What is Hyrule?

[madskillzO25]

Outside of those barriers, what exists? Is Hyrule a planet, and does Nintendo confine its interpretations into this map for the sake of the game, or do other lands exist? We know Link leaves Hyrule to venture off in search of a "friend' and winds up in Termina. But, when he wanders away, it seems he finds himself in Termina against his will. He is destined to be there, and by the curse of the Skull Kid in the woods (the woods in the beginning of MM are in neither Termina or Hyrule) he finds himself ending up in Termina after entering some sort of barrier that seems to distort time and space. Is Termina a parallel world of Hyrule, or is it a real, tangible place?

Is Hyrule merely a country on the atlas of a map, consisting of many other lands? If so, I'd like to see a game that shows us this map, with these vast worlds that Link can travel to. It seems confined, and perhaps Hyrule is the only land that is tangible.

 

[lizalfos]

IMO, Hyrule is just one kingdom of many. Albeit one with rather mutable geographic features. The same areas remain from game to game, but their locations jump around somewhat.

I'd like to see a game with multiple kingdoms/countries being threatened. Or at least a map/globe of the world (potentially with darkened areas labeled "Unexplored" or "Unknown" to give them some leg room with new games.

I also see Termina as a neighboring kingdom for a number of reasons: multiple versions of the "parallel" people Link had met in Hyrule, as well as differently aged versions. (Adult Ruto copy, 2 Malon copies of different ages, 3 Ingo copies) Plus the barren area in the east bearing the Triforce markings could potentially correspond to the barren land in Hyrule's west, Ikana being far across the desert. Then there's the whole thing where at the beginning, Link is deep within the Lost Woods of Hyrule, and stumbles into a portal to somewhere else. That portal is reminiscent of the ones (also in the Lost Woods) that lead to Goron City and Zora's River.

Then there's Holodrum, Labyrnna, and possibly all the islands from the Ocean King's Realm and Koholint (not sure how real those islands might be. All of them taking place in what amounts to a dream world.) As well as the New Hyrule discovered by Tetra's crew and Link.

Labyrnna and Holodrum could potentially be reached from Termina, all of them being connected to an ocean. Characters from OoS can visit Labyrrna, and those from OoA can go to Holodrum, after all.

Also, there's Calatia, where LoZ Link was from.

 

[Dr.Striker]

Outside of those barriers, what exists? Is Hyrule a planet, and does Nintendo confine its interpretations into this map for the sake of the game, or do other lands exist? We know Link leaves Hyrule to venture off in search of a "friend' and winds up in Termina. But, when he wanders away, it seems he finds himself in Termina against his will. He is destined to be there, and by the curse of the Skull Kid in the woods (the woods in the beginning of MM are in neither Termina or Hyrule) he finds himself ending up in Termina after entering some sort of barrier that seems to distort time and space. Is Termina a parallel world of Hyrule, or is it a real, tangible place?

Is Hyrule merely a country on the atlas of a map, consisting of many other lands? If so, I'd like to see a game that shows us this map, with these vast worlds that Link can travel to. It seems confined, and perhaps Hyrule is the only land that is tangible.

I haven't played Majora in a long, long time. I don't remember Link entering a barrier; but if he did, as you say, i would assume it's simply a sort of shortcut gateway to Termina, from the woods he was traversing.

No doubt, Termina's a legit place. Part of a continent i suppose. Just as we have the continent of Tamriel in ES, which is divided into many provinces.

A parallel world would just be too much of a mind trip. Not to mention it'd be pretty goofy, too.

Personally, i interpret Termina as naturally sharing the same world as Hyrule. I mean... it would only make sense, right?

Plus, it would really add to the codex.

It would be way too confusing, and wouldn't make any sense if Termina was just some sort of sci-fi-ish dimension trip.

I started a poll a while back asking people if they'd wanna see Termina, or another, new area in Zelda. Most, if not all said Nintendo should give it a go.

