The Many Sequals to OoT; ALttP in the Timeline

[AwesomeLink86]

For the SNES, ALttP was released as the third Zelda game. It told the story of a post-OoT Hyrule even before OoT was released. For the N64, OoT was released followed by a direct sequal MM. Then for the GC, WW was released as another sequal to OoT which created a possible contradiction in the timeline as Hyrule was flooded during which there was no Link. Thus the Split Timeline Theory was born. Now, for the GC/Wii TP was released as yet another sequal to OoT. That's a lot sequals to one game!

Here's what we know:

Adult Timeline:
OoT---WW

Child Timeline:
OoT/MM---TP

Here's the question: Where does ALttP fit in?

This question may have been discussed to death and if so, I'm apologize for this. But this is the one thing that irks me about the timeline. ALttP is an obvious sequal to OoT. However it contradicts both WW & TP. Let's look at both timelines:

ALttP appears in the Adult Timeline: This would seem to make the most sense. You have the seven sages in OoT, and then the seven maidens in ALttP who are there descendants or predecessors. Ganon was sealed in the Sacred Realm in OoT and he uses Aganhim to escape the Sacred Realm in ALttP. Everything is set up right except that Link goes back to the child timeline AND WW's backstory suggests that there wasn't a Link between OoT and WW. Now there is a way around this but it's a stretch: Link and Malon in the Adult Timeline could have gotten together before Link went back in time and Malon could have had Link's kid. ALttP/OoX/LA could have come in between OoT and WW. The reason there wasn't a Link during the flood was because Link was lost at sea in LA and never returned to Hyrule. And when it comes to "legends" and "histories" it could be argued that these are incomplete or devoid of certain details. Plus, most of the events of ALttP were unknown to the the people of Hyrule. Very few people knew about Link's battle with Ganon. Of course, this is all a stretch considering WW is supposed to take place 100 years after OoT. *shrugs*

................./----ALttP/OoX/LA----WW/PH----ST
-------OoT<
.................\MM-----TP-----(LOZ/AOL?)


ALttP appears in the Child Timeline: The part of TP that seems to clue this in would be how the Temple of Time is overgrown by the Sacred Grove. The Lost Woods in ALttP where the Master Sword sleeps could be the same as the Sacred Grove in TP. This seems to be the case. But the thing is, Ganon is never sealed in the Sacred Realm. There is no Dark World. The backstory to ALttP never mentions anything about TP. My suggestion for this would be to say that Ganondorf reincarnates and touches the Triforce again and the "Imprisoning War" takes place AFTER TP. But to have the events be so similar to OoT? This is still a stretch IMO.

..................../------WW/PH-----ST
----------OoT<
....................\MM-----TP------ALttP/OoX/LA-----(LOZ/AOL?)


Now there is one other possibility:

ALttP appears in a separate/alternate Universe: DC comics made the idea of Multiple universes famous as way to explain there many contradictions and retcons. I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to assume something similar may be going on in the Zelda timeline. In fact, in my timeline theories I usually don't include MM/FS/FSA in any of my timelines. I consider them a separate universe altogether. Why? That's just me.

...................../ (link sent back; flood)---------WW/PH--------ST
...................<
-----------OoT..\ (link not sent back; no flood)-------ALttP/OoX/LA------(LoZ/AoL?)
...................\
....................\MM---------TP------(LoZ/AoL?)


Which of these possibilities do you like better? Do you have your own theory about how ALttP fits in the timeline?

 

[pupairo12]

At one point, I assumed that TP and ALttP were the same legend exactly. I had a few points to explain this.
- The Dark World and the Twilight Realm both alter the shape of normal people who go there.
- Renado, the shaman, and Sahasaral (sp) were both wise men that helped you.
- Sages sealed Ganon away in both games.
- Three Fused Shadows were needed to get the Master Sword, three pendants were needed to get the master sword.
- The master sword rests in a sacred and foggy forest grove.

But, now I'm rambling on about similarities. So rather, the way I used to think of it was:

MM---TP(ALttP)--ect.
/
SS--Oot
\
WW/PH--ST

I don't know if that's really how it would work, but it's just a thought.

