes could also be referring to the 7 *Maidens* from A Link to the Past which as their name confirms were all female descendants of the 7 Sages who sealed Ganon away during the Sealing War. Maybe the deity like figure in the trailer is a Sage Maiden who used her godly power to seal both Ganondorf and herself away in an attempt to permanently stop him from ever threatening Hyrule again.
@@javiervasquez625 Its a common and growing theme for these speculation videos to completely ignore "A link to the past" I think many of them are too young to have played it. It would certainly benefit them to play it. Even on an emulator.
@@crisnmaryfam7344 To be fair, even Nintendo doesn't put a lot of eastereggs and references to AlttP on their games and media either.
Biggest revelation in this video for me is that the magatama symbol all over the latest trailer is also found on the orbs connected to the seven heroines, confirmed by text transliteration to be representations of the seven sages. Hot damn.
It's found on ONE of the seven orbs. They're "seven sages" not THE seven sages.
@@angelo8606 I appreciate your corrections, still a decent data point
@@angelo8606 in "a link to the past" and "Ocarina of time". its "The seven sages" specifying specific ones. Not just any Seven sages, THE seven sages.
0:08 It's like shes reaching out her arms crying for Tear's actual content to fall into them so that she can have something to play with in the vast emptiness and loose, open-ended promises that is the game she's in.
Another minor point of evidence that the Eighth Heroine could be Hylia: There is a Goddess Statue in Gerudo Town, just as in the other settlements, but the Gerudo don’t seem to hold much reverence for her. An older Gerudo that hangs around the statue says that people often ignore it, and she’s the only one who keeps it company. If Hylia isn’t an important figure to the modern-day Gerudo, it makes a lot of sense that a bigger statue in her honor would be completely forgotten.
Great point ^^
The Gerudo definitely seem indifferent about Hylia and prefer their own ancient mythology.
The Gerudo didn’t give much importance to Hylia, but they didn’t hate her. They wouldn’t have destroyed her sword and moved it to a completely different location unless they absolutely hated her
@@Ash-bl7vm Also let's not forget the fact that some Gerudo such as Rhondson are willing to marry with the "blessing of Goddess Hylia" which she wouldn't have allowed if she hated Hylia. The Gerudo might simply be apathetic towards her which is why they don't have anything to say in favor or against her.
@@Ash-bl7vm nobody said they hated her, just that they forgot her. And we don't know how the sword was moved. The sword looks to be fully intact and the statue itself is also in good condition. If it was vandalized you would expect broken pieces.
@@Ash-bl7vm It could be that it was done on orders of Ganondorf at some point, either when he was leading the Gerudo, or sometime later by his non-Gerudo minions. Most Gerudo may be indifferent, but he likely wouldn't be.
I think you gloss right over the most plausible theory. The Yiga live in a conquered Gerudo complex with the only known depiction of all 8 heroines together. The Gerudo who actually used that complex before the Yiga took it over must have known about her. What if the "rumors" of worshipers in the Highlands are outdated, and it's not referring to the Yiga but to the Gerudo they chased out?
The gerudo most likely built it far back in the past. But the present day Gerudo do not venture into the highlands, nor speak about the statue. The dialogue and quest log speak about a group who worship them in the present. Not in the distant past. That's the mystery of it. Who would worship a long forgotten statue in present day Hyrule?
Monster Maze you are truly my favourite creator when it comes to theory videos. You breathe your essense into these videos and on top of that the production is always top tier. I appreciate you man
Thanks M!
@@MonsterMaze No worries :)
After playing the 8th heroine questline in TotK….well….certainly was not expecting it to be SPOILER:
A past incarnation of Link. Like what? Honestly I was pretty surprised. And going off of the quest and the statues and tablets, the heroines are NOT sages. They ended up just genuinely being the pride and joy of the Gerdudo, just mighty legendary warriors. That’s it. But some past Link helped them out in a battle they fought, and they honored him, but couldn’t fully accept him for his male status. So, here we are with the 8th heroine being forgotten and kept secret
Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure they said it was just a male
this kinda makes sense, as rauru himself can’t even remember someone along the names of Link, or any of his aliases (from what i remember), during his time. despite this, we can still obtain an outfit representing what Link could’ve looked like if he existed back in raurus time. it’s weird tho, how Link’s selfless persona could’ve been reincarnated to this time, but rauru has no recollection of a hero similar to him.
The issue with the 8th Heroine supposedly being Hylia is that if it were built to represent Hylia, surely Link would be able to pray to it?
Or when the final Monk tells Link to retrieve a gift (the Cap, Tunic, and Trousers of the Wild) from the "largest goddess statue", it would've been from the 8th Heroine and not the much smaller goddess statue in the Forgotten Temple.
If we accept that the 7 "Heroines" represent the 6 Sages (+1 Zelda), then it could be the case that they're all only referred to as female in BotW because of the culture we learn about them from in BotW - the all-female tribe of the Gerudo - as we know the genders of the original sages are actually mixed, meaning the 8th could very well actually be a male.
(edit: good points raised in the replies to this that could mean the 7 Heroines statues are actually of female characters - but that doesn't necessarily rule out my following conclusion..)
If the 8th statue isn't a repeat of one of the sages, and also isn't Hylia - then I propose that it's of the Hero of Time.
- related, and deeply tied to the sages, but not one among them.
- equally important role in Hyrule's past, but not nearly as celebrated - almost completely forgotten.
- separated from his famous sword, as Link usually is, until such a time that he needs it.
