Characters in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
This article is about fictional characters from the video game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64.
Link
The protagonist. The Link in Majora's Mask is the same "Hero of Time" Link found in Ocarina of Time. He was sent back in time to relive the years of his childhood he had missed, and is on an adventure to find a missing friend. He is robbed by the Skull Kid, who turns him into a deku scrub, and then draws him into a parallel world called Termina where he must track down his stolen possessions, change himself back, and save the people of that world from the cataclysmic event using his power over time. See Link for more about him.
Skull Kid
Skull Kid, in the game spelled Skullkid, is a mischievous child who uses the powerful Majora's Mask to cause most of the conflict in the game.
In Majora's Mask
In Majora's Mask, his two fairy sidekicks Tatl and Tael (a paraphrase on tattletale) scare the horse Epona, which causes Link to be thrown off and knocked unconscious. He comes and pats down Link, looking for anything valuable, settling for the Ocarina of Time, which he begins to blow into, waking up Link. He lunges for Skullkid, but he hops on Epona for his getaway. After holding on a while, Link falls off, and follows him into a hollow log and falls into an abyss (disputedly, this is how Link travels to Termina). Then Skull Kid turns Link into a Deku Scrub and leaves. He tries to make the moon fall on Termina and the player finds out later that Majora's Mask is controlling him.
In Ocarina Of Time
Skull Kid makes a brief, unnamed appearance in Ocarina of Time. He can be found in the Lost Woods dancing on a tree stump. The player can teach him Saria's Song on the ocarina. When completing the side quest, the Skull mask is given to him. Also, later in the game, after you receive the Biggoron Sword, if you return to the Lost Woods as an adult and kill the Skull Kid you will receive a giant rupee worth 200 rupees. His past is shrouded in mystery, and no one knows where he came from. Some say he is simply a forest sprite, but the Ocarina of Time manga states that while his family was on a picnic, a young child ventured into the Lost Woods, deaf to his mother's warnings. He wanted to catch a fairy, but instead got lost. After the fear subsided, he breathed in the dark air easily, and was gradually transformed into a Skull Kid, the final form that befalls Hylian children or Kokiri who venture into the Lost Woods. It is seen in the manga and in the game that there is more than just one Skull Kid.
Name origins
In manga and in early translations, his name is roughly translated as Star Kid, coming from the name Sutaru Kiddo (スタルキッド), since the Japanese language spells foreign words based on phonetics rather than spelling. This was, however, an error; the character is known as "Stalkid" in Japan,1 based on the traditional Zelda skeleton enemy known as Stalfos.
==Tatl and Tael==
Tatl and Tael are fairy companions of the Skull Kid. Tatl is female and glows with a light color, while Tael is male glows with a dark color. It is believed that Tatl and Tael's names are derived from the phrase "tattletale," hinting at their childish natures. The early translations "Chat" and "Trail", respectively, were used by importers to discuss the characters before the North American version became available.1
After Tatl is separated from her brother Tael, she befriends Link on his journey and helps him along the way, playing the same role Link's fairy Navi played in Ocarina of Time. She has a bossy disposition but eventually warms to Link. Tael stayed with the Skull Kid while Tatl went on her journey with Link, but in the end they were reunited.
The Four Giants
The Four Giants are from an ancient, long forgotten Terminian race that protected the people of Termina from danger in ages past. They assumed the responsibility of protector deities and stood guard in the four compass directions. Skull Kid felt his friends wronged him and, using the power of Majora's Mask, sealed them in evil deity masks in four temples throughout the land. These four gods of Termina are worshipped at the Carnival of Time with song at the top of the Clock Tower with hopes of a good harvest in the year to come. They may be compared with the Four Heavenly Kings of the Buddhist faith, which are also gods associated with the four cardinal directions.
Footnotes
1. This walkthrough says "Stalkid: An imp with only two friends, Chat and Trail, [...]". A fan site says "Stalkid - An imp who once had no friends, he is the companion of Chat and Trail." Also, the French-language Majora's Mask FAQ says "Ces deux fées s'appellent Chat et Trail (JP), connues sous les noms Tatl et Tael dans la version nord-américaine." This translates to: "These two fairies are called Chat and Trail (JP), known by the names Tatl and Tael in the North American version."