A Brief History of the Timeline

The following is a brief look at the history of the Zelda Timeline. It follows the placement of games, and uses only the broad storyline interpretations from which these placements were born. It does not go very in-depth on placement. As such, it avoids over-examination and faulty interpretation, since it uses only the most obvious story mechanisms (i.e., those found in the manual stories) to connect the games.


Timeline of the Timeline

1. The Legend of Zelda II: Adventure of Link (AoL) is released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It establishes positive ties with the original Legend of Zelda (LoZ) game, and establishes the earliest known “timeline.”

LoZ/AoL

2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (ALttP) is released on the Super Nintendo. Information found in the instruction manual speaks of a Golden Land in which the Triforce was hidden. Since these origins are not mentioned in the original LoZ, this places ALttP before LoZ so as to avoid inconsistency.

ALttP-LoZ/AoL

3. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (LA) is released on the Nintendo Game Boy. It is firmly established as a direct sequel to ALttP, and, as such, comes between ALttP and LoZ/AoL.

ALttP/LA-LoZ/AoL

4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (OoT) is released on the Nintendo 64. At the time, it was heralded as the details of the Imprisoning War mentioned in the instruction manual of ALttP. This places OoT before ALttP.

OoT-ALttP/LA-LoZ/AoL

5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (MM) is released on the Nintendo 64 as a gaiden—a Japanese term for “sideplot”—to the OoT ending. As such, it comes “between” OoT and ALttP (although the game would have literally happened sometime during the course of OoT events).

OoT/MM-ALttP/LA-LoZ/AoL

6. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (OoS) and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (OoA) are released simultaneously for the Game Boy Color. They portray the Triforce as being in Hyrule Castle. Since the Triforce was in the hands of the Royal Family until at least the Sleeping Zelda story from the AoL instruction manual, it makes the most sense to place the Oracle games in between ALttP/LA and LoZ/AoL.

OoT/MM-ALttP/LA-OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL

7. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (FS) is released along with a Game Boy Advance port of ALttP. At the time of its release, FS had no definite placement, although its release alongside ALttP seems to have suggested that it takes place sometime nearby ALttP.

OoT/MM-ALttP/LA-OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL FS???

8. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (TWW) is released on the Nintendo GameCube. It takes place hundreds of years after the events of OoT, and has direct connections to the events of OoT, so common sense places it after OoT/MM, with no other games coming in-between. TWW, however, features a Ganon, escaped from the Sacred Realm, even though Ganon is said to have broken the seal later on in ALttP. This creates an apparent dilemma, but some clues from ALttP’s instruction manual still allow for TWW to be placed in-between without any absolutely necessary overwrite:

“Many centuries have passed since the Imprisoning War. Hyrule was in a time of peace, for its people had wise and devout hearts. The sealing became a distant legend.”

Much of the context from TWW caters to the two underlined quotes:

“Hundreds of years have passed since then...”; “The memory of the kingdom vanished, but its legend survived on the wind's breath.”

TWW allots the “many centuries” alluded to in the ALttP instruction manual, as well as the sealing becoming “a distant legend.”

OoT/MM-TWW-ALttP/LA-OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL FS???

This still does not explain, however, the seal cast by the Sages that exists in ALttP, nor Ganon’s reappearance after his death at the end of TWW. Luckily, the next Zelda title sets us up perfectly.

9. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (FSA) is released on the Nintendo GameCube as a sequel to the original FS. Vaati is released again from the seal of the Four Sword as a part of a plot by the evil thief Ganondorf to claim ultimate power. This game establishes that Ganondorf the thief has been reincarnated, and shows Ganon, along with many Dark World portals, being sealed.

