The Temples

[Shank]

Okay, my main question here is: Where did they come from?

I'm sure there are some answers throughout the games hinting at where some of them came from, and we know the Arbiter's Grounds used to be a prison if I'm not mistaken. But what about those that are actual temples? Focusing on just Ocarina of Time here, because it's easier to work with just one game, there's a Forest, Fire, Water, Spirit, and Shadow Temple. And that's ignoring the Temple of Time.

I would imagine that the name "Temple" was no accident. These could likely have been places of worship some time ago. The obvious one is the Spirit Temple, where the giant statue of a goddess sleeps in its deepest chambers.

Keep in mind as you read these little thoughts that it's been awhile since I've educated myself on some of these.

The Fire Temple could have been built by the Gorons to honor the Goron that defeated Volvagia with the Megaton Hammer. But it's so large that it must have had other purposes as well. Perhaps housing the Megaton Hammer was only secondary to its true purpose. Or maybe Volvagia used to be their peaceful protector and it was actually a shrine to him/her.

The Forest Temple has a very old mansion-like feel to it. It could have simply been the home of the Poe Sisters. But that leaves you wondering why they started calling it a temple.

The Water Temple is a tricky one. It seems to serve very little purpose to anything, until you consider the one room with the platforms moving up and down. Is the Water Temple some sort of ancient hydroelectric power plant? Skyward Sword already made it clear that there was a highly advanced ancient civilization that could build freaking robots, so I wouldn't put it past them. But I also suspect that the Water Temple used to originally be above ground.

The Spirit Temple, as I already said, was clearly an actual place of worship for the Gerudo. I wouldn't be surprised if the desert used to not be so vast and the Spirit Temple was a palace to the ruling powers of the Gerudo. I mean, Gerudo Fortress is rather makeshift when you really look at it.

The Shadow Temple...??? Seriously, I dunno. What the hell, Nintendo, you've stumped me. I mean that hellish boat ride... the giant bongo... the invisible walls... Could this have been a training grounds for the Sheikah? The Lens of Truth does indeed have their symbol on it, and this appears to be the most integral item used in this temple. That's really the only idea I can honestly come up for this.

I don't believe OoT's Temple of Time is the original. In fact, it's clearly not. It's probably the third or fourth one built. The one in Skyward Sword (oh wait, there were two) was already crumbling and in a state of disrepair by the time Link found it. Also, the presence of the Sages' seals (the medallions) in OoT's ToT indicates that this was a more recent building, as none of those existed before.

Like I said, this is all just looking at only OoT. You could probably point out how some of the dungeons throughout the series have similar themes but are in different locations. I'd say that they only moved because it's a video game series... They have to write the story and quests around the world they created, and it would be boring having to do the same levels and such through multiple games in a series.

These ideas have been bouncing around in my head at work lately... I get a lot of downtime. So I just wanted to share my thoughts. Add yours and criticize mine at will. And feel free to venture outside of Ocarina of Time's temples. I only did this to help focus my ideas better.

[Link8150]

Maybe the Poe Sisters worshiped the Goddesses in the Forest Temple before the died, and based on the traps in the Fire Temple (The boulders and fire walls) maybe the Fire Temple was also used to protect the Megaton Hammer itself, and only allow those worthy to claim it. I don't have much to say about the Water Temple, but as for the Shadow Temple, maybe it was a place of worship for necromancers, a Shekiah training ground like you said, or just a place to contain angry or lost souls. The Spirit Temple explanation you mentioned is one of the most reasonable ideas I can think of.

[Diablo]

Well in my opinion the shadow temple was a Sheikah training ground. With the term Shadow referring to stealth and deception than death and darkness. It could have been the place where Sheikah had to traverse through in order to be officially indoctrinated into the Sheikah clan.

[Skalla]

The Forest Temple doesn't appear to fit the temple archetype much at all, and neither does the Shadow Temple. The rest seem relatively straightforward - they either protect a great treasure or they're monuments to some kind of great being. The Forest Temple is just a mansion - no Temple at all. It seems like a misnomer, or, more likely, just an effort to keep all of the names consistent. So with that in mind, I don't think all of the dungeons dubbed "temples" necessarily have to be worshiping any particular being. They could just be big buildings with lots of traps.

I think your interpretations for the temples in OoT are pretty spot-on, especially the Sheikah training ground idea for the Shadow Temple. The Sheikah are obviously very skilled warriors, so a rigorous test would have to be required to separate the men from the boys so to speak. Doesn't that technically make Link a Sheikah?

[SpaghettiWeegee]

Doesn't that technically make Link a Sheikah?

