Discussion WMG / TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess

The Skull Kid in Twilight Princess Is Actually The Hero of Time

It sounds a bit radical at first, but lets observe the following details. Firstly, he knows and plays Saria's song. This is nothing special, as Saria herself knows the song, as well as the Skull Kid that you befriend in both Oo T/MM and several other Kokiri and Skull Kids. What is intriguing, however is he knows Zelda's Lullaby as well, as he appears almost immediately after you play the song on the howling stone in the Sacred Grove. It's also the only howling stone that doesn't summon the Hero's Shade, and The Hero of Time was one of the few 'commoners' that had the privilege knowing and learning Zelda's Lullaby. What's more interesting, is that this particular howling stone's design differs from the others; it does not have a Sheikah eye, a Triforce marking carved into it, with some very faint, scratchy depictions of Oo T's Spirituals stones etched into each Triforce Piece.

Secondly, we are led to believe that he is just playing dangerous games of hide and seek with us; that we're simply 'rewarded' to enter the Temple of Time or the Master Sword's resting place. However, if you chat with Midna during your search, she makes it clear that he's not "playing" with you, but that he's actually trying to lead you somewhere. Further implying that he's actually guarding the ruins to the Temple of TIME, as well as the Master Sword ; testing your strength and wit to see if you are worthy of becoming the next Hero in line.

Now, take look at his character design. He's very different from the skull kids seen in Oo T and MM; having a body made of flesh and bone rather then wood and straw, further implying that this Skull Kid is "different" from the others. He also has Hylian ears, and on those ears, are a double pair of blue earrings - an accessory that's often associated with Link - the Hero of Time in particular. The base of his straw hat is long and an cylinder-shaped: much like Link's, but with a curve at the end of it's tip. The size and shape of the leaf on his back share's similar proportions to the Hylian and Hero's Sheilds that Link carried when he's a child in Oo T. His lantern emits an eerie glow that's reminiscent to Navi's faded blue color. And lastly, he carries and plays his trumpet in his LEFT hand, it's notes and pitch sounding exactly like the Awakening Pipes that Link used in his Deku Scrub form in MM.

Oo T heavily implies that people who become Lost in The Lost Woods eventually turn into monsters. A Kokiri girl known as Fado says that adults turn into Stalfos,claiming that she had seen Grog transform into one during the Biggoron Quest. The Potion Shop Keeper who tries to save Grog comments that "potions will not work on monsters." A gossip stone implies that non-fairy folk (non-Kokiri) turn into monsters. Navi states that children who become lost in the woods eventually turn into Skull Kids.

At the end of MM, we see Link - who is a child at this point in time - return to The Lost Woods after saving Termina. He is without a fairy and his existence fades into complete obscurity; never to be heard of again. Is it possible that, The Hero's Shade was actually a red herring, and that he in fact became a Skull Kid, who felt obliged to guard the Master Sword for the remainder of his now-immortal existence? After all, it seems strange for a skull kid - of all things - to protect such an important place, let alone have some sort of connection with The Royal Family of Hyrule...