So, as I was reading The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy, specifically the essay that discussed the fans' debate over the timeline, I was reminded of the fact that the Koroks wanted to unite the islands by planting trees across the Great Sea. That's all well and good, except for one small detail: trees need earth to root in so they don't wash or blow away. How did the Koroks plan on planting trees in water? Let alone salt water, which I don't think trees can even grow in. Wouldn't Valoo be better suited for the unification of the islands into one landmass, as he is associated with a volcano, which can create new islands by letting the water solidify the lava as the two meet?
Well...firstly, they weren't trying to unify the islands through planting trees. They wanted to extend the forests. They fear that "something terrible" will happen if they don't, which is why the seed-making ceremony was so important and Link had to get Makar back to have it resume. Apparently, the Great Deku Tree is tied to the growth of forests or something.
Also, this may sound a little strange, but I don't think the water's salty. (I know it's called a "sea" and all, which implies salt water by definition, but bear with me.) If I recall correctly, if you use an empty bottle on an island shore, you get water just as if you were to do it in a stream or in a pond. Plus, the Great Sea was formed by rain, so maybe, if there weren't sufficient salt deposits...
EDIT: Wow. I guess I missed that detail on my last playthrough. Man, I'm a moron. :P
I guess it is a little odd that forests would cause islands to grow, but this is the Great Deku Tree we're talking about--the spirit of the earth, as the King of Red Lions said. There's something special about those seeds, it seems...
Quote from: Hi no Seijin on July 31, 2010, 09:33:56 PM
So, as I was reading The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy, specifically the essay that discussed the fans' debate over the timeline, I was reminded of the fact that the Koroks wanted to unite the islands by planting trees across the Great Sea. That's all well and good, except for one small detail: trees need earth to root in so they don't wash or blow away. How did the Koroks plan on planting trees in water? Let alone salt water, which I don't think trees can even grow in. Wouldn't Valoo be better suited for the unification of the islands into one landmass, as he is associated with a volcano, which can create new islands by letting the water solidify the lava as the two meet?
This is a fantasy world, they might as well be able to.
Quote from: Whocares on July 31, 2010, 10:22:01 PM
Quote from: Hi no Seijin on July 31, 2010, 09:33:56 PM
So, as I was reading The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy, specifically the essay that discussed the fans' debate over the timeline, I was reminded of the fact that the Koroks wanted to unite the islands by planting trees across the Great Sea. That's all well and good, except for one small detail: trees need earth to root in so they don't wash or blow away. How did the Koroks plan on planting trees in water? Let alone salt water, which I don't think trees can even grow in. Wouldn't Valoo be better suited for the unification of the islands into one landmass, as he is associated with a volcano, which can create new islands by letting the water solidify the lava as the two meet?
This is a fantasy world, they might as well be able to.
A Wizard Did It? (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWizardDidIt)
Quote from: Whocares on July 31, 2010, 10:22:01 PM
Quote from: Hi no Seijin on July 31, 2010, 09:33:56 PM
Let alone salt water, which I don't think trees can even grow in.
This is a fantasy world, they might as well be able to.
For some strange reason, I always forget about that; I'm usually trying to make my worlds as realistic as possible despite the fantasy genre.
Quote from: ŒÃ‰Í on August 01, 2010, 05:18:53 PMA Wizard Did It? (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWizardDidIt)
Bah, that's the lazy/last resort approach. Or at least for me it is.
Quote from: MagmarFire on July 31, 2010, 10:13:56 PM
Also, this may sound a little strange, but I don't think the water's salty. (I know it's called a "sea" and all, which implies salt water by definition, but bear with me.) If I recall correctly, if you use an empty bottle on an island shore, you get water just as if you were to do it in a stream or in a pond. Plus, the Great Sea was formed by rain, so maybe, if there weren't sufficient salt deposits...
For such an important plot point, I keep on forgetting that the Great Ocean was caused by a flood.
Quote from: MagmarFire on July 31, 2010, 10:13:56 PM
Well...firstly, they weren't trying to unify the islands through planting trees. They wanted to extend the forests. They fear that "something terrible" will happen if they don't, which is why the seed-making ceremony was so important and Link had to get Makar back to have it resume. Apparently, the Great Deku Tree is tied to the growth of forests or something.
EDIT: Wow. I guess I missed that detail on my last playthrough. Man, I'm a moron. :P
I guess it is a little odd that forests would cause islands to grow, but this is the Great Deku Tree we're talking about--the spirit of the earth, as the King of Red Lions said. There's something special about those seeds, it seems...
Probably should have finished playing the game first before starting this topic, but meh, oh well; I already know the plot, and I don't have the game anyway, so....Yeah, I guess I'm still used to treating Forest as a base element in my system of magic, but I shouldn't be applying my rules to the game anyway. But now that I think about it, if the magic system in Zelda was to match my own current one, at least the combination of Water, Air, and Earth would be correct, what with the Great Deku Tree being a spirit of earth. But still, I'd think Valoo would have to be involved at some point; I just think that if he sits on the mouth of a volcano, he'd have some control over it.
Speaking of the Great Deku Tree, I can't remember if this was ever discussed here, but how did he get up on to a mountain? The last time I checked, Kokiri Forest wasn't a low land area, not mountains.
I was wondering the same thing just the other day, actually. XD
It could be possible that the elevation changed gradually over time so that by the time the flood did happen, it wouldn't have been able to reach that high. Or it could be possible that the Great Deku Tree is an Earthbender. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWizardDidIt)
Maybe while he was a sprout, he climbed onto the dead Great Deku Tree, waited for him to fossilize, and then did his Earthbending voodoo to turn it into a mountain.
Come to think of it, isn't the Forest Haven inside a tree trunk? That might not be too farfetched. :P