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The Mirror of Twilight,(TP | HW)[1][citation needed] also known as the Cursed Mirror,(TP)[2] the Accursed Mirror,(TP)[3] and the Twilight Mirror,(TP)[4] is a recurring item and object in The Legend of Zelda series.
Location and Uses[]
Twilight Princess[]
The Mirror of Twilight is located in the northern section of the Gerudo Desert in a place aptly known as the Mirror Chamber, which can only be accessed by passing through the Arbiter's Grounds. Prior to the events of Twilight Princess, the Golden Goddesses banished the Twili out of Hyrule and into the Twilight Realm through the Mirror of Twilight for trying to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm in an event known as the Interloper War.[5][6] Although the goddesses forbade the Twili to return to Hyrule, the Mirror of Twilight was left as a potential link between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.[7] The Hyruleans in turn used the mirror as a means to punish the worst criminals in the kingdom: since the mirror was kept in a prison in the Gerudo Desert, the criminals who were sentenced to death were sent away to the Twilight Realm using the power of the Mirror of Twilight.[8][9] This means of punishment was used by the Sages when the execution of Ganondorf went awry.[10] After Ganondorf murdered the Sage of Water, one of the Sages activated the Mirror of Twilight and used it to send Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm. At that point the Sages were instructed by the goddesses to protect the Mirror of Twilight.[11][12]
The Mirror of Twilight activated
The Mirror of Twilight was made so that only the true ruler of the Twilight Realm would be able to completely shatter it.[13] Should a usurper try to destroy the mirror, he would only be able to break it into shards, thus proving their false leadership.
The mirror functions along with a black stone otherwise known as the Portal Stone. The mirror itself acts as a kind of projector that emits light into the Portal Stone, which activates the portal to the Twilight Realm.[14] When a person steps on the plate in front of the Mirror of Twilight, it will create a set of stairways that will allow said person to walk up to the circular platform that will warp them to the Twilight Realm with the help of the light transmitted by the mirror.
The Mirror of Twilight is first mentioned in the game when Link as a wolf takes the gravely injured Midna to Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle. Thinking that she is about to pass away, Midna asks that Princess Zelda tell Link where to find the Mirror of Twilight.[15] Midna, after having been saved by Zelda's powers, asks Link to help her find the Mirror of Twilight upon reaching the Gerudo Desert. She explains that the mirror is their last link to enter the Twilight Realm and defeat Zant. However, once they reach the Mirror Chamber after having defeated Stallord in the Arbiter's Grounds, they find that the Mirror of Twilight and the Portal Stone are nowhere to be found. After riding atop the statue and using the Spinner at the apex of the large structure, the statue itself dips into the sand, raising not only the black stone, but the Mirror of Twilight itself. Midna, however, realizes that only one fourth of the Mirror is intact and it is at this point that the Sages make their appearance and explain that Zant has fragmented the mirror with the help of Ganondorf's "mighty magic", not having been able to completely shatter it due to his false leadership.[16]
Learning that the mirror has been broken in pieces, the pair is unable to enter the Twilight Realm, but the Sages inform them of the location of the remaining three mirror shards: Snowpeak, the Sacred Grove, and the City in the Sky.[17]
The Mirror of Twilight is destroyed
Once Link and Midna succeed in finding the three missing Mirror Shards, they place them in the Mirror of Twilight and transport themselves to the Twilight Realm, where they ultimately defeat Zant. After defeating Ganondorf, Link, Midna and Princess Zelda gather around the Mirror Chamber to bid farewell to the Twilight Princess as she returns to her realm. Midna mentions that as long as the mirror is around, they could always meet again, saying that it was the goddess' "design" that they should meet.[18] However, just as she is about to depart, she sheds a tear and uses it to completely shatter the Mirror of Twilight, thus severing the only known connection between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.[19]
Other Appearances[]
Hyrule Warriors[]
Trivia[]
- According to the original Japanese text,[20] Ganondorf's banishment in the Twilight Realm seems to have been a special case, since there is no mention of the mirror being used in each execution.
