Timeline

The Zelda Timeline is an ordering of the Zelda games as their events occur within the fictional universe. This official chronology was revealed in detail in The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, published in December of 2011. Before that, it had been kept a deeply held secret, even to most of the developers. This was done to prevent the developers from falling into the trap of focusing on the storyline instead of the gameplay and to allow for more creative flexibility for future releases.^{[citation needed]} Before Hyrule Historia was published, the timeline was a major topic of debate among Zelda fans, owing to vague, open-ended, or absent connections between games, as well as many apparent contradictions.

The official timeline published in Hyrule Historia

Ordering

The ordering of the games is as follows. Ocarina of Time has three different endings which spawn three branched timelines.

Skyward Sword
The Minish Cap
Four Swords
Ocarina of Time
Decline Timeline	Child Timeline	Adult Timeline
A Link to the Past	Majora's Mask	The Wind Waker
Oracle of Seasons	Twilight Princess	Phantom Hourglass
Oracle of Ages	Four Swords Adventures	Spirit Tracks
Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link

The Legend of the Goddesses and the Hero

Creation

Main article: Creation

Goddesses creating the land of Hyrule

Hyrule was created out of chaos by the three Golden Goddesses. Din, the Goddess of Power, created the land; Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, imbued a spirit of law; and Farore, the Goddess of Courage, created the life forms to live on the land and uphold the law. They then left their creation, leaving the Triforce, a symbol of their immense power. It lay dormant in the Sacred Realm, guarded by the goddess Hylia.

Era of the Goddess Hylia

Main article: Era of the Goddess Hylia

The Demon King Demise rises up with his Demon Tribe to take the Triforce for himself. To protect the Triforce and her people, Hylia sends them both to the sky and erects a barrier of clouds to protect them from the demons which have overrun the surface. She then battles and defeats Demise with the aid of the remaining surface tribes, sealing him away.

Fearing that the seal is too weak, Hylia initiates two plans to destroy Demise for good. First she creates Fi, the spirit of the Master Sword, to aid a hero that would appear in the future. Second, in order to make use of the power of the Triforce which can't be used by gods, she surrendered her divinity, leaving herself to be reincarnated as a mortal. These two plans come into play during the Sky Era.

Sky Era

Main article: Sky Era

View of the sky and Skyloft from Skyward Sword

After the Ancient Battle, Hylia's people live in The Sky and are nearly forgotten about by the tribes remaining on the Surface over thousands of years. The humans rebuild their strength and thrive on Skyloft, a series of floating islands in the sky. Gaepora founds the Knight Academy to train Loftwing-riding knights.

The Sky Era spans the events of Skyward Sword. As the seal on Demise weakens, Hylia is reborn as Zelda. Demise also sends his servant Ghirahim to search for Hylia so he can break the seal. He soon discovers Zelda and forces her down to the surface, prompting Link, the goddess's chosen hero, to search for her. Zelda is rescued by Impa, who helps her discover her identity as Hylia. Ghirahim eventually captures Zelda and resurrects Demise, but Link is able to defeat him with the aid of the Master Sword and the Triforce.

With the threat of Demise gone, the Cloud Barrier dissipates, allowing the humans to return to the surface. The time between the Sky Era and the Era of Chaos is a time of peace, during which the descendants of Hylia become known as Hylians and the land becomes known as Hyrule.

Era of Chaos

The Spiritual Stones within the the Temple of Time

Main article: Era of Chaos

After the events of Skyward Sword the surface world became known as Hyrule. The people who spent their lives up in the sky descended to the surface. The land of Hyrule knew peace for several years until word got out about the Triforce and the Sacred Realm. The now named Hylians lusted over this great power, thus turning the land into chaos.

In order to prevent people from gaining access to the Sacred Relam the Sage of light, Rauru decided to seal the realm. He put the only known entrance to the realm within the Temple of Time. Further protecting the realm was the Master Sword, in which evil could never wield and the Door of Time, in which one needed to collect all three Spiritual Stones to gain access.

Era of Prosperity

Those who shared the blood of the Goddess, Hylia, became to be reborn as Zelda. They were the ones who established Hyrule. They intended to build a great castle in the center of the land. The castle was built here to watch over the Temple of Time, which is the only known connection to the Sacred Realm and the Triforce.

Within the established Royal Family, descendents in the bloodline were born with the special power that the Goddess Hylia held. The ones born of this bloodline and the Queen were often named after the historical legend that was Zelda.