Finally, if you pin the location of the 7 Heroines (Zelda's Statue), the 8th statue (Link), and the Arbiter's grounds (speculated to be Ganondorf's tomb, and where he was "executed", and imprisoned) on the map, you get a triangle with each point representing one of the bearers of each of the 3 pieces of the Triforce - even in the correct positions relative to each other.
Amazing find about the Triangle between the 3 locations! I should mention that despite the prominent diversity of genders among the many incarnations of the 7 Sages we should consider the fact that back in A Link to the Past the Sages were all female as they were Maidens who descended from the Sages who sealed Ganon during the Sealing War. It's always possible that the 7 Heroine statues in Breath of the Wild were made in reference to 7 Maidens who, like their predecessors from A Link to the Past, also fulfilled the role of the 7 Sages.
IF we include a link to the past, we get 7 FEMALE decedents to the sages, the maidens. and the 8th , the hero of time, forgotten, the 8th statue, and his sword, the master sword, forever just out of reach.
@@crisnmaryfam7344 Can the 8th statue truly be a reference to the Hero of Time? Remember that as of Breath of the Wild we have at least 12 different incarnations of Link who, in one way or another, made their mark in History by defeating a powerful demonic entity in his Quest to rule the World. ¿Why should this one forgotten statue in the middle of a snowy nowhere be specifically dedicated to the Hero of Time and not any other incarnation of the Hero who's ever walked the Zelda world? I seriously doubt this statue has any connection any incarnation of Link given the simple fact that he's never been a member of the Sages in any game in the series.
Oh awesome! I'm fairly new to the Zelda series so I'm not familiar with the stories in all of the older games, but that checks out too!
Whether, the 7 heroines are meant to be the Sages, the Maidens, or just representations of the powers they/their descendants held - there's no doubt in my mind the 8th one is meant to represent Link
@@TheiBunny Why Link? There's no evidence to suggest the Hero is been referenced with the 8th statue despite the incidental lack of a sword "somehow" referencing Link having to return the Master Sword to a pedestal after the end of his adventure. Whoever left the statue there probably did so for reasons which have nothing to do with the guy who's been sacrificing himself multiple times to save the world from all sorts of Evil.
how cool would it be that in tears of the kingdom Naydra restores her flight path and ends up near the heroine as well and a special event occurs when the 3 converge on the statue's vecinity
Personally, I still think the 8th Heroine is the Desert Colossus, from Ocarina of time. A few things to consider, is that the 8th Heroine is positioned almost directly at the forgotten temple, and that the canyon between the two locations has the appearance of being collapsed, rather than eroded, with the collapse even swallowing the temple. There are also a few near by shrines, close enough that they couldn't have missed the statue. I find it more likely that the monks did know where the statue was, and chose not to construct a shrine there. I don't even think that the seven were originally built to reflect Hyrule's seven sages, but were connected after the fact.
When copper undergoes oxidation, it turns green. Like the sky statue robot thing we saw in the trailer... 🤔
Eighth heroine is the Statue of Liberty, and Breath of the Wild is a Planet of the Apes story 🗽
You just cracked the code, and no I will take my leave
Those damn dirty Hylians!
In ocarina of time, and in Twilight Princess (for sure) there is a goddess in the desert temples. I think this goddess is this 8th heroine. It would make sense to me. LoZ hasn’t really canonized the fact that there is a sand goddess. But with depictions of her throughout the desert temple in Ocarina of time, it makes sense to me that the Gerudo may have worshipped another Figure. I don’t have proof that’s who this is because she’s just another statue.
I would definitely like to learn more about the Sand Goddess - if she is real, if she was evil, if she’s just a different interpretation of a deity we already know about, etc. Wish they’d explore that a bit more explicitly in a Zelda game or something
Building on that the pre- first Calamity Gerudo may have been in the process of making the statues as a welcome area for travelers to the dessert but when the Calamity hit construction was haulted and post Calamity never resumed.
The reason for the differnce in material could be this Statue depicts a Gerudo with the other seven being the other races of Hyrule. For example: the OoT sages to include even Link.
The sword was being moved first but got as far as it did before the war broke out.
Or the wrong side of history idea mentioned, these statues may depict previous Gerudo cheifs or other leaders and the eight one represents the leader that sided with the Kiga or through their action allowed the Yiga to invade the territory. These events being so painful the Gerudo leadership chose to effectivly erase this from their culture.
Or with the Deity of Tears of the Kingdom, Anamitity may be vital to keeping the corpse of Ganondorf secure in wich all symbols and history that could be removed, disguised or hidden was so to prevent the revival of the evil king and his Triforce peice. Then the scholar princess driven by curiosity had to go and undo her ancestors work just like her past OoT life went and accidently helped create the evil king.
@@ninjagamer1359 me too. I wanna learn more about this being as well. If they were a goddess even. I hear that.
I always assumed it was meant for Link, or rather A Link. Several of his adventures involve the seven sages or seven maidens in the child timeline. Link was instrumental in saving the land of Hyrule with these seven, but is pretty well remembered as a male. Since the Gerudo put more emphasis on females rather than males, it stands to reason that any reverence for link would be pretty controversial
You know I was thinking about this a few days ago and it crossed my mind that maybe the 7 represents the sages while the 8th represents link. he's always been kinda detached from the sages with the whole time stuff. and the reason the statue doesn't have the sword is cause it's the master sword that is usually separated from link
I was thinking about this too. Consider the only time the gerudo have had confirmed contact with the sages: Ocarina of Time, with Nabooru. At the end of this, Link either leaves, effectively abandoning the Master sword but also metaphorically abandoning his duty, or dies. This leading to Ganondorfs win leading to Wind Waker or alttp. Given who Ganondorf is it's possible the gerudo who built this at the time (and have since been forgotten) were particularly resentful of the hero, perhaps not knowing the whole story or not caring.
