What is Skyward Sword's Ancient Cistern? (Zelda Theory)

Before we start with today's

theory

I want to remind everyone of our Minecraft Zelda server over the last few months we have added a lot more to the server in terms of addons and

zelda

bills this includes a new world that has a big emphasis on exploration. We recently added a Cuoco update where chickens now retaliate if attacked. If you two loved the idea of ​​being killed by a feathered child, be sure to visit our server. The address is MC ni n TBL kc calm. Many thanks to those who helped build the server and to the plugin developers, but most importantly thanks to my mod Espen, as he has been working hard with the server since its release.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed today's video. Skyward Sword is famous for its representative in Zelda. community, is the most controversial and important title within the series that explains the origins of the goddess Hylia from Master Sword and, of course, the curse of deaths. The events of Skyward Sword are presented as a way to explain the official timeline of the games set in Hyrule's history despite its flaws. Skyward Sword has some of the best dungeons in the series, such as the Ancient Cistern and Sancho. Those who have been following this channel for a while know that the former has been frequently discussed with its connections to malice, we have never gotten through a full episode. discovering its secrets and with all the strange design choices, there is a story to tell here.

What is the old

cistern

? Water temples are famous for their difficulty in solving puzzles. The best example comes from Ocarina of Time. The water temple was known for its confusing design. and tedious gameplay, forced to repeatedly dip in and out of Iron Boots'

sword

s into the sky, the depictions of a water temple were brilliantly executed, making it a dungeon that many look forward to completing, in my opinion , it's because it doesn't try to be unique with its use. From water-based puzzle to the middle of this temple it takes a 180 and changes from a serene paradise to a dark and lifeless cavern.

The player must traverse between these two contrasting areas to complete the temple after a clash with the guardian of the

ancient

cistern

s corrupted by the team. dark magic hems a sacred flame is obtained a look at the dungeon makes it clear that it was designed based on Buddhist themes in the center of the cistern is a statue of enormous proportions its appearance closely resembles that of Buddha revered as the founder of the Buddhist faith, but the connections to this religion run much deeper than you imagine, from its design choices to the drastic change in the setting and how the player navigates through the dungeon.

Our investigation begins with the exterior of the temple with its entrance that resembles that of a fish. This pose is also seen in a breath of the wild when seeing the giant sculpture over the domain of the sura; In fact, the

ancient

cistern is full of these designs, whether engraved like a pattern or statues protruding from the walls and floors of the temple, the large number of these creatures both inside and outside must have some meaning upon inspection. closer, it is clear that the statues represent the species of carp. They have small eyes, thick lips and a single dorsal fin, but the most important detail is undoubtedly their small whiskers at each corner. mouth, another fish known for its whiskers is the catfish, however, there are clear differences between the two, both in the number and length of said whiskers, the meaning of this small detail comes from the Mangala ash, a sacred sweet that evades the auspicious signs endemic to various religions. such as Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, the conch shell, the endless knot, the lotus parachute vase, the Dharma chakra, the banner of victory and the pair of goldfish that symbolize happiness as they have complete freedom of movement in the water, and more importantly, they are often drawn in the shape of a carp representing the fish. both abundance and fertility and the carp is considered sacred thanks to its size, elegant beauty and lifespan in Japanese culture, the koi carp is a highly respected fish believed to be a symbol of luck, prosperity and good fortune, the The fact that the ancient cistern is water-based makes the connection much more obvious to us.

The goldfish is not the only sign of the eight that appears one of the others. The lotus flower is seen throughout the dungeon in Buddhism. This represents fortune, its literal meaning is to rise and bloom above the darkness to achieve enlightenment, as the flower grows in muddy water, in fact, the Buddha compares himself to a lotus and Buddhist scriptures state how the Lotus flower emerges from the spotless muddy water as he rises from this world free of impurities, ancient

sword

s towards the sky. The cistern makes the player aim to reach the top where both the Temple Guardian and the sacred flame reside.

Remember this detail, as we will return to it later. Another detail worth mentioning are the dungeons. The whip that features a lotus flower on its handle at the beginning. In development it was adorned with the skull, perhaps this object was planned to be recovered from the lower parts of the ancient cistern, but it was changed mid-development. The Japanese name of this dungeon translates to Great Ancient Cavern in English. Your change to an old cistern makes sense. The definition of a cistern is a tank that restores water, especially one that supplies faucets or as part of a toilet.

This explains the water flowing inside the top of the temple, but

what

about the dark, murky depths that house enemies? The answer comes from its second purpose as a fight. It tells us that the purified water is released in the upper area of ​​the facility while the filtered impurities are processed in the lower area. The crystalline pool in the main chamber is the result of contaminated water filtered to arrive here once again and sent back to the upper chambers to understand why a structure of this proportion was necessary we must first talk about the region in which the ancient resides.