 

[AwesomeLink86]

At one point, I assumed that TP and ALttP were the same legend exactly. I had a few points to explain this.
- The Dark World and the Twilight Realm both alter the shape of normal people who go there.
- Renado, the shaman, and Sahasaral (sp) were both wise men that helped you.
- Sages sealed Ganon away in both games.
- Three Fused Shadows were needed to get the Master Sword, three pendants were needed to get the master sword.
- The master sword rests in a sacred and foggy forest grove.

I get the similarities but I wouldn't go so far to say they are the same.
-The Dark World was the Sacred Realm twisted by Ganon's evil and the Twilight was just the power of the Twilight Realm covering the land of Hyrule
-Renaldo seems like a guy in his 40s with black hair and dreadlocks and Sahasrahla seems like a guy at least in his 60s with gray hair and long beard.
-The Fused Shadows were not needed to get the Master Sword in TP, they had another purpose to help Midna. Actually nothing was needed to get the Master Sword in that game.

The other points are true, but don't necessarily point to them being the same.

 

[pupairo12]

I know, that's why I USED to think that, lol. I actually forgot one, that Aghanim and Zant have similar purposes. So, in any case, back on topic. I personally believe that ALttP should be a sequal to OoT, but there was not supposed to be a split timeline in the first place, and OoT did something to mess with the story.

 

[Locke]

How about this possibility. LttP is what should have happened after OoT if Zelda had not removed the HoT from that timeline. I could be on a predestined timeline, if you will.

So originally, the timeline should have been
OoT-LttP

but Zelda sent Link back to the past, so he wasn't able to stop Ganon, so the flood happened as told in WW.
OoT-WW

and Link returning to the past caused the timeline to split as we know.
OoT/MM-TP

so, making this as complex as possible,

<-- OoT(C) -- OoT(A) -- LttP -->
       \            \ -- GF -- WW -->
        \MM -- TP -->

(GF = Great FLood; and I split OoT into its child and adult components)
I think something like this has come up before, and I countered it with the questions "What does the end of OoT look like on the 'predestined' timeline? Does Zelda's Lullaby not work? Does Zelda decide not to use it? Why did she make that decision, and why would it be any different from the 'AT'?"
But I'd like to know what you think.

 

[AwesomeLink86]

How about this possibility. LttP is what should have happened after OoT if Zelda had not removed the HoT from that timeline. I could be on a predestined timeline, if you will.

So originally, the timeline should have been
OoT-LttP

but Zelda sent Link back to the past, so he wasn't able to stop Ganon, so the flood happened as told in WW.
OoT-WW

and Link returning to the past caused the timeline to split as we know.
OoT/MM-TP

so, making this as complex as possible,

<-- OoT(C) -- OoT(A) -- LttP -->
       \            \ -- GF -- WW -->
        \MM -- TP -->

(GF = Great FLood; and I split OoT into its child and adult components)
I think something like this has come up before, and I countered it with the questions "What does the end of OoT look like on the 'predestined' timeline? Does Zelda's Lullaby not work? Does Zelda decide not to use it? Why did she make that decision, and why would it be any different from the 'AT'?"
But I'd like to know what you think.

I actually like this and had thought about this before. This kinda goes in the "alternate universe" theory being that OoT-WW and OoT-ALttP are different universes.

so, making this as complex as possible,

BTW, I edited the first post with Timeline charts added in.

 

[Ooccoo Watcher]

I think AlttP Happens on the adult timeline at the same time that TP happens on the child timeline, in the parallel universes. This is because AlttP and TP have many similarities. Otherwise, they are just a retelling of the same story, but the former seems more likely.

 

[AwesomeLink86]

I think AlttP Happens on the adult timeline at the same time that TP happens on the child timeline, in the parallel universes. This is because AlttP and TP have many similarities. Otherwise, they are just a retelling of the same story, but the former seems more likely.

So are you saying you think it happens before Wind Waker or in a completely separate universe?

 

[Simon]

I think it happens after TP but with another game inbetween.

 

[Slash Dart]

Well let's see here.

ALttP can't take place between OoT and TWW because at the end of OoT Ganon was sealed and still had the ToP. In ALttP he had the full Triforce and he was killed, not sealed.

