Chapter Two: The Boy on the Edge of Time
–Sheik, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
Notwithstanding the almost 20 years passed between the writing of this report and the 1998 release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, according to popular gaming site IGN, the game remains among the highest rated of all time.[1] Although the release of Skyward Sword occurred thirteen years after in 2011, Ocarina of Time takes place much later in the overall chronology of the franchise. As discussed in Chapter One, Skyward Sword reinforces its placement as the inaugural game in the series through the inclusion of musical performances that are reminiscent of early performance practices. Similarly, Ocarina of Time’s later placement on the timeline is reflected by performance practices exhibited through the game more closely resembling modern conventions of musical production. An analysis of the plot, instrumentation, methods of musical dissemination among characters, and musical motifs utilized in Ocarina of Time will further expand upon these reflections. In turn, this expansion will provide additional support for the notion that the hegemony of Western musical practices permeates several facets of non-Western culture such as the production of a Japanese videogame series.
An Alternative Timeline
Ocarina of Time begins much like Skyward Sword – with a prophetic nightmare. Link, the protagonist, has a vision of a woman and a young girl frantically fleeing a castle on a white horse. Shortly thereafter, a man dressed in armor riding a black stallion emerges and looks directly at Link as if to suggest that somehow, he and Link are sharing this vision. However, the significance of this would not be revealed for some time and the image quickly dissipates. It is replaced by a scene in which a great tree known as the Deku Tree summons Navi, a forest fairy, to search for a boy who, “will change the destiny of Hyrule forever”.[2]
The boy to whom the Deku tree is referring to is Link. Navi quickly locates Link and implores him to seek out the Deku Tree. While navigating Link’s hometown the Kokiri Forest, it becomes evident that Link is a sort of outcast. The Kokiri Forest is inhabited entirely by children – each with their own fairy. Prior to being sought out by Navi, Link was the only child in the Kokiri Forest who did not have a fairy. Link’s status as an outcast makes it difficult for him to access the area of the Forest where the Deku Tree is located. Because the Deku Tree is considered sacred, a rival child named Mido prevents Link from crossing the path leading to the Deku Tree without first acquiring a sword and shield. While the search for a sword and shield may seem like a setback, it enables Link to be able to travel through more treacherous parts of the forest safely.
Upon reaching the Great Deku Tree, Link is informed that his prophetic nightmare was a warning of evil descending upon the kingdom of Hyrule. Additionally, it is revealed that the Deku Tree has been cursed. Link agrees to attempt to break the curse by battling the parasitic creature lurking inside of the Deku Tree. Although Link is successful, the Deku Tree reveals that he was cursed by an evil man from the desert after refusing to give him one of three spiritual stones. Once gathered together, the spiritual stones may be utilized to open the door to the Sacred Realm where the Triforce is housed. In Ocarina of Time the Triforce was created by three Goddesses who created the land of Hyrule – Din, Nayru, and Farore respectively.[3]
As was the case in Skyward Sword, whomever wields the Triforce would have the power to influence all of Hyrule. Should the person who obtains it choose to utilize it to conquer the realm, they would be nearly unstoppable. The Deku Tree insists that the evil man must never be allowed to access the Sacred Realm. As a final act, the Great Deku Tree bestows the first of three spiritual stones, Kokiri’s Emerald, to Link and urges him to locate the Princess of Destiny in Hyrule Castle. Although Link was successful in defeating the parasitic creature dwelling inside of the Deku Tree, this act alone would not suffice to save the Deku Tree. As such, shortly after asking Link to venture out of the Kokiri Forest to find the princess, the Great Deku Tree dies.
Upon realizing the Great Deku Tree has perished, Link and Navi move quickly to gather supplies and travel toward Hyrule Castle. Before leaving Kokiri Forest, Link is stopped by Saria, a fellow resident of the Kokiri Village and friend who wants to say goodbye. This is a critical moment in the development of the plot as Saria also gives Link a magical instrument known as the Fairy Ocarina. Saria states, “I knew that you would leave the forest someday, Link. Because you are different from me and my friends. But that’s OK because we’ll be friends forever, won’t we? I want you to have this Ocarina. Please take good care of it. When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit.”[4]
After obtaining the Fairy Ocarina from Saria, Link makes his way toward Hyrule Castle, sneaks past the guards, and meets the Princess of Destiny, Princess Zelda. Although Zelda is initially skeptical of Link, his possession of Kokiri’s Emerald, the Spiritual Stone of the Forest earns her trust. It is then revealed that Zelda also had a prophetic nightmare that insinuated the eventual appearance of Link. “I had a dream. In the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule. But suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest. A green and shining stone, followed by a fairy. I know this is a prophecy that someone would come from the forest.”[5] The Princess also provides Link with pivotal information relating to the power of the Triforce and the impending danger for all of Hyrule.
