Ten thousand years ago,
an advanced civilization known as the Sheikah inhabited these lands,
the Sheikah were a prosperous people who created and wielded advanced technology in the service of the kingdom of Hyrule's royal family.
It was the power and wisdom of the Sheikah that saved this land time and time again.
[Once], they used their technological prowess to create weapons that helped defeat Calamity Ganon but were later banned from using that technology and oppressed by the king of Hyrule.
And their civilization disappeared long ago.
—Old Man, BotW & Creating a Champion, pg. 101
The Sheikah, commonly known as the Shadow Folk in The Legend of Zelda series, are a species of humanoid creatures. They are a shady and cryptic tribe with pointed ears, crimson eyes, and dark magical capabilities. The Sheikah are the Goddess Hylia's chosen guardians, assigned to safeguard and advise the descendants of her human incarnation, the Royal Family of Hyrule. Furthermore, they have strengthened their technological capabilities via a variety of studies and built tools specific to their tribe, and little is known about their shared characteristics.
Throughout the games we have known who the Sheikah are, starting from Impa in Ocarina of Time. Yet, the tribe is vague and somewhat cryptic throughout Twilight Princess, Windwaker, and even Skyward Sword. For the sake of this speculation video, most of this will be linked to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Where the Sheikah Tribe seems to show the most resonance within these games.
From the Sheikah Stones, the Sheikah Slate, and the Ancient Sheikah Shrines & Towers, it turns out within Breath of the Wild and perhaps even within Tears in the Kingdom the Sheikah tribe has been lying to us, and we must discover why:
10,000 Years Ago
The ancient Sheikah boasted miraculous technology, and there were those among them who received revelations from the goddess Hylia. These monks have meditated deep within the ancient shrines for ten thousand years, awaiting the arrival of the hero.
—Creating a Champion, pg. 108
The Sheikah tribe is portrayed as a sophisticated culture whose might and knowledge have saved Hyrule several times in Breath of the Wild. Nevertheless, after the first Great Calamity, over 10,000 years ago, their tremendous might became perceived as a danger to the realm, putting them in conflict with the King and the people. Cado recounts the Sheikah being expelled, while Rensa mentions their tribe being dispersed over the region.
But, the tribe we see in Breath of the Wild is simply a sliver of what they truly were & capable of 10,000 years ago. Given that the majority of the tribe is attempting to forsake the vestiges of its technology owing to its banishment from the realm of Hyrule. So now we're basically left guessing what occurred generation after generation.
So here's the problem: we have to tie to fragments of what was genuinely discussed in their stories and scrolls 10,000 years ago, which appears to be very little. We are left with many assumptions and unsolved questions. For example, when did the Sheikah start making advances in technology? What tactics and expertise did they employ against Calamity Ganon? As a result, these issues go unanswered, and we begin to doubt the authenticity of Hyrule's alleged past between the kingdom and the Sheikah tribe.
How can we trust the validity of Impa's story about the legends that were passed down from generation to generation? Is the Calamity Ganon truly the real story? Or was there something the Sheikah forgot or hid as a result of their technological neglect? There had to be something more than simply the technology that presented a threat to Hyrule's civilization, and I could go as far as to say that the scroll was a complete fabrication devised from the real truth of the legend of Calamity Ganon and the Sheikah technology.
However, the presence of the guardians and the Divine Beasts is the only element that partly confirms the scroll's validity, but the narrative of the 10k yrs ago battle/sealing and abandonment of the sheikah technology might be completely made up. Even so, there could have been a reasonable explanation for the king's concern about the technology (for example, if Calamity Ganon had previously demonstrated the ability to infect it with his Malice 10,000 years ago), and perhaps the Yiga Clan remember it as an arbitrary betrayal and thus documented it as such in their scroll.
Or maybe the King at that time was even in on it, he and a few of his most loyal Sheikah.
But moving on from assumptions, to say the Sheikah were in their prime during the time of Zelda and Link is far from the truth. And that's clearly evident, the Sheikah's prime was 10,000 years ago, and the legends the tribe believes in today are either lost, half-forgotten, or perhaps even fabricated. So where do we truly look in terms of their secrets and perhaps their lies?
The Monks. These monks were the ones who meditated deep within the ancient shrines for those 10,000 years, after the last reign of Calamity Ganon, and mummified there within their specified Shrine, awaiting the arrival of the next hero. And according to Masterworks, the monks did direct, engineer, and pilot all the divine beasts. The monks are also the ones who have been blessed by Hylia herself. So while they are seemingly innocent hiding within these shrines
However, when you defeat a strength test shrine, they will state:
'Your triumph over the test of strength subverts a prophecy of ruin. From the ashes of Hyrule, a hero rises.'
This means that the monks knew that a prophecy of ruin was supposed to happen, Link being defeated 100 years ago and Hyrule burning as a result to Calamity Ganon's demise was a prophecy fulfilled. However, none of that is really mentioned by Impa, or those who live in Kakoriko Village. So how do the monks know this?
