Egg hunting is usually a fun activity for us when Easter is involved, but when it comes to Link and his adventures in Termina, it’s a considerably less pleasant affair. The Zora eggs are in serious danger from the mysterious rise in the ocean’s temperature, and it’s up to Link to brave the depths of the Deep Pythons and infiltrate the Pirates’ Fortress in order to collect all seven of them. And to think, he won’t even get a chocolatey reward at the end.
Link does get to witness the hatching of the Zora eggs, though, and the adorable little creatures even teach him a new song. It’s not only musical talent that embodies Lulu’s precious babies, however, as the hatchlings also represent a clever piece of Japanese wordplay.
After Link has collected all seven of the lost Zora eggs, he can return them to safety by bringing them to the Marine Research Laboratory, where a specially prepared tank awaits them. As the eggs are dropped and reunited, tadpole-like baby Zoras emerge which resemble musical notes, showing Link how to perform the “New Wave Bossa Nova.”
There is more to this sequence than simply helping Link on his quest to save the world — there is also a visual pun! The concept of the Zora hatchlings appears to be based on the Japanese word おたまじゃくし (Otamajakushi), which can mean either “tadpole” or “musical note.”
This isn’t the first time Nintendo used this particular bit of wordplay in its games, either. In the 1996 SNES title Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, when Mario reaches Melody Bay, he meets a famous composer called Toadofsky. Toadofsky is struggling to create his next symphony, and it’s up to Mario to serve him some inspiration. Mario can leap on the tadpoles in Tadpole Pond to play melodies for Toadofsky.
As a fun side-note, it’s actually possible to sell the Zora eggs at the Curiosity Shop for 20 rupees a pop. This, of course, would mean that Link can’t learn the “New Wave Bossa Nova,” restore Lulu’s voice, awaken the Giant Turtle, enter the Great Bay Temple, acquire Gyorg’s Remains, free the third Giant, and stop the moon from obliterating all of Termina. Still, 140 rupees could buy a decent meal before the end of the third day.
Have a happy Easter!
Be sure to check out the rest of our articles from Majora’s Month, our month-long celebration of Majora’s Mask’s 20th anniversary!
