9 replies to this topic

[ywkls]

I'm doing this here, but it may rightly belong somewhere else. (I don't know.)

I saw the Hyrule Historia and thought to myself- "A multitude of timelines? Nobody every told me about this!" You see, I'd already made up my own internally consistent chronology of the events in the Zelda games; making each one connect to the others.

Since I'm using this to create the plot of my current games, I' thought I'd post it. After that, I'll post the overall history of events that I'm using for the games I've made and will be making.

Speculations about the meaning of things will be in italics.

Distant Past- Skyward Sword- The evil king Demise is imprisoned and Hylia becomes Zelda.
The land of Hyrule is sealed off and the inhabitants relocated to the skies.
Over the course of his journey, Link gathers the pieces of the Triforce together for the first time.
Ghirahim is able to revive Demise, but Link defeats him in battle.
The evil king swears that his line shall be eternally cursed by one who looks like him.

Sometime Thereafter- The Minish Cap- The land of Hyrule becomes home to a race of magical beings called the Minish.
One named Ezlo creates a cap that grants wishes, which is seized by Vaati.
Vaati takes the Triforce and tries to conquer the land.
Much like Skyward Sword, Link must gather 4 incarnations of his sword to defeat Vaati.
Afterward, all of his line wear a green cap.
This story takes place after Skyward Sword and Link wears a cap then, which is contradictory.

History Begins- Ocarina of Time- The three goddesses create the land and leave behind the Triforce in the Golden realm.
Ganondorf attacks and Link’s family is killed.
Hidden among the Kokiri until Ganondorf begins trying to open the way to the Golden Realm where the Triforce rests.
Link gathers the 3 Spiritual Stones but can’t claim the power of the Master Sword because he isn’t old enough.
Ganon conquers the land and the 7 sages go into hiding.
Link gathers their power, faces Ganon and wins.
However, Ganondorf retains the Triforce of Power and thus can’t be destroyed.

Just After- Majora’s Mask- Travels to another land/parallel dimension.
During the 7 years he was trapped in the Temple of Time.
Link is transformed by the evil mask of Majora. (Origins unknown.)
Link must restore the land in 3 days or the world ends.
Majora is bested and Link returns home.

Interim- Twilight Princess- The Golden Realm had inhabitants who begin to covet and fight over the Triforce.
One is Zant, who wants the power which was to be conferred on Midna.
He breaks a mirror used to seal Ganondorf into Mirror Shards(Magical Mirror?).
He scatters the Fused Shadow(Majora’s Mask?) then tries to conquer Hyrule.
This is egged on by Ganondorf, who was sealed by the Mirror Shards at the cost of one of the sage’s lives.
Ganondorf is eventually bested.
The sealing of Ganondorf contradicts the events of Ocarina of Time.
This suggests that this is a separate sealing.
Since he wished to break the Fused Shadow and keep the Magical Mirror away; he fears them.

Cataclysm- Wind Waker-Hyrule is covered in water to keep Ganon from ruling it.
Zelda is hidden as Tetra.
Ganondorf wishes to get the three Pearls to reach the Triforce and raise Hyrule but is defeated.
The three pearls correspond to the Spiritual Stones.
How exactly Ganondorf is free and walking about it unclear.

Following That- Phantom Hourglass- A mysterious phantom threatens Hyrule, and a great fish that lives in it.
This may correspond to the giant whale seen in Skyward Sword and the Wind Fish.

Unknown- Spirit Tracks- I’ve never played this game, so I have nothing to say on it.

4900 years after OOT- The Legend of Zelda- Ganon (Gannon?) is trying to be revived, but you put a stop to that.

4901 years after OOT- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link- The Triforce you just got was one of three main fragments
Zelda is in a deep sleep.
So you have to collect them and face yourself.
Presumably, Ganon is behind this.

5000 years after OOT- A Link to the Past- the descendants of the 7 sages are locked away by agents of Ganon.
Ganon has now completely corrupted the Golden Realm/Dark World.
(May be the same as the Twilight Realm.)
Link must rescue them and gain the power of the Triforce.

5001 years after OOT- Link’s Awakening- While traveling, Link washes ashore on an island,
A powerful Nightmare has enslaved the Wind Fish there.
He must gather 8 instruments to awaken it.

