Chapter Text
The Language chosen for the Old Gods is Swahili
- Hylia - Mwangelu
- Din - Nguzira
- Nayru - Kwelya
- Farore - Ujasira
- Demise - Hasirakuu
- Majora - Kivulikuu
- Fierce Deity - Nguvuthabiti (Or Thavrius, as He was once called by mortals)
Facts about the Language of the Old Gods:
- Breath, not ink.
The Old Tongue isn’t meant for books. Mortals can scratch symbols of it, sure, but the words themselves only live when spoken aloud. Writing is like a shadow—you get the outline, not the power.
- Names have weight.
To say something’s true name in the Old Tongue is to bind it closer to itself. You don’t call a river “river.” You call it by the word that reminds it of what it is. Mortals who try it can end up drowning in the memory they’ve summoned.
- No lies.
The Old Tongue doesn’t carry falsehood. If you try to twist it, the words die in your mouth, or worse, turn on you. It’s a language of is and will be, not “maybe.”
- Scale of speech.
A whisper in the Old Tongue can carry across mountains, but it costs less power. A shout can level a field, but it drains whoever dared. Balance matters.
- Mortals pay in kind.
Every syllable has a toll: time, memory, or blood. Gods and their kin can sing freely. Mortals? They have to bargain pieces of themselves for each word.
- Silence is sacred.
Once invoked, the Old Tongue leaves an echo. You can’t pile word on word recklessly. A careless speaker can trap themselves in overlapping meanings, tangled in promises they never intended.
- Gods speak with ease.
To the Old Gods, the tongue isn’t “foreign.” It’s their first breath. They slip between it and common speech like water through fingers. That’s why they’re terrifying—they’re not just speaking, they’re shaping.
[Note: Demise was able in later years after the chosen Hero of the Goddess {Skyward Sword Link} defeated him and sent his spirit unknowingly to the Dark Realm to twist the language to suit his plans; he was able to tell half-truths, but not full lies]
Tones:
Hylia
- Warmth brushing over the skin, the smell of fresh rain, the hush of dawn birdsong.
Din
- A voice like a volcano—booming, steady, red-hot. often heard as drumbeats under ribs.
Farore
- Whispers of wind and heartbeat—fast, alive, fierce.
Nayru
- Calm and crystalline, like bells underwater.
Demise
- Heat suffocating the lungs, the taste of iron, the ache of blood rushing. Shadows tremble when he speaks.
Majora
- No single pitch—more like a chorus of mismatched voices, laughing, crying, whispering all at once.
Fierce Deity
- Deep, resonant, single-toned. Imagine a war drum struck once, then the echo stretched into words.