As for why the Yiga potentially revere it, it could because this is the hero that lost and lead to Ganondorfs win. The details could have been lost to time, perhaps they believe the hero supported Ganondorf which is why he won in either of those eras.
@@Drew_150 Would either the Yiga or whoever be naive enough to think the Hero would support Ganondorf? I personally doubt it given how contradictory that would be.
@@javiervasquez625 That's a good point but maybe who it is at all is lost to time. I do doubt they care about the statue though
It being link works too for the dragons visiting it. Link being Hylia's chosen hero makes him someone that the dragons could rally for.
@@Drew_150 I'd be surprised if they even know of it. There isn't anything to even point to the yiga knowing or caring. On top of that the theory of it being hylia doesn't make much sense considering the large amount of hylia statues in hyrule. And the gruedo don't worship her so it wouldn't make sense for them to make a satute for her. I think link makes the most sense. a hero forgotten in time with only a passing whisper of him. tragic just like the lost statue with no fame or recognition
One thing you didn't consider is that this "Bronze Goddess" was actually an even older Devine Beast. This would explain why the sword is found embedded far away on a mountain top as it was the site of a final battle. It may be broken or stuck in the ground so this giant "bronze" mecha-goddess had to return to this spot empty handed.
The statues of the seven heroines would therefore have been stone replicas of the original.
💩
That's an interesting thought
While it may be unconnected, there does seem to be a suggestion that some prior conflict took place with a being capable of killing the guardian spirits of Hyrule. The great skeletons have long been a point of discussion with many speculating that Hyrule was once under the ocean which is how these Leviathans ended up on land. But their locations tell another story.
Eldin, a region associated with fire, the colour red and Din. Hebra, a land associated with water/ice, the color blue and Nayru. Finally we have the Gerudo Leviathan. Now this may be hard to swallow but have you noticed BotW depicts electrical energy as green? This appears to be a shift for Farore but as the Goddess of Wind it isn't a huge shift to associate her with lightning. And the Gerudo desert is now associated with lightning too.
Therefore the Great Gerudo Skeleton is the remains of the Spiritual Guardian associated with Farore just as the other two are the guardians associated with Din and Nayru. Meaning in the ancient past someone killed the guardians and they needed to be replaced or reborn as the current dragons.
We now know why the identity of the eighth is so secretive thanks to a side quest
Now that _Tears of the Kingdom_ is out, we have *a Definitive Answer to this Mystery* (told in my own Words, not in-game dialogue)...
"Some Time long ago, _a Fearsome Monster_ threatened to destroy the Gerudo. *Seven Strong Heroines* set out to defeat this foul beast, but each sought to claim _the glory of besting the Creature herself_ - as a result, each one was *flung around ruthlessly* by the giant Monster.
It was only _when the Eighth appeared,_ and convinced them *to unite their Individual Strengths,* that the combined Strength of the Seven Heroines _succeeded in Slaying the Beast."_
"The Seven Heroines *wished for the Eighth to be Celebrated,* but the Eighth happened to be _a Voe_ - people that are expressly Forbidden from interacting with the Gerudo. Unable to give this Hero *the Glory he rightly deserves,* the Seven Heroines decided to _secretly create Two Monuments_ to pay Tribute to them: *An Eighth Statue,* placed within the Gerudo Highlands, _keeping watch over the Seven in secrecy;_ and *a Hidden Chamber* within the Sanctuary outside Gerudo City housing _the Gifts for this Unspoken Hero,_ if ever they are to Forgive the Gerudo People for *their Stubborn Hatred towards the Voe..."*
Once again, _the in-game Text is different,_ but I convey what it tells us in Brief.
*The 'Eighth Heroine' is,* as many likely suspected, _a Voe: the Gerudo Term for a Male._
This is clearly *why the Eighth Statue wasn't erected along with the other Seven,* and why this undesirable History was _hidden from the populace and Forgotten._ From *the accounts given,* I'm guessing the Voe was _a Hylian Man,_ and the Monster _one of the Molduga players face nowadays_ - Molduga seemed to be *quite Smaller* in the Past, _judging by the Memories seen in-game,_ so *a Gigantic one* like we fight in-game _would be significant enough to threaten the City..._
These Events however, *still do not pre-date* whatever caused the Gerudo Race to have such _a long-standing Grudge against the Male Gender,_ despite having *a Prophecy Glorifying Males born to Gerudo Women...*
I never finished this quest as I just burnt out on the game before I got to it so thank you for this. I do have one thing about the Gerudo not being the biggest fans of males, or at least Gerudo Males (I think the hate for males or voe evolved over time). I think Ganondorf is actually the reason. I mean he basically destroyed the world and in TotK, we see that the Gerudo clearly don't support and actively oppose him after he takes Sonia's stone and becomes the Demon King. I think over the thousands and thousands of years that pass and the fact that it seems like Geurdo Males have just stopped being born all together by Breath of the Wild (Can't remember where but someone mentions that it's usually every 100 years but it's been far far longer since a male was born) so it's possible over time the hate for the male Gerudo that just stopped existing spread to males in general although we know they clearly don't hate voe a whole lot as they are thought how to attract a mate and do settle down and marry and such so it's almost like it's less hate and more just town tradition.