 

[Volvagia_slayer]

I basically agree with what the above two have said. However, I do think the islands of the Ocean King's realm were real (and just sucked into his realm by Bellum/the Ghost Ship), that Calatia doesn't necessarily exist (even though I want it to) or at least isn't necessarily named Calatia, and that the planet that the kingdom of Hyrule is located on might itself also be named Hyrule (assuming the Zelda series does take place on a planet and not some alternate plane of reality where everything stretches out flat like a map, and the celestial bodies, wind, gravity, etc. are just existent because of the magic of the gods rather than being actual celestial bodies that one could theoretically visit, etc.).

 

[ShutUpNavi]

Agree with most of what's been said. Hyrule is defiantly just a country, with Labyrnna and Holodrum being independent nations. Also Ordon isn't considered to be part of Hyrule proper. While not confirmed to take place on a planet (like V_S said) there are references to Earth in the series (earth temple, earth medallion) so who knows. Finally other dimensions are known to exist, such as the Dark World or Twilight Realm.

When it comes to Termina the Collectors Edition version of Majora's Mask confirms the game takes place in a "parallel world". Also while they may not be canon the MM players guide, Zelda official website, MM Manga, Smash Bros Trophies, and Hyrule Hystoria all say the same thing about Termina being a parallel world to Hyrule. The fact that most of the characters in the game look absolutely identical (and sometimes act like) their Hylian counterparts gives more credit to this. Finally there is Termina's moon, which not only looks nothing like the one seen in Hyrule, but also disappears at the end of the game. Safe to say I think Termina is indeed a alternate dimension to Hyrule.

 

[UnholySaiyan]

There's a lot of variables concerning the relationship of Hyrule to Termina. Maybe Termina is a neighboring land in the same world that Hyrule is in, maybe the Termina in MM is just a parallel Terminia, with the ACTUAL land not having copies of people Link met in Hyrule, but completely different people living there, or maybe Termina exists in another world entirely.

With my first point I made, there are just too many things that cause it to not make sense, the foremost being that the moon has a face, and the people of Termina don't think that's weird, almost like the moon there has always had a face. Now, I know in the game one of the NPCs (I forget who) mentions the moon now has an angry face, but the way that it was worded made it seem like the face itself wasn't what was off about it. So, if the moon in Termina has a face, but the moon in Hyrule does not, how can they exist in the same world? Also, doesn't the moon in Termina appear MUCH smaller? I'm sure the Hylian moon isn't the size of a small village.

I believe Termina is both an actual land close to Hyrule, and an alternate world at the same time. Perhaps the actual Termina went barren a long time ago, or is nothing but empty land that won't be settled for centuries, while the version of Termina seen in MM takes place in an alternate universe, who knows? This subject is really hard to decide one way or the other for me, I would love some persuasive evidence leaning one way or the other.

 

[madskillzO25]

@UnholySaiyan - you bring up terrific points regarding the Moon differences in MM and OOT - the land of Hyrule and Termina.

I'd also like to add something. What exactly does Termina stand for? It stands for Terminal, as in ending. Their world is ending. Why is the name of the land referancing the fate of the land? It's odd, and it speaks to us between the lines of what Nintendo surfaces through out the game.

 

[kevintown311]

Where does the Mushroom Kingdom lie geographically in relation to the rest of it's world? Doesn't matter.

 

[tompikmin03]

I have always thought of it as them both being two different worlds linked by the portal made by Majora's mask which is how skull kid got there in the first place.

A theory my friend brought up was, what if Termina is future Hyrule. It would explain the different clone characters as being descendents of the hyrulean characters. It would also explain how items like the hookshot and the lense of truth got there.

 

[stache19]

The title of this thread initially made me think it was going to be a deep complex existential discussion about how Hyrule is really just a series of complex representations of our own inner pscyhe.

 

[Volvagia_slayer]

When it comes to Termina the Collectors Edition version of Majora's Mask confirms the game takes place in a "parallel world".

The N64 game also says that Termina is a "parallel world", but it specifically says that, "Termina is a kind of parallel world", and then it goes on to define "parallel" as "similar to and yet different from the land of Hyrule" rather than being an alternate dimension.

