Characters
Link - The canonical name of the green-clad protagonist of the Zelda series. A Hylian boy of approximately ten years. There are many different incarnations of this character, and the incarnation shared by Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask bears the title "Hero of Time." He bears the Triforce of Courage.
Princess Zelda - The princess of the titular series. Again, there are many different incarnations of Zelda. The Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask incarnation does not physically appear in Majora's Mask, but does show up in one flashback and is important to the backstory of the game and the series as a whole. She bears the Triforce of Wisdom.
Ganon - The primary antagonist of the Zelda series, who is entirely absent from Majora's Mask but is important to the backstory of the game and the series as a whole. Ganon is the name given to his powerful beast form, which resembles a giant humanoid boar. Unlike Link and Zelda, there is only one incarnation of him that frequently breaks free of a binding seal or is resurrected. He bears the Triforce of Power.
Ganondorf - The name given to the human form of Ganon. He is of Gerudo descent.
Navi - A blue fairy who accompanied Link on his quest in Ocarina of Time, but left after he had defeated Ganon. She is believed to be the "friend" Link is searching for at the beginning of Majora's Mask.
Majora - While not much is known about Majora, it serves as the antagonist of Majora's Mask. It is believed to be an ancient evil spirit sealed within the titular mask.
Din - Goddess of Power. One of the three Golden Goddesses in the Zelda series. Her thematic color is red.
Nayru - Goddess of Wisdom. One of the three Golden Goddesses in the Zelda series. Her thematic color is blue. Due to a shared thematic color and Nayru being the name of the titular oracle in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, some believe her to be the Goddess of Time mentioned in Majora's Mask.
Farore - Goddess of Courage. One of the three Golden Goddesses. Her thematic color is green.
The Goddess of Time - The goddess who allows Link to turn back time in Majora's Mask. Any identity beyond her name and power is unknown, but some believe her to be Nayru (see above).
The Skull Kid - A forest imp who, while wearing Majora's Mask, is the acting antagonist of the game. The Skull Kid is strongly believed to be an imp from Ocarina of Time, due to his associations with Saria's Song and a skull mask (which were respectively taught and given to an imp by Link in Ocarina of Time).
Tatl - A yellow fairy who accompanies Link on his journey in Majora's Mask. She is Tael's sister.
Tael - A purple fairy accompanying the Skull Kid. He is Tatl's brother.
The Happy Mask Salesman - A mysterious mask-selling man who had Majora's Mask stolen from him by the Skull Kid. Despite his suspicious and often downright unnerving behavior, he is a benevolent character.
Kafei - A man from Clock Town who has been cursed by the Skull Kid to appear as a child. He is engaged to Anju.
Anju - An innkeeper from Clock Town. She is engaged to Kafei.
Tingle - An eccentric mapmaker who believes himself to be a reincarnation of a fairy. He makes his first series appearance in Majora's Mask. While he is a fairly popular character in Japan, he is near-universally hated by Americans. Tingle! Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah! These are the magic words that Tingle invented himself. Don't steal them!
The Deku Butler - A butler to the tribe of Dekus living in the Southern Swamp. His son is implied to have been killed by the Skull Kid to fuel the curse that turns Link into a Deku, as Link's Deku form reminds the butler of his son and he is seen in the credits weeping over a "sad-looking tree" encountered early in the game.
The Deku Butler - A butler to the tribe of Dekus living in the Southern Swamp. His son is implied to have been killed by the Skull Kid to fuel the curse that turns Link into a Deku, as Link's Deku form reminds the butler of his son and he is seen in the credits weeping over a "sad-looking tree" encountered early in the game.
Darmini the Third - A Goron hero who died attempting to find the cause of Snowhead's unnatural winter. Link receives the Goron Mask when he heals Darmini's soul, which allows him to take the Goron's form.
Mikau - A Zora who is the lead guitarist for the Indigo-Go's. He dies trying to save the eggs of Indigo-Go's singer Lulu; the eggs are widely believed to be his own as well. Link receives the Zora Mask when he heals Mikau's soul, which allows him to take the Zora's form.
The Indigo-Go's - A Zora band consisting of Mikau (lead guitar), Japas (bass guitar), Evan (keyboard), Tijo (drums), and Lulu (vocals).
Cremia - A farm girl who runs Romani Ranch. She is the older sister of Romani.
Romani - A farm girl named for the ranch her older sister Cremia runs.