Princess Zelda believes the dark storm clouds from her dream symbolize a man currently in the castle. Link peers into a nearby window and sees Ganondorf – the leader of the Gerudo people from the desert. Ganondorf is the same man who was present in Link’s prophetic nightmare from the beginning of the game. Additionally, Zelda informs Link that in order to save Hyrule, he will need to travel to the Temple of Time. The Temple of Time is the entrance through which Link will be able to enter the Sacred Realm. However, the entrance to the Temple is sealed with a stone wall known as the Door of Time. Link must obtain all three spiritual stones and the Ocarina of Time, a treasure passed down through generations of the Royal Family, in order to open the Door of Time.
As the game progresses, Link travels through the Kingdom of Hyrule and collects the remaining spiritual stones: Goron’s Ruby and Zora’s Sapphire respectively. Link and Navi travel back to Hyrule Castle to share their success with Princess Zelda. However, just as the two reach Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda and her guardian Impa begin to flee on horseback. As the pair ride past Link, Zelda throws something at Link that falls into the moat behind him. This item turns out to be the Ocarina of Time, a sacred instrument passed down through the generations in the Royal Family. Thus, Link witnesses his nightmare become reality with one glaring difference – this time, Link recognizes the evil man in the armor. He is the same man that was in Hyrule Castle the last time he visited Princess Zelda, Ganondorf.
Fortunately for Link, he is not perceived as a threat to Ganondorf because Link is still a small child. After proclaiming that he will soon rule the world, Ganondorf rides off in pursuit of Princess Zelda and Impa. Link then dives into the moat to retrieve the Ocarina which triggers a message from Zelda in the form of a vision. A short, repeated chant-like melody is sung throughout as Zelda speaks to Link:
Now, Link. Play this melody in front of the altar in the Temple of Time.
You must protect the Triforce! [6]
Link quickly travels to the Temple of Time and utilizes the three spiritual stones to pass through the Door of Time. After performing the Song of Time, a mystical and powerful blade, the Master Sword, appears. As Link climbs the pedestal to retrieve the sword, Ganondorf appears and begins to laugh.
Unfortunately, Ganondorf followed Link to the Temple of Time, used him to reach the sacred realm, and claim the Triforce for himself. There is a brief flash of light and Link awakens in a blue temple surrounded by flowing water. An old man appears and introduces himself as Rauru, the Sage of Light. Rauru explains what Ganondorf acquired the Triforce and utilized its power to turn Hyrule into a cursed land inhabited by monsters. Additionally, Rauru reveals that while Link’s destiny is to use the Master Sword to vanquish evil in the realm, he was too young to do so when he reached the Temple of Time. As a consequence, Link’s spirit was locked away in the Sacred Realm for seven years giving his body time to grow and mature.
Newly awakened, Link has a new objective. Rauru is just one of six sages who must be found as the utilization of their combined power is the only way to stop Ganondorf. Link receives the Light Medallion from Rauru before leaving the sacred realm to begin his quest in search of the other sages. As Link begins to exit the Temple of Time, he encounters an androgynous figure who introduces themself as Sheik. Sheik serves as a guide throughout the game and reappears to teach Link songs he will need to advance throughout his journey.[7] Thankfully, Link is already familiar with a number of the sages as he met them on his initial pursuit of the three spiritual stones. Saria, from Link’s childhood village in the Kokiri Forest is the Sage of the Forest. Darunia, leader of the Gorons from Death Mountain from whom Link received the Goron’s Ruby, is the Sage of Fire and so on.
Once Link has conquered several temples to rescue the six sages, a vision of Rauru appears and urges Link to travel to the Temple of Time. Once there, Sheik appears and reveals themself to be none other than Princess Zelda. Zelda divulges that although Ganondorf managed to reach the Triforce all those years ago, because his soul was impure, the Triforce immediately into three parts: The Triforce of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Ganondorf only retained the Triforce of Power, while Zelda obtained the Triforce of Wisdom, and Link held the Triforce of Courage. As such, Ganondorf has frantically searched for Zelda and Link for the last seven years. Unfortunately, history quickly repeats itself and Zelda revealing herself to Link allows Ganondorf to finally capture her.