Force Era

Hero of Men

Main article: Hero of Men

After a period of peace in Hyrule, a great evil threatened the land once again. It was at this moment that the Picori descended from the sky and gave the Hero of Men the Picori Blade and the Light Force. Now with the light force and the ancient blade, the Hero of Men was able to defeat the evil forces and seal them within the chest. The story become legend and was passed down through tales of Hyrule.

The Hero of The Minish

Main article: The Minish Cap

Link from the Minish Cap

In the celebration of the Picori and the ancient tale of the Hero, Link and Princess Zelda head to the festival. One person is allowed to touch the ancient Picori Blade, this person was Vaati and he intended to shatter the blade and harness the Light Force. Vaati proceeds to release the power and turns Princess Zelda to stone in the process. However the ancient power was nowhere to be found and due to the seal now broken, all the evil within the chest is released upon Hyrule.

Link is tasked with reforging the Picori Blade, to do this he must find four unique elements. With the assistance of the Picori and his companion Ezlo he is able to find the four elements across the land of Hyrule. With the four elements acquired, Link is able to reforge the blade, thus it becomes the Four Sword. Meanwhile Vaati found out about the source of the ancient power he seeked, the Light Force. Vaati broke into Hyrule Castle and intended to extract the power from the dormant Princess. Link now with the Four Sword, fights through the cursed Castle and battles with the evil sorcerer Vaati. Link defeats Vaati and is able to restore Princess Zelda to her original form and save Hyrule from the dark forces, thus returning peace to the land.

Vaati the Wind Mage

The Return of Vaati

Main article: Four Swords

After a brief period of peace, the wind sorcerer Vaati returned to terrorize Hyrule. Vaati seeked to kidnap many people across Hyrule, mainly woman, who he then imprisoned inside his new home, the Palace of Winds. One day a hero wielded the great Four Sword, split into four hero's and sealed Vaati away.

One day in Hyrule, Princess Zelda detects strange occurrences within the Four Sword Sanctuary, it is at this moment that Vaati breaks the seal and kidnaps Zelda. Link is tasked with proving his courage to the Faires with the help of the Four Sword. After proving his courage, the Faires help Link travel to the Palace of Winds. With the legendary blade, Link is able to seal Vaati once again within the sword and save Zelda.

Era of the Hero of Time

Unification War

In a period where Hyrule was engulfed in conflict and war, a mother fled to the forest to escape the fires of the fierce war. She held a baby in her hand and arrived at the Kokiri Forest, it is here where she entrusted the Great Deku Tree with looking after her child. The Great Deku Tree, sensing the fate of Hyrule, decided to raise the child under the protection of the Kokiri. The Kingdom of Hyrule slowly gained order again and was unified under one name.

The Hero of Time

Main article: Ocarina of Time Story

File:Ganondorf-Link.jpg

Link battling Ganondorf from Ocarina of Time

The child that the Deku Tree intended to look after was Link. Link had been experiencing strange dreams and it is at that moment that he is summoned by Navi, to go and see the Great Deku Tree. After ridding the evil deep within him, he tells Link about Ganondorf and the dark future that lays ahead. The Deku Tree also tasks Link with with taking the Emerald of the Kokiri to Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle. After sneaking past the guards, Link arrives at the courtyard where the Princess asks the Hero to find the other two Spiritual Stones, the Goron Ruby and the Zoras Sapphire. After obtaining all of the stones Link encounters Impa and Zelda fleeing from Ganondorf, she then tosses the Ocarina of Time to Link.

With the three Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina, Link now proceeds through the Door of Time where the Master Sword lays. After pulling the Sword from the Pedestal, Link is kept in the Temple of Light for seven years as he was too young to be the Hero. However this was the one key to the Sacred Realm and it allowed Ganondorf to enter, thus leading him to the Triforce. Due to his heart not being pure he was only able to obtain the Triforce of Power, with this he took over Hyrule and cursed the Sages to be. Link is tasked by Rauru to retrieve the five medallions and aweaken the Sages across Hyrule. Once uniting the medallions and the Sages, the path to Ganon's Castle is now made clear and Link challenges Ganondorf for the fate of Hyrule.

The Decline of Hyrule and the Last Hero

Ganondorf gains the Triforce of Power and seeks out Princess Zelda who has the Triforce of Wisdom. Link who owns the third and final piece of the Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, challenges Ganondorf to determine the destiny of Hyrule. However the Hero of Time, Link fails and is defeated by Ganondorf.