The cistern is located within just in one of the three provinces the dungeon is located within Lake Floria we are told that Ferren is home to a great diversity of flora thanks to its abundance of water, the source is clearly Lake Floria, since the Underwater passages lead to the water dragon fair base. Technically, the lake itself has a fountain, as many waterfalls surround the area. of the mountains of the province, Lake Floria acts as a source of water not only for Firaon but also for other surface regions. One of the Magma within Elden talks about how the little water they get is fed by a distant water source, that source being none other than Lake Floria, its waterways extend to this region despite its distance, which The same may have applied to Lanayru, since the Sand Sea was once a vast ocean in the sense that Lake Floria is the provider of life for most of the surface world.

This information makes the purpose of the ancient cistern even clearer. A lake that feeds the regions with its abundant water and at the same time houses the water dragon. It could ruin your ecosystem if it becomes polluted or polluted. A plausible answer, but there's more to this puzzle than meets the eye. the eye, there are two types of water that exist in the fair, the regular type found in bodies of water and the sacred water, the latter is exclusive to the two sacred springs of Skyward Sword, the view of the sky and the springs of the earth, both are found within the respective temples.

Water is sought by link to heal Ferran, who was injured by a team, ahem fie. He says that this water has mystical properties that cannot be found in ordinary water and contains powerful energy. Absolutely pure water. These are the places Zelda had visited to pray for sprains. and restore her memories as goddess Hylia now in the body of immortal, this includes purification in the sacred water of the springs of Elden and, according to legend, the water here purifies the body of any life form that comes into direct contact with he. containing sacred water that is said to contain powerful energy.

We have discussed something similar to this in previous videos, perhaps this is related to the force, a sacred power that is said to exist in all living beings as someone who shares the blood of the goddess much of the sacred power would reside in Zelda. . The minish cap speaks of a similar power known as light force that Vaught attempts to extract from the princess in an attempt to become a god. Both the ghost hourglass and the spirit imprints have their own physical forms of life force. Holy Ours and Strength Gems and the Japanese name for light force, life force and strength gems are translated anyway, they are all referred to as simply strength, the purification process is mentioned repeatedly in Skyward Sword.

It is important to know for later. But

what

about the other half of the dungeon, while one part of the cistern is quiet and peaceful? The depths of the temple where all impurities are processed are the complete opposite, home to many monsters, including the problem of the curse that is said to be reanimated purely through its hatred of this world when dying there is a possibility that the creature drops an evil crystal. A chunk of pure crystallized monstrous malice often obtained from monsters that possess the power to curse a similar group of enemies. Appears in a breath of the wild.

The cursed book speak Moblin. and lizalfos all reanimated after death thanks to the power of malice this coincides with Japanese folklore as the ura a ghost or spirit driven by emotions such as the desire for revenge love jealousy hate or sadness after if the malice is powerful enough to reanimate monsters after death It is possible that the power used by the demon lord that corrupted him and the kalokhe dosage was malice. Fie describes this energy as cursed. A parallel to enemies having the power to use curse attacks. It is safe to assume that cursed energy is another term for malice in Additionally, the pools of liquid in the depths of the ancient cistern will curse the bond when touched.

The impurities processed and sent to this cavern are most likely a form of malice. A pure and sacred object like the Holy Shield has the power to repel the curse. who cower and fear and at the same time are immune to curse attacks. One fact you've probably heard about is the connections of dungeons to spiders' thread. I tell how, on a walk through Paradise, Buddha looked at the crystal clear water and glimpsed hell there. found a cold-hearted criminal named Ken data who only did one good deed in his life decided not to stomp on a spider moved by this act of compassion Buddha lowered two spider threads so that the man-made climate to paradise could begin to the weather but soon he realized that other sinners were coming up indignantly he exclaimed that the thread was his and his alone it was at that moment that the thread broke sending him and the other sinners back to hell kandata condemned himself for his selfishness when I should have felt compassion, believe it or not, the ancient cisterns were made into riddles based on history, there are two worlds inside the temple, a clear parallel between paradise and hell, the water in the upper chambers is crystal clear and filled with lilies, a pool of blood and A mountain of spikes is present in the murky depths of the ancient cistern and to escape this poisonous chamber, Link climbs a spider thread and is chased by cursed coils.

Let's not forget the inclusion of spiders at the top of the temple. The coincidence is probably not like Link's. almost crushed by the feet of the statue perhaps a parallel to the caneta it is a good deed not to stop a spider the ancient cistern is built on the balance of two worlds one of purity the other of impurity those must be purified before ascending some to a lotus rising from The purification of muddy water through water similar to the scene of sacred springs is closely related to the Buddhist faith. The offering of water in the Buddhist sanctuary symbolizes the aspiration to cultivate the virtues of calm, clarity and purity with our body, speech and mind.