The Bombers Secret Society of Justice - A gang of six young boys who attempt to help the people of Clock Town. Also known simply as the Bombers.
Sakon - A thief living in Ikana Canyon who steals several things from characters throughout Majora's Mask.
The Four Giants - Four giant spirits who act as guardians of Termina. The goal of Majora's Mask is primarily to free the four so that they can stop the moon from falling.
The Children of the Moon - Also known as the Moon Children. Five children who appear on the surface of the moon. They wear the masks of Odolwa, Goht, Gyorg, Twinmold, and Majora.
Odolwa - "Masked Jungle Warrior" and boss of Woodfall Temple.
Goht - "Masked Mechanical Monster" and boss of Snowhead Temple.
Gyorg - "Gargantuan Masked Fish" and boss of Great Bay Temple.
Twinmold - "Giant Masked Insect" and boss of Stone Tower Temple. Though the game titles the boss with the singular, Twinmold actually consists of a duo.
Human - A superset of several different races in the Zelda universe that includes Hylians, Gerudo, and most likely Sheikah, a race of ninjas.
Hylians - Not to be confused with Hyruleans, the inhabitants of Hyrule. Hylians are humans with pointed ears who are said to have a certain magical aptitude. Most humans in Termina appear to be Hylians, but since Termina is a parallel world with different history and most characters are recycled models from Ocarina of Time, the exact race of humans in Termina is not currently known.
Gerudo - Dark-skinned, red-haired humans. Most are female, though there are Gerudo males, said to be born every 100 years. They appear in Majora's Mask as a band of pirates.
Zoras - Fishlike humanoid creatures. Live in large bodies of water.
Gorons - Humanoids whose appearance is somewhere between a bear and a stone. They generally dwell in mountainous areas. No known females have appeared in the Zelda series, which could indicate that females either do not exist or are near identical to males in appearance.
Deku Scrubs - most frequently just called Deku. Humanoid creatures that appear to be made of wood and leaf.
Garo - A mysterious race of ninjas from a land outside Termina who were enemies of Ikana Kingdom. Not much is known of these creatures.
Fairy - Magical spirits similar to what we understand fairies to be. Some appear as winged orbs of light, while others appear in either winged or wingless human forms. Often bestow certain magical powers or provide healing. Some (like Navi and Tatl) provide companionship and offer advice.
Gibdos - The Zelda equivalent of mummies.
ReDeads - The Zelda equivalent of zombies. Famous for their piercing screams that freeze Link in place and for their grappling method of attacking, which many players have noted looks like some form of rape.
Keese - The Zelda equivalent of bats.
Poes - The Zelda equivalent of ghosts.
Bubbles - Reanimated floating skulls engulfed in a magical fire.
Stal- - A prefix denoting a skeletal enemy; for example, Stalfos, Stalhounds, and Stalchildren.
-fos - a suffix denoting an anthromorphic humanoid; for example, Stalfos, Lizalfos, and Wolfos.
Cuccos - The Zelda equivalent of chickens. While they are normally peaceful, if one is attacked long enough, an unending swarm will come to its aid and attack the aggressor.
Note: I focused primarily on the undead enemies that appear in Ikana canyon in this glossary. While there are many more enemies in Majora's Mask, they are less notable from a story perspective and have more easily understandable names. A full list of enemies from the Zelda universe can be found here, and a list of the enemies in Majora's Mask specifically can be found here.
Hyrule - The land that most Zelda games take place in and that Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf are from. The very beginning of Majora's Mask takes place in Hyrule.
Termina - A parallel world to Hyrule threatened by a falling moon. The majority of Majora's Mask takes place in Termina.
The Moon - Also known as Majora's Moon. A moon bearing an unhappy-looking face that is about to crash into Termina. It may be sentient, but it may not. While it appears barren outside the face, when Link is taken to the moon near the end of the game, he encounters an open field of grass with a tree in the middle, along with five inhabitants called the Children of the Moon (see above).
Clock Town - A bustling town in the center of Termina. Named for its giant clock tower. This is both where Link first enters Termina and where the moon impacts.
Termina Field - A field that surrounds Clock Town. It connects all the other lands of Termina.
Southern Swamp - A swamp in the South, inhabited primarily by monkeys and Deku. It is plagued by poisonous waters.
Snowhead Mountains - A mountain range in the North, inhabited primarily by Gorons. It is plagued by an unnaturally long and harsh winter.