Subsuqently Ganondorf now has the Triforce of Wisdom from Princess Zelda and the Triforce of Courage from the defeated Link. With all of the Triforce pieces in his possession he now obtains true power. Ganondorf is now able to transform into the Demon King Ganon. In a last effort, the seven sages of Hyrule including Princess Zelda, seal Ganon within the Sacred Realm. Due to Ganons heart not being pure the Sacred Realm is transformed into the Dark World.

The Imprisoning War

Main article: Imprisoning War

Artwork of the Imprisoning War from A Link to the Past

After the Demon King Ganon was sealed within the Sacred Realm it gave peace to the land and Kingdom of Hyrule. However this peace was shortlived. Word agian spread about the Sacred Realm and many people lusted for the great power hidden within the realm. The people who entered the Sacred Realm, now the Dark World would never return. Due to the dark evil within the Dark World, they were transformed into monsters under the ruling of Ganon. As Ganons army grew they waged war upon Hyrule.

The King of Hyrule ordered the seven sgaes to seal the entrance to the Dark World to prevent Ganons army from attacking Hyrule. With the help from the Knights of Hyrule the seven sages were successful with once again sealing the entrance. During the battle many Knights perished and little were left but they were successful in their attempt and Hyrule won the war breifly. Hylians before this war were usually born with a mysterious power and distinct features such as pointy ears to hear messages from the Gods. However after the Imprisoning War the special infused blood was greatly diminished. Also the Sages of this Era who were victorious became only a legend.

Era of Light and Dark

A Link to the Past

Main article: A Link to the Past

The evil wizard Agahnim from A Link to the Past

After the Imprisoning War, the land of Hyrule found peace once again. However a powerful wizard named Agahnim seeked out the entrance to the Sacred Realm, now known as the Dark World. After gaining the trust from the King of Hyrule, Agahnim decided to betray him. He manipulated the Hylian Soldiers, making them hostile and tasked them with sending the remaining Maidens to the Dark World. As a result of this, Princess Zelda was locked up in the castle and sent out a message to Link and his Uncle. However after finding his Uncle dead within the grounds, it was up to Link to save the Princess.

Link leaves the Princess in the hands of the Loyal Sage at the Sanctuary. Link then pays a visit to the Sage Sahasrahla, who tells the Hero that in order to defeat the great Wizard he must obtain the Master Sword, deep within the Lost Woods. To be able to draw the ancient sword, Link must first collect the three Pendants of Virtue across Hyrule. After doing this he confronts Agahnim in Hyrule Castle. However the evil Wizard had kidnapped Zelda and sent her into the Dark World. Before his defeat, Agahnim, as last ditch effort, sends Link into the Dark World. Due to the appearance of the Dark World, Link transforms into a small bunny, as it was a reflection of his true heart.

After gaining the Moon Pearl, Link is free to explore the tretorous Dark World in his Hylian form and with the power of the Magic Mirror, he is able to effectively travel to and from the dark and light world. Link must revive the Maidens, who are trapped within specific palaces across the Dark World. After doing so, it is revealed that Ganon is behind all of the events and he was simply using Agahnim. Link then battles Ganon in the Pyramid of Power and after defeating the Demon King, the Dark World vanishes and peace is restored to Hyrule.

Twinrova's Plan

Main article: Oracle of Seasons

After the defeat of the Demon King Ganon, Twinrova plotted a scheme to revive the evil King. In order to revive him the twin sorcerers needed three flames, these were the flames of sorrow, destruction and despair. In order to obtain the flames, Twinrova sent Onox to the land of Holodrum and Veran to Labrynna. The young hero Link, who had previously saved Hyrule was guided to the location of the Triforce in Hyrule Castle. However upon arrival he was transported to the foreign land of Holodrum.

The Adventure in Holodrum

Oracle of Seasons

Main article: Oracle of Seasons

When Link awakens in the mysterious land of Holodrum, he was greeted by Din who danced with him. However darkness shrouded the land and Din was kidnapped by the general of darkness Onox. Upon the capturing of Din, the land of Holodrum was turned into a land of the four seasons. With the power of the Rod of Seasons Link is able to control each of the different seasons. Link must retrieve the eight Essences from their respective dungeons. After blessing the Maku Tree with the final Essence, he produces a Huge Maku Seed. With the seed, Link is able to infiltrate Onox's Castle and confront the general. Upon defeating him, the Oracle Din is now saved and the seasons are return to normal. Upon the defeat of Onox one if the flames was lit, the flame of destruction.