Well, as there is a lot to be said about their power within Breath of the Wild, it can mean that a lot of what we're led to believe regarding the Monks, their intentions, and their role in everything is quite possibly a lie.
Hence, while it is suggested that they are responsible for most of Sheikah's technological apex. It's perhaps hinted that they were the ones to create a false ideal for the Kingdom of Hyrule:
Wisdom is Power
And when you first speak to the Old Man about the past he says 'It was the power and wisdom of the Sheikah that saved this land time and time again' Employing power and wisdom in tandem for this tribe is very questionable, especially since we know who generally employs these sorts of forces.
Throughout the Zelda games, it almost seems like the Triforce is similar to a Holy Trinity, existing in three coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial divine forces. The three Golden Goddess gave up their power to this physical force. Din representing Power, Nayru representing Wisdom, and Farore representing Courage.
Generally, the Triforce is divided into three separate persons in most Zelda games. Zelda representing Wisdom, Link representing Courage, and Ganon representing power. Yet, as far as we know, the Triforce is not prejudiced toward mortal creatures since it draws no distinction between good and evil. It has the ability to grant any desire to those who have earned it, regardless of their objective or reason.
But, wielding or directing omnipotent power has its own set of restrictions and constraints. Individuals mentioned previously who have a strong balance of the qualities of power, knowledge, and bravery may use their power immediately. Yet, we have seen in earlier Zelda games the ability to remove pieces of the Triforce from other people, such as in Windwaker or A Link Between Worlds. Ganon was able to grab two Triforce pieces. With all of that wisdom and knowledge aside, it's plausible that the Sheikah is doing something similar in Breath of the Wild in order to gather both forces to destroy Calamity Ganon.
But why does the Old Man, who we know is King Rhoam, say that the Sheikah's power and wisdom preserved this kingdom time and time again? Now, what if I told you that the Sheikah may have done something to thwart the return of Calamity Ganon, and hidden their secrets as either from shame or from a forbidden act?
What if the Sheikah used Ganon to fuel their ancient technology 10,000 years ago, virtually uniting Wisdom and Power to create an enlightened society that never had to cope with Ganon's threat again? By imprisoning him under Hyrule Castle?
This might have been a hidden secret among the Sheikah, due to the belief that Wisdom is Power, which could explain why Calamity Ganon could have easily exploited the power within Hyrule Castle, the Divine Beasts, and the Guardians. Acquiring and using two types of power to keep Ganon from reincarnating may have been the secret of the Sheikah and the Hyrule Kingdom. Yet, with Wisdom combined with Power, such two forces may have easily corrupted the old technology, perhaps keeping it dormant for so long.
So, why is Ganon hidden beneath Hyrule Castle in the trailers for Tears of the Kingdom? Let us now look at why the Sheikah tribe may be more to blame for his usage - a forbidden act.
Sheikah Technology
The ancient Sheikah Technology was meant to fight Calamity Ganon, but he has taken control of it and twisted it to his purpose instead.
—Creating a Champion, pg. 62
Given what I previously indicated, and the ease with which Calamity Ganon was able to wield the ancient Sheikah technology that had been dormant for millennia. We must investigate the technology they developed, the engineering technologies they employed for the Hero, and maybe anything more that remains a mystery within Breath of the Wild.
While there will be numerous references from Creating a Champion, let's start with some fundamentals. The Ancient Sheikah civilization is prominent in Breath of the Wild, as seen by the visited Shrines and Sheikah Towers, as well as Link's usage of Ancient Sheikah technology like the Sheikah Slate, Runes, Guiding Stones, and Travel Gates. Additionally, the civilization also had access to Ancient Materials to engineer Ancient Gears, Ancient Screws, Ancient Shafts, Ancient Springs, Ancient Cores, and Giant Ancient Cores.
But let's move to the source, which is known as the Ancient Furnaces,
"These energy furnaces glow with a blue flame. They are said to be creations of the ancient Sheikah race. It may be true, as they've been burning for 10,000 years."
—BoTW Loading Screen
An Ancient Furnace, according to Robbie, is a solitary location that accumulates vast quantities of energy, meaning that this energy is transformed into the Blue Flame it creates, which is powerful enough to power Ancient technology such as Guiding Stones and Travel Gates. This is apparently because the Ancient Furnaces transform accumulated energy into Blue Flame, which explains why it hasn't burnt out in all that time, whilst the smaller furnaces just use the flame retrieved from the Ancient Furnaces as a power source.
Thus, after discussing Sheikah's amazing technology, we must discuss what exactly provides them with a power source. Considering that even the Divine Beasts may be controlled by their Champions' spirit forms, it appears that the power source is something darker, therefore let's investigate further:
Within the book Creating a Champion, it states how each of the Sheikah technology was used stating, in spite of the extensive amount of resources the researchers expended studying the ancient relics a century ago... below is a chart detailing what was understood one hundred years ago versus what we know now.