In a final showdown, Link heads to Hyrule Castle, now Ganon’s Castle in search of Zelda. Initially, the castle is surrounded by a stronghold of energy that is thought to be impenetrable. With the help of the power of the six sages, Link is able to break through and head into the castle after Ganondorf. After defeating Ganondorf, the Triforce of Power transforms his body into a quasi-boar monster who must be defeated before the realm can truly be safe. Thankfully, Zelda was freed after the initial defeat of Ganondorf and thus able to help Link in this final battle. After defeating his final form, the six sages combine their power to trap his spirit in the dark realm. Similar to the ending of Skyward Sword, Ganondorf vows to exact revenge on Zelda and Link’s descendants before disappearing. Upon returning the Kingdom of Hyrule to a peaceful state, Zelda reveals immense grief over having doomed Link to skip his childhood. As a final display of gratitude, Princess Zelda sends Link back in time to live out his childhood and the game ends.[8]
The Ocarina of Time
As discussed in Chapter One, the connections to western musical traditions must be contrasted with the Japanese origins of the game. Ocarina of Time does in fact utilize western influences that are immediately apparent. For example, the use of the term “Ocarina” to describe the instrument played throughout the game is significant as the term dates back to the mid-nineteenth century.[9] While the modern term encompasses a myriad of vessel flues, the designation was initially coined in the 1850s by Giuseppe Donati – the inventor of the so-called “standard western ocarina”. [10]
Figure 2.1 Link retrieves the Ocarina of Time from the moat outside of Hyrule Castle.[11]
The Donati model is particularly relevant here, since the Ocarina o Time passed down through several generations of the royal family of Hyrule closely resembles it. “Ocarinas are usually made with ducts; that on Donati’s model is contained within a spout which protrudes part way along the main body of the instrument. The player’s breath is directed through this extended mouthpiece to a sharp edge, causing the mass of air in the instrument to vibrate.”[12] As shown in Figure 2.1, the design of the Ocarina of Time features a spout that protrudes along the body of the instrument. Additionally, the Ocarina is a five key hole instrument which is consistent with all of the melodic motifs from the game centering around five main pitches – the significance of which will be discussed in the following section of this chapter.
Musical Analysis
As is the case with all games from The Legend of Zelda series discussed throughout this report, music is essential in Ocarina of Time. Link receives the Fairy Ocarina before beginning his initial quest to speak to Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle and relies on the instrument throughout the entirety of the game. Ocarina of Time certainly makes a statement surrounding the importance of music as it is impossible to advance the plot without performing pieces on the ocarina. Ocarina of Time is similar to Skyward Sword in this regard. However, the manner in which players are expected to engage in the performance of music on the ocarina differs remarkably from the processes employed in Skyward Sword.
In Chapter One, players of Skyward Sword were required to “play” the Goddess Harp throughout the game in order to enter the sacred realm. While players merely needed to swing the controller for the gaming console from side to side at a particular tempo for Link to perform on the harp, Ocarina of Time features a method of music performance that is far more similar to playing an actual instrument. Players are required to press certain buttons on the controller for the gaming console in a particular order for Link to play the correct notes in a specific order. While Ocarina of Time does not require rhythmic accuracy for a melody to be performed correctly on the ocarina, the game features twelve pieces that Link utilizes throughout the game for multiple purposes, as outlined in Figure 2.2.
| Piece | Age | Dissemination | Function |
| Zelda’s Lullaby | Child | Learned from Impa who whistles the melody for Link. | Reveals secrets in locations throughout the game. |
| Sun’s Song | Child | Found inscribed on the Royal Family’s tomb. | Turns night to day, can stun ReDeads.[13] |
| Song of Time | Child | Learned from Zelda in a telepathic vision. | Opens the Door of Time, allows Link to warp or teleport to the Temple of Time. |
| Song of Storms | Adult | Learned from Guru-Guru[14] in the Windmill in Kakariko Village. | Used to drain the Well of Three features to access the Shadow Temple. |
| Serenade of Water | Adult | Learned from Sheik. | Allows Link to access the Water Temple and warp to the Water Temple later in the game. |
| Saria’s Song | Child | Learned from Saria. | Used to communicate with Saria. |
| Requiem of Spirit | Adult | Learned from Sheik. | Used to access the Spirit Temple when Link returns to the Desert Colossus as a child.[15] |
| Prelude of Light | Adult | Learned from Sheik. | Transports Link to the Temple of Time. |
| Nocturne of Shadow | Adult | Learned from Sheik. | Allows Link to teleport or warp to the entrance of the Shadow Temple in Kakariko Graveyard. |
| Minuet of Forest | Adult | Learned from Sheik. | Teleports Link to the entrance of the Forest Temple in the Sacred Forest Meadow. |
| Epona’s Song | Child | Learned from Malon.[16] | Calls Epona, Link’s horse. |
| Bolero of Fire | Adult | Learned from Sheik. | Used to teleport Link to the entrance of the Fire Temple in the center of Death Mountain. |
Figure 2.2 - Table discussing the uses of pieces from Ocarina of Time.
