Zelda Timeline



 Timeline is the in-universe chronology of The Legend of Zelda series. The timeline has a history of being incohesive. As such, it has been the subject of numerous fan theories. Though the series began in 1986, it had no canonical, overarching timeline until was first released in Japan in 2011.

In, Nintendo resolved the timeline's contradictions by contriving a third branch of the timeline stemming from , in addition to the two parallel branches confirmed years prior. These branches are the Fallen Hero Timeline, the Child Link Timeline, and the Adult Link Timeline. The portion of the timeline preceding the fork is known as the Singular Timeline. The whole timeline begins anew after the Great Calamity described in, by which time all of Hyrule's prior history has faded to myth.

Creation
Before time began, the tree Golden Goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule. Din, the Goddess of Power, created the earth. Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, bestowed order upon the world. Farore, the Goddess of Courage, created life.

Their labor complete, the goddesses departed for the heavens. They left behind the Triforce, an all-powerful artifact which would grant its holder their heart's desire.

Ancient Battle
The Triforce was entrusted to the goddess Hylia. But the Demon King Demise sought to take it and make the world his own. He rose an army of malevolent forces against Hyrule.

Hylia gathered the surviving humans on an outcrop of earth and sent it to The Sky beyond a Cloud Barrier, where they would be safe from the demonic hordes. Hylia rallied the remaining land dwellers, fought back the evil forces led by Demise, and sealed them away.

Hylia suffered grave injuries in the battle. Knowing the seal on Demise would not hold, she devised a plan. As the Triforce could not be wielded by a god, Hylia renounced divinity and transferred her soul to the body of a mortal. She created the Goddess Sword and the spirit Fi to aid her chosen hero when evil returned. She placed the sword in the Chamber of the Sword in Skyloft, the land beyond the clouds. In Sky Keep she hid portals to the three pieces of the Triforce.

The Sky Era
Skyloft remained in the sky above the clouds for generations, with knowledge of the Surface and the origins of Skyloft becoming mere legend. Despite their dwindling knowledge of their origins, the people of Skyloft still knew of the Goddess Hylia and believed she watched over them to that day, unaware that she was living among them in a mortal form.

On the day of the 25th anniversary of Skyloft's Knight Academy, Zelda is taken to the surface by Demon Lord Ghirahim in an attempt to revive Demise. That night, Link is awakened by the voice of a mysterious spirit, who reveals itself as the sword spirit of the Goddess Sword, created by the goddess Hylia for the purpose of assisting Hylia's chosen hero in fulfilling his destiny. Guided by Fi, Link travels to the Surface in search of Zelda, who herself is guided by Impa to purify her body at the goddess statues to reawaken as the incarnation of the Goddess Hylia. As Zelda and Impa escape from Ghirahim to the past, Link quests to purify the Goddess Sword and power it to become the Master Sword. After traveling to the past, Zelda reveals her true identity to him, and as such must remain in a deep sleep to keep Demise imprisoned within his seal. Link travels back to the present and after learning the Song of the Hero finds the Triforce and successfully wishes upon the destruction of Demise. After Zelda awakens from her sleep, an enraged Ghirahim kidnaps her back to the past, where Demise is still alive. Link follows Ghirahim to the past for a final showdown, but is unable to stop the ritual to revive Demise. The ancient Demon King escapes from his seal, swallows Zelda as The Imprisoned and returns to his original form. Demise announces his intention to take the world as his own now that Hylia is gone, but gives Link the chance to duel him in another realm for the fate of the world. After a fierce fight, Link bests Demise and fatally wounds him. The Demon King stumbles to his feet, congratulating Link, but warns him that it is not over, and that his hatred would be reborn as a being to pursue domination of the world, and those with the blood of the goddess and spirit of the hero in a cycle without end. Link raises his blade and absorbs the remains of the Demon King into the Master Sword.

Link returns from the battle to find Zelda and Groose, and the three return to the Temple of Hylia, where they meet with Impa and prepare to return to their own time. At Fi's behest, Link plunges the Master Sword into a pedestal in the Sealed Temple, leaving it and his partner behind now that her purpose to guide Link had been completed. Saying goodbye to Impa before she destroys the Gate of Time, the three return to their own time where peace has returned and residents of Skyloft take their first steps on the Surface.

The Era of Chaos and the Sealing of the Sacred Realm
Following the defeat of Demise, the world created by the Golden Goddesses and guarded by the Goddess Hylia, became known as Hyrule.

Those descended from the people who were living in ancient times under the protection of the Goddess Hylia were known as Hylians. They were born with magic-infused blood, endowing them with psychic powers and skill in wizardry. It is also believed that the Hylians' pointed ears allow them to hear the messages of the gods.

Hyrule knew many years of peace, however, the legend of the Triforce, which was located in the Sacred Realm, spread throughout the land. Its power was lusted after by many people, and a wave of chaos descended upon the land of Hyrule as people tried to take this power for themselves. During this period, the Interlopers were banished to the Twilight Realm.

To protect the sacred power, Rauru, the Sage of Light, constructed the Temple of Time, which contained the only entrance to the Sacred Realm. Rauru sealed the entrance with the Master Sword and closed the chamber of the Master Sword behind the Door of Time. The Spiritual Stones acted as keys to opening the door. The Temple of Light, located at the center of the Sacred Realm, became the resting place of the Triforce, while Rauru remained in the temple to protect the sacred relic.

The Era of Prosperity
Those with the blood of the Goddess Hylia, reborn as Zelda, established the kingdom of Hyrule. Hyrule Castle was built at the center of the land, watching over the Temple of Time, which was protecting the Sacred Realm and the Triforce.

Many years passed after the kingdom's establishment. Within the Royal Family of Hyrule, as descendants of the Goddess, many were born with a special power that existed deep within the bloodline and the queen would often be named Zelda after the historical legend.

The Hero of Men
As ages went by and the Kingdom of Hyrule continued to develop in peace, one day the land was suddenly overwhelmed by evil creatures that descended upon it in swarms, driving the world into shadows and bringing the kingdom to near-ruin. As Hyrule neared the brink of collapse, the tiny Picori appeared from the sky and gave the Hero of Men the Picori Blade and the magical Light Force. Using these two special gifts, the Hero drove the beasts back and restored light to the land of Hyrule.

To ensure the beasts could not bring further destruction to the land, the Hero of Men sealed them all within the Bound Chest. Sealing the chest with the Picori Blade itself, the Hero of Men was able to bring the destructive war to an end and brought peace to the kingdom. The Light Force was embodied within the princess of Hyrule to prevent its misuse, shining forth upon the lands within its ruler.

The Hero of the Four Sword
One year, in celebration of when the Picori last came to Hyrule 100 years ago to the day, the festival was unusually grand. Hyrule Castle was hosting a tournament of sword-fighting skill that called to mind the heroes of legend. That year's champion was a mysterious man by the name of Vaati. He won the tournament with an almost magical ease, and all of Hyrule was abuzz with rumors about this shadowy figure. During the ceremony following the sword competition, Vaati shattered the sacred Picori Blade and opened the Bound Chest, which, for an age, had been sealed by the Picori Blade, trapping evil monsters within. Vaati was after the Light Force, that golden light that was once wielded by the hero mentioned in the legends of the Picori. He subdued the castle guards and turned Princess Zelda to stone before making a speedy departure.

King Daltus asked the young Link to seek out the Picori and ask them to reforge the sacred blade. Traveling to the Minish Woods he met Ezlo, who helped him find the Picori, or Minish as they called themselves. Link met with the elder of Minish Village, who told him that in order to reforge the sacred Picori sword he would require the Four Elements, the embodiments of the sacred powers of earth, fire, water, and wind. Once he had gathered the Four Elements, Link brought the Picori Blade—now the White Sword—to the Elemental Sanctuary hidden within the courtyard of Hyrule Castle. There he infused the White Sword with the Elements, fully restoring the sacred Four Sword; a legendary blade with the power to split one warrior into four.

Meanwhile, Vaati had brainwashed King Daltus and shrouded Hyrule Castle in darkness. He had discovered that the sacred Light Force had actually been passed down through Hyrule's princesses, and so he prepared to extract the Light Force from Princess Zelda. Link rushed to her rescue, and, after vanquishing Vaati, he used the Four Sword's evil-banishing power to restore Princess Zelda. Vaati had been a Minish, an apprentice of Ezlo, who was also a Minish. Ezlo had made a magical cap with the power to grant wishes, but Vaati had stolen it and used it to become a powerful sorcerer. He had transformed Ezlo into a hat himself, then proceeded to hunt down the Light Force. Now that Vaati had fallen, the wishing cap could be used to restore Hyrule. Princess Zelda put on the cap and wished with all her heart that Vaati's cruelty might be undone. With her righteous wish and the power of the Light Force that still dwelled within her, many miracles happened as a result and peace returned to the land of Hyrule.

The Resurrection of the Wind Mage
Peace returned briefly to the kingdom of Hyrule, as Vaati was presumed dead, but suddenly he re-appeared to terrorize the land once again. No longer remembering his days as a Picori, or his lust for the Light Force, he made himself a home in the Palace of Winds and he named himself The Great Sorcerer of the Wind, Vaati. With the power to bend the wind to his will, Vaati goes on a rampage, using this awful power to terrorize many villages of Hyrule. In his assaults on the villages, Vaati would kidnap any beautiful girls who caught his fancy.

Many knights from the castle and other brave men set out to subdue the sorcerer and rescue the girls, but each one fell in turn to Vaati's awesome power. Just as the people had begun to lose hope, a lone young boy traveling with little but a sword at his side appeared. When this boy heard what was happening, he said only, "I will defeat this sorcerer." He boldly entered Vaati's palace, mystically trapped the evil sorcerer inside the blade of his sword, and returned the young girls to their villages. The boy then went deep into the forest and disappeared.

The villagers asked the girls how a boy so young could have saved them all and defeated the sorcerer when no one else could. The young girls told a story of how, with just a wave of his sword, the boy's body shattered into four pieces, each of which then formed a complete copy of the boy. These four young boys then worked together to defeat the sorcerer. The people did not believe the story, but they called it the Four Sword nonetheless. As rumors of the blade's power to divide a person into four entities spread, the people built a shrine to protect it.

Defeat of the Wind Mage
For generations Zelda and her descendants managed the seal of the Four Sword, but one day the seal weakened. Zelda was in Hyrule Castle when she sensed that something unusual was occurring at the Four Sword Shrine. She asked a boy named Link, whom she trusted above anyone else, to accompany her to investigate the happenings at the shrine. As they approached the shrine to check on the seal, a dark figure suddenly appeared and grabbed princess Zelda. The seal on Vaati had weakened over time, and Vaati managed to break out of his prison within the Four Sword.

Having still no memory of his time as a Picori, or the power of the Light Force, Vaati did not recognize the princess and saw her only as a fair maiden. He decided she was to become his bride to commemorate his return and took off with her to his palace. After being instructed by fairies, Link takes the Four Sword from its pedestal and is split into four, as the legend foretold. The Great Fairies could help Link to get to the Palace of Winds, but not until he proved himself courageous enough. After traveling over three different lands and the dungeons they contained, Link and his three other selves confronted the wind mage in the Palace of Winds, the seat of Vaati's power. After an arduous battle between the sorcerer and the heroes, Link was able to reseal Vaati into the Four Sword's blade. Princess Zelda and the people of Hyrule once again kept a watchful eye on the Four Sword.

Hyrule Kingdom in Chaos
For reasons not specified, Hyrule entered into a period of fierce war. During this war, a Hylian woman fled the fires of war and entered the Kokiri Forest, giving her newborn baby, named Link, to the Great Deku Tree to be raised as a Kokiri. Finally the war ended and the King of Hyrule unified his country.

The Boy Followed by a Fairy


When the baby had become a young boy, he had many restless nights as nightmares of an evil man from the desert plagued his sleep. One day, The Great Deku Tree sent the Fairy companion Navi to summon him. After defeating the monster Gohma within the Deku Tree itself, the guardian of the forest revealed that he had been cursed by the evil Ganondorf and implored Link to take the Spiritual Stone of Forest, the Kokiri Emerald, to Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle. Link hurried to Hyrule Castle to meet Zelda, who told him that Ganondorf plotted to appropriate the sacred power of the Triforce. She and Link schemed to obtain the Triforce before Ganon could. Link would gather the other Spiritual Stones needed to open the Door of Time, and she would play the to open the door.

After retrieving the two remaining Spiritual Stones, Link returned to Hyrule Castle only to see Zelda fleeing from Ganondorf. During her flight, Zelda threw the Ocarina of Time into the moat for Link to find. After a brief confrontation with Ganondorf, Link retrieved the Ocarina and proceeded to the Temple of Time. With all the keys in hand, he opened the Door of Time and lifted the Master Sword from its pedestal, opening the entrance to the Sacred Realm. As Link was too young to be the Hero of Time, Link's spirit was sealed in the Temple of Light for seven years.

The Awakening of the Hero of Time
With the gates of the Sacred Realm unguarded, Ganondorf was able to enter and take the Triforce for his own. However, since his heart was not in balance, the Prince of Darkness was left with only the Triforce of Power. Despite this, Ganondorf was able to use it to conquer the land of Hyrule, as the Hero of Time slept for seven years. After seizing the Triforce and corrupting the Sacred Realm, he caused that corruption to seep into the temples of the Sages, which became infested with all kinds of monsters, so that the Sages-to-be would not be able to fulfill their duty and aid Link.