It's worth noting that several things within MM (and TWW) make it so that Termina either has to be a foreign land in the same dimension as Hyrule or it has to have more than one portal connecting its dimension with the dimension of Hyrule (and this/these other portal(s) must be pretty well known and accessible despite us never seeing another one throughout our time in Termina).

1) We know that the people of Hyrule and the people of Termina worship the same goddess of time. Both Zelda (a Hyrule native) and Tatl (a Termina native) refer to her and her powers.

2) We know that the Gorons of Termina travel to Hyrule in order to get rocks from Dodongo's Cavern.

3) We know that the Triforce symbology has bled over into Termina despite the Triforce not existing in Termina (see: the statutes and blocks of Ikana).

4) We know from TWW that MM Tingle and possibly the MM Postman left Termina some time after MM and made their way to Hyrule. Furthermore, we know that Link eventually left Hyrule, but he did so by riding Epona away from Clock Town and consequently away from the portal that brought him to Termina in the first place.

So either the lands are connected by at least one other well-known, easily accessible portal, or they simply aren't separate dimensions. The word "parallel" just tells us that the land has similarities and differences to Hyrule. The word "world" just reads as "land", especially since the Southern Swamp, Snowhead, Great Bay, and Ikana are all referred to as "worlds" themselves. The people aren't indicative of an alternate dimension because the game/booklet tells you that the people are only supposed to look "vaguely familiar at first glance"; in other words, we're not supposed to believe that they look exactly the same as their Hyrule counterparts; the booklet actually asks us to suspend our disbelief that these are different characters despite looking exactly the same through the N64's graphics.

I do think (but I'm not sure that) Hyrule Historia has "confirmed" the parallel dimension thing, but none of the in-game evidence really supports that, and quite a lot of it seems to go against it.

 

[madskillzO25]

VS, im not doubting anything you say, I just have a few questions I Am curious about.

where are we told that the gorons of Snow Head travel to hyrule fir rocks? My memory is vaguely aiming towards the goron who gives link Don geros mask. Perhaps he says sonething?,I dont remember any hyrule references though.

Also, at the end of Mm when Link heads away from termina, where is he going? I dont recall anywhere in the over world if termina that signifies an exit. Every sector is blocked off. The only way out is the way in. Unless nintendo implied another exit that we aren't suppose to know about, the only verified exit/entrance is through the inside of the clock tower.

 

[UnholySaiyan]

When it comes to Termina the Collectors Edition version of Majora's Mask confirms the game takes place in a "parallel world".

The N64 game also says that Termina is a "parallel world", but it specifically says that, "Termina is a kind of parallel world", and then it goes on to define "parallel" as "similar to and yet different from the land of Hyrule" rather than being an alternate dimension.

It's worth noting that several things within MM (and TWW) make it so that Termina either has to be a foreign land in the same dimension as Hyrule or it has to have more than one portal connecting its dimension with the dimension of Hyrule (and this/these other portal(s) must be pretty well known and accessible despite us never seeing another one throughout our time in Termina).

So either the lands are connected by at least one other well-known, easily accessible portal, or they simply aren't separate dimensions. The word "parallel" just tells us that the land has similarities and differences to Hyrule. The word "world" just reads as "land", especially since the Southern Swamp, Snowhead, Great Bay, and Ikana are all referred to as "worlds" themselves. The people aren't indicative of an alternate dimension because the game/booklet tells you that the people are only supposed to look "vaguely familiar at first glance"; in other words, we're not supposed to believe that they look exactly the same as their Hyrule counterparts; the booklet actually asks us to suspend our disbelief that these are different characters despite looking exactly the same through the N64's graphics.

I do think (but I'm not sure that) Hyrule Historia has "confirmed" the parallel dimension thing, but none of the in-game evidence really supports that, and quite a lot of it seems to go against it.

I always assumed that the forest in MM and the Lost Woods in OoT were one in the same, presumably being the only portal between the two worlds, Link didn't have to use the door in the clock tower because he had already been through that part of the woods looking for Navi, and he knew he could continue his search from the swamp/forest area. So basically I feel like it's less "portals" between worlds, and more certain paths in the woods that connect the two lands.

