When the enigmatic Zonai Tribe.
There is extraordinarily little within Breath of the Wild about this mysterious tribe. Their palace ruins can be found within Faron Woods on Hyrule’s sprawling map and, due to the style of the carvings and statues within the labyrinths (and the Thyphlo Ruins), there is a strong indication that these areas were also part of the Zonai Tribe’s realm. However, there are several smaller details within these structures that present clues to the Zonai Tribe’s true identity in relation to the rest of The Legend of Zelda's lore.
According to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, who went on to become the Twili.
The Legend of Zelda: How the Zonai became the Twili
Looking at the ruins left behind by the Zonai Tribe within Breath of the Wild, there is a strong emphasis on boars, owls, and dragons within their structures. These figures represent the three facets of the Triforce: Power, Wisdom and Courage. Within Twilight Princess, it is revealed that during the Era of Chaos the Interlopers, who wielded a powerful sorcery, tried to steal the Triforce and rule the Sacred Realm. However, their barbaric actions caused them to be imprisoned within the Twilight Realm by the Light Spirits of Hyrule, along with the Fused Shadow that they created with their dark magic. This started the race of the Twili.
However, when looking closely at the Fused Shadow mask within Twilight Princess, players will notice that it is not only built out of stone like the Zonai ruins, but the same spiral-like markings featured within Breath of the Wild run prominently throughout its design. This looping theme is also heavily displayed within the Palace of Twilight itself, showing up throughout the palace’s architecture and furnishings. This recurring theme makes its conceivable that all of the structures in both Zelda games were built by the same tribe.
The fact that the Interlopers were forcefully banished from Hyrule during the Era of Chaos, would also explain why the Zonai Tribe disappeared so suddenly. This theory is further backed up by the serpentine like carvings that can be viewed within Twilight Princess’ Palace of Twilight, despite there being no reptilian like creatures within this realm. The carvings are instead an homage to the Water Dragon, who the Zonai Tribe worshipped when they lived within the Kingdom of Hyrule (as stated in Creating a Champion) before their unexplained disappearance.
Within Twilight Princess, Midna even refers to a tribe when face-to-face with Zant, a member of the Twili. Here, she accuses her masked enemy of “abusing the magic of (his) tribe,” to which Zant scoffs that Midna is wrong to assume his powers come from his realm’s “old magic.” Given all of the other evidence, Zant and Midna are likely referencing the Zonai and their sorcery. Perhaps, in Breath of the Wild 2, Nintendo will develop further on this theory and shine more light on the mysterious tribe.
Source: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Creating a Champion