As Link awakened after seven years, he found Hyrule in ruins. Led by Rauru's and Sheik's instructions, Link managed to cleanse the temples and help each Sage to gain their power. Upon Rauru's advice, he then returned to the Temple of Time, where he found Sheik waiting. His mysterious ally revealed himself to be none other than Princess Zelda, keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom and the seventh Sage, leader of them all. The reunion was cut short when the princess was abducted by Ganondorf. With the Sages help, Link fought his way to the top of Ganon's Castle, clearing the path to Ganondorf for the final showdown between the Hero of Time and the King of Evil.

Split of the Timeline
Link finally confronted the king of evil in a final battle within his castle. When Link defeated the evil king, he escaped the tower with Zelda as the castle crumbled around them. However, as the two watched the rubble, Ganondorf emerged. Enraged by his defeat and fueled by the Triforce of Power still within him, he transformed into Ganon, a being of pure evil, and challenged Link one last time. Link managed to weaken Ganon so that Zelda and the six sages could seal him away in the Sacred Realm. Once the battle was over, Zelda used the Ocarina of Time to return Link to his own age before he drew the Master Sword. Link then went to Zelda, and together they convinced the king of Ganondorf's treachery thanks to the pieces of the Triforce which they held. Ganondorf was imprisoned and sealed away for his conspiracy. Because Zelda sent Link back in time, she forever altered the course of Hyrule's history, splitting it in two.

However, in an alternate reality, Link was bested by Ganondorf. Despite his best efforts, he failed to defeat the king of evil, seemingly dooming the kingdom of Hyrule forever.

Fallen Hero Timeline
The Fallen Hero Timeline is an alternate timeline in which Ganondorf defeats the Hero of Time in battle. Ganondorf obtains the remaining two pieces of the Triforce from Link and Zelda. As a last resort, Princess Zelda and the Seven Sages seal Ganon within the corrupted Sacred Realm, now the Dark World, along with the completed Triforce.

This timeline branch contains the events of, and , , , , , and.

Imprisoning War


Hyrule enjoys a brief period of peace, but as rumors spread of the Golden Power lying in the Sacred Realm, greed-ridden Hyruleans traveled to the Sacred Realm seeking it, never to return. Within the Dark World, they were transformed into monsters by the power of the Triforce and became a part of Ganon's army. As this army grew larger, it poured forth from the Sacred Realm and attacked Hyrule.

The King of Hyrule commanded the Seven Sages of that era to seal the gateway to the Dark World shut, in order to halt Ganon's invasion of the kingdom. The Seven Sages did so under the protection of the Knights of Hyrule. The Knights of Hyrule took the full brunt of the attack from Ganon's monsters, and while they fought courageously to the end, they were nearly wiped out entirely as they did their duty. Their lives were not lost in vain however, as they bought the necessary time for the Seven Sages to create their seal, trapping Ganon's forces in the Dark World and halting the invasion. Though it had come at a very high cost, with this, the war ended in a victory for Hyrule. The people of Hyrule rejoiced nonetheless at the restoration of order and peace to their kingdom, thanks to the efforts of the Seven Sages and the Knights of Hyrule.

Following the destruction of the kingdom during the Imprisoning War, the bloodline of the Hylians diminished significantly compared to how it was in the Hero of Time era. The sages' power waned as well, and the kingdom became a mere shadow of its former glory.

A Link to the Past
The Kingdom of Hyrule remained at peace for many years, until the land was suddenly plagued by a series of misfortunes. The King of Hyrule offered a reward for anyone who could put a stop to them; it was then that the dark wizard Agahnim appeared. Using previously unheard-of magic, the mysterious stranger put a stop the disasters. He was proclaimed a hero and said to be the second coming of the Seven Sages. As a reward for his services, the king appointed him chief advisor and priest at Hyrule Castle. Agahnim used this position and his magic to brainwash all of Hyrule's soldiers, depose the King of Hyrule, and make six of the Maidens, descendants of the Seven Sages, disappear into the Dark World. He did this in order to break the seal on Ganon, so that he could rule both the Light and Dark worlds. His last remaining victim was Zelda herself. As the princess lay in her prison cell, she used telepathy to call out to Link, who lived near the castle with his uncle.