 

[stache19]

I think Dodongo's Cavern could easily exist in multiple places

 

[Volvagia_slayer]

where are we told that the gorons of Snow Head travel to hyrule fir rocks? My memory is vaguely aiming towards the goron who gives link Don geros mask. Perhaps he says sonething?,I dont remember any hyrule references though.

Yes, that's the Goron that says it. He doesn't specifically say "Hyrule", but he does say "Dodongo's Cavern", which is a place that only exists in Hyrule so far as we're currently aware.

Also, at the end of Mm when Link heads away from termina, where is he going?

Back to Hyrule. At the end of the game, we see Link once again in the same Lost Woods that he started the game in, so he rode Epona away from Clock Town to the edges of Termina in order to get back to the Lost Woods.

 

[Synthetic_Craze]

It makes more sense to me if it's just another real place in the same realm as Hyrule, except of course for the opening sequence, involving entering a tree stump, falling hundreds of feet down into an underground cavern, then climbing a few feet up some stairs and emerging in the basement of a clock. Seems for it to make physical sense, that hole Link fell down was a portal of some kind. If it were just another land neighboring Hyrule, why go through all that? Link could have chased the Skull Kid into a normal underground dungeon without tripping balls at the same time lol

 

[Volvagia_slayer]

^I agree that Link fell through a portal. However, OoT and other games have shown us that portals in the Zelda universe often act as shortcuts between places in the same dimension, not just passageways between two different dimensions.

 

[madskillzO25]

^I agree that Link fell through a portal. However, OoT and other games have shown us that portals in the Zelda universe often act as shortcuts between places in the same dimension, not just passageways between two different dimensions.

Here's where I feel odd about this:

Most portals in Zelda worked differently than that portal in MM. The portals in ALTTP, mainly, are connecting points through whirl pools that allow Link to travel through different parts of the same land. That land being Hyrule.

In MM, Link seems to go through a time shift, where the screen goes in circles and he is literally "warped" out of the woods and into some myterious land that is NOT Hyrule. The land is Termina... and what does Termina mean? It means "end" which would describe the "Terminal" fate of Termina. Now, what kind of luck is that? How is it that a land where people live is named after the unfortunate fate of it? It seems parallel and weird... to weird to make sense out of which is why I think the whole game is alternate dimension, or a dream sequence. A huge night mare, where Link is remembering old friends and characters from Hyrule, but as new people and identities.

 

[Volvagia_slayer]

^To be fair, Termina only means "end" in our language (or Spanish/Italian, you know what I mean). If you're looking for an in-world explanation as to the land's name, you just have to conclude that it's a coincidence since it is incredibly unlikely that Termina means "end" in their language (much like how Hyrule sounds like "high rule" in our language, and therefore could be referring to the Royal Family and its kingdom, but in their language, Hyrule doesn't have the same connotations).

 

[madskillzO25]

Considering they talk in English and make references that it is separate from Hylian, its fair to make my accusation. plus, there is no specific language in termina. It isnt Hylian bc its not hyrule

 

[Mr-Chris]

Aahh good thread idea, I've wondered this many times. I'll go with what SUN said though, that's what I would say pretty much.

 

[Volvagia_slayer]

Considering they talk in English and make references that it is separate from Hylian, its fair to make my accusation. plus, there is no specific language in termina. It isnt Hylian bc its not hyrule

Link only speaks Hylian as far as we know, so I don't see why we would think that the people of Termina don't speak Hylian since Link can understand them. (They don't actually talk in English, Spanish, Japanese, etc.; that's only for the players' benefits.) Besides, the people of Clock Town are most likely themselves Hylian, so it would make sense that they spoke Hylian too. (Hylian is a race, not a nationality. Hyrulean/Terminan are the nationalities, and they wouldn't necessarily affect language.)

 

[madskillzO25]

But I still think the name termina derives from terminal and was done intentionally by nintendo.

 

[stache19]

But I still think the name termina derives from terminal and was done intentionally by nintendo.

Yeah that was intentional, it was just a play on the end of the world, since the moon was crashing.

 

[lizalfos]

But I still think the name termina derives from terminal and was done intentionally by nintendo.