The chart regarding Ancient Energy states-
It is the mysterious source of energy for ancient Sheikah technology. There was a wealth of ancient energy pooled under Hyrule Castle, and they used it to further their studies of the relics.
—Creating a Champion, pg. 405
And referencing Robbie's remark about the ancient furnaces, that it gathers ancient energy- or are pulled from somewhere else and burned to be used for their Sheikah technologies. Hence why we see both the ancient furnaces within the Akkala & East Necluda regions. This is also referenced within the chart from Creating a Champion as well. So, since ancient energy is gathered, we can only imagine most of the pool for this Ancient Energy comes from underneath Hyrule Castle. This leads many fans to theorize that Ganon is somewhat of a source used by the Sheikah to power their technologies due to the trailers we see from Tears of the Kingdom.
The Sheikah may have utilized Ganon to fuel their inventions in hopes of ending Ganon's continual cycle. He could no longer be physically revived by using his source. This may have paused the Calamity's cycle for millennia, but as we saw in Breath of the Wild, Ganon ultimately tries to return in a different form. Thus, perhaps the Sheikah are deceiving us about the actual source of their old technology, and it all comes back to Hyrule Castle and its construction:
Hyrule Castle's Secret
From what we know of the Sheikah, they were a prosperous people who created and wielded advanced technology in the service of the kingdom of Hyrule's royal family. Perhaps helping with the construction of many things within Hyrule Castle and it's many chambers underground. The two things that stand out within this castle and seem to be confidential are the Main Control Unit for their technology and another resurrection chamber within the Castle's chambers.
Within Masterworks it states:
It is possible that the Great Plateau Tower sent a signal to a central control unit within Hyrule Castle, which in turn transmitted a signal to all of the towers and shrines throughout the land, activating them all at once.
—Creating a Champion
By activating the Great Plateau Tower with Link's Sheikah Slate, the Hero gained access to the shrines and towers but also revealed his location to the Calamity Ganon. Yet, it also implies that Hyrule Castle has its own central control unit. Might the structure in the Tears of the Kingdom trailer's ceiling be that? It's clearly made of Sheikah construction.
And if we wanted to go even deeper, it's possible that the Shrine of Resurrection and the 5th Divine Beast at the Great Plateau were possibly powered by the source of Monk Maz Koshia. If anything this could prove Ganon is another source of energy for Hyrule Castle. This is mainly because Ganon was once the wielder of the Triforce of Power. This links back to the Sheikah using Wisdom and Power together to power their devices.
And if there is a Main Control Unit within the Castle, it's possible that it resides just under the Sheikah Observatory where we fight Ganon. And above the Observatory was the Throne Room.
When Masterworks speaks of the Throne Room and Hyrule Castle, it states:
About Hyrule Castle - By the way, the Shrine of Resurrection shares its layout with the Throne Room in Hyrule Castle where Ganon's cocoon is, and they were both designed around the concept of revival.
—Creating a Champion, pg. 223
So why did the Sheikah construct another layout similar to the Shrine of Resurrection for the Hero? Well perhaps they knew that by using Ganon without his consent to imprison him beneath Hyrule Castle, they could infinitely power up their ancient technologies. And if Ganon began to become weak for their power source, perhaps he was kept in another Shrine of Resurrection within Hyrule Castle to revive his life source once again. An unending cycle to control the Calamity of Ganon's wrath. But the Sheikah truly doing this is barbaric, and might have led the Sheikah to become banned from using that technology and oppressed by the king of Hyrule.
By putting him into this state, you put a temporary end to reincarnation, what if this is the reason why the Sheikah were shunned from their technology? Did they lie to the people of Hyrule? Did the royal king of Hyrule during that period finally discover this, and out of terror, requested that they forget their ambition?
Additionally, this fits with another explanation as to why Zelda battled to awaken the goddess's power. Many fans assumed it was because the royal family did something horrible, and tormenting any soul for 10,000 years is much beyond unforgivable in perspective. However, that should be for a different video.
So it's very possible that the power used to oppose the Calamity 10,000 years ago, originated from Ganondorf himself. By having Ganon suffer an eternal torment, the royal family and the Sheikah were responsible for the creation of the Calamity Ganon, which would lead to the deaths of thousands of lives. I guess this is a lesson to learn, that perhaps with a high ambition to use power as a source of the Sheikah's wisdom, it ended up becoming the tribe's unforgivable downfall, perhaps producing the Tears for the Hyrulian Kingdom.
But with that, we are going to wrap up, Turns Out The Sheikah Were really LYING To Us. What do you make of this Breath of the Wild theory? What do you think the Sheikah really did with Ganon? Let me know in the comments down below, thank you for watching, and I will see you in the next video.
留言