This allows for a few possible theories explaining ALttP:
a) The seals cast in FSA are the same seals that exist in ALttP;
b) Ganon escapes, and he claims the Triforce, leading into the traditional Imprisoning War that takes place just before ALttP;
c) Ganon escapes, is killed, and another reincarnated in his place to instigate the traditional Imprisoning War that takes place just before ALttP

The overall timeline at this stage is as follows, though:

OoT/MM-TWW-FS/FSA-ALttP/LA-OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL

10. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (TMC) is released on the Game Boy Advance as a prequel to FS/FSA. It explains Vaati’s origins, but not much else. Without any positive evidence towards any other placement, common sense puts it before FS, with no games coming in-between.

OoT/MM-TWW-TMC-FS/FSA-ALttP/LA-OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL

11. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (TP) is announced for the Nintendo GameCube and Wii as being another “sequel” to OoT, and coming a few decades after OoT. This places it in-between OoT/MM and TWW. TP may further explain the events that lead up to the Flood, and to the passing of the OoT story (the Imprisoning War story?) into legend. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (PH) is announced for the Nintendo DS as a sequel to TWW, which places it immediately after.

OoT/MM-TP-TWW/PH-TMC-FS/FSA-ALttP/LA-OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL

To make things easier for theorists, the games in the timeline can actually be categorised into arcs based on direct storyline connections between games.

NES arc = LoZ-AoL
Classic arc = ALTTP-LA
3D arc = OoT-MM-TP-TWW-PH
Four Sword arc = TMC-FS-FSA
Oracles arc = OoA/OoS

The arcs system can explain variation between universal concepts within the timeline because nearly all the games in each arc directly reflect upon other games in the same arc. Likewise, we can connect all the arcs in a specific order because the first game in each arc will reflect a previous game in a different arc.

isn't La after Oos/ooa? Because at the end of the oracles series you see link sailing away with his boat. And La start when link is in a storm in the middle of the ocean with his boat.

Originally Posted by Darmani`s Ghost

isn't La after Oos/ooa? Because at the end of the oracles series you see link sailing away with his boat. And La start when link is in a storm in the middle of the ocean with his boat.

Aside from supplying it as a possibility, OoS/OoA give us no reason for LA to be anywhere but directly after ALttP. Ergo, because there's no positive cause for displacing LA (unlike there was with OoT), most theorists aren't going to.

Nice thread LionHarted. Simple and effective.

Originally Posted by Darmani's Ghost

isn't La after Oos/ooa? Because at the end of the oracles series you see link sailing away with his boat. And La start when link is in a storm in the middle of the ocean with his boat.

Please don't start that off. Like LionHarted said, it's possible, but because LA was MEANT to be the DIRECT sequel to ALttP, I find it hard to believe anything could come between.

Originally Posted by jhurvid

To make things easier for theorists, the games in the timeline can actually be categorised into arcs based on direct storyline connections between games.

NES arc = LoZ-AoL
Classic arc = ALTTP-LA
3D arc = OoT-MM-TP-TWW-PH
Four Sword arc = TMC-FS-FSA
Oracles arc = OoA/OoS

The arcs system can explain variation between universal concepts within the timeline because nearly all the games in each arc directly reflect upon other games in the same arc. Likewise, we can connect all the arcs in a specific order because the first game in each arc will reflect a previous game in a different arc.

This is how I see it

OoT-MM = Ancient Legend
TWW-PH=After flood legend
TMC-FS-FSA=New Hyrule legend
ALttP-LA=Pre-Modern Legend
Oracles=Oracle Legend
LoZ-AoL=Modern Legend

Master Of ALttP did something similar like this.

Originally Posted by HeroOfTime5

This is how I see it

OoT-MM = Ancient Legend
TWW-PH=After flood legend
TMC-FS-FSA=New Hyrule legend
ALttP-LA=Pre-Modern Legend
Oracles=Oracle Legend
LoZ-AoL=Modern Legend

Master Of ALttP did something similar like this.

I think that system is somewhat complicated because the themes in which the games are separated are not clear. People recognise that LoZ and AoL appeared on the NES, so calling it the NES arc is instantly recognisable. Also, OoT leads directly into TP and then TWW. Therefore, all three belong in the same arc, as does PH.