@@FriedCassowary Yeah, _the Prophecy I mentioned_ is the one about the *Male Gerudo born every 100 Years that's meant to become Leader of their Race.*
For that Prophecy to _still be known and abided by, despite_ there not having been a Male Gerudo born *for several hundreds to Thousands* of Years, means _it wasn't abolished after Ganondorf._ That then suggests that *the Gerudo's grudge with Voe* had to come from _elsewhere in their Timeline,_ possibly even *Pre-Dating Ganondorf!*
I should probably also state that *contrary* to what the Video says, _the Sages have no relevance_ to the Tale of the Seven Heroines. *All Seven Heroines were Gerudo Women* who were _legendary in their own rights,_ and each *fought for their own Glory as Solo Warriors* - that's why _an Eighth was required to get them to Cooperate_ to fight the Threat...
@@lianaverwood9810 Yeah, I assumed based on your first message that they had no relation to the sages, especially since the 7 were all Gerudo which would be unlikely. I do wish I didn't fall of the game like I did so I could have seen this stuff myself but it is what it is. I got about 40 hours in and just felt like that was all I wanted to do. I did finish the story after that and hit the dragon tears, etc which I must say, I absolutely loved. This Zelda is without a doubt my favorite portrayal of the character.
@@FriedCassowary They can't have stopped being born bc in botw, you get your gerudo outfit from a male gerudo. He doesn't show up in totk at all though, which is really weird. I'm guessing he lives in hiding for some reason, maybe he just doesn't wanna be king.
An unconfirmed theory of mine is that the 8th statue wasn't *removed* from the circle, but instead hasn't been moved *towards* it.
The statue is embedded in the cliffside, but what if... that is because it hasn't been carved out yet?
The canyon leading up to the statue may have been, at one point, part of the highlands.
One by one, the seven statues are carved out of the rockface, and then moved forward towards the valley.
For some reason, the entire operation was halted before the 8th statue could be completed, leaving it half-formed in the cliffside.
Maybe the explanation is a lot simpler. Maybe the 8th statue was the template for the other 7? The mountains opposite the 8th heroine are about the same colour of the 7. Considering how the divine beast maps look in the shiekah slate, they may also have been able to project the image of the statue onto another mountain face to help the stone carving process, and inverting the picture in the process, thus explaining the mirroring.
Also, anyone who's seen Mel Brooks' History of the World knows that there have been 15 commandments originally but Moses dropped the third stone plate 😉
Finally, someone who mentiones Mel Brooks ;)
The 15 commandments scene was my first thought when he mentioned the 11th commandment too, lol
I would agree although that wouldn't explain why the Gerudo would have conveniently built a cave temple near the 8th Heroine statue when they could have built it either within or around the 7 statues. It comes off as too convenient for the 8th Heroine to be nearby Yiga territory.
Hello there, will the circle of the Sages finally be completed in Tears of the Kingdom?
Bru
Shame on Monster Maze, no pin? 😂
@@WastelandsNomad2277
Your videos never miss bro. Alwyas excited to watch.
Love seeing the collaboration between creators! Definitely agree that there could be a link to the heroine and the new mural
8:20 I feel it should be pointed out that the translation here says "She is worshiped by her followers in the Garudo Highlands" not "Her followers in the Garudo Highlands worship her". This semantic difference means that her worshipers go to Garudo Highlands to worship her, not that her worshipers reside in the Garudo Highlands. Another nail in the coffin of the idea that it is the Yiga.
Good catch!
Oor whoever lived in the yiga hideout before they moved in. Remember, it is a Gerudo historical site.
@@Chucklebot_ The point is that the phrase says where the followers worship, not where they live.
Never clicked so fast, can't wait to watch this!
in the orb quest thing i noticed it mentioned the 8th heroine as a voe, and as another "race." when reading the slate it says that he was also not a gerudo, it does not specify what race exactly he was but it was implied he was not gerudo. it makes me wonder if maybe it was some version of link, idk lol it feels like every old heroine in the game is somehow link
I personally think the Eighth Heroine statue might have just originally been intended to part of the original seven. It's basically been confirmed just by looking at the backs of the seven heroines that they were likely carved out of a sheer cliff face (given their size) and then cut away from the rock, but perhaps the "Eighth Heroine" suffered some kind of flaw that made it too dangerous to cut out of the rock once it was finished, forcing the ancient Gerudo to start that particular statue over again from scratch.
As for the sword, given how it's positioned, it's possible that it too was meant as one of the original set of seven swords for the main seven heroines (each heroine and sword are two different entities obviously), but fell over while in transit, and the ancient Gerudo were simply not advanced enough at the time to be able to "pick it back up", forcing them to start that particular sword over from scratch as well, regrettably.
As for why there are eight similar statues in the Yiga Clan hideout, it's possible that these statues are depicting a group of people other than the Sages. The Seven Sages are, as Monster Maze and Konrad have pointed out, a recurring theme in the Zelda series, but they haven't been the same individuals again and again, so the Seven Heroines don't necessarily need to be any specific set of Seven Sages.
But the eight statues in the Yiga Clan Hideout could, again, be a separate group of people entirely. We're given no history about the Yiga Clan hideout, except for the fact that it was originally built by the Gerudo. Obviously neither the Gerudo, nor the Sheikah have been able to study it while the Yiga Clan occupied it. And we know the Yiga Clan originally defected from the Sheikah after their technology was banned in the wake of the first Calamity Ganon, so it's likely that the Yiga Clan have been there long enough that the Gerudo have probably forgotten who these eight people are. Maybe they represent a group of Gerudo elders, or possibly a line of Gerudo queens.
I may be looking at this from an overly archeological point of view, but I think the 8th Heroine was built before the other 7 and was never finished. It's located far from any present settlement nor is it close to any roads for worshipers to access. This leads me to believe the Gerudo used to live closer to or in the present day Yiga hideout due to its proximity to the construction site and the 8 Heroine Statues present inside. I believe it is unfinished because the sword was likely sculpted on the highlands above with elaborate scaffoldings and planned to be lowered down. Furthermore, the other Heroine statues have been separated from their rock faces while the 8th is still embedded in the side of the mountain. Before construction was finished however, something happened that forced the Gerudo to move and forsake one of the Heroines.
I really like these videos. Very good editing with a style like a documentary and jokes that made me laugh
i love how he specified which Heroine he was talking about in the desc.
What would be cool is if we could use the rewind function(as seen in the second & third trailers for Tears of the Kingdom) on the Eighth Heroine's sword, especially if doing so unlocked the entrance to an underground dungeon or ruins.
The 8th heroine...or bronze goddess..."forgotten" or purposely obscured/erased to prevent people from searching for its tomb... thus keeping Gannondorf hidden
6:16 I immediately thought of the movie The History of the World when Moses came down with 15 commandments on 3 tablets but one broke 🤣🤣🤣
"The Lord Jehovah giveth thee FIFTEEN... *tablet falls and breaks* I mean TEN... TEN Commandments!"
Bozai: sandjogger, professional creep
really threw me off guard lol
I wonder why Gannon infected naydra with malice. Maybe he was trying to get his malice into Skyrule
That is an interesting question indeed. Why specifically Naydra, and not the other two?
The three dragons are connected to the three golden goddesses; Din = Dinraal, Farore = Farosh, and Nayru = Naydra.
Due to Nayru representing the triforce of wisdom, it makes sense to assume that Naydra and Zelda are connected as well. With Ganondorf's malice corrupting and weakening Naydra, my belief is that it represents Zelda's spiritual state weakening as she has been fighting Ganon for the past 100 years and is growing tired.
@@ghostlyfae8721 that's a good point. I was going to mention how naydra represents wisdom and it could be Gannon going after a symbol of his hatred towards zelda.
Well that might be true because ToTK is in the sky
I like how well edited and formatted your videos are; they’re like mini movies or documentaries, with cool transitions and soothing music, it’s just really compelling and well put together.
Awesome job you guys! Both your channels are so good. Thanks for this! I cannot wait to play tears of the kingdom.
As a random thought, what if the 8th 'heroine' was just... Link? Given he brought them all together, vanished/left to wander in both timelines where he didn't die and left, and in many cases lost or left his sword behind.
Good video my BOYYYYY!
Thanks bud!
idk how significant this could end up being, but, has any video ever pointed out the fact that, despite there being snow covering the mountains surrounding the 8th heroine statue, there's none on the statue itself? i'd imagine this would mean that there are human followers who have recently come to clear the snow from the statue before link woke up.
It’s always good when monster maze uploads
The Japanese text seems to support the idea that the reference to Highlands is the place where the followers have to travel to worship the statue, not where the followers live. The English version can mean the same thing, but is a bit more shrouded in grammar to not be clear the Highlands are where the statue is, not where the people who worship her are from.
The actual identity of the 8th Heroine explained in Totk is a lot less interesting than all the theories...
I just think it's really cool how, at both the statue and the summit where the sword is, it really looks carved out
Like, the statue is at the back of a long valley where the tops of each side look like they could easily have connected, while the sword is just south of a massive gash in the top of the mountain, possibly caused by whatever put the sword there in the first place. And, actually, that gash if you follow its curve, connects to both the valley of the 8th Heroine and also another valley by the Cliffs of Ruvara. Like, literally lines up perfectly.
15:40 There is always a story where someone gets sacrificed or do so willingly tends to be considered tainted by the thing which they were sacrificed for by future generations just like Naruto. The eight heroine might be the same and her statue was being built by her followers but stopped by the others who thinks she is a tainted one. Also her followers were mocked and dwindled until the point her existence became a myth. Just a theory.
You didn't mention what I consider to be the most mysterious part of the 8th heroine mystery - the fact that the Gerudo Highlands themselves are shaped like a giant heroine state!
Yes, thank you! I found this surprising too!
Holy shit once you see it it can't be unseen 🤯
Babe wake up, new monster maze video dropped
AND CONRAD IS HERE!!
love the video you guys and always enjoy the collab. I'm on the side where I think that being in the mural for totk is a good guy or goddess that helped long ago
Welp, now we know they’re really just some random Gerudo heroes, and the eighth is just a voe.
i never did believe that the 8th heroine was gannondorf but i COMPLETELY believe its the new mural figure i mean there are way too many coincidences if its not.....that person
Was watching old videos about the 8th Heroine last night, perfect timing!
I love watching old theories. It gives a great insight into the thought process!
All very interesting ideas! I like the idea of it being the "eight sage," whomever that might be. My own thoughts on the mural for Tears is that it's a Twili, but that's a whoooole thing I'm not going into on a RUclips comment, ha. That said, I do have one particular... It's not really a nitpick? Well, whatever you call it, it's this: Why is the statue there? The logic is that it was carved there as a specific memorial, but that doesn't add up to any of the few known details. I could be misremembering, but that statue appears to have been moved from the group of 7. If you look at the circle where the 7 reside, there should be room for an eighth statue. Being made of a different material could have been their way to signify it's importance compared to the seven sages; perhaps Zelda, Link, or Hylia. But more interestingly, even if the statue was carved where it lies today, the sword isn't. That sword moved. Whether from where the statue was originally positioned, likely falling off the statue in it's own strange relocation, or somehow taken /from/ the statue and moved /up/ into the highlands. For me, this has always been the more important thing to know rather than the identity.
