Spoiler Sheikahs Shrink with Age?

[Kupsacker]

I was just thinking recently, and recalled such height differences in young and old sheikah peoples in Zelda games. Most obviously, this is shown with Impa in skyward sword, who most likely the first of the Sheikah race in Hyrule. She's extremely tall, but then Grannie Impa is such a very very short little lady. Also, Impaz in Twilight Princess is quite short. Do you think it's safe to assume that the Sheikahs as a race shrink as they age?

 

[SNOlink]

Well, actually most old people here do get shorter as they grow older. I think it has to do with that the cartiledge between your spine parts (whatever they're called) shrinking because of wear. So it's not really a Sheikah only thing.

 

[Dio]

Old people shrink, and Impa is thousands of years old so of course she will shrink.

 

[Kupsacker]

Yes I understand humans shrink but with the examples I've given, it's so drastic. Impa from SS goes from basketball player to midget.

 

[Locke]

Many elderly characters are depicted as short/small (even, I would go so far as to say, in any sort of media). Take WW-Link's Grandma, Oshus, that old Goron in MM to an extent...
I can see where you're getting your argument from, given that there are counterexamples in any race except the Sheikah. However, it is a common trend, and I think it's artistically exaggerated in Zelda just to emphasize that aspect of their character.

Not only does it build on the character itself, but it creates a contrast that relates the character to its context. Impaz's smallness in TP emphasized how empty the Hidden Village was, and how frail the legend of the sky messenger was. Impa's height in SS is mostly used to contrast the two states of the character. Functionally, it helps hide the fact that they're the same character until it's revealed in the narrative. It also, as the above posters have said, helps to make the vast passage of time believable. If you study video games, you'll find that many elements aim to support each other - create a redundancy - be it with music and sound, art style, colors, field layout, gameplay, whatever. Impa is radically different in the two times to reinforce that the two times are radically different.

 

[TwilightDeku]

When one gets old, one goes through a process called osteoporosis. This is when your spinal tissue begins to break down and collapse. Osteoporosis starts around age 80... if you were 1000, your spine would be very short.

 

[DeletedUser9]

As has been said already, this is real-world, human biology. That said, actually Impa isn't all that short as an old woman. After defeating The Imprisoned for the first time, she actually walks down into the pit with Link and she's pretty tall... and she's still hunched over. She's pretty much the same size as she was when she was young.

 

[Kupsacker]

When one gets old, one goes through a process called osteoporosis. This is when your spinal tissue begins to break down and collapse.

Yes, I explained before that I understand simple human biology.

Osteoporosis starts around age 80... if you were 1000, your spine would be very short.

What about Impaz? She's probably closer to 100 if that's the time period that TP takes place, a century after OoT.

 

[Roosterboy80]

In the picture she looks like she is sitting down.

 

[Cfrock]

Just seems like a design decision to me. Old women are generally depicted as short. Take Link's grandma in Wind Waker, for example. She's really short and the younger women throughout the game are all much taller. It just accentuates her age.

 

[Go_Skyward]

I think they were implying she was REALLY old. I heard old people shrink, you know.

Or you can just be silly and just say Sheikahs shrink with age. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[Kupsacker]

Yeah I suppose it just is a design element now that I think more about it.

 

[Taggerung115]

As others have said even humans shrink with age and we only live 80 or so years. It's never as intensified as Impa's was but she has lived for thousands of years.

I concur.

 

[Jeeen]

All older people shrink, and since Impa is roughly thousands of years old.. :p of course she's going to be mega short. Another reason was probably to hide the fact that the older Impa and young Impa were the same person for dramatic effect. Such as Zelda and Sheik in Ocarina of time. :p

 

[Wcaton25]

It seems everyone has already covered it, but I'll just say the same. Old people are smaller than young people. One example being Link's Grandma from the Wind Waker.