Funny story about that. In the Ocarina of Time manga, Link actually gets inducted into the Sheikah clan as an honorary member (That's where he gets his ears pierced). Of course, in the manga, it's after defeating Dark Link, not clearing the Shadow Temple. XD

Though, in a sense, all temples are big buildings with lots of traps. Which leads you to question whether or not the word "temple" should even be used to describe any of them. The Spirit Temple, for example, seems more like a tomb. The Forest Temple seems more like a mansion. In that sense, it makes sense that these places would have traps-- as a security system.

[Emhave]

In addition to honor him, perhaps the Fire Temple was built by the Gorons as a grave for the Goron that defeated Volvagia, and that they buried him alongside the Megaton Hammer? It's kind of like viking warriors were buried together with their weapons, and sometimes also their ships. This also explains why the Megaton Hammer is found in the Fire Temple in the first place.

As we all know, a male Gerudo is born once every hundred years, and when he is, he immediately becomes their king. Was the Spirit Temple built by the Gerudo one hundred years ago to honor their previous king? Was he even buried there? This makes sense if we think of it being a tomb like Garrett said. And that Poe that guides you through Gerudo Desert, could that have been the king? =O

Perhaps Morpha created the Water Temple by tearing out walls and corridors with its water for thousands of years? If so, it must have been a reason for it, most likely being it creating a home.

It makes 100% sense to call the Forest Temple a mansion. Not only does it look like one, but there are also poes haunting it, making an accurate image of what an old and scary mansion is like. The question is just, who built this mansion? Was it the Poe Sisters back during the days when they were still alive? Did they live here?

I definitely agree that the Shadow Temple must have been a training ground for the Sheikah. They were fine warriors, and they must have had a place like this to become just that. This brings up another question... If the Gerudo weren't around anymore, like the Sheikah, would the Gerudo Training Grounds have become a Temple as well?

[IamTheFusedShadows]

Perhaps Morpha created the Water Temple by tearing out walls and corridors with its water for thousands of years? If so, it must have been a reason for it, most likely being it creating a home.

I find this unlikely, as you can see very clearly bricks and ornamental designs that could have only been created by intelligent life, such as the Zora. It was definitely used for something, and Morpha was only a temporary resident at the time Link stepped foot inside of the water temple, so that rules out the possibility of Morpha having built it using erosion.

[Emhave]

I find this unlikely, as you can see very clearly bricks and ornamental designs that could have only been created by intelligent life, such as the Zora. It was definitely used for something, and Morpha was only a temporary resident at the time Link stepped foot inside of the water temple, so that rules out the possibility of Morpha having built it using erosion.

So say the Zora managed to lock Morpha inside the boss room hundreds of years ago, which is where Link ends up finding him. After that, the Zora made the result of thousand's of years of excavation their new home, baptized it "The Water Temple", but left once they discovered Zora's Domain.

But hey, to be perfectly honest, I didn't really know about what to say about the Water Temple. XD It's just that I had already come up with theories for the four other temples, so I felt like I needed one for the Water Temple as well.

[IamTheFusedShadows]

So say the Zora managed to lock Morpha inside the boss room hundreds of years ago, which is where Link ends up finding him. After that, the Zora made the result of thousand's of years of excavation their new home, baptized it "The Water Temple", but left once they discovered Zora's Domain.

But hey, to be perfectly honest, I didn't really know about what to say about the Water Temple. XD It's just that I had already come up with theories for the four other temples, so I felt like I needed one for the Water Temple as well.

The water temple /does/ remind me somewhat of a dwelling place, so your theory may be partially correct. Perhaps it used to be a city at some point in the past? I have no idea, it's a bit difficult to place, as it doesn't seem as if it serves any purpose at all.

[Skalla]

Considering the strict control on water levels, I agree with Emhave - the temple could have been built to contain Morpha. I mean, it's a creature that looks exactly like water. He must be kept somewhere where he can't get out into the Lake. Maybe it was intended to stay above ground, but, as was mentioned before, the Temple sank to the bottom of the Lake.

Or maybe Morpha just dropped in once it was already built and sunk it to the ground. Maybe the act of sinking destroyed all of the evidence that pointed to the purpose of the temple.

[IamTheFusedShadows]

Considering the strict control on water levels, I agree with Emhave - the temple could have been built to contain Morpha. I mean, it's a creature that looks exactly like water. He must be kept somewhere where he can't get out into the Lake. Maybe it was intended to stay above ground, but, as was mentioned before, the Temple sank to the bottom of the Lake.

Or maybe Morpha just dropped in once it was already built and sunk it to the ground. Maybe the act of sinking destroyed all of the evidence that pointed to the purpose of the temple.

Once you defeat Morpha, the water returns to the lake rendered dry by Ganondorf. I take this as a sign that Morpha was only a temporary resident, and therefore the Water Temple could not have been built to house him/her/it.