Twili

The Twili (Japanese:トワイライトの民, Towairaito no Tami lit. People of the Twilight) are a race from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. This peaceful race of Twilight beings reside within the Twilight Realm. Descendants of a group known simply as the Dark Interlopers, there are many theories as to who this group is.

History
The Twili descended from a tribe of sorcerers known only as the Dark Interlopers, who attempted to seize control of the Sacred Realm after the creation of the Triforce. However, their efforts failed, and they were seized by the three Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore. With the aid of the Light Spirits, the Dark Interlopers were banished to a limbo known as the Twilight Realm. Over a long period of time, because of the vastly different environment within the Twilight Realm, the interlopers evolved from their original forms to a unique, black and white, gentle-looking race, namely the Twili. Eventually, they abandoned their plans to rule the Sacred Realm and Hyrule and became peacefully adapted to their new lifestyle in the Twilight Realm.

At one point in their history, Ganondorf was banished to the Twilight Realm. There he met a young servant of the Twili Royal Family and nominee for King, Zant. Zant, mistakenly believing Ganondorf to be a god, was granted exceptional magical powers and used these to usurp the throne of Midna, who was chosen as Twilight Ruler over him, and declared himself king. Firmly in command, he transformed Midna into an imp-like creature, and his fellow Twili into Shadow Beasts, and launched an invasion of the peaceful land of Hyrule, planning to engulf the entire land in Twilight.

Eventually, the hero Link, working together with Midna, the former Princess of Twilight whom Zant betrayed, restore the Mirror of Twilight and enter the Twilight Realm. They restore the Twili to their original forms and defeat Zant, who vows to return as long as his master, Ganondorf lives. Link and Midna defeat Ganondorf, and Midna is returned to her original state, as well. As she travels back to the Twilight Realm, she breaks the Mirror of Twilight, sealing the entranceway between Hyrule and her homeland forever.

Biology
The skin tone of the Twili is mostly black while their faces, necks, and chests tend to have gray patterns in a marked contrast to the rest of their bodies. The Twili have a stretched, elongated appearance, with long limbs, necks, and heads, and great variances in overall height and girth (although the shorter Twili could just be children, which would also explain their girth). It also appears that common Twili are incapable of speaking the Hylian Language, and appear to only be able to utter a moan when Link draws near, which may be their own language. If it is the case, those moans may possibly be speeches that sound like moans because Link doesn't understand the language.

Zant and Midna are notably different in behavior and appearance to other Twili encountered; however, Midna is cursed throughout the majority of the game, which could be an explanation of this. This dissimilarity could also be explained by the fact that Zant is apparently insane, and Midna displays awareness over her current situation unlike the other Twili. Their status as upper-class Twili could also be an explanation. As for Midna's different skin tone and distinctly humanoid appearance in comparison to Zant, Midna is arguably the only female Twili seen in the game. All other Twili in the game are more similar to Zant, suggesting that they may all be male.

As the few Twili in the game who displayed the above mentioned form reverted to that form (having been originally non-attacking Shadow Beasts) after being exposed to the light of a Sol, it is possible that this is not their true form, but the closest that they can come to it whilst Zant and Ganondorf are still alive. In other words, the Sol had power enough to weaken the evil magic used to transform them, but not enough to break it entirely. This can be seen as one reason why, after being "cleansed" with the Sol's light, they still simply stand around and stare blankly into space, not reacting to Link's presence other than to softly moan (the noise they make is the same produced by Zant during the cut-scene after the battle with him). This behavior could be a result of the physical exertion of being returned to their original state, and their faces appear to indicate happiness.

However, since they were turned into Shadow Beasts, and Link destroyed every Shadow Beast in the Realm of Light, it could be possible that Midna and the seven Twili encountered in the Twilight Realm are the only Twili left. However, the presence of many other floating structures within the Twilight Realm may suggest otherwise. The Twili and the Shadows are the only creatures that can enter areas of Twilight or bring anything into it. They also seem to possess great magical skill, some examples being levitation, telekinesis, portal creation, object manipulation, and the ability to hide in human shadows.

