I have always treasured Majora’s Mask for its deeply emotional story and well-written characters, but when it comes to the land of Termina, I have to admit that it’s one of the dreariest overworlds I’ve ever encountered. Not only is the landscape itself awash in dull earth tones to match the dark tone of the game, but each of the five regions has a uniquely eerie atmosphere to match the problems that its denizens face. I can almost smell the toxic fumes as I trudge through the muck and mire of Woodfall or feel the ancient walls shudder around me as I explore Ikana Castle. No corner of the land can seem to escape the pall of gloom that the Majora’s Mask has cast over it.
But if I had to choose the one region I find to be the bleakest of all, it would have to be Snowhead. Thanks to a powerful, never-ending blizzard blowing down from Snowhead Mountain, this cursed land is slowly being consumed by snow and ice. Everything in sight is obscured by a haze of white and gray as the bitter cold seems to choke the very life out of the air. Since almost all of the resident Gorons are taking refuge in their shrine, the landscape is mostly empty, adding a layer of lonely despair atop the thick blanket of snow. And to top it all off, Snowhead is where we meet the ghost of Darmani, the first confirmed casualty of Majora’s reign of terror. I think few can forget that initial feeling of powerlessness and guilt, knowing that turning back time won’t be able to reverse this particular tragedy.
The Gorons themselves can’t pause to contemplate this terrible situation they’re in, however, as their eardrums are actively being shattered by the wailing cries of their patriarch’s infant son. Being just a baby, this poor boy doesn’t understand why his father has been gone for so long, and all he wants is for someone to comfort him as the storm continues raging outside. Unfortunately, though, the lack of heat in the Goron Shrine and the baby’s incessant screaming have left the other Gorons irritated and weary, with little to offer the lonely child. So it looks like there’s only one solution to this problem: find the boy’s missing father and convince him to come back home.
Thus unfolds one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the entire game. We find the Goron Elder in a less favorable condition than we had hoped for, frozen solid in a block of ice near the Twin Islands. Melting the ice with hot spring water will bring the elderly gentleman back to life, though the frigid climate has weakened him so badly that he can hardly stand upright on his own two feet. His whole body trembling, the elder is initially dismayed by the apparition of Darmani standing before him but then expresses deep sorrow when he finds out how much his son misses him.
But instead of agreeing to return to the shrine, he doubles down on his commitment to finding out what’s causing the mysterious storm. The old man then implores us to go in his stead and soothe his son to sleep with a lullaby, but, sadly, the cold has left him too disoriented to remember more than the first few notes of the song.
Thankfully, this is when things start to take a turn for the better. When Goron Link plays the incomplete lullaby to the Goron Baby, the child immediately stops crying and volunteers to sing the rest of the song for us. And now we finally get a chance to listen to the beautiful and poignant “Goron Lullaby.”
The composition of the song is relatively simple, consisting of only five instruments: ocarina, guitar, strings, drums, and the Goron baby’s own voice. The ocarina carries the main tune, its melancholic notes gently cradling us like the rising and falling waves in an ocean. The drums and guitar lend dimension to the music while also giving the piece an intensely personal feel as every plucked string and every soft beat of the drum radiates with warmth and fatherly love. During the second loop of the main melody, the baby’s singing replaces the ocarina as the driving force, but as the song winds down, his voice fades away into a dreamy haze of sleep. And finally, the strings track helps glue it all together into one smooth, cohesive piece that can evoke tears from even the iciest of souls.
Even though the Goron Lullaby only lasts for 28 seconds, it has an undeniably powerful impact on the game going forward. From the moment that the elder’s son is soothed into quiet slumber by his father’s song, the entire landscape of Snowhead seems to undergo a shift. The torches can now be lit in the Goron Shrine, the starving Goron in the Mountain Village can now be given a hearty meal, and the once-perilous trek up the mountain no longer feels insurmountable. Though the storm still rages outside, hearts once frozen are beginning to thaw, and a warm ray of hope is cutting through the frigid air.
It’s still a long road ahead for us to free this land from its wretched curse, but the song symbolizing the love between father and son has heralded the end of the dark winter. So now we may bravely continue on, buoyed by the promise of a joyous spring.