The Adventure in Labrynna

Oracle of Ages

Main article: Oracle of Ages

After the events in Holodrum, Link is once again transported at the hands of the Triforce, this time to the land of Labrynna. Link meets with Impa, she leads the hero to Nayru. However the evil sorcerer Veran possessed Impa and then proceeds to take control of the Oracle of Ages. She uses Nayru's powers to travel to the past so that she could alter the events in the present. Link must use the Harp of Ages to travel through time to obtain the eight Essences of Time. This allows Link access to the Black Tower, where he meets Veran. Link defeats the evil sorcerer however the second flame, the flame of sorrow was lit in the process.

The Revival of Ganon

Upon the defeat of both Onox and Veran, the flame of destruction and the flame of sorrow were lit. With one final flame remaining, Twinrova kidnapped Princess Zelda to prepare her for the sacrifice, to revive the Demon King. However Link, who now had both the power of Nayru, the Oracle of Ages and Din, the Oracle of Seasons, challenged the evil sorcerers. After thier defeat, the surrogate mothers of Ganon sacrificed themselves. However since the ritual wasn't fully complete Ganon appeared but was without intellect. The Hero defeated the mindless Demon King and saved Zelda, while returning peace to both the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna.

A Mysterious Dream

Main article: Link's Awakening

After the defeat of Ganon, Link departs Holodrum and Labrynna by boat, looking for his new adventure. Upon exploring the vast seas, Link and his boat got caught up in a storm. Link woke up from is conscious state, on the shore of the mysterious Island of Koholint. A local of the Island's town, Mabe Village, took the Hero to her home. She reveals her name as Marin, who strikes a very similar resemblance to Princess Zelda.

After Link has recovered his sword, he tries to leave the Island however the villagers convince the Hero that there is nothing beyond the sea. A mysterious Owl tells Link, that in order to depart the island he must wake the Wind Fish, who lays dormant on top of the Island in his Egg. In order to wake the fish, he tells Link that he must obtain the eight Instruments of the Sirens.

After finding all the instruments, Link makes his way up Tal Tal Heights towards the Wind Fish's Egg. The hero plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish, which was taught to him by Marin. This causes the Egg to break and it open up to a maze like structure. Link then fights his way through the maze and encounters The Shadow Nightmares, who had kept the Wind Fish in a deep slumber in order to control the Island. After Link has defeated the final form of the Nightmare, the Wind Fish now fully a weakens and it is revealed that the Island of Koholint was a creation within his dreams. The Island of Koholint now disappeared and Link wakes up in the ocean setting sail to an unknown destination.

Golden Era

After the events of both the Oracle of Ages and Seasons, the Demon King Ganon had been defeated. Maintaining the order of Hyrule was the King of Hyrule himself. He used all pieces of the Triforce in unity to create an Era of Peace in Hyrule, known as The Golden Era.

Era of Decline

The Tragedy of Princess Zelda

Main article: The Tragedy of Princess Zelda

Link discovering Princess Zelda in her eternal sleep

In the backstory to The Adventure of Link, it mentioned of this great King and how he intended to pass down the Triforce after his death. The King believed that after his death, the power of the Triforce would be misused, as if it were to be in the wrong hands, evil would take over Hyrule. He intended to find a successor worthy of handling the Triforce but was unsuccessful, even his son, the Prince of Hyrule was not to be trusted. In order to prevent the Prince from gaining the complete Triforce, he split the Triforce of Courage into three parts and hid them across Hyrule. The two predecessors worthy of taking the throne of Hyrule were the Prince and Princess Zelda. However due to the King being wary of the Princes character, he only told Princess Zelda the secret of the Triforce. The Prince took on the role of the new King of Hyrule, however due to the Triforce being uncomplete he was unable to weild the true power.

The new King was angry that he couldn't inherit the full power of the Triforce, so he searched throughout the land but to no avail. It was then that a Wizard appeared and told the young King, that the Princess new the secret. The King demanded the location of the Triforce of Courage but Zelda kept to her word, in fury, the King put Zelda to an eternal sleep. However the young King soon regretted his mistakes and lay the Princess in the North Castle. He then stated that every Princess following were to be named after Zelda. With the location of the Triforce only known by the Princess, who was in an eternal slumber, the Kingdom of Hyrule slowly decayed and eventually decreased in size.

Ganon's Invasion

Main article: The Legend of Zelda

Link staring out over Death Mountain

Following the tragic events of Princess Zelda, Hyrule was in an era of decline and it was deemed a small Kingdom, in contrast to its former glory. Ganon one day invaded Hyrule Kingdom and took the Triforce of Power for himself. The current Princess at that time divided the other known Triforce piece, the Triforce of Wisdom, into eight separate pieces. The fragments were hidden across Hyrule and the Princess ordered her servant Impa, to go and find a suitable man to find the fragments. Ganon was angered by the Zelda's actions and in turn captured her.

Impa managed to escape Ganon and his evil minions however she found herself surrounded while in search for a suitable hero. It was at this moment that the hero dressed in green appeared and defeated Ganon's minions. Impa revealed to Link about the eight fragments of the Triforce, he then set out across the ruins that was Hyrule. Upon completing the Triforce of Wisdom, Link then set out to Death Mountain to confront Ganon. After defeating the King of Evil, the Hero saved the Princess and recovered the Triforce of Power.

Unification of the Triforce

Main article: The Adventure of Link

The Kingdom of Hyrule, even though scared went through a brief period of peace after the defeat of the Demon King. However Ganon's underlings remained and they plotted to review their master. Ganon's minions needed the blood of the Hero, more specifically Link, this was the same Link who had previously defeated the Evil King.

The hero had stayed in the Kingdom, in hope to restore Hyrule to its former glory. One day a strange mark appeared on Link's hand. Link, who was now sixteen passed down this information to Impa, who in shock took him to the North Castle. They find a mysterious chamber, that is yet to be opened, the hero presses the crest against the door, thus opening the chamber. Here Impa and Link find Princess Zelda I, who is in an eternal sleep due to the previous King's actions. Impa hands Link a scroll, which reveals the location of the Triforce of Courage which lies within Great Palace. She also entrusts Link with six Crystals, Link must travel to the six palaces across the land and use the crystals to remove the barrier. After clearing all six palaces Link travels through the Valley of Death to reach the Palace, where his put to the test by his own Shadow. Once defeated Link obtaina the Triforce of Courage and sets out to aweaken the Princess, now with the Triforce finally united, peace is restored to the Kingdom of Hyrule.

The Hero of Winds and a New World

Adult Era

After the events of Ocarina of Time, Link defeats the Demon King Ganon. Princess Zelda and the other six sages proceed to seal Ganon away. Now that the Demon King is sealed, Princess Zelda wants Link to relive his childhood, she sends him back to the point where he first met her by using the Ocarina of Time. With the Hero of Time now sent back to the previous Era, Hyrule returned to its once peaceful state.

These events create the split in the timeline and this section of the Timeline is to be known as the Adult Timeline. This Timeline continues with the following games: The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.

Era without a Hero

The tale of the lost Hero in the prologue to the Wind waker

The great tales of the Hero of Time were passed down through many ages and the legendary green garbs he wore. However for an unknown reason the seal that held Ganondorf weakened. This lead to Ganondorf ultimately breaking the seal and he intended to keep the promise he made to the Hero of Time before he was sealed. Hyrule once again was covered in darkness, the people of Hyrule prayed for the Hero of Time to show up once again, however he was no where to be seen.

Left hopeless, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule decided to leave the fate of Hyrule with the Goddesses. The three Goddesses Informed the people of Hyrule to climb to the mountain tops, as they preceded to flood and seal all of Hyrule and Ganondorf in the process. This event was known as the Great Flood. King Daphnes decided that he would remain within the sealed Hyrule. The people who were able to take refuge on the mountain tops went on to build a new civilisation on the land now known as the Great Sea.

History

The history of the Zelda Timeline is punctuated by the addition of new games which expand, clarify, or redefine it.

TODO: These section headers are tentative.

Care to do so?

References

1. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, June 2005
2. ↑ Camp Hyrule, August 15, 2005
3. ↑ GameTrailers, October 28, 2011
4. ↑ Official Nintendo Magazine, July 21, 2005
5. ↑ Game Informer, October 2011
6. ↑ "The golden goddesses departed from the world they created and left the Triforce in care of the goddess Hylia.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 70
7. ↑ "Only a few individuals on the Surface knew of the existence of the goddess and Skyloft. After a few thousand years, their story was forgotten and became legend.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 72
8. ↑ "Gaepora, the keeper of the legends that had been passed down through his family, built the Knight Academy. Gaepora brought kendo training and Loftwing riding together and established the order of the knights.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 72
9. ↑ "Created by the Golden Goddesses and protected by the goddess Hylia, the world eventually became known as Hyrule. The Hylians, descendents of Hylia, lived in Hyrule and possessed magical abilities.", Hyrule Historia, pg. 77