Terminal, terminate, terminus... it was named that because of the apocalyptic theme. Possibly also because of the world terminus, considering the compass layout of the areas in Termina.

Also, at the end of Mm when Link heads away from termina, where is he going? I dont recall anywhere in the over world if termina that signifies an exit. Every sector is blocked off. The only way out is the way in. Unless nintendo implied another exit that we aren't suppose to know about, the only verified exit/entrance is through the inside of the clock tower.

IIRC, he's headed in the direction of the observatory. If so, it could be surmised that he's leaving Termina via Ikana.

 

[madskillzO25]

Where in Ikana, or ANYWHERE near that sector of Termina is an exit? VS states he winds up in the initial place he was prior to entering Termina in the beginning of the game. If true, I buy it. But you just said he was heading towards Ikana or the observatory, in which case I ask how does he end up by the woods? (where you start off the game before entering Termina)

 

[lizalfos]

Where in Ikana, or ANYWHERE near that sector of Termina is an exit? VS states he winds up in the initial place he was prior to entering Termina in the beginning of the game. If true, I buy it. But you just said he was heading towards Ikana or the observatory, in which case I ask how does he end up by the woods? (where you start off the game before entering Termina)

The Happy Mask Salesman walks toward Clock Town and disappears before getting there. Just because we don't see a portal doesn't mean there isn't one. Or maybe HMS really is a god of some sort, like that one theory says.

Damn, memory failed. Link also rides toward Clock Town:


Anyway, point stands that if Link had ridden away toward Ikana, then potentially (if what I've said for years is correct) he could have eventually reached Gerudo Desert and from there made his way back to the Lost Woods. No portals needed. For all we know, Termina directly borders Hyrule at point east of Ikana and west of Desert Colossus.

Or these (odd note, while looking for maps, I found an old thread from 2010 where myself, V_s and sharinganhero were comparing maps of ST Hyrule to other games' maps of Hyrule (and Termina):

(lolwut?)

edit: saved those maps (except the last one) in case links break sometime in the future

 

[stache19]

That one with all the circles is a wicked stretch in my opinion

Even so those are cool comparisons, it's nice to see how the maps look aside one another

 

[ShutUpNavi]

I agree with V_S that if you go just by in game text Termina can work as a neighboring country to Hyrule. I'd just argue that it works as well as an alternate world of sorts, if not better. To go over some of the points made.

The N64 game also says that Termina is a "parallel world", but it specifically says that, "Termina is a kind of parallel world", and then it goes on to define "parallel" as "similar to and yet different from the land of Hyrule" rather than being an alternate dimension.

Alternate/parallel dimensions can be similar yet have enough differences to be different too.

1) We know that the people of Hyrule and the people of Termina worship the same goddess of time. Both Zelda (a Hyrule native) and Tatl (a Termina native) refer to her and her powers.

According to some of the sources I mentioned earlier Termina was created by the same gods that created Hyrule, so that would make sense. And there is nothing to say that a god’s power can’t transcend dimensions.

2) We know that the Gorons of Termina travel to Hyrule in order to get rocks from Dodongo's Cavern.

It's possible that the Goron's travel through the portal in Clock town to get the rocks. Also like you said there is possibly another portal somewhere near Snowhead.

Alternately there is only one Goron that I know of that eats rocks from Dodongo's Cavern in MM (correct me if I’m wrong). Perhaps those rocks are a rare delicacy that only a few know about. A final possibility is that there is an alternate dimension Dodongo's Cavern in Termina. Dodongo's are common enough in MM that it's possible a cavern unrelated to the one in Hyrule was named after them.

3) We know that the Triforce symbology has bled over into Termina despite the Triforce not existing in Termina (see: the statutes and blocks of Ikana).

Again nothing to say god's can't transcend dimensions. In fact there is a theory out there that says the statues leading to the Stone Tower, shown licking the Triforce, are signs of blasphemy. This would explain why the Triforce can't exist in MM, and perhaps why Termina is doomed. (Somewhat off topic, but this is a great theory which I highly recommend reading. http://www.zeldauniverse.net/articles/the-stone-tower-why-termina-was-doomed/ )

4) We know from TWW that MM Tingle and possibly the MM Postman left Termina some time after MM and made their way to Hyrule. Furthermore, we know that Link eventually left Hyrule, but he did so by riding Epona away from Clock Town and consequently away from the portal that brought him to Termina in the first place.

