I considered making this post quite broad, about the minor races in Zelda and how they can’t always show up in every game but they’re always there. But frankly typing too long makes my back hurt and my fingers cold. So I’m just going to explain my theories/backstories for the nationalitites of three minor characters from Twilight Princess! You know you love it! Officially, these three ladies are “references” to other races in the Zelda series, but I’m here to tell you why they are definitely members of these races, and thus prove that those races are still alive and kicking in Twilight Princess, and perhaps other titles, despite not being prominent.
You know these three are linked because their establishments are all in a line on the south of Hyrule Castle Town, and they each have a distinctive three-dot tattoo under each eye. My theory does not cover the tattoo, I feel that’s just an indication to the fans more than anything (how hypocritical of me to ignore a detail rather than rationalising it… fine, they belong to the Castle Town Minorities Club, it’s just the three of them taking tea together on Thursday afternoons; membership requires face markings to be applied).
I first learned from Zeldawiki that the three represent three races that are not present in the game as a whole, but are important to Zelda mythology and so they are essentially easter eggs or something like that. More meaningful than those three fangirls outside the Tingle-guy’s tent who resemble the Oracles/Goddesses. Or the Tingle-guy himself, for that matter, as his demeanour and motivations are very different from Tingle, except perhaps the acquisition of Rupees. Enough sidetracks!
Anyway, the middle dot in her tattoo is purple (Sheikah are linked to the Shadow Temple and dark magic). Her eyes are red, like most Sheikah that we know of in the games, Impa for example. And, most tellingly, she has the Sheikah eye symbol tattooed on her forehead. Self-explanatory really. The Sheikah are an ancient race, sworn to protect the Royal Family (although it has been hinted that this has not always been in the case, and they have been linked to the Dark Interlopers who became Twilight Princess’s Twili). Fanadi’s role as a mystical fortune teller fits with the secretive and mystical nature of the race.
Just to make this clear, none of these characters is specifically referred to as being a member of these races. But we can connect the dots ourselves. Fanadi is the most obvious, with her third eye tattoo. She’s not actually the only Sheikah in the game, though (not counting the Twili who are possibly linked). Impaz, the appropriately-named old lady in the Hidden Village, also has the red eyes and connection to Old Kakariko, not to mention the significant name which is called out as a reference to a historical figure. Now despite my premise, the Sheikah do not have a strong numerical presence in the series as a whole, but they are very important to the mythology. Their symbol is very common, and Impa as the most prominent individual has at least three confirmed Sheikah iterations, as well as one or two who are not confirmed to be Sheikah. So in a way the appearance of another member of this reclusive race is more important to the overall series.
She’s interesting in that she is the only Gerudo in a game that even includes the Gerudo desert by name. That’s not including the ubiquitous Ganondorf, of course, who is their rightful king, as the once-every-100-years male born to the tribe. Supposedly they survive by visiting Hyrule Town to find men. So my theory goes that on one of these conjugal visits she liked the town so much she stayed and opened a bar. She seems interested in Kakariko’s shaman, Renado, but he resists her advances. Why she didn’t move to Kakariko I don’t know, too boring probably.
As for the rest of the race, I believe they live outside the explorable area of the desert, probably avoiding the beasts and creatures of Twilight that may have come from the Arbiter’s Grounds in a slow incursion unnoticed by Hyrule proper until the Twilight invasion during the events of the game. They are certainly still alive and out there, as they appear later in Four Swords+. Apart from their appearances in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask though, they’re fairly scarce in the rest of the series. The witches Twinrova and Ganondorf are rogue members of the race, and I theorise that General Onox of Oracle of Seasons is the next 100-year male after Ganondorf, or perhaps the one after that. His resemblance to Iron Knuckles which in OoT and MM were Gerudos in armour, and the Gerudo symbol on his chest suggest this to me, along with his allegiance to Twinrova.
It is said that there are consequences for Kokiri who leave the forest. The nature of this is unclear. Here is what we know about Agitha: unlike most Kokiri, she has no fairy, but she appears to have grown a tree in her house. She has a normal Kokiri-type appearance, albeit with different, more detailed clothes. She seems overly obsessed with bugs, and seems detached from reality, with a strange manner of speaking.
So let’s try and explain her. We don’t see any deep forest natives in TP, only Skull Kid, monkeys, and the people of Ordon Village. But I see no reason for the Kokiri not to be out there. We do have a precedent in Wind Waker for Koroks (the Kokiri’s descendants) to attempt expansion of the forest by seeding saplings in other parts of the world. This would explain the tree in Agitha’s house. Alternately, she may have planted it simply as a requirement for her survival outside the forest. She seems slightly mad, either a side-effect of being a semi-magical creature outside of her natural habitat or the result of trauma, resulting from the loss of her fairy. Her fixation on shiny insects must stem from this loss of her lifelong companion. Let’s pick one theory then.
Unlike in Wind Waker, the forest is not dwindled or under threat, so expansion is not a priority. Agitha must have gone rogue after an accident involving her fairy and some monster in the forest. She had a breakdown and fled her home, eventually finding herself in Castle Town. As an apparent orphan, she was taken in by an elderly couple. Not knowing what she was, they took care of her and clothed her, giving her things that made her comfortable, such as bugs and a sapling in a pot. Eventually they passed away, while she remained in a childlike state. The tree that eventually dominated the home kept her stable, a small piece of her forest home to hold on to. She now seeks out shiny bugs in an effort to replace her lost friend, and maintains her nebulous existence in Castle Town, not knowing what she’s doing half the time or why but maintaining the grace and kindness of a child of the Deku Tree.
I did have a theory that the Kokiri were gone and their fairies spread to other forest dwellers such as the Ordonians, hance Link’s Cursor Fairy. But I think now that fairy must be Navi, being unique to Link, and the notion of the Kokiri being dead is just too sad. It also implies a bit more happiness for the tragic Timey, who became estranged from Navi.
Well I think that satisfactorily explains those three. I always try to make things make sense, and turn little nods and references into full-blown fanon. If you have any doubts or questions, reply to this post and I’ll try to address it. Thanks for reading!