After the cleansing of spiritual impurities, enlightenment will be achieved. The upper chambers of the cistern reflect these same virtues a calm, clear and pure environment the lotus flower can symbolize one of many things depending on its color most of the flower is engraved on the walls and is used as torches shade of pink, this color is said to be one of the most famous flowers in existence, it is considered sacred and is associated with the highest realms of Buddhism, with the Buddha himself, many kings and the highest deity are often represented with this plant, but when it comes to Zelda, the inspiration It is taken not only from Buddhism but from other forms of religion, one in particular is worth discussing, Shintoism, bear with me as we deviate a bit from Shintoism, which means thatthe way of the gods is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people and is as old as Japan itself remains the main religion of Japan along with Buddhism.

Shinto gods are known as communist sacred spirits that take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers, and fertility. Interestingly, Wind Waker features two wind gods, sand zepho. cyclos is also said to be believed to have many comi to have messengers usually depicted as talking animal forms very similar to the light spirits of the Twilight Princess who served the golden goddesses. They also take the form of linear animals ooh referred to as a snake incarnation. Shintoism does not have Absolutely true Imran and no one is perfect. Evil within oneself is said to be caused by evil spirits, therefore the purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep evil spirits away through purification prayers and offerings to the comi.

Those who wish to enter a Shinto shrine must perform a purification ritual - a simplified version of a much larger purification ritual that usually takes place in a river or next to a waterfall in which the person wipes their hands and mouth with a bowl of water and a long wooden spoon with the existence of Skyward Sword Ancient Springs, said to a Zelda purified with its waters, a connection between the two cannot be denied, something similar is seen in nature as Zelda prays to the statues of the goddess within the three springs in hopes of unlocking them.

Communicating her powers with spirits linked to the ancient gods would certainly require a form of purification. There are a couple of reasons why this relates to the Buddhist faith, but the discussion about Shintoism and its possible connections to the ancient cistern does not. clashes with Buddhism, while the dungeon references Buddhist scriptures and symbols, it does not mean that Buddhism as a faith exists in the Zelda universe, as both the Shinto and Buddhist faiths are known to complement each other; In fact, many Buddhists viewed the comi as manifestations of Buddha, while this video focuses on Buddhism in general.

I know Shinto plays a role in shaping Zelda stories and gameplay in terms of purification. Skyward Sword adds its own spin to the theme. What is important to remember is that those who are impure have the opportunity to purify themselves. Skyward Sword demonstrates this through expressions of gratitude in contrast to malice. Gratitude is mentioned directly in the dungeon not once but twice on the stone tablet in the front of the grandeur is carved with inscriptions of gratitude the key to the ancient cistern the blessed idol looks like it is supposed to inspire gratitude life is a test when it comes to the buddhist faith it is important to be grateful not only for the blessings of life but also for its sufferings an article delves into spiritual growth all humans are born into a world where suffering is a vital part of the human experience, it makes us stronger and teaches us to resist the temptation of evil.

When we banish bad thoughts from our minds, we can free ourselves from the muddy water and become one with the Buddha, the mud. It shows us who we are and teaches us to choose the right path instead of the easy one. Skyward Sword features a demon living in Skyloft named Patrick. His only wish is to become friends with the people of Skyloft, however, due to his appearance, no one wishes to get close to him. His aura as a monster is the reason why the settlement is plagued with monsters at night, but he is not malicious in any way.

Once the player recovers a certain amount of gratitude crystals that are made of overwhelming feelings of gratitude, he becomes transforms into a human. Two important parts to note here Patrick suffered from his demon appearance as it forced him to isolate himself unlike those in the depths of the sister and the hatred never consumed him, on the contrary, he himself feels overwhelmed by the gratitude once Linc recovers all the crystals. It is not the gratitude of others that purified him, but the gratitude that he himself had felt. His suffering turned to feelings of gratitude, not malice, as we have already established links.

The goal of ascending the temple to reach its summit symbolizes the rise and flourishing from above. darkness to achieve enlightenment one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism is a Dharma chakra a wheel that symbolizes Buddha and is teaching symbolizes a cyclical nature of life in this world also known as the wheel of samsara samsara means the beginningless cycle of repeated births Worldly existence and death again, rebirth is considered a form of suffering for Buddhism. The goal is to break this wheel so that rebirth does not occur. Samsara ends when one attains nirvana, expelling desires and gaining the true perception of impermanence and non-permanence. -self reality aka enlightenment sounds familiar Skyward Sword's ancient cistern may include this symbol, as similar wheels are used to move the giant statue in the main chamber.

A similar design is also present within the game's Earth Temple. The large spinning wheels found at the top and bottom of the cistern may be connected to prayer wheels more commonly used in Tibetan Buddhism. The central chamber holds one more secret and is related to the ascension links through the temple. Etched into the ceiling of the chamber is what appears to be a lotus flower with dozens. of petals something similar is etched on the ceiling of the room before the boss chamber with even more petals this looks a lot like the crown chakra one of the seven energy centers associated with particular parts of the body the chakra system often It is associated with both Hinduism and Buddhism.