Great Bay - A bay in the West, inhabited primarily by Zoras. It is plagued by overheated and murky waters.
Ikana Canyon - A desolate land in the East. It was once a great kingdom, but all inhabitants have left or died. Now it is filled primarily with the undead, along with Sakon the thief and the Garo (see both above).
The Golden Goddesses - The three goddesses who created Hyrule and the Triforce. They include Din, Nayru, and Farore.
Triforce - A relic left behind by the Golden Goddesses (see above) after the creation of Hyrule. It grants the wish of whoever obtains it. There are three pieces of the Triforce, and Link, Zelda, and Ganon all bear one of the pieces (see above).
Non-playable Character (NPC) - A character who is controlled by the game instead of the player.
Save - When used as a verb, it means to back up game data. It allows players to exit the game and resume where they left off later, and can allow players to continue from a certain point after they have failed. When used as a noun, it refers to the point a game is saved at.
Gameplay - The interactive parts (i.e., not relating to story, graphics, etc.) of a game.
Overworld - The primary location the player travels across to reach other locations, usually dungeons or towns. In Majora's Mask, the overworld consists of Termina Field, Southern Swamp, Snowhead Mountains, Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon.
Dungeon/Level - Also known as a temple. self-contained segment of gameplay that must be completed to advance the game. The Zelda series uses dungeons, which differ from levels in that they are seperated by an overworld instead of simply linear. "Temples" is a commonly used term for dungeons in the Zelda series, due to the fact that many of the dungeons are, in fact, actual temples.
Boss - A more difficult enemy, often found at the end of a dungeon. They often must be beaten to advance the plot. Bosses are frequently unique enemies, but there are times when a boss becomes a regular enemy later on. Some series, such as Zelda, will also include "minibosses," more difficult enemies that, while they rarely advance the plot, usually allow you to advance further in the dungeon.
Item - Any obtainable object within the game that has some effect on gameplay, whether large or small.
Sidequest - A story independent from the main storyline of a game that is not required to beat the game but often nets a reward that makes beating the game easier.
Cremia - A farm girl who runs Romani Ranch. She is the older sister of Romani.
Romani - A farm girl named for the ranch her older sister Cremia runs.
The Bombers Secret Society of Justice - A gang of six young boys who attempt to help the people of Clock Town. Also known simply as the Bombers.
Sakon - A thief living in Ikana Canyon who steals several things from characters throughout Majora's Mask.
The Four Giants - Four giant spirits who act as guardians of Termina. The goal of Majora's Mask is primarily to free the four so that they can stop the moon from falling.
The Children of the Moon - Also known as the Moon Children. Five children who appear on the surface of the moon. They wear the masks of Odolwa, Goht, Gyorg, Twinmold, and Majora.
Odolwa - "Masked Jungle Warrior" and boss of Woodfall Temple.
Goht - "Masked Mechanical Monster" and boss of Snowhead Temple.
Gyorg - "Gargantuan Masked Fish" and boss of Great Bay Temple.
Twinmold - "Giant Masked Insect" and boss of Stone Tower Temple. Though the game titles the boss with the singular, Twinmold actually consists of a duo.
Races and Species
Human - A superset of several different races in the Zelda universe that includes Hylians, Gerudo, and most likely Sheikah, a race of ninjas.
Hylians - Not to be confused with Hyruleans, the inhabitants of Hyrule. Hylians are humans with pointed ears who are said to have a certain magical aptitude. Most humans in Termina appear to be Hylians, but since Termina is a parallel world with different history and most characters are recycled models from Ocarina of Time, the exact race of humans in Termina is not currently known.
Gerudo - Dark-skinned, red-haired humans. Most are female, though there are Gerudo males, said to be born every 100 years. They appear in Majora's Mask as a band of pirates.
Zoras - Fishlike humanoid creatures. Live in large bodies of water.
Gorons - Humanoids whose appearance is somewhere between a bear and a stone. They generally dwell in mountainous areas. No known females have appeared in the Zelda series, which could indicate that females either do not exist or are near identical to males in appearance.
Deku Scrubs - most frequently just called Deku. Humanoid creatures that appear to be made of wood and leaf.
Garo - A mysterious race of ninjas from a land outside Termina who were enemies of Ikana Kingdom. Not much is known of these creatures.