OoT/MM-TP=The Old Hyrule Era
TWW/PH=The Flooded World
TMC-FS/FSA=The Resettlement Era
ALttP/LA=The New Hyrule Era
OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL=The Royal Family "Divine Rule" Era

OoT thru TP all take place in Old Hyrule, and, so far, are the only titles proven to do so.
TWW and PH take place in the Flooded World, and, again, so far, are the only titles to do so (that we know of).
TMC thru FSA all take place in what appears to be a resettled Hyrule. Gradually the place names are reestablished, until we arrive at ALttP...
ALttP and LA are the New Hyrule era, where much of the Old Hyrule locales have been "restored", and named by their original names.
OoS/OoA thru AoL belong to what I call the "Royal Family 'Divine Rule' era", because they all have evidence that the Triforce was in the possession of the Royal Family, and was used to rule.

Meh. Have it your way.

Originally Posted by LionHarted

OoT/MM-TP=The Old Hyrule Era
TWW/PH=The Flooded World
TMC-FS/FSA=The Resettlement Era
ALttP/LA=The New Hyrule Era
OoS/OoA-LoZ/AoL=The Royal Family "Divine Rule" Era

I really like these names for the era's Lion Harted. Although I would give the Old Era of Hyrule a better name: "The Era of Legend" And I would call the age where WW and PH take place: "The Lost Era"

Originally Posted by Darmani`s Ghost

isn't La after Oos/ooa? Because at the end of the oracles series you see link sailing away with his boat. And La start when link is in a storm in the middle of the ocean with his boat.

You still believe that?!

Originally Posted by Darmani`s Ghost

isn't La after Oos/ooa? Because at the end of the oracles series you see link sailing away with his boat. And La start when link is in a storm in the middle of the ocean with his boat.

oh man. I guess not everyone read that theory thread of mine.

Originally Posted by LionHarted

5. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (MM) is released on the Nintendo 64 as a gaiden—a Japanese term for “sideplot”—to the OoT ending. As such, it comes “between” OoT and ALttP (although the game would have literally happened sometime during the course of OoT events).

How do the MM events take place during the time of the OoT events?

Originally Posted by Zelda Finatic

How do the MM events take place during the time of the OoT events?

Because they take place in Link's past. Technically, Link is in Termina while he is sealed inside the Sacred Realm. He isn't in Termina the whole time he's in the Sacred Realm, but he's in there for some time. These things are still being analyzed, so don't give them too much thought.

I like this arc system, Lex. Looking at it, you can easily place the games without having to delve deeply into text and such. By using the story arcs, you can easily and accurately place the games by just looking at key details. It's when people question the placement of the games that we have to pull up abstract quotes and then interpret them in a way that we prove our point, and even then people don't agree.

Originally Posted by Master of ALttP

Because they take place in Link's past. Technically, Link is in Termina while he is sealed inside the Sacred Realm. He isn't in Termina the whole time he's in the Sacred Realm, but he's in there for some time. These things are still being analyzed, so don't give them too much thought.

Master Of ALttP, you are right my friend. The only way Link can not contradict any technicality issues that "cough" Splti Timeline Theorist "cough" usually delve into with Links time traveling events is if his sleeping Hero Of Time self is in the Sacred Realm. Thus Link can exist in the world of Hyrule and not encounter the double Link scenario. which is a rediculous theory in its self.

One way to know that MM lays on the same timeline as Oot is by the KoRL's reference of Links journey away from Hyurle. ALso we know that Link has to return to Hyrule for two main reasons after MM. One is returning Epona back to the ranch so his Hero Of Time self can use her in the future and two, the OoT. Plus another interesting factor to know is that the Mask Saleman is out of Hyrule too. Which explains why he is no longer in Hyrule in OoT(future). He is either in Termina or some other land outside of Hyrule.