The most common system uses seven variants and, although the top one is the crown chakra, its separation from the body makes it different from the others. It is not generally considered a chakra, another name for He is sahasrara, symbolized by a lotus flower with a thousand petals. Fun fact that is the Japanese name sahasrara in a Link to the Past this system is used by those who wish to obtain balance in themselves no chakra is more important than the other since the objective is to rotate and attract this energy to maintain the spiritual mental emotional and physical health in the body of balance the television show Avatar The Last Airbender simplifies this topic to make it easier to understand these pores are like our chakras so sugars are pools of spiral energy in our bodies exactly like the Life is messy and things tend to fall into the gutter and then what happens?

The stream cannot flow, yes, but if we open the capsules between the boots, the goal is to open all your chakras so that the energy inside your body flows. Each chakra is responsible for a certain part of the body. and is represented by a lotus flower of different colors and petals, many cannot open the final chakra since you must release all your earthly attachments to let go of what you loved, it is not part of the body because it is considered part of the highest spiritual center Pure consciousness The puzzles inside the ancient cistern consist of moving the statue up and down The completion of the temple occurs only when the head rises above the roof where the crown lay The boss chamber is worth discussing as the fight Taking place in what appears to be a sealed lotus flower, the overall design of the kalokhe dose appears to be inspired by the deity that Asura describes as having three heads with three faces each and between four and six arms, both on the chest and on the back. crown, there are carvings of lion heads, an article on The symbolism of animals is further developed in Buddhism.

Lions are a symbol of the Bodhisattvas. The sons of Buddha or the Lions of Buddha. Bodhisattvas are beings who have reached a high level of spiritual development. They have generated bodhicitta and have taken a vow to renounce the happiness of higher enlightenment. and remain in this world working until all sentient beings are free from suffering. In Buddhist iconography we find Lions in the role of protectors of the Dharma supporting the throne of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. They are also found at the entrance to monasteries and sanctuaries in the north. In areas of Nepal influenced by Tibetan Buddhism and art, lions have become snow lions.

It is important to remember that the dose of kalokhe is not an evil being; in fact, the Japanese name is a sacred instrument contaminated by demons. Phi tells us that this ancient automaton defends the ancient cistern. and eliminates intruders in the sense that kalokhe dos is guardian of the temple, he protects the ancient cistern similar to the lions that protect the thrones of the Buddhist, who is appointed protector of this turn would certainly have reached a similar high level of spiritual development. to the Bodhisattvas but one of the mysteries still to be solved is a forced laughter of kalokhe doses before being destroyed there are a couple of possibilities although nothing conclusive a part of the story of the spider thread relates the moment when Kenda realizes that could escape the hell he has overcome through joy and giddy laughter and the images of the lion on the Guardian's body could be of a snow lion in which the following is stated: the snow lion is a Tolka or personification of the Aneta's primordial joy, joy and happiness comparable to the Western unicorn, perhaps kalokhe dose is the personification of a small child I approached another person who investigated the Buddhist connections of the ancient cistern in which they suggested that laughing while dying could being the happiness that is achieved by being free from malice true happiness is a goal of Buddhism perhaps laughter It is also an expression of gratitude towards Link.

I leave you with a final discovery: it is worth analyzing the design of the pillars within the temple given the design of the cistern, the middle represents a yin and yang design, two opposite and complementary principles, the top of the a pillar that resembles The clouds could be a sky or a paradise, but what about the background? Is it a representation of hell or Naraka? The image could be of the prison bars and we see a couple in the depths of the temple. The old cistern is still one of Zelda's. The best dungeons both in game and from a story perspective.

I didn't realize how much symbolism there was in Buddhism until I began my research. The information shared in this video was a combination of what I had found and topics briefly discussed in past theories. but I want to say a big thank you to me from 1-8 on reddit for helping me with parts of this video. There were things I missed that he mentioned in his various posts on the subject of the ancient cistern and I highly recommend reading it. There is much more to this temple that was not covered in this video, so there will be a link to his posts below it.

A very special thanks to my friend Adam for making that short animation. You guys should check out his Papercraft Feeder channel if you want. to see more there are a couple more videos that I want to recommend if you want to hear more about the concept of life force and Zelda or the connections of malice and gratitude crystals, check out my episodes where I cover the villain belem from Phantom Hourglass and the second . part of my malice

theory

these topics were briefly covered in this video so if you want to know more about them you know where to go this video took a lot more time and effort than the usual theories so if you enjoyed this episode, I would be forever grateful if you would consider subscribing.

The links to Twitter and Discord are below and I'll check them out next time.