Fairy - Magical spirits similar to what we understand fairies to be. Some appear as winged orbs of light, while others appear in either winged or wingless human forms. Often bestow certain magical powers or provide healing. Some (like Navi and Tatl) provide companionship and offer advice.
Enemies
Gibdos - The Zelda equivalent of mummies.
ReDeads - The Zelda equivalent of zombies. Famous for their piercing screams that freeze Link in place and for their grappling method of attacking, which many players have noted looks like some form of rape.
Keese - The Zelda equivalent of bats.
Poes - The Zelda equivalent of ghosts.
Bubbles - Reanimated floating skulls engulfed in a magical fire.
Stal- - A prefix denoting a skeletal enemy; for example, Stalfos, Stalhounds, and Stalchildren.
-fos - a suffix denoting an anthromorphic humanoid; for example, Stalfos, Lizalfos, and Wolfos.
Cuccos - The Zelda equivalent of chickens. While they are normally peaceful, if one is attacked long enough, an unending swarm will come to its aid and attack the aggressor.
Note: I focused primarily on the undead enemies that appear in Ikana canyon in this glossary. While there are many more enemies in Majora's Mask, they are less notable from a story perspective and have more easily understandable names. A full list of enemies from the Zelda universe can be found here, and a list of the enemies in Majora's Mask specifically can be found here.
Locations
Hyrule - The land that most Zelda games take place in and that Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf are from. The very beginning of Majora's Mask takes place in Hyrule.
Termina - A parallel world to Hyrule threatened by a falling moon. The majority of Majora's Mask takes place in Termina.
The Moon - Also known as Majora's Moon. A moon bearing an unhappy-looking face that is about to crash into Termina. It may be sentient, but it may not. While it appears barren outside the face, when Link is taken to the moon near the end of the game, he encounters an open field of grass with a tree in the middle, along with five inhabitants called the Children of the Moon (see above).
Clock Town - A bustling town in the center of Termina. Named for its giant clock tower. This is both where Link first enters Termina and where the moon impacts.
Termina Field - A field that surrounds Clock Town. It connects all the other lands of Termina.
Southern Swamp - A swamp in the South, inhabited primarily by monkeys and Deku. It is plagued by poisonous waters.
Snowhead Mountains - A mountain range in the North, inhabited primarily by Gorons. It is plagued by an unnaturally long and harsh winter.
Great Bay - A bay in the West, inhabited primarily by Zoras. It is plagued by overheated and murky waters.
Ikana Canyon - A desolate land in the East. It was once a great kingdom, but all inhabitants have left or died. Now it is filled primarily with the undead, along with Sakon the thief and the Garo (see both above).
Other Zelda Terms
The Golden Goddesses - The three goddesses who created Hyrule and the Triforce. They include Din, Nayru, and Farore.
Triforce - A relic left behind by the Golden Goddesses (see above) after the creation of Hyrule. It grants the wish of whoever obtains it. There are three pieces of the Triforce, and Link, Zelda, and Ganon all bear one of the pieces (see above).
General Gaming Terms
Non-playable Character (NPC) - A character who is controlled by the game instead of the player.
Save - When used as a verb, it means to back up game data. It allows players to exit the game and resume where they left off later, and can allow players to continue from a certain point after they have failed. When used as a noun, it refers to the point a game is saved at.
Gameplay - The interactive parts (i.e., not relating to story, graphics, etc.) of a game.
Overworld - The primary location the player travels across to reach other locations, usually dungeons or towns. In Majora's Mask, the overworld consists of Termina Field, Southern Swamp, Snowhead Mountains, Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon.
Dungeon/Level - Also known as a temple. self-contained segment of gameplay that must be completed to advance the game. The Zelda series uses dungeons, which differ from levels in that they are seperated by an overworld instead of simply linear. "Temples" is a commonly used term for dungeons in the Zelda series, due to the fact that many of the dungeons are, in fact, actual temples.
Boss - A more difficult enemy, often found at the end of a dungeon. They often must be beaten to advance the plot. Bosses are frequently unique enemies, but there are times when a boss becomes a regular enemy later on. Some series, such as Zelda, will also include "minibosses," more difficult enemies that, while they rarely advance the plot, usually allow you to advance further in the dungeon.
Item - Any obtainable object within the game that has some effect on gameplay, whether large or small.
Sidequest - A story independent from the main storyline of a game that is not required to beat the game but often nets a reward that makes beating the game easier.
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