Advancements
The Twili appear to possess many strange technologies that are more advanced than that of the Hylians, and even more advanced than technology from Termina. One example would be their use of teleporting across locations using Twilight Portals. In the Twilight Realm, the Twili use platforms for transportation that appeared from nowhere and were completely transparent, except for the glowing green shapes seen all around anything that is of Twilight origin (portals, Sols, etc.). Another example are the doors that open by themselves. These doors have only one green shape when inactive, but when opened, the green shape extends, highlighting more details. Another, more likely possibility, however, is that the many wonders of the Twilight Realm are caused by the magic of their ancestors put to a more peaceful use.

Government
The Twili are ruled by a single person who holds the title of "Twilight King" or "Twilight Princess", depending on the gender, who rules from the Palace of Twilight. Despite being a monarchy, comments by Zant and Midna would suggest that theirs isn't a hereditary one, but an elective monarchy, which is to say that the new king or queen is chosen from either the general populace by a consent of the people, or there are many royal houses and each has a turn of a potential monarch being elected from a parliament. They are the only ones capable of destroying the Mirror of Twilight.

The Term "Twilit"
Twilit is a term used to refer to bosses, people, and enemies powered or altered by the effects of Twilight. The Twilit beings were created by Zant and corruption by pieces of the Fused Shadow or by pieces of the Mirror of Twilight. Examples of Twilit beings are the Twilit Arachnid, the Twilit Ice Mass, and the Twilit Bloat. These examples seem to be named in a format based on taxonomy, where Twilit is the genus and the proceeding name is the species.

Sheikah
The main similarities are with the Sheikah, as both are described as wielders of Dark magic, have red irises and dwell in the shadows (even being referred to as 'the shadow folk'). Also the symbol of the Sheikah, a stylized eye with a tear drop, is present on both Zant's throne and on the back of the Fused Shadows.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Another race, though not featured in the series and is only briefly mentioned in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, are those that used Majora's Mask in their "hexing rituals". There are many similarites between the Twili and Majora's Mask itself, which implies that the Twili could be the same race. The similarities involve some shapes featured on Majora's Mask being present on Midna's helmet, the Fused Shadow (the eye especially). Zant's behavior is very similar to creatures specific to Majora's Mask and the Mask itself, such as Zant screeching in a similar fashion to Majora's Mask, being a sympathetic villain much like Skull Kid who wore the Mask. During the mention of those who used the Mask, the Happy Mask Salesman mentions that the mask was hidden in shadows, which the Twilight Realm is sometimes called (to be precise, "The Realm of Shadows"). Also, the entrance to the Stone Tower Temple in Majora's Mask appears to be a large face with it's tongue sticking out. Zant's helmet also resembles a face with it's tongue out, which would lead to the belief that the ones who built the tower (believed to be the same race as the ones who made the mask) could very well be the Twili (also connecting to the Garo, the protectors of Ikana Canyon and the Stone Tower).

Gerudo
Another possibility is that at least a portion of the Gerudo tribe were the ones who gained the mysterious power of the Fused Shadows and were cast into the Twilight Realm. This would be supported by Midna's story that the Twili race were originally a tribe of thieves, and why the entrance to the Twilight Realm is located in the Gerudo Desert. The Gerudo are no longer present in Twilight Princess, and just before Zant is fought within the Palace of Twilight, Midna mentions that the Twili's ancestors "lost their king to greed" - implying that she means Ganondorf, whose desire to posess the Triforce eventually led to his defeat. As for appearance, Midna does have the classic red-orange hair of the Gerudo and her true form is tall and slender, just as the Gerudo women once were. Also, there is a Gerudo pattern and converted Gerudo symbol on the front of Zant's robe, which he wore even before his encounter with Ganondorf, whom he worshiped as a god. Gerudo also worship Ganondorf as a god, which a Gossip Stone tells Link. It is also striking that Veran, who is called a Gerudo Sorceress, is nearly identical in design to Midna.

Other
Finally, there remains the possibility that the Dark Interlopers were not of any one race or tribe, but were a cult of people made up of several different races and cultures. Evidence to support this is Lanayru's vision where Link kills his closest friend to seek after the Triforce, only to become a Dark Interloper himself. This could be an interpretation that several people throughout Hyrule betrayed their fellow countrymen to obtain the Triforce and eventually united as the Dark Interlopers. Once sealed in the Twilight Realm, the long term effect of the Twilight on them could have transformed them into one single race, and may explain the large differences in appearance that some Twili have from others.