We know that the Happy Mask Salesman, Skull Kid, Deku Butler (and probably his son) found the Termina/Hyrule portal on their own, so no reason people like Tingle or the postman cant. As lizalfos pointed out Link dose indeed ride towards clock town.

I'll go over the other points later.

So yeah like I said, that stuff shouldn't be a problem if Termina is indeed a parallel world. It can also work as a neighboring country, but given some of the things in the game (more advanced technology, the moon’s face, the weird portal) I just feel it works better as an alternate dimension personally.

 

[gencid]

I always thought Hyrule is a region and a kingdom, with surrounding lands being their own independent kingdoms. Also, Termina is an actual location instead of a parallel universe like the Sacred Realm is. I would place Termina somewhere next to Lost Woods outside the Hyrule Kingdom.

 

[lasttriforcepiece]

As others have already mentioned, Hyrule is a kingdom which essentially gives you the answer to your question. If it was a planet I doubt that it would be called the kingdom of Hyrule.
I myself always thought that Termina existed in a different dimension to Hyrule since the portal link falls through at the start of MM suggests that that is the case. When I play MM it makes it seem like Hyrule and Termina are the same place, separated by the portal, kind of like the light/dark world in ALTTP.
But others here have brought up important points that seem to be contradictory to that. Either way personally I still think Hyrule is just one region of a larger world that the Legend of Zelda story occurs in.

 

[leftylucky]

Almost everything about Majoras Mask implies that it's an alternate world or "spirit-dimension". There are numerous shamanic motifs that really suggest a parallel dimension. The shamanic use of masks in the game, the cyclical nature, the surreal atmosphere etc all attest to this. The most convincing proof of this is the opening sequence where Link "falls into" a new world. During the fall, neon images of tools and faces glow out of the blackness. These images are very reminiscent of shamanic Thangka paintings dotting the black periphery of their artwork. I'm not talking about the Buddhist thangka work, but the actual shamanic thangkas painted by the Jhankris (shamans) themselves.

In addition, after the fall and physical transformation of Link, the player bursts out of linear time and into cyclical time from the very symbol of time itself, the clocktower. The clocktower is the very center of Termina, a world centered around termination and cyclical destruction. The clocktower is truly the axis mundi. And just as in shamanism where the world tree, the sacred mountain, etc, functions as the axis mundi connecting all the higher and lower worlds in all directions, so too does the clocktower connect the worlds in Zelda.

I think the shamanic themes run even deeper in MM, but just staying close to the surface it's fairly easy to see that Termina is an alternate dimension intimately and magically linked with Hyrule.

 

[Falcor007]

I've always considered Hyrule a country since it has a race which takes its name from the land (Hylians) and those residing within the borders have their own name as well (Hyruleans). The names might be backwards but you get the idea. Also, there are other areas around the world, like Holodrum, Labrynna, possibly Termina depending on beliefs, and some areas are clearly stated to not be a part of Hyrule as is the case with the Ordon area in TP. And I remember digging through the AoL manual for something and I recall it referring to Hyrule as a country at one point when explaining the backstory.

The people aren't indicative of an alternate dimension because the game/booklet tells you that the people are only supposed to look "vaguely familiar at first glance"; in other words, we're not supposed to believe that they look exactly the same as their Hyrule counterparts; the booklet actually asks us to suspend our disbelief that these are different characters despite looking exactly the same through the N64's graphics.

The only real issue with this would be any characters using the same name they had in OoT, especially if they are called their names in-game. Only Koume, Kotake and I think Dampe come to mind for that though.