Now that we have confirmation of Sky Folks, I wonder: did a faction use some kind of magic or technology to lift the massive statue and dump it into the highlands to be forgotten? It certainly feels haphazardly tossed aside. I'm not sure what we have in Breath of the Wild to explain it (other than ALIENS), but we have seen massive objects moved with magic before... in Twilight Princess. The magic of the Twili would be capable of making this kind of move.
Combined with my earlier point about the main figure being a member of the Twili, what if the Eight Heroine represents some leader of the Twili people, The Interlopers. A forgotten sage banished for their involvement with the attempt to steal the triforce.
It's all conjecture, of course, but hey! What isn't? Anyway thanks for reading. Love y'all!
Maze, if you ever have the time and or leisure, it would be amazing if you could do a video on Malon/horse fairy. I mean its inherent significance for the gameplay is to revive dead meat, but there "has to be" more...
It is indeed a strange case... reviving the dead should not be without consequence!
Dead meat? Really?
@@NuiYabuko i am sry if it was tasteless. Joking in another language is hardm
"Lmao tingle go burrr"-nintendo watching your theory video.
The 8th Heroine could be a reference to the Goddess Statue in Ocarina of Time's Spirit Temple.
Which represents Link narratively (in the original intention of the game, before the timeline was thought of), the statue has a sword and the triforce on her left hand, and the cobra head wrap is green, representing his cap.
Didnt really think about it but the base of the 8th statue out in the middle of nowhere could be a nice spot for a cave or dungeon to hide inside the massive Mountain she is backed up against
I've never seen what was written on those little statues that point you through the sand storm.
This was an interesting video.
I keep going back to the being in the trailers being Minda. The height makes sense to me. If you look, she’s (princess form) about a head length taller than Zelda… same as the trailer shows. The green color and markings match too. Minda has red hair like the Zonai. I just can’t get her out of my head.
Midna has been dead for thousands of years in botw.
@@heinrichvonschnitzel8600 Nobody knows Twili lifespan for certain. Nintendo really can make anything happen with story writing. I mean… Link was in stasis. That’s not very realistic. Using realistic constraints in a Zelda game doesn’t really stick… with anything. You never know.
@@tidalboxer link was only in stasis for a 100 years and that technology only existed presumably thousands of years after Twilight princess. Also taking in the fact the twili are descendants of the interlopers and not the interlopers implies twili don't live for 10k+ years.
@@heinrichvonschnitzel8600 My point is trying to justify storylines on what can and can’t happen is near impossible. Nintendo can rework anything they want to even if it’s based on canon. They can decide to make a magical dimension that connects the two in time and space. Anything is a possibility. It’s countless the times they added to, contradicted, and changed details just because they’ve wanted to…. And the canon changes with it. But if basing extremely logical things on a fantasy video game works for you… go with it. But by nature, fantasy isn’t logical.
Really cool theory and needless to say great video!
If they are all females and only guerudo sages, then maybe the 8th one is the witch sisters in their conjoined for who “mothered” Gannon in oot.
My money is on this being a dragon. I like the connection to the hand holding back Ganondorf. I think this dragon race are the Zonai.
Fans: This must mean something!
Nintendo: ...We just thought it looked cool...
That's.... n..n-no... shut up
Maybe there’s another more simple reason as to why it’s there. Looking at the sword itself, it seems like it was separated and placed/lost there. If the theory of Dungeons in TotK is to be true, then maybe the statue was purposefully moved from its initial spot in the circle with the other heroines and placed to seal/guard the entrance to the dungeon in order to keep whatever is sealed within. The sword could have also just been lost in the transportation. I believe that some ancient Sheikah technology from the monks, or maybe even the Zonai themselves before they disappeared to the sky used ancient magic to transport it to its current location. Similarly to how Midna could transport large objects through portals. Just a thought that could also be plausible.
That's a bit of an exaggeration at 7:35. It's a recurring thing here and there, but it hasn't "plagued" it. I've played the English and Japanese versions of most games and they're usually the same aside from insignificant changes. Not that significant ones don't exist, though. There's a ZeldaLegends page with side by side text comparisons of both versions of multiple games. Aside from a few errors by the fan translator, it shows that there are very few major changes.
I encourage watching QuestForAaron. His channel has a few videos on it that show the biggest differences between the japanese and english version. Skyward Sword especially changed quite a few things. Especially the context surrounding demons. I'd say "plagued" is fitting enough. It's been present since the very first Zelda. Some clues in that game are either completely different or taken out of context, making them close to useless.
@@MonsterMaze I've seen his videos. Some of them are good (particularly the one about the demons), but in a lot of them, there are things that he chooses to translate a little differently and calls them "different" when that's not necessarily the case. For example, referring to the Skull Kid as a little demon in the Japanese and an imp in the English. He called that a difference when the Japanese term can translate to either _and_ they're directly synonymous. There are also some glaring mistakes in his videos.
Aside from the multiple references to the clan of demons being omitted (i don't understand why), there isn't really any major difference between the Japanese and English versions of skyward sword. Most other differences are purely trivial. Twilight princess had the most differences, but even then, they're limited. The changes aren't major for the most part.