The melodies from the twelve pieces in Ocarina of Time are of particular interest as they more closely align with the abilities of the ocarina utilized in the game than the Goddess Harp from Skyward Sword. For example, though the Goddess Harp only has eight strings suggesting a diatonic scale, the motifs and melodies from Skyward Sword are written in multiple keys. This renders the process of replicating the performances from Skyward Sword with a model of the Goddess Harp while playing the pieces in the keys in which they are written impossible. However, both the Fairy Ocarina and Ocarina of Time are five key-hole ocarinas. This construction is consistent with all twelve melodies from Ocarina of Time as all of the motifs feature only the following pitches: D, F, A, and B as reflected in the transcriptions below.[17]
Figure 2.3: Zelda’s Lullaby.
Figure 2.4: Sun’s Song.
Figure 2.5: Song of Time.
Figure 2.6: Song of Storms.
Figure 2.7: Serenade of Water.
Figure 2.8: Saria’s Song.
Figure 2.9: Requiem of Spirit.
Figure 2.10: Prelude of Light.
Figure 2.11: Nocturne of Shadow.
Figure 2.12: Minuet of Forest.
Figure 2.13: Epona’s Song.
Figure 2.14: Bolero of Fire.
The attention to detail and accuracy of performance practices in Ocarina of Time as compared to those in Skyward Sword are perplexing to say the least. Though Ocarina of Time was released over a decade before Skyward Sword, from a musical standpoint, it is far more accurate. How can one explain this discrepancy? It is possible that Ocarina of Time is more accurate because the game was the first to be released with the three-dimensional technology of the Nintendo 64. However, Skyward Sword was released in tandem with the Wii motion plus technology that allowed players to move the controller at a particular speed to match performances of pieces in the game. Notwithstanding all this ambiguity, it is certain that the accuracy of performance practices can be construed as a reflection of developing musical traditions in western culture calling for less improvisation and more precision. This mirrors developments in systems of notation in the late middle ages and onward that transformed to accommodate more complex music that resulted from innovation in musical instruments, the increasing complexity of writing for the human voice, and the transcendence of pre-established musical norms.
[1] Schneider, Peer. “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Review - The Biggest Game of the Decade.” IGN. Accessed December 1, 2016. http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/11/26/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-review.
[2] “Ocarina of Time Walkthrough.” Zelda Dungeon. Accessed October 3, 2016. http://www.zeldadungeon.net/ocarina-of-time-walkthrough/.
[3] These names are also present in Skyward Sword as they coincide with the names of the three areas left on the Earth below the clouds: Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and Lanayru Desert.
[4] This statement can be seen as foreshadowing as Link learns motifs later in the game that allow him to “warp” or essentially teleport from one location to another. As such, he will indeed utilize the ocarina to return to the forest. Additionally, Saria can communicate with Link when he plays the motif from “Saria’s Song” to be discussed later in this chapter meaning that Link does in fact think of her when he plays the ocarina. “Ocarina of Time Walkthrough.” Zelda Dungeon. Accessed October 3, 2016. http://www.zeldadungeon.net/ocarina-of-time-walkthrough/.
[5] Ibid.
[6] The melody to which Zelda is referring to is later revealed to be the Song of Time. The method in which Link learns the Song of Time is similar to the manner in which the Link in Skyward Sword learns the three motifs from each area: Faron Woods, Lanayru Desert, and Eldin Volcano. This is the only piece that is learned in this manner in Ocarina of Time.
[7] Sheik serves as one of the most tangible connections between Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword as they teach Link songs by performing them on a harp. This will be discussed further in the next section of this chapter.
[8] The act of sending Link back in time to live out his childhood further splits the overall timeline of the entire series as it creates a timeline in which Link’s spirit is locked away in sacred realm, and another in which he lives out his childhood in peace. The significance of this will be examined in the Conclusions.
[9] Liggins, David. “Ocarina.” Grove Music Online. Accessed August 24, 2016. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/
[10] Ibid.
[11] “Ocarina of Time Walkthrough.” Zelda Dungeon. Accessed October 3, 2016. http://www.zeldadungeon.net/ocarina-of-time-walkthrough/.
[12] Liggins, David. “Ocarina.” Grove Music Online. Accessed August 24, 2016. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/
[13] Refer to appendix entry “ReDeads”.
[14] Refer to appendix entry “Guru-Guru”.
[15] Although Link learns this piece as an adult, he is unable to advance through the Spirit Temple as an adult. He travels back in time to when he is a child and is then able to navigate the temple.
[16] Refer to appendix entry “Malon”.
[17] The examples presented here as Figures 2.3-2.14 are full melodies. Players of Ocarina of Time are only required to perform the first six notes of the melodies listed on the ocarina for the game to play the rest of the melody in a short cut scene. It is these first six notes that adhere to the limitations of the five key-hole design by focusing on the pitches of D, F, A, and B. Exceptions to this are the melodies for Bolero of Fire and Prelude of Light which are performed in their entirety by Link before