Still Later, but Simultaneously- Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons- Holodrum and Labrynna are attacked.
Onox and Veran, respectively appear to threaten them.
This in a plot by Twinrova to revive Ganon.
This may indicate this occurs shortly after OOT instead.

Still Later- A Link Between World- The parallel world of Lorule (bad name choice) has lost it’s Triforce.
(Negaforce? Anti-Triforce?)
Princess Hilda wants to get the one in the normal world and tricks you into helping her.
You are helped by the Link counterpart Ravio.
Many of the elements of this game suggest a connection with the Twilight Realm, Dark World and Golden Realm.



Now, here's the timeline for my games.

Prehistory

Hyrule exists. Hylia reigns, fights Demise, imprisons him, becomes Zelda.
Triforce is hidden, Link reclaims, Demise is revived by Ghirahim.
Demise is defeated. The Minish come to Hyrule. Ezlo makes Minish Cap.
Vaati steals Minish Cap, tries to take over Hyrule. Link beats him.
3 goddesses exist and disperse Triforce.
Ganondorf appears, attempts to kill Link. Link hides with Kokiri.
Ganondorf begins attempting to get Triforce. Link gets Spiritual Stones. 7 years pass. Ganon conquers Hyrule. During this time, Link travels to Termina. Termina is saved.
Majora is sealed again. Link is an adult, gathers 7 sages.
Seals Ganondorf in the Golden Realm.
The inhabitants of the Golden Realm begin to be corrupted by the Triforce.
Ganon gets free, is sealed again with the Magical Mirror.
Zant appears, tries to take power from Midna. Fused Shadow is shattered.
Magical Mirror is shattered. Link gathers these and seals Ganon again.
Holodrum and Labrynna are attacked by Onox and Veran. Link aids those lands.
Din is warned of danger in the future. Nayru journeys to the future to recruit a hero.

Game 3

Nayru and the hero return. Din begins to prepare for threat to Holodrum.
History in Labrynna is altered. Link must journey to the Mirror Realm.
Link restores Labrynna.

Game 4

World of Hyrule is flooded.
Events of alternate timeline involving Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass.
Link is pulled into Termina. True plot revealed.Link beats bad guy and goes home. Hyrule is restored

Interim

Ganon’s first escape attempt with Triforce of Courage.
Ganon’s second escape attempt with Triforce of Wisdom.
Agahnim tries to free Ganon, kidnaps descendants of 7 sages.
Link defeats Agahnim, uses power of Triforce. Link journeys abroad.
Link washes ashore on Koholint. Link gathers 8 instruments.
Link banishes Nightmare. Lorule is in danger. Link helps it. Time passes.

Balance of Nature

Holodrum is in peril. Link is summoned to Holodrum by Eldin, restores seasons.
Onox is bested. Nayru arrives.

Passage Through Time

Vaati is revived. Link loses items.
Link gathers items, beats Vaati. Link and Nayru travel back in time.


That's it. I have a name for the 3rd game, but not the 4th. Any thoughts on this as to how to improve it, or what to call that last game?

Edited by ywkls, 28 June 2015 - 01:36 AM.

[SkyLizardGirl]

When i think about these Zelda story timelines, my head just gets so dizzy.

 

Whatever works works if it fits the official storylines the creators of Zelda preferred to be so.'

[Deedee]

I prefer the historia timeline. I really don't mind the 3 timelines.

[SpikeReynolds]

I could never figure out a solid timeline; and although HH seems to have summed it up, I still have issues with their interpretation.If I recall correctly, HH didn't list LttP as the final game in the timeline. This wouldn't burn me as much if not for the fact that according to the spirit of the Triforce, Link 'completely destroyed Ganon' in LttP. You'd think that'd be the end of things.

 

My thoughts on this issue are kind of unique. I never considered Link to be a single person, or even part of a single bloodline. Link was simply, in my interpretation, a title given to the hero of the day. No different from Duke, or Earl, or Lord, or other such nonsense.

[ywkls]

@Dimentio- I can never keep those straight in my mind. I always ask myself, 'which game is in which timeline again'? I made up 90% of this long before Hyrule Historia came out.

 

@jaghnus- I'm not implying that all of the different Link's and Zelda's are the same person. Most of the games make it clear that they aren't.