Again nothing to say god's can't transcend dimensions. In fact there is a theory out there that says the statues leading to the Stone Tower, shown licking the Triforce, are signs of blasphemy. This would explain why the Triforce can't exist in MM, and perhaps why Termina is doomed. (Somewhat off topic, but this is a great theory which I highly recommend reading. http://www.zeldauniverse.net/articles/the-stone-tower-why-termina-was-doomed/ )

The Triforce sends Link to another place in the Oracle games so even an artifact of the gods can move a person around, and the Triforce can move itself around, too. The Goddesses themselves can likely do much more considering the Triforce is just a fragment of their power.

As for that article... you're better off not going too deep into it. It's an intriguing idea but the guy didn't do his fact checking and it really shows.

 

[EmilyLovesLink]

I always sort of thought that Link had gotten lost in the forest, and people who get lost turn into Stalfos. So he was lost inside his mind or something (Termina) and then we see him as the Stalfos in Twilight Princess.

Also I there is more to the world than just Hyrule- when it got flooded in WW we see them eventually sailing to a NEW country in Spirit Tracks.

 

[Bed2245]

One o the Links to to the pictures went wrong. judging by your description it appears to be the one comparing ST overworld with other maps. I'd be really interested in seeing that, do you still have the original picture?

 

[Bed2245]

Where in Ikana, or ANYWHERE near that sector of Termina is an exit? VS states he winds up in the initial place he was prior to entering Termina in the beginning of the game. If true, I buy it. But you just said he was heading towards Ikana or the observatory, in which case I ask how does he end up by the woods? (where you start off the game before entering Termina)

The Happy Mask Salesman walks toward Clock Town and disappears before getting there. Just because we don't see a portal doesn't mean there isn't one. Or maybe HMS really is a god of some sort, like that one theory says.

Damn, memory failed. Link also rides toward Clock Town:


Anyway, point stands that if Link had ridden away toward Ikana, then potentially (if what I've said for years is correct) he could have eventually reached Gerudo Desert and from there made his way back to the Lost Woods. No portals needed. For all we know, Termina directly borders Hyrule at point east of Ikana and west of Desert Colossus.

Or these (odd note, while looking for maps, I found an old thread from 2010 where myself, V_s and sharinganhero were comparing maps of ST Hyrule to other games' maps of Hyrule (and Termina):

(lolwut?)

edit: saved those maps (except the last one) in case links break sometime in the future

It appears one of the links to the pictures went wrong. Judging from your description it appears to be the one comparing ST overworld with the other maps. I'd be really interested in seeing that, do you still have the original picture?

 

[lizalfos]

Jesus, that was 3 years ago. And the comment I made mentioning a comparison between ST and other games maps refers to a thread from 2010.

I can't find any of the maps, though I apparently saved them. I remember something about the map for ST being similar to the map for MM if you put the snowy region of ST at the top of the map. The ocean would be where the swamp is, though.

There's also a map that shows the similarities between Termina and SS Hyrule, even going so far as to circle the corresponding areas. I also found this on google just now:

 

[Ericss_2010]

Wow, so much fail in a single thread. To all the people who said that Termina being just a neighboring kingdom from the same dimension as Hyrule makes more sense: no it doesn't, as most of its inhabitants are counterparts of the Hyruleans from OoT. That makes it clear that Termina is Hyrule's counterpart from an alternate dimension, just like stated multiple times by official sources.

 

[Volvagia_slayer]

Wow, so much fail in a single thread. To all the people who said that Termina being just a neighboring kingdom from the same dimension as Hyrule makes more sense: no it doesn't, as most of its inhabitants are counterparts of the Hyruleans from OoT. That makes it clear that Termina is Hyrule's counterpart from an alternate dimension, just like stated multiple times by official sources.

It sounds like you didn't read the MM instruction booklet. It says that the people in Termina are NOT Hyrule counterparts. They only bear a passing resemblance to people Link knew in Hyrule. In-game they actually look like completely different people. Only to the players do they look the same. There is no such thing as a Hyrulean/Terminan counterpart in-universe.

 

[nestclop]

supposedly that's only west hyrule.

but it's actually a giant black hole of cgi hardship

 

[Dreamy]

Termina, Holodrum, Labrynna, Skyloft, and Koholint Island are the only places we know that exist outside of Hyrule. However, you can't count Koholint island because it was technichally not a real place.