- In Breath of the Wild, a shattered stone monument resembling the Mirror of Twilight appears in Palmorae Beach.
Nomenclature[]
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 | German | Schattenspiegel[21] | Shadow Mirror |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
Gallery[]
The front and back of the Mirror of Twilight
The floor plate Link must step on before the Mirror transfers him to the Twilight Realm from Twilight Princess
The Mirror of Twilight from Twilight Princess
The portal to the Palace of Twilight from Twilight Princess
The front of the Mirror of Twilight from Twilight Princess
The backside of the Mirror of Twilight from Twilight Princess
Artwork of the Mirror of Twilight from Hyrule Warriors
Mirror of Twilight from Hyrule Warriors
See Also[]
References
- ↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 155 (TP)
- ↑ "The criminals who were sentenced to death were sent directly to the underworld by a cursed mirror that was kept in the prison..." — Auru (Twilight Princess HD)
- ↑ "It was from them that I first heard tales of the accursed mirror in the Arbiter's Grounds." — Auru (Twilight Princess HD)
- ↑ "Twilight Princess
Ganondorf's execution fails. Breaking free of his chains, Ganondorf kills one of the sages. The others continue to protect the Twilight Mirror." (Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 24) - ↑ "The gods dispatched four Light Spirits, who sealed the usurpers’ magic into Fused Shadows. They then banished the offenders to the Twilight Realm using the Mirror of Twilight, so that they would never be able to return to the Light World. Those who lived in the Twilight came to be known as the Twili." (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 113)
- ↑ "What do you think happened to the magic wielders who tried to rule the Sacred Realm? They were banished. They were chased across the sacred lands of Hyrule and driven into another realm by the goddesses." — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "...But there's another tale told by my people. Though the goddesses forbade us to return to the world of light, they left one link between the light and the darkness. Something called the Mirror of Twilight was passed to the protectors of Hyrule... It's our only path to the Twilight Realm...and we must get there!" — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "The Gerudo Desert once held a prison built to hold the worst criminals this land has ever known... The criminals who were sentenced to death were sent directly to the underworld by a cursed mirror that was kept in the prison..." — Auru (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "A cursed mirror that sends people to another realm... That sounds like the Mirror of Twilight." — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "In all of his fury and might, he was blind to any danger, and thus was he exposed, subdued, and brought to justice. Yet... By some divine prank, he, too, had been blessed with the chosen power of the gods." — Sage (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "At the command of the goddesses, we sages have guarded the Mirror of Twilight since ancient times." — Sage (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "The Ancient Sages performed the execution of Ganondorf in the Arbiter’s Grounds. However, Ganondorf, who had been chosen by the Triforce of Power, did not perish, and managed to kill one of the sages. Thrown into a panic, the remainder of the sages used the Mirror of Twilight to banish Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm. They were then instructed by the gods to protect the mirror." (Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 113)
- ↑ "Only the true ruler of the Twili can destroy the Mirror of Twilight. Zant could only break the Mirror of Twilight into shards... He couldn't utterly shatter it. That's proof of his false kingship." — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "The mirror connecting light and shadow. The light emerging from it opens the way to the Twilight Realm." — Inventory (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "Princess... I have one last request... Can you tell him...where to find the Mirror of Twilight?" — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "You seek it...but the Mirror of Twilight has been fragmented by mighty magic. That magic is a dark power that only he possesses... His name is... Ganondorf." — Sage (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "Only the true leader of the Twili can utterly destroy the Mirror of Twilight...so Zant could merely break it into pieces. Once broken by magic, the Mirror of Twilight became fragments, which even now lie hidden across the land of Hyrule. One is in the snowy mountain heights... One is in an ancient grove... And one is in the heavens..." — Sage (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world... They left it because it was their design that we should meet." — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again..." — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ Translation of Japanese Game Texts, Zelda Legends, published February 23, 2008.
- ↑ "Schattenspiegel" — Smithy (Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition)