SkunkyArt | Kombatgod — Multiverse Timeline #4: Zelda Timeline 1

General premise: a very short premise in case you're unfamiliar with the Zelda timeline. Many games in the series have characters in common, and they all star "Link", but they're clearly not the same people, because the backstory of the characters changes every time, with many games even describing Link's adventure as his first. For this reason it'd be natural to consider each game a separate universe, but there actually are certain elements creating continuity between them, and identifying events from one game as happening in the past of the other. This shows that Link and the other characters are either descendants or reincarnations from one game to the next, but they all exist in the same universe with the games often happening centuries apart.

Hyrule Historia and Zelda Encyclopedia: The first "official" Zelda timeline was released on the book Hyrule Hystoria, and then a new version was featured on the book The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia. The simple minded just took these as the "canon" (I hate that word) timeline and therefore the only possible version of it. That's wrong for a number of reasons: first and most importantly both books admit that the Zelda timeline is not something unique, but something that changes from person to person: Hyrule Historia says "As the stories and storytellers of Hyrule change, so, too, does its history"; the Encyclopedia says "The Timeline can be interpreted in a number of ways, and may change depending on new discoveries that have come to light and on the players' imaginations". This tells that the timelines in those books were never intended to be the one definitive answer to the timeline, but merely one possible version of it; the timeline in Zelda Encyclopedia was also changed slightly from the one in Hyrule Historia, and since the two books are created by different people it might even be wrong to consider the Encyclopedia timeline an update, it might just be another person's view on the matter, while the creators of Hyrule Historia still keep their view. Second, the games are never created with the timeline in mind (save possibly for Skyward Sword); in fact before, after and even between the release of the two books, the creators have often made contradictory statements about the timeline, showing that even theirs are just theories. Third... both timelines are objectivelly wrong! They have at least one major mistake as I point out at the Four Swords saga point, that makes them not even possible timelines, but rather impossible ones! Still, you're free to take any revelation from those books as theories to help place the games in the timeline, but you have to weight them accordingly.

8-bit saga: The first two games in the series, The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (I'll abbreviate them respectively as Zelda 1 and Zelda 2), have a clear continuity, both starring the same Link, who finds the Triforce of Power and the Triforce of Wisdom in the first game, and then the second game being about finding the Triforce of Courage; also Link destroys Ganon in the first game, and in the second his minions are trying to resurrect him. The Zelda 2 manual reveals details of the backstory that take place before the first game, a period where the complete Triforce was held by the royal family, during what Hyrule Historia dubbed "The Golden Era", however that's told to Link by Impa, so it counts as flashback (beside only being told in the manual rather than in the game itself), and I decided to not specify it in the timeline. The chronology of these two games is therefore confirmed, but being an overall self-contained story it can't be placed in the Timeline for sure; the only bit of continuity with other games is the villages in Zelda 2 having the same names as the sages from Ocarina of Time, so if you want to count that this series should go after Ocarina of Time in the main timeline, but we can't say for sure in which of the three timelines it should go. To represent the games I used their NES versions because while they received rereleases in various occasions, they were all just ports, not adding anything new (the only exception being BS The Legend of Zelda, but that's considered a separate, minor entry in the series).

A Link to the Past: the third game in the series (I'll abbreviate it as ALttP), since its release it was considered a prequel to Zelda 1, but that notation is wrong because there's no continuity between the two games: both are described as the first adventure of Link, Ganon dies in both games, both include the plot of retrieving the Triforce... if anything it's more appropriate to call it a remake or a reboot. A sign of the lack of continuity also is that the Zelda Encyclopedia included four full games between A Link to the Past and the first Zelda, and nobody bat an eye. It makes perfect sense to say that this game takes place before Zelda 1 in the timeline, because ALttP ends with the Triforce being united, which would lead to The Golden Era, but don't call it a prequel, it's just another story in the same universe... however because there's no continuity I decided to keep them separate for now. The game's backstory tells about the "Imprisoning War", where Ganondorf stole the Triforce becoming Ganon, and then being sealed into the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages; while this event takes place many years in the past I count it as flashback (the intro says that the events happened a long time ago and became legends) so it doesn't need a placement in the timeline (and either way it'd still be adjacent to the main events for now so it can be summarized with them). To represent ALttP in the timeline I used the Game Boy Advance version because it's the most updated one, including some exclusive content.

Ocarina of Time: the fourth home console game in the series (I'll abbreviate it as OoT), it tells the story of Ganondorf trying to steal the Triforce and becoming Ganon, and then ending up sealed into the Sacred Realm by the Seven Sages... so yeah, no doubt about it, this game was created as a direct prequel to ALttP, and therefore should go before it in the timeline. The only discrepancies between this story and the Imprisoning War are minor, like the Triforce being split between Link, Zelda and Ganon rather than Ganon having it all, or ALttP not mentioning the Hero of Time; these could always be explained with a little imagination, but they'll get a definite explanation with the timeline split that I mention at the Wind Waker point. To represent OoT in the timeline I used Ocarina of Time 3D, because it's the most updated version, including some exclusive content.

Majora's Mask: fifth home console game in the series (I'll abbreviate it as MM) and apparently just the direct sequel to OoT, the situation is a little more complex. OoT ended with Zelda sending Link back in time to make him relieve his childhood, and that's why he's a child here. The final scene in OoT showed Link meeting young Zelda, and for a long time it was theorized that this meant that he changed the future by preventing Ganondorf's betrayal... while MM doesn't give us enough elements to support this theory (the game takes place in a distant land and its plot has almost nothing to do with the previous game), it was more or less confirmed in Twilight Princess, as I explain in a later point. Unlike those crappy "official" timelines I put the divergence BEFORE Ocarina of Time, because the whole point of the divergent timeline is that the events of OoT never happened! It is true that from Link's point of view the events did happen, but I represented this with an "abduction" arrow, showing that Zelda's magic sent Link back in time, so you can follow that to see the events from Link's perspective. To represent MM in the timeline I used Majora's Mask 3D, because it's the most updated version, including some exclusive content.

The Wind Waker: sixth home console game in the series (I'll abbreviate it as TWW), while it's not right to call it a direct sequel to OoT, it does feature some continuity with it: the game's opening tells how Ganondorf tried to steal the Triforce, but was ultimately defeated by the Hero of Time and sealed away, clearly referencing the events from the Nintendo 64 game; the story then tells how Ganon returned some time later, but there was no hero to stop him so the Goddesses flooded Hyrule and sealed Ganondorf in the bottom of the ocean. There not being a hero is interpreted as the result of Link leaving this timeline by going back in time at the end of the previous game, which also explains why the Triforce of Courage left him and got split into eight shards. Some people were surprised to find the triple split in the timeline shown in Hyrule Historia, but to me there never was any doubt: OoT happens immediately before ALttP, and TWW happens immediately after OoT, so ALttP and TWW necessarily happen in parallel timelines. The implication in TWW is that a new hero would have appeared if OoT Link didn't go back in time, so we can imagine that that's what happened in the ALttP timeline. Hyrule Historia proposes the idea that it happens in a "what if" universe where Link was defeated by Ganondorf, and that would also explain why the legend of the Imprisoning War in the SNES game doesn't mention him, while the legend in the GameCube game focuses only on him (though the sages do get an acknowledgement as stained-glass images), and also how Ganon managed to get the entire Triforce during the Imprisoning War... so believe it or not I have no problem with Hyrule Historia on this; actually I first proposed a three way timeline long before the book's release, and I hypothesized that the ALttP timeline is the future that Rauru saw after meeting young Link, where he saw him be defeated by Ganondorf and therefore chose to seal him until he was ready to face him. To represent TWW in the timeline I used its HD edition for Wii U, because it's the most updated version, including some exclusive content.

Twilight Princess: this game (I'll abbreviate it as TP) is pretty much a stand-alone story, a new version of the usual "Zelda" tale, with all of the same tropes, but without much continuity with previous games, although there are some small connections to them. First and foremost the story of Ganondorf: he tried to conquer Hyrule a long time ago, but was "blind to any danger, and thus was he exposed, subdued, and brought to justice"; he was then executed by the Seven Sages, here represented as ghosts, but he survived using the Triforce of Power he had thanks to "some divine prank"... speaking of the Triforce, in this game it's split between Ganondorf, Link and Zelda; another connection is the Hero's Spirit, a specter who weilds a sword similar to Link's Master Sword, calls Link "son" and teaches him special techniques, therefore being implied to be a previous Link who somehow wasn't recognized for the hero he was and died with regrets (he says "Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those that came after"). The Triforce being split is a reference to what happened in OoT after Ganondorf tried to steal it, and him, Link and Zelda having it apparently means that they inherited it from their previous counterparts, so this game must happen generations after said game, but in what timeline? Ganondorf was brought to justice without a battle and the "Hero's Spirit" Link died a hero but not recognized as such... this matches the theory of Link changing the past at the end of OoT surprisingly well: Link's information brought Ganondorf to justice before he could start a true war, and Link was only a hero in a separate timeline, with the people of the current one not knowing what he accomplished. Actually the Triforce being split seems like a discrepancy because the events of OoT didn't really happen in this timeline, but we can imagine that it automatically split once OoT Link went back in time, which would explain why Ganondorf is unaware of having it. The sages being ghosts can be interpreted as them not being awakened into their material counterparts, which was part of the quest in OoT. Combine all this with the fact that the game simply can't happen in the Wind Waker timeline (where the Triforce of Courage got split after Link went back in time, and then Hyrule was flooded and the Triforce reunited and returned to the Sacred Realm at the end of TWW), nor in the ALttP timeline (where Ganondorf got the whole Triforce during the Imprisoning War and then kept it until the end of ALttP where it was reunited) without heavily breaking continuity (like saying that a new war happened and then the Triforce got split again, but if you have to reset the status quo between games what's even the point of creating a timeline?)... so this game implicitly confirmed the theory of Link creating a divergent timeline for MM, and it can be placed without any problem. To represent TP in the timeline I used Twilight Princess HD for Wii U, since it's the most updated version of the game.

Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks: The only two portable games in the series with a certain placement in the main timeline, Phantom Hourglass takes place shortly after TWW, starring the same Link, who goes on a new adventure at sea. Spirit Tracks is set 100 years later, after Link and Tetra from that game discovered a new land and founded the kingdom of New Hyrule (they're explicitly referenced in the game). Not much else to say.

Skyward Sword: This is the only game in the series to be created possibly with the timeline in mind: Hyrule Historia was actually created to promote it (and being a promotional tool is one additional reason to take it less seriously), and the game itself features clear references to the history of the series. It shows the origin of the Master Sword and adds details to the story of the Triforce, showing it united here after being left by the "Gods of old" apparently without anything else having happened in the meantime, and it introduces Demise, first incarnation of the evil that would become Ganon. If that wasn't enough this game also shows the origin of the Royal Crest of Hyrule as a combination of the Goddess Crest and the Triforce symbol. So this game goes at the beginning of the timeline without any doubt.

Four Swords saga: a series of three games with strict continuity between them, but without a clear placement relative to the other games. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (I'll abbreviate it as FS) was originally created as a multiplayer-only side-game in the Game Boy Advance remake of ALttP and features a completely self-contained story about Link saving Zelda from the evil Vaati using the Four Sword, which splits its wielder into four; the game also tells the ancient legend of the first wielder of the sword who defeated Vaati and sealed him in the sword itself a long time ago. Four Swords Adventures (I'll abbreviate it as FSA) is a direct sequel for GameCube, telling the story of Vaati breaking free from the Four Sword again, but by the end he's revealed to only work for Ganon. The final game in the trilogy is The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (I'll abbreviate it as TMC), that tells the story of the sorcerer Vaati first attacking Hyrule, transforming into the monster he is in the other two games, and it shows how this game's Link defeated him with the sword originally known as Picori Blade, which transforms into the Four Sword by the end of the game; this means that the game is clearly a prequel to FS. Ganon's presence in FSA creates a connection with the main series, but it can't be said for sure at what point in the timeline it's supposed to happen, so I left the entire saga as separate. To represent FS in the timeline I used its Anniversary Edition, an updated version of the game that received limited release as a stand-alone game for Nintendo 3DS. One last thing I need to note about this series is that FSA's introduction recaps the history of Vaati and the Four Sword by mentioning the ancient battle again (later revealed to be TMC), and then summarizing the story of FS, saying how Vaati kidnapped Zelda and then Link saved her; this is a clear indication that this game stars the same Link as Four Swords, and that Hyrule Historia is objectively wrong in splitting these two games, saying that they're many generations apart with even other games happening in between; no: this game clearly says that LINK saved ZELDA in the previous adventure, it doesn't say "a legendary green-clad hero" saved "the princess of Hyrule" or something like that which is what happens every time in each of the other games and even this very one when talking about the events of TMC! If this was really intended to be a different Link they would have never said his name. You might think that mentioning his name was a minor mistake, and that Nintendo can chose to ignore it for the placement in the timeline, but it's completely pointless to separate Four Swords from Four Swords Adventures when they have very strict continuity without any discrepancy (It'd be like saying that Zelda 2 stars a different Link from Zelda 1 for no reason whatsoever, and when the manual says that "Link defeated Ganon" it's really talking about an ancestor of his); and even if you believe in "word of God", so whatever the creators say it's immediately true no matter how little sense it makes, a video game series it's not created by one entity, it really is the effort of a huge team, so one point of view on the matter is not necessarily the only official one; for instance Eiji Aunuma, director of most Zelda games at the time, considered the highest authority of the Zelda franchise, who supervised Hyrule Historia did not direct Four Swords Adventures, so it's entirely possible that he'd be unaware of the details of that game. Now, this mistake in Hyrule Historia doesn't affect my timeline for now since I put the Four Swords saga in a separate continuity, but it will affect future entries in this series.

Excluded games: as mentioned above, this timeline only includes games that have a sure placement in the timeline. Here's the reasoning for excluding each of the other main games:

Link's Awakening: The fourth game in the series, and first for portable consoles, it's a side adventure having Link end up in a far away island with pretty much no connection to the other games; all we know is that Link knows Zelda, because he mistakes Marin for her, and the game's manual mentions that he defeated Ganon and then went on a quest for enlightenment, ending up on Koholint Island during his journey back home. This means that the game must take place after any game where Link defeats Ganon, but we can't tell for sure which one. Even if you consider just the first three games it seems that the game was written vague enough specifically to serve as the sequel to any of them, so I decided to not include it in the timeline for now.
Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages: The second and third portable games in the series, the two games tell a single story, allowing the player to play them in any order and then unlocking the true ending after both are finished. The events of these games are a side story similar to Link's Awakening, but the beginning shows the Triforce being united at Hyrule Castle, and the true ending features a partially resurrected Ganon, so these games can take place at any time in the timeline where Ganon is dead and the Triforce is united. It's not even clear if the Link in this game is supposed to be the same as previous games, since his adventure is described as a sort of side-quest, but he doesn't seem to know Zelda when he meets her... An additional bit of continuity is in the ending: it shows Link sailing away in a small boat similar to the one he's on at the beginning of Link's Awakening, so it's possible to consider these games a prequel to it, but that could possibly break continuity between Link's Awakening and its originally intended predecessor. So these are some of the hardest games to put in the timeline and I excluded them.
A Link Between Worlds: A spiritual successor to ALttP, it was promoted as a sequel to that game, but it really isn't: not only it doesn't feature any continuity with that game, but it heavily contradicts it, while recreating the same basic plot and reusing many of the same elements, therefore acting more like a remake or reimagining of it. It could be placed after ALttP in the timeline, but that would create as many discrepancies as by placing it anywhere else, so I left it out.
Tri Force Heroes: A completely self-contained game, about a Link traveling to a distant land. Actually three separate Links show up without explanation to justify multiplayer gameplay. This time there's no mention of Ganon, the Triforce, the Master Sword or even Hyrule! Without any connection whatsoever to any of the other games there's absolutely no point in giving it a place in the timeline.
Breath of the Wild: the latest game in the series, it's once again a new version of the usual "Zelda" tale, with Ganon now manifesting as "Calamity Ganon", and for the first time explicitly referencing him being reincarnated various times in history. The story mentions a battle against him having happened ten thousand years in the past, so it necessarily happens late in the timeline, but it can't be said for sure in which of the three timelines it happens, if in any at all, and it has been theorized and even proposed by the authors that it could take place at the end of all three timelines, as minor references to all games are present. A definitive placement is therefore impossible an I excluded it for now. A direct sequel to this game was also announced, but we can't tell if it'll help identify a placement in the timeline or if it'll make it even harder.

There you go, this is the ONLY certain Zelda timeline, the one that even timeline deniers must abide to, and the starting point for anybody that would want to figure out a complete timeline for themselves. In some future entry I'll complete this by putting all Zelda games in one timeline, but I don't want to rise controversies just yet with my peculiar view on the thing... so instead next time I'll post the timeline for another gaming franchise, one that recently had a character announced as DLC for Smash, which makes me very very happy!