The previous entries in this series argued that Zonai civilisation began in the Depths, where they helped to keep thedDemon hoard imprisoned. Their civilisation flourished, and they built various temples and structures in the Depths-Surface trade hub of Eldin Volcano/Death Mountain in Skyward Sword. Then Zonai civilisation vanished in a great societal rupture, that also caused their architectural style to change. This will be a relatively short entry focused on the nature of that rupture.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 5

I’ve previously argued that the Zonai built the various Eldin temples of Skyward Sword. The architectural style is different, I admit, but Zonai architecture has changed before. In Tears of the Kingdom, they have multiple different styles. The Eldin temples, moreover, contain a number of Zonai-esc patterns and animal motifs. More tellingly, they also have gigantic Zonai-esc statues. Which was my first clue. Still, in Skyward Sword the Eldin Zonai have, seemingly, disappeared. So, where did they go? Why are the temples inhabited only by Monsters and the treasure-hunting Mogma? Also, why did their aesthetic style change? It seems like the Zonai experienced a great societal rupture at this time. The questions answer themselves, I think. The Eldin Zonai temples were invaded and conquered by the monster hoards of the Demon King Demise.

When the ground tore open, the demons escaped their confinement in the Depths and would have immediately turned their strength against the Zonai. I’ve previously theorised that the gods created the Zonai to be the guardians/jailers of the Depths. During the demon’s escape, any Zonai still living in the Depths would have likely fallen prey to them. Once the demons were free to roam the surface, moreover, the first and greatest threat they faced would be the Zonai civilisation that was flourishing in the Eldin Volcano. The Demon King, Demise, therefore, launched an attack on the Eldin region.

The Eldin Zonai, a powerful group, would have fiercely resisted the invasion, but the Demon hoards could have attacked from multiple directions. Eldin is a natural bridge between the Depths and the Surface. One demon army could attack from the Surface, whilst a second army attacked from the Depths. The Eldin Zonai were overwhelmed and their numbers decimated. The victorious demons then garrisoned the temples with an army of monsters. This process would have also destroyed the Zonai’s aesthetic tradition, as many of their artists and artefacts were lost. The societal rupture, as such, was a cataclysm and a massacre.

The Sheikah crying eye symbol is a partial reference to this event, or at least I’ve decided that it is (which I can do because Nintendo does not care and intended nothing). I’ve always thought that the mining and processing of timeshift stones in the early Lanayru region, and the obvious pollution it caused, was responsible for Demise breaking free. The manipulation of time probably weakened the divine seals that kept the demons within imprisoned. It likely sped up the desertification of the area as well. The mines, moreover, are seemingly related to the Sheikah. Timeshift stones have a natural Sheikah-esc pattern on them, which probably inspired the eventual Sheikah symbol. It seems likely, then, that the Sheikah constructed the mines and the robots. I reckon they serve the goddess Hylia as a form of repentance for the role their mines played in unleashing Demise.

The Zonai also use an eye symbol, for obvious reasons, they actually do have a magic third eye. The Sheikah reason for using an eye symbol is less obvious. The timeshift stone pattern is a clear proto-Sheikah symbol, but it’s not obviously an eye, so why did they adapt it into one? Perhaps, after swearing allegiance to Hylia, the Sheikah redrew the timeshift pattern to look like a crying eye symbol in order to commemorate the decimated Zonai society. A cataclysm that they indirectly contributed to by accidentally releasing Demise and his demon followers. It’s a symbol of remembrance and of the reason for their service to the gods. The eye represents the lost Zonai, and the teardrop represents the Sheikah’s remorse.

Not all the Zonai were killed during the fall of Eldin. A small number escaped, with help from the gods, into the Silent Realm. (The Silent Realm is probably a part of the Sacred Realm that houses the Triforce.) I’ve seen it suggested on Reddit that the Zonai statues in Tears of the Kingdom look like the silent realm Guardians. There is defiantly a resemblance. They’re tall, have gigantic ears and three eyes. Not to mention that the Silent Realm missions involve the collection of tear-shaped gems reminiscent of the Zonai Secret Stones.

Following the fall of Eldin Volcano, I reckon that the surviving Zonai became servants of the Goddess Hylia and were given sanctuary in the Sacred Realm. They were tasked with guarding the Triforce and being the last line of defence should Hylia lose her war with Demise. Eventually, they also helped to test the Goddesses chosen hero, Link, and thereby tempered his spirit enough to use the Triforce. When Demise was defeated by that hero, the remaining Zonai emerged from the Sacred Realm and began to rebuild their civilisation. After Skyward Sword, humanity left Skyloft and returned to the Surface. The Zonai subsequently settled on the abandoned sky islands. They then, presumably, built robots to supplement their small population.

In summary, Demise and his demon hoards attacked and destroyed the Eldin Zonai civilisation. The Sheikah, remorseful for their role in unleashing Demise, modified the timeshift pattern into a crying eye symbol to commemorate this destruction. The remaining Zonai went into the Sacred Realm as servants of Hylia and became guardians of the Triforce. When Demise was defeated, they emerged and began to rebuild their civilisation on the newly vacated sky islands, using robotic stewards to support their depleted numbers. This great societal rupture also caused a dramatic architectural change due to the loss of their aesthetic heritage.

-Dexter