Saying it's "plagued" suggests it's super common, which it undeniably is not. There are differences, but that's an overexaggeration made by weebs or the like. Zelda is fine, mate.
@@inejxjejdgjrormkxle9763 Also, the point he makes about the difference between "people" and "followers" really isn't a big one, even in the context of the theory. He says that "people" rules out it possibly meaning monsters, so he goes to the japanese. But the fact he suggested that means that it is a valid interpretation of the English. He's trying to make it mean something that it isn't.
12:56 You know what's nutty?
In the enclosure with the seven other heroines (not the Yiga's hideout) where you must solve the ball puzzle to uncover the shrine? I noticed in my recent playthrough of the game that there's a symbol on one of the balls that looks eerily similar to the tear symbols in the latest trailer for Tears of the Kingdom. The one in the teaser looks a bit more stylized, but it might be worth looking into regardless.
It's also on the Gerudo scholar's pants
2:42
@@gwendorphins7 Well, I generally try my best not to stare at ladies' pants, so I didn't notice.
@@Wolffman109 lol well I don't recall seeing that symbol much on botw but then again I haven't played it in months
I saw Dr. Wily talk about this for Tears of the Kingdom. I actually love this theory! I think this is the most highly likely for the upcoming sequel. For the Twilight Princess die hards, I almost want to break out into the Let it Go song...😂
Something that I thought might be linked was the name of the statue, the copper giant goddess, and the murial, which looks to me to be made out of slightly tarnished copper, or at least a copper coloured metal. Especially the way you edited it made it impossible to miss. Interesting, no?
Intersting indeed. I think someone already pointed out how the Mural seems to have a lot in common with Gerudo stone work, as opposed to Zonai or other cultures. Especially the rock it's carved into.
@@MonsterMaze and if you look at the Gerudo "scholar's" pants, those "tear" symbols are there.
Theory 100% accepted. I love this idea that the green hand is the eighth sage. That would also explain the placement of their sword. The other statues hold their swords by the butt with the blade in the ground. This is usually symbolic of a triumphant warrior. But the eighth is not holding their sword. Perhaps because their battle remains unfinished or even more because their hands are holding something else….
whos here after the mysterious eighth side quest
In my theoretical construct, i believe that BotWs Hyrule has been vastly influenced by the legacy of Zelda I and Zelda II. I think it is possible to connect narratives from these games to BotW especially regarding the sages and heroes/heroines!
Are you advocating the Downfall timeline?! ;)
@@MonsterMaze well...I...uhm....how do I get out of this now.....
Up in those snowy mountain was where I had my most EPIC battle... fighting the Winter Lynel... and during the middle of the fight Dragon Nedra flew by super close at the cliffs edge... the pic I took right then and there was about the coolest thing ever.
Also there is a good chance that, that goddess seen in the TotK trailer is definitely related with courage. There is this video made by AwesomeFaceProd and its the only theory I click with for who that figure is.
This was a pretty killer video. Good research. Stellar visual content and interesting guesses.
On a random note: in TOTK, what if Ganondorf messed up the Master Sword to release what was left of the spirit of Demise that was trapped in the Master Sword? That way he could absorb it and empower himself
Probably not. In skyward sword it said the master sword is distinguishing demise while in the sword. But ghirahim telephoned away so... maybe that's important
@@tumultuousv I watched a playthrough recently and I’m pretty sure Fi tells Link that “what’s left of Demise” will “slowly deteriorate over time inside the Master Sword” or something like that tho?
Oh that new intro is *C L E A N*
Edit: Something worth a mention is that translation of Gerudo text you brought up. The text on the statues reads "Seven Sages", even the text on the eighth heroine statue. If they were on the same level as the other seven, surely it would say "Eight Sages" not seven right? So the implication of it being on a higher level in the pantheon hierarchy does make a lot of sense. Couple that with what you said about it being nicknamed as a "Goddess" in the original Japanese text, and bang, the theory becomes even more iron-clad. Well done on this video.
This would imply the 8th one to represent Hylia/Zelda, being a part would be to pay tribute, and forgotten simply due to time, the Gerudo's goddess statue is tucked away off to the side.
@@aaronolson6736 Zelda is Sage #7 though.
The sages are Light, forest, fire, water, shadow, spirit, and (Zelda/Hylia) Time.
@@Margar02 True that. But in A Link Between Worlds there were 7 sages, wihout Zelda included. And in Wind Waker there were only 2. Safe to say that there is some wiggle room in the amount of sages present ^^
Then again it's always possible that this "Goddess" could in fact be below the 7 Sages for reasons that we'll learn in Tears of the Kingdom. The fact that a Goddess would be treated so poorly to have her statue left forgotten by most of the people in Hyrule leaves open the possibility that she lost her "authority" within the pantheon allowing the 7 Sages to be above her in comparison.
@@MonsterMaze You mention a link between worlds but NOT a link to the past? What kind of zelda fan are you. For shame. IN a link to the past Zelda (a decedent) was the catalyst that allowed Ganon out of the Dark Realm.
I have a suspicion that the 8th is Midna. At the Arbiters Grounds there were the 7 sages and Midna who separated herself from this realm by destroying the Twilight Mirror and had a big impact on Zelda who would have spread her memory of Midna. Not to mention the Arbiters Ground still exists(Next to the statues) as well as the Mirror of Twilight. And of course she is a Heroine.
After the video I had to add in that Zelda became part of Midna towards the end of TP
If Midna comes back in TotK, I will fall of my chair.