I don't see how ALttP can come after TWW because the Master Sword was stuck in Ganon's forehead, turned him into stone and flooded away. In ALttP, the Master Sword is back in the Lost Woods but Ganon is alive and well? Hmmm....

So the best place to put is on the CT after TP.

- Three Fused Shadows were needed to get the Master Sword, three pendants were needed to get the master sword.
- The master sword rests in a sacred and foggy forest grove.

Best evidence righter there why ALttP takes place on the CT after TP.

 

[AwesomeLink86]

Well let's see here.

ALttP can't take place between OoT and TWW because at the end of OoT Ganon was sealed and still had the ToP. In ALttP he had the full Triforce and he was killed, not sealed.

I don't believe it ever says that the Ganon in ALttP was killed beforehand. The Triforce "thing" is a good point but it could be explained:

The Triforce could have been split before hand in ALttP and Aghanim or another of Ganon's followers could have stolen it from their wielders and given it to Ganon before or even during ALttP. The King and Link's Uncle could have had the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage respectively and were stolen by Aghanim. It's possible.

I don't see how ALttP can come after TWW because the Master Sword was stuck in Ganon's forehead, turned him into stone and flooded away. In ALttP, the Master Sword is back in the Lost Woods but Ganon is alive and well? Hmmm....

Good point.

Best evidence righter there why ALttP takes place on the CT after TP.

As I said before, the "fused shadows" were not used to get the Master Sword rather they served another purpose. Link got the Master Sword on his own. Plus fused shadows =/= pendants.

As for it resting in a forest, just because it wound up in a forest on one timeline doesn't mean it can't happen in the other.

 

[425]

I'm working on the placement of Triforce of the Gods (LttP) in my timeline, which is to debut soon, but I want to get some extent into Minish Cap first. But, basically, there isn't really a good location for ToG in the timeline, on either side, since either the WW BS would have to be completely neglected, or, somehow, the Triforce would have to be reunited into the Sacred Realm following TP.

 

[Pinecove]

I'll go through the laydown of ALttP and it's timeline placements.

In 1991 it was a prequel to LoZ:
ALttP-LoZ/AoL

In 1998 it was the sequel to OoT:
OoT-AlttP/LA-LoZ/AoL

In 2002, when TWW was released, it had no spot on the timeline:
OoT-TWW
\MM

AlttP/LA-LoZ/AoL???

In 2004, FSA was released as a connection to ALttP (despite having its seal war elements removed from it in development). However FSA did not come on any timeline:
OoT-TWW
\MM

FS/FSA-ALttP/OoS/OoA/LA-LoZ/AoL

When TP was announced, FSA followed it in the timeline. When TP was still "TWW2" FSA and ALttP went on the adult timeline. When TP moved to between OoT and TWW, FSA had no placement and when it moved to the child timeline, AlttP landed there too.

In other words:

SS-OoT-TWW/PH-ST
.......\MM-TP-FSS-Classics

 

[JuicieJ]

With the information we have, it actually can't be accurately be placed anywhere, and I've gone over this information countless times. However, there is an open gap for a new game to be placed in-between TP and ALttP to bring about yhe Seal War once and for all. If that were to be brought in, the "timeline" would look something like this:

............/WW--PH--ST
SS--OoT
............\MM--TP--ALttP/(OoX)/LA--LoZ/AoL

-(?)MC--FS/FSA

 

[AwesomeLink86]

In 2004, FSA was released as a connection to ALttP (despite having its seal war elements removed from it in development). However FSA did not come on any timeline:
OoT-TWW
\MM
FS/FSA-ALttP/OoS/OoA/LA-LoZ/AoL

Except that in FSA, Ganon was sealed in the Four Sword not in the Sacred Realm/Dark World. Plus the backstory of Ganon was rewritten. Personally, I place the Four Swords trilogy (MC/FS/FSA) as a separate universe.

When TP was announced, FSA followed it in the timeline. When TP was still "TWW2" FSA and ALttP went on the adult timeline. When TP moved to between OoT and TWW, FSA had no placement and when it moved to the child timeline, AlttP landed there too.

In other words:

SS-OoT-TWW/PH-ST
.......\MM-TP-FSS-Classics

This confuses me. :p