The Ghost Ship Mystery - Zelda Theory

When night falls on The Wind Waker's Great Sea, the Ghost Ship sets sail. What is this phantom vessel? Who were its crew, and why does it linger on? Let's examine the mystery of the Ghost Ship.

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[tko]

I'd imagine Ganondorf, after claiming Forsaken Fortress, would send the Gerudo pirates out to sea searching for the triforce. All would fail and die at sea. All but one. One Gerudo crew may have found the triforce shard, but died either due to misfortune or divine intervention on their way to Ganondorf. The shard of the triforce of courage would then curse the ship to forever haunt the seas until one who was worthy of its power would collect it.

[TheRealNorth]

A single pirate ship seems a strange place to hide one of the pieces of the triforce of courage, it would make much more sense if its original resting place was the Forsaken Fortress. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Ganondorf takes control of it in the first place, because he heard there was a Triforce piece resting there. The Ghost Ship was just the final contingent of surviving pirates fleeing while taking their greatest treasure with them.

And if those pirates were Gerudo as you mentioned, it would make the name “Forsaken Fortress” make sooo much more sense. Ganondorf massacring the last of his own race thereby “forsaking” them all for the Triforce.

[Romalac]

This is a compelling theory, particularly given the figurehead.

My personal headcanon for a long time, though, is that the Ghost Ship was a Sheikah vessel. The broken ship that serves as Ganondorf's keep in the Fortress has Sheikah eyes on either side of the door leading into his throne room, so the Ghost Ship may well be the ghost _of_ that very ship. The Sheikah have associations with the dead (see the Graveyard in OoT they watch over and the Shadow Temple it contains), and as the loyal servants of the Royal Family, it makes sense for them to be guarding a Triforce Chart/Shard, and continue guarding it even in death. Once their duty is fulfilled when the new Hero has the Chart/Shard, they have no reason to linger and the Ship disappears.

[captain_toast]

After you mentioned Ganondorf possibly killing his people to take the Forsaken Fortress, it made me think that maybe all of the souls on the ship are the murdered Gerudo awaiting their revenge on Ganondorf too. They may have been holding onto the triforce shard as a way to draw the only one who could help them, Link.

[SirLizalfos]

This is one of many reasons that Zelda's games are so unique. They're detailed not only in the game, but in story and mystery even if scarcely any players will ever discovery these mysteries and what they hold. A true way to make a good game is to make it with insight and lore for players to explore. Amazing video Zeltik! I like how you asked whether this was reality or a hallucination, a good question.

[LovelightTao]

I also like the idea that it was a group of Gerudo trying to survive the flood and protect the triforce of the hero until he returned. That crew eventually died and their spirits lingered until the hero came to retrieve his treasure. Monsters being on board also makes sense since Ganon is also searching for it.

[AnchorCrab]

I'm convinced that the Ghost Ship is one of the two planned full-length dungeons that got scrapped for time in Wind Waker's development. Around the time Wind Waker HD was released, an interviewer asked Aonuma if they were going to include the scrapped dungeons in the HD remake and he told them no, on the basis that the concepts for those dungeons have been used in other Zelda games since then. Between Phantom Hourglass's ghost ship and Skyward Sword's sandship dungeons, I think it's safe to say that the Zelda team had been wanting to make a dungeon aboard a ship but didn't have the opportunity to do so in Wind Waker.

[ericpeterson]

"David Jr.'s father" too bad we don't know that guy's name :/ If only there were some kind of hint...

[Yamartim]

Omg that's so cool i never thought of making the connection with the gerudo, by that logic the painting at 3:22 could be a ghostly version of the smiling suns that act as light activated switches in the spirit temple!

[jevilcore]

The Gerudo, in my mind, were eradicated by the Goddess in The Wind Waker as a “nuclear” option. If the Gerudo are no longer around, Ganondorf cannot be reborn. However, this was fruitless, because Demise’s curse still lived on. Bellum from Phantom Hourglass, and Malladus from Spirit Tracks. All three of these games exclude the Gerudo from their world.