@@MonsterMaze I really hope She does! She is the most popular companion in Zelda history!
@@tylerv.g.6268 still like Navi better
The Gerudo were gone in TP before they knew of Midna's existence or her efforts in saving hyrule and Zelda. Ganondorf and Telma are the only Gerudo left in that game. can't make a statue of someone youve never heard of
@@stephanos6128 That's what would make it the forgotten statue and why no one remembers why it was built. Zelda and the royal family could have passed down the legend to the gerudo.
Also I did not know telma was a gerudo!! That's extremely interesting!
I think its possible that the ancient Shekiah did know about the statue, but did not build a shrine at her alter because she was on the wrong side of history. They didn't consider her worthy of a shrine.
It's almost like Nintendo was writing Tears of the kingdom with Breath of the wild, with many things seemingly being important in the sequel, despite being glorified easter eggs in Botw. I'm interested to see what they do with the story, and if any of these theories will be confirmed!
I love your hidden jokes. Like the one at 4:05 - "Bozai - Sandjogger / Professional creep"
and later at 7:18 - "Bozai - 35 and single"
6:14 Actually, there were twelve, but Moses smashed two in rage when the Golden Calf incident happened.
The eleventh commandment is: "You shall not drop stone tablets... yeah Moses, I'm talking about you, you little shit!"
The gerudo also have the same "tears" on their trousers
Don't you mean.... Zonai swirls?!
That is a Zonei Squirrel.
Arguably. During the time of ganondorf. The patriarch of the gerudo people. There was probably 7 possibly 8 gerudo heroin sages that fought against his tyranny before he was even a god.
And maybe one fell in love with him.
Something interesting that may or may not have a place in this theory: there is actually a Sheikah shrine relatively close to the statue. It's the Keeha Yoog shrine, the one revealed as part of the "Cliffside Etchings" quest, by shooting a shock arrow into a pedestal. And I think it's interesting that Farosh--the dragon of lightning who flies so close to this pedestal--is one of the only creatures in Hyrule capable of both reaching and revealing this shrine. We know the Sheikah have appropriated the ruins of other cultures for their shrine locations, like in the Palmorae and Typhlo Ruins. It's possible this pedestal had a different purpose before the Sheikah took it over.
The Gerudo, and especially its chiefs, is heavily associated with lightning (Urbosa, Riju in AoC, her family's Thunder Helm, and Divine Beast Vah Nabooris). Maybe the Eighth Heroine was also gifted with electricity. Maybe she's an ancestor to Urbosa?
The Gerudo Highlands is such an interesting area with a whole lot of secrets hiding under that snow. I really hope we get to see more of it in Tears of the Kingdom!
Good theory at the end there. It makes sense that the being sacrificed itself to seal Ganon. That is plausible
I always thought the eight heroine corresponded with the “eighth” sage, that being Zelda. The timelines are a little loopy in BOTW, but the royal family versus the Gerudo has always been a thing regardless of timelines. The sages and what they did would have surely found its way into history, and then into lore: that’s always how that works. There are a lot of possible scenarios as to the exact reason why, be it a dispute of territory, a war of revenge on one of their parts, etc, but some unknown Zelda of the past most likely played a big part in a conflict with the Gerudo, and I bet that was a bit of a culture shock to them. We don’t know how many times the sages were reborn. It’s very possible that some point in the past, the Gerudo incorporated the history of the sages into their own culture (due to their own culture’s part played in OoT’s sages), and all eight of the sages naturally turned to eight Gerudo heroes of old. (That’s also how that works.) But when they were confronted with a living embodiment of that legend, or worse, that living legend on the opposite side of some sort of conflict, it would make perfect sense as to why you would chuck the statue representing that person as far away as you could, either due to anger at what they did, or simply to create cultural simplicity. Anyone ever heard of Thomas Paine? No? That’s not surprising. He was an American founding father with as much significance as many of the ones you’ve heard about, but he was British. America and England had obvious beef at the time, and even though without Paine we may have never even become a country in the first place, most people don’t remember him. And that’s in part due to sweeping him under the rug. Not the people at the time who liked and respected him, but the people in subsequent generations who wanted to pretend that their political ideology was self created and self inherited without any external sources. (Because we’re dumb and bigoted like that.) It’s very possible for the Gerudo to have done something similar. If you grew up in the desert hearing a legend about a group of your people who once saved the world countless years in the past, and then one of them ended up not being part of your culture, and you find that out because one of them basically showed up to prove you wrong one day, you would want to protect your political/cultural/whatever continuity as well. Anyway, I think the eighth heroine is Zelda.
Play tears of the kingdom. It's revealed to be a male.
I definitely think the 8th represents the goddess and the 7 are the sages. These number are always so common in the series. Great video as always!
We are going to have an amazing time in 2023! Thanks for the Video to you both!!!
Love all the uploads you guys are doing!
I’ve had this crazy idea since hearing of the heroine mystery for the first time years ago, but to me at least, the formation of the Gerardo Highlands as a whole have a very similar shape to the statues just on a much much larger scale and clearly much more weathered. With the idea of the dragons following the eighth heroine, what if the very first ever statue was the highlands itself? It would definitely be to scale relative to the dragons.
This takes a whole new level now that we know Ganondorf has a tear of the kingdom, the 8th tear, revered by the yiga
Another detail worth mentioning is that they appear to have been part of a larger structure, against the walls of a large room. All that remains is the floor and the parts of the walls the statuses are touching.
I love that Bozai's job is "Sandjogger/Professional creep." We only ever "liked" him so we could get his boots anyway.