 

@SkyLizardGirl- I totally agree with you about the way the official timeline messes with my head. It seems like the history is revised every time a new game is released.

 

 

I don't actually have a copy of Hyrule Historia myself. Perhaps someone who does could post the timeline as they have it for reference. While I might use it to change or refine things, I'm mostly concerned with keeping what I created internally consistent.

[MarinaraSauce]

I don't actually have a copy of Hyrule Historia myself. Perhaps someone who does could post the timeline as they have it for reference. While I might use it to change or refine things, I'm mostly concerned with keeping what I created internally consistent.

 

 

Here you go.  You can find this if you just google "Zelda timeline".

[Logos]

I prefer this timeline to the split timeline. Then again, I don't mind where the games fit in the timeline as long as the games are good

[SpikeReynolds]

@jaghnus- I'm not implying that all of the different Link's and Zelda's are the same person. Most of the games make it clear that they aren't.

 

Admittedly, I was really tired when I read this the first time. Looking back it makes more sense.

[Binx]

I could never figure out a solid timeline; and although HH seems to have summed it up, I still have issues with their interpretation.If I recall correctly, HH didn't list LttP as the final game in the timeline. This wouldn't burn me as much if not for the fact that according to the spirit of the Triforce, Link 'completely destroyed Ganon' in LttP. You'd think that'd be the end of things.

 

My thoughts on this issue are kind of unique. I never considered Link to be a single person, or even part of a single bloodline. Link was simply, in my interpretation, a title given to the hero of the day. No different from Duke, or Earl, or Lord, or other such nonsense.

yeah, but it was always established that Z1 and Z2 happened after ALttP, like ever since the game was first released, so, there's really no lack of consistency, it was always a prequel and Ganon was somehow revived in the meantime.

I prefer the split timeline, myself. It's much more internally consistent with what I had assumed the timeline would be, back when i wrote a paper on it in 2003. In fact (given the games that were currently out at the time, so nothing after Wind Waker, in fact, WW had only been released about a month previously), the only difference is where the split occurred. In my timeline it had occurred when Zelda  sent Link back, in OoT creating two adult timelines, one in which he would be nonexistent, leading to Wind Waker, and one where he stayed as an adult, leading to the imprisoning war and ALttP, while the child timeline had led into Majora's mask. As new games came out, I found it pretty easy to fit them into the timeline, until the release, but I was disappointed that the split was over Ganon killing Link. Though, looking back, it makes more sense, I overlooked that ALttP Ganon had the completed Triforce. 

[ywkls]

My conclusions regarding the events of The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was based on something, I just don't remember what. One thing I find telling is that the three pieces of the Triforce aren't gathered together in one place in those games. Instead, you must gather one fragment of the Triforce in the first and another in the second. (Presumably, Ganon still has the Triforce of Power.)

 

The games I always found hardest to pinpoint when they happened, since there is very little in them to specify exactly when they occur; were the Oracle Games. You'll note in my first draft of the timeline, I place them after LTTP. But in the final version, I set them before; since Twinrova is still alive. Of course, that sort of contradicts my idea that Twilight Princess came first... so I may revise that section.

 

My finalized timeline contains none of the plot details for my four games, which are an effort to harmonize some of the facts from Twilight Princess, LTTP, the Oracle games, Skyward Sword, the Minish Cap and Majora's Mask. One major factor I'm using is the fact that in Skyward Sword, the Triforce hadn't been gathered together. In OOT it was separated and remained so in the first and second Zelda. Ganon was sealed twice, which means he escaped at some point somehow; probably triggering the destruction seen in Wind Waker.

 

The idea of a parallel world appears multiple times, whether it is Termina, the Twilight Realm, Lorule, the Dark World or the Golden Land. As you might have noted; I'll be creating a new parallel world for my third game, which explains how things went wrong after Oracle of Ages. At it's conclusion, important events will occur that lead directly to the fourth and final game.

 

I'm guessing that the Hyrule Historia timeline was created before A Link Between Worlds, but it is clearly after LTTP.

 

Of course, the new Zelda may throw all previous timelines out the window. (They've done it before.) 

 

I'm open to suggestions on exactly what to put into the fourth game. My plans for each one have gotten more ambitious than those before; but other than its setting, the likely villain and some ideas on overall game gimmicks, I don't have much about it that has yet been determined.