okay i think i understand. so does that mean that the kokiri forest and lost woods are two different domains as far as the divine are concerned or is it just one domain with two guardians?

At first I was gonna say Saria and Deku Tree’s “domain” was simply forests and there were no real differences to either to separate them by anything other than name, but ya got me thinking that maybe they would operate differently since these specific forests are the ones they home-base from the most.

So, yes! The Kokiri Forest and the Korok Forest, by divine standards, are two separate domains despite them both being forests and, as forests tend to do, overlap in some instances. Saria’s forest probably looks more like a rainforest, with tall, towering trees that have dense leaves that block out most, if not all, sunlight. The forest is dark but usually lacks the feeling of danger, as serene as it is eerie. The tall trees and dark canopies allow for the Kokiri to travel easier high above head and ambush anyone that threaten their home, most of which use slingshots or bows as their weapons of choice. Their goal is generally to scare the ill-intended trespassers out, not kill.

Not only does Saria’s forest looks different from the Deku’s forest, its magic is different too. For example, in the Kokiri Forest, Saria wouldn’t have to actively look for any unfortunate child who’s perished in it to save them; if they die in Kokiri Forest, they will, guaranteed, be revived as a Kokiri simply because her magic is strongest there. In fact I think it’d be interesting (and sad) that desperate parents of dying children (perishing from something they couldn’t save them from, like an illness or terrible wound) come to this forest with said child in tow, in a last ditch effort to keep their kid alive despite legends saying what happens when they’re revived. Often the child loses their memories of their past lives, including that of their parents, a consequence of being brought back to life and becoming magical, immortal.

Got a bit off topic there but as for the Deku Tree, his forest is more like a jungle: dense trees too be sure but their canopies don’t bring darkness; the trees aren’t very tall but they’re wide as hell,, their leaves are huge, and a lot of what’s interesting about this forest is on the ground, with weaving roots and swampy grass and all kinds of cool lookin’ flora. The Koroks, the Spirits of the Korok Forest, tend to the forest like tiny little gardeners. They nurture the animals and flora of the place and keep it thriving, while in turn the Deku keeps the forest and his little Spirit friends safe with his vast magic. The Koroks help protect the forest of course, but in comparison to the Kokiri, the Koroks are a lot more passive. Legends say that the Koroks are the reincarnations of wandering souls lost to the mortal realm, given purpose anew by the Deku Tree. It’s said that their unique leaf masks are a vague reflection of what they once looked like as mortals, but no one can say for sure if that’s true or not.

While we’re on the topic of the Deku, I’d like to think he isn’t even truly a tree, not fully at least. He’s Ent-like, meaning he has a fully realized body similar to that of a human, and the part you manage to see of him is just his head. He probably wouldn’t move from where he is since he’s essentially taken root, but if he’s ever forced to by very drastic measures, he’d probably be able to free himself from the earth he took root in and stand. Not too sure if I’m keeping this idea in specific but it’s somethin’ I’m thinking about owo