In Zelda games there are ghosts and redeads, which have supposedly died and are in some kind or undead state.

redeads still have their bodies, while poes do not.

I have wondered what happens to people who die in Zelda games and have thought up this theory, it is 
based off of information from many Zelda games.

In Ocarina of Time the ghost shop owner tells use that poes are concentrated forms of hatred.

     "they hate the world!"

They can also be drank to replenish (or lose) health.

So . . .                                                                      



. . . awkward.

However, when you defeat Flat the younger, or Sharp the elder, they don't appear to be full of hate.
They even remark of their finest work- the suns song.

In many Zelda games ghost have told Link about their pasts, so they are the spirits of once alive people.

Do you remeber at the end of Majora's Mask, how once the happy Mask sales man got Majora's Mask
He just suddenly disappeared? I have heard this theory:


There is a heaven in the Zelda world, but to get there you can't have caused a bunch of trouble and then die.
If you caused a great problem, but wasn't a bad person you could still get to heaven, but you had to make up for it.
The Happy Mask Salesman had let the evil Majora's Mask fall into the wrong hands. Now it was being used to 
cause terror in the land of Termina. They also say that it is possible that Skull kid killed the Mask Salesman!
That could be why He has these awkward sudden movements and why he stays under the clock tower.

To pass into the next world, the has to set things right.

So, when He sees Link and his tremendous courage, he helps Link out. But in return Link must get  Majora's Mask back.

Once he has Majora's Mask back teleports away. Who knows where he is now.

But I think he went on to a better world. Elzo make a joking remark about going to Heaven in the Minish cap.

I think that some people (like Hero's shade) decided to stay in Hyrule to help others and postpone their voyage.


That is my theory.

Summoning those who might be interested:

ender44 :
Eirinn :
Darkpower508 :
orionoxgibsonford:
bombchulink:

Very Nice.
Good Read for just getting off my shift.
I am of the notion that originally the "ghosts" and undead "Gibdoes" from the first game had different back stories that might have been scrapped to keep everything "kid friendly".
I think the Zelda games were a way to explore not just one myth or two (Like King Aurthour, Or Theasus) But all of the myths. So, they might have decided to create a mixture of religions to accomodate. I have no idea.

But there are clues...

"Twinrova" from O.O.T. (the twin witches).

Both those twin witches went to heaven after you defeat them.
This might have occurred due to their alternate form. When Joined together they might be able to disguise their misdeeds from their deity's watch or awareness. (At least that's what I guess.)(They do squabble and give the impression that they are still going to get judged witch could leave any fate for the dead open for all kinds of fun.)

Then there is Link, Zelda, and Gannon.
Constantly reborn again and again to eternally fight.
What is the one task that Link got right in the First Game that ended the cycle?
Anyway..
I'm tired. I think I'll get some rest. Thanks for the chance to scratch my Zelda Itch for a day. (I have a thing for Blonds.)

Your tale was fun and I think it clears up quite a bit.
Thanks.
Good Luck.

Good Luck To All.
I'm done. Stick a fork in me.
Peace.

Well this is a very interesting question. I'm surprised that I've never thought of this before. I do think you could be onto something with your theory, and you seem to have put a lot of thought into it.

Here is a possibility (though I can't vouch for the credibility of it, because I've not played many Zelda games yet, as they weren't accessible to me until I found Vizzed, and I cooked this up in about....five seconds lol): The good perhaps go to a heaven of sorts, while the bad simply roam the world (poes) as a sort of punishment (eternally wandering, never resting, would create a perpetual feeling of being lost), and the completely evil would be banished to another dimension (such as Ganondorf in Twilight Princess). The reason I say this is because at the beginning of TP, it is said that the reason you sometimes feel saddened at dusk is because that is when "their world" (twilight realm) intersects with ours. The Twilight realm is thought to be a place of sadness and sorrow, though Midna painted it to be a better place than they thought.

Just an idea. A place of eternal darkness, where a monster like ganondorf would be banished to? Sounds like a viable possibility to me. But this is all based on TP. Please, feel free to point out any flaws in this idea, as I'm curious about this.

That's not too bad of a theory. It could be quite possible. I have never heard of of involving a Hyrule Heaven before (has a nice ring to it, actually). This might not be one that I agree entirely of, though. Regarding the theory you read on the Happy Mask Salesmen, you have to consider that the time line for the entire series is complex and open to much debate. One theory that has been going around for MM is that the land of Termina is in fact the figment of Link's imagination, one that he has created in his own head in order to become a man. I won't go into detail of this because it's hugely irrelevant to this theory, but if it's true that the HMS was using Link to help him "move on", then what importance's does the story imply to the whole game?

My....how off track was I? In terms of the theory in general, the afterlife isn't really explained much head on. What you have said is pretty much on the ball. Maybe a poe can come to realisation, before it can truly rest? I dunno, I'm not much of a theorist. I can only speculate that poes and redeads are the equivalent of ghosts and zombies respectfully, that a ghost is a wandering soul (much like you said) that cannot rest and seeks to torture the living. Maybe you can make it rest by....oh wait!

In Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, you collect poes in bottles and sell them to merchants. What's up with that? Link is literally sellling souls for some rupees in this sense. That's kinda messed up. Do those souls ever rest? Used in dark magic? What if these are used to animate the bodies of redeads? Redeads could be soulless bodies where the soul (poe) has left them, they might be one of the same, only in different bodies?

This certainly is very entertaining to toss over in my head. As for a place of resting, I can't be entirely sure or certain of. Maybe it's a little like in FF VII, where everything returns to the life stream, that of which creates all life? Probably not : P

Sword legion : You know what, that sounds cool. And the skull kid could have easily killed the mask salesman. But I hate it when people base theories on him "disappearing". My theory is that Nintendo just didn't want to show him walking for the whole shot, so they cut him out.

orionfoxgibson :
Darkpower508 :
Eirinn :
ender44 :

What Eirinn said sums it up pretty well actually.
I agree thar  Nintendo might have decided to skip programming all of the HMS's movements.
It's a possibility.

I'm not to sure about the HMS being dead myself actually.

orion, I misspelled your username big time!