[julietlfira]

Considering Wind Waker takes place in the Adult Timeline; Link had befriended the Geurudo and Nabooru led the geurudo over Ganondorf. I would think its more likely that; yes they probably were pirates, and maybe they did steal the triforce stuff/ or they were given it. Regardless of how they came to be in possession of it- I believe its very possible that; given their friendly relation to adult link, and their disdain for ganondorf in that timeline, they probably were protecting it until Link could come along and retrieve it. That maybe they stole it from ganon, or did what they could to keep it from ganon. It could be directly tied with how Ganon even came to be released. Considering its similarity between the cursed Greatfish Isle and the ship- both sporting the same storm; its likely the ghost ship was made by ganon thinking he killed them- but they lived on to fulfill their duty or "unfinished business". this would tie in well with the fact that the cry of pain at the end is a sped up version of jabun- which also directly correlates to greatfish isle.

let me know what you think of this!

[tristanwinkworth]

Between the name "David Jr." and the River of Souls on board, I feel there is a strong influence from Davy Jones and The Flying Dutchman.

I love this theory and channel! Keep up the good work!

[skyholmes]

I personally find it more likely that the ghost ship is a remnant of the Hyrulean navy, thus their final voyage and mission was to protect a piece of the triforce. A mission they continue in death until Link, rightful owner of the triforce of courage, recovers it

[davisbowe]

Considering that we know that there was a crapload of content that was cut from Wind Waker, it wouldn't surprise me if the Gerudo were initially planned to occupy the Forsaken Fortress as a rival pirate gang to Tetra's crew. The ship model could've initially been a Gerudo pirate ship, hence the Egyptian themed figurehead, and was later repurposed into the Ghost Ship after the Gerudo were cut. Obviously this is all speculation and based off nothing, but it does seem odd that the Gerudo don't appear in the game at all considering that, with the existence of pirates, they would've been perfect for it.

[NolanatorGamer]

I am so fascinated in Zelda lore for some reason. Once I watch one, I just keep going 😅

[patrick]

Oh yes, 11:00pm, can't sleep, new Zeltik drops, Ghost Ship.

First time I saw it as a kid I froze

[Joshi_the_Yoshi]

As a kid, the ghost ship was the most terrifying thing in my life. To this day I still feel the same kind of chill whenever I see it despite not sailing away from it at least until I had the chart like I use to. Maybe it's a form a trauma that hasn't left me and will remain...

[Fluffkitscripts]

Honestly, this makes the pained laugh when link takes the triforce make sense. Their king led them to a war that made them enemies of the hylians. After he flooded their ancestral lands, they had no allies, and so they turned to piracy. Then that same king evicted them from their last home. Maybe they went extinct in that battle, maybe some escaped on the ghost ship and starved at sea. But then, after untold years wandering in undeath, the very same champion of their old hylian enemies returns seeking the treasure they once fought to take for their king. He takes it, spelling the doom of the traitor king, whose once-subjects can do naught but laugh at the punchline to a grim, centuries-long joke.

[felixmckinney]

I feel like I tell this story every time this darn ship gets mentioned, but it’s very special to me.

Wind Waker is my favorite game of all time, and it has been ever since I was a kid. One of my favorite things to look at was Lenzo’s photo collection. One picture that I always found cool was the ghost ship, but I didn’t necessarily believe it was real. Like some sort of in-game rumor and Lenzo edited the image or something. Well, I was met with the fright of my life one night when I was sailing around Greatfish Isle and the ship I didn’t believe was real appeared right before me. I immediately ran to my bed to get my iPod and take a picture, thinking I just caught some really rare easter egg, obviously unaware that it’s required to beat the game 😅
I still have that photo, and despite now having photography as a minor hobby now, it remains one of my favorites I’ve ever taken.

[ArcanaEric]

I think it was a real missed opportunity to not make the Ghost Ship a full-on dungeon. It’s one of the more memorable parts of Wind Waker and it’s only used for the lame Triforce Shards quest at the end.