Beautiful. Schemer.
Intelligent. Manipulator.
Regal. Coward.
Midna, the eponymous Princess of Twilight, appears to be many things throughout Link’s journey in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Yet, most of those things are only discovered during Link’s interactions with Midna after she’s been cursed and introduced to him in her impish form. So, let’s take a moment to get to know the real Twilight Princess, Twili Midna.
Let’s be honest though, the Midna that Link gets to know, the Midna that (most) of the player base felt connected to, is Imp Midna. Impish Midna? Midna the Imp? You get the idea.
We, as the player, don’t get to see Midna in her true form until a flashback before Link travels to the Palace of Twilight, when the game is almost over. There we see Zant confront a retreating Midna, just before he strikes her down with the curse.
In her own words, Midna condemns her actions as a ruler, as she abandons her people immediately after her defeat at Zant’s hand. It is here that we are given a glimpse at her growth as a character, as she is able to identify her cowardice.
Ironic then, that she asks to be hidden from her own people as Link infiltrates the Palace of Twilight in order to liberate the Twili. Pride? Yes. Shame? Sure. Regal? Probably not.
Her actions shortly after, though, show us the resilience of the Twili Royal Family, as Midna sacrifices herself in an attempt to save both the world of light and the world of shadow. Through Midna’s selflessness, Link is triumphant and the curse on her is finally lifted.
Here’s where things get fuzzy, though. Did the Light Spirits resurrect Midna and break the curse, or did they simply transport her and then break the curse? Are you confused? Yeah, I’m not sure either.
The trio of Midna, Link, and Zelda make their way back to the Mirror Chamber, where Midna readies the mirror to travel back to the Twilight Realm. Once again, here’s where we have another discrepancy of character. If you, like me, interpreted Midna’s parting words to Link as a sign of affection and have never looked further into it, congratulations. Hold on to your true feelings.
The line reads, and I quote, “Link…I…See you later…” Unfortunately, despite my love of English, her words actually translate from Japanese as, “Link…s…see you.” Granted you could take her stammer as a loss for words, but, Oh! Did you see that? That’s true irony, as she just previously made fun of Link for not having the right words to say. Take that, Alanis Morissette (Please, please, please, let people understand that reference).
With words reminding Link and Zelda that their worlds are forever bound, Midna destroys the Mirror of Twilight and fades into the portal.
And that, canonically, is where Twili Midna’s story ends. A little short isn’t it? But thanks be to The Goddess Collection for anecdotal notes, right?
So, I searched through Hyrule Historia, front to back, for details. What we find regarding the Twili is that they “…choose one from among themselves to inherit the position of leader.” That’s it? OK then, moving on.
Art & Artifacts? Lots of pictures. I guess I should have expected that.
Here’s my last chance, The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia. You could have basically cut and paste it from the Hyrule Historia, as they “…built a leadership structure around those with the strongest magical abilities.”
This. This is why people want a Twilight Princess sequel. There was so much story left to tell. But I digress.
Those of us that had been clamoring for a more in-depth look into the characters and setting of Twilight Princess were granted that request starting in 2016 (in English). Acclaimed mangaka, Akira Himekawa, had begun to work on a manga adaptation around the time of the game’s original release back in 2006. After being shelved for almost a decade, they brought it back. There is some great backstory to Twili Midna’s pre-invasion motivations that I won’t spoil. If you’d like to read reviews of the volumes that have been published so far (in English), the great Jeff Pawlak starts you off here.
I would be remiss not to mention that you can play as Twili Midna in everyone’s favorite power fantasy, Hyrule Warriors. In the original release for Wii U in 2014, she was only available as a playable character through DLC, but she would play a part in Linkle’s tale in the 2016 follow-up Hyrule Warrior: Legends for 3DS and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition for the Switch in 2018.
And that’s it, dear reader! I, for one, am very much looking forward to how Himekawa-Sensei will wrap the tale of Link and Midna, and I am curious how they will interpret that infamous (for me) last line. I mean, come on, a little closure after almost 14 years isn’t too much to ask, right?