Link awoke in the middle of the night to find his uncle leaving the house armed with a sword and shield. Despite his uncle's warnings, Link followed the telepathic call to the castle dungeon, where he found his uncle dying. With his last breath, Link's uncle bequeathed him the sword and shield, and told Link that he was the heir to the Knights of Hyrule. Link stormed the castle and rescued Zelda, leaving her in the care of the priest at the Sanctuary. The priest told Link to seek out Sahasrahla, the elder of Kakariko Village.

Sahasrahla told Link to seek out the three Pendants of Virtue in order to discover the Master Sword hidden deep within the Lost Woods. Link found these pendants in the Eastern Palace, Desert Palace, and Tower of Hera. Once he had obtained the legendary blade, however, Agahnim's forces attacked the Sanctuary and kidnapped Zelda. Link ventured into Hyrule Castle once again, only to see Agahnim send Zelda into the Dark World before his very eyes. Link defeated Agahnim atop Hyrule Castle, but Agahnim used the last of his magic to draw Link into the Dark World as well. This was a twisted dimension that transformed anyone into a reflection of their true selves. Link's dark world form was a pink rabbit. He was only able to remain in his human form with the help of the Moon Pearl.

Once trapped in the Dark World, Link could use the Magic Mirror to travel back and forth between worlds and rescue the maidens who were trapped in the Dark World palaces. During his adventures, Link learned that Agahnim was merely Ganon's pawn. He climbed Ganon's Tower and met Agahnim at the top. Link defeated Agahnim once more, but then saw Ganon rise out of Agahnim's crumpled body. Agahnim was in fact Ganon's alter ego. Ganon then fled to the Pyramid of Power in the center of the Dark World, with Link in hot pursuit. They faced off in one final battle, with Link emerging victorious. Following Ganon's defeat, he found the Triforce within the Pyramid of Power, whereupon it spoke to him. He touched it, and his wish restored Hyrule to peace. The king and Link's uncle returned to life, and Link entrusted the Triforce to the Royal Family.

A Hero's Adventure within a Fleeting Dream
After defeating Ganon, Link embarked on a journey of training in preparation for new disasters. On his sea voyage back to Hyrule, Link ran into a terrible storm. The waves and winds overpowered his boat and sunk it. Link awoke, washed ashore on an island known as Koholint. He was rescued by Marin, a young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Princess Zelda. Upon his attempts to leave the island, its inhabitants insisted that there was nothing beyond the sea. He learned that the only way to get off the island was to collect the Instrument of the Sirens and wake the Wind Fish who slept in an egg atop Mt. Tamaranch.

After traveling all over the island and obtaining the instruments, Link journeyed to the top of the mountain and played the Ballad of the Wind Fish and fought the Nightmare. Upon the Nightmare's defeat, it revealed that if the Wind Fish were to awake, the island would disappear, as it was just a dream of the Wind Fish.

Once Link had defeated the Nightmare and awakened the Wind Fish, he awoke clinging to the driftwood of his ship, adrift on the open seas.

The Trial of the Triforce
After the defeat of Ganon, his surrogate mothers, the witches Twinrova, plotted to revive him. For this ritual, they required three flames to be lit: The Flame of Destruction, the Flame of Sorrow, and the Flame of Despair, and follow these with a human sacrifice. In order to obtain these flames, the witches sent their minions: General Onox, General of Darkness, to Holodrum; and Veran, Sorceress of Shadows, to Labrynna.

One day, when Link, who saved the land of Hyrule, visited Hyrule Castle, the Triforce beckoned him into its chamber. Once he placed his hands on the Triforce, it transported him to the distant land of Holodrum, where a new adventure began.

The Adventure in Holodrum
Upon awakening in Holodrum, Link met with a group of traveling performers who were watching after a dancer named Din. Link danced with Din, but suddenly a whirlwind appeared and snatched Din away. Din was actually the Oracle of Seasons, and her capture by Onox meant that the seasons in the land of Holodrum were thrown into chaos. The only way to restore balance to the seasons was to collect the eight Essences of Nature scattered around Holodrum. Link quested for the essences, using the mythical Rod of Seasons in order to manipulate the seasons as he went.

Once Link defeated Onox and rescued Din, he was magically transported to the land of Labrynna, the setting of his second trial. However, even after his death, Onox's actions caused the Flame of Destruction to be lit.

The Adventure in Labrynna


Upon waking up in Labrynna, Link met Impa, who had been attacked by monsters. He helped her by moving a block with the Triforce crest on it. Then, both of them met Nayru, who was singing to animals.

Suddenly, a shadow came out of Impa and possessed Nayru, who was actually the Oracle of Ages. It was Veran, who had used Impa's body to trick Link. Veran used Nayru's time-traveling abilities to go back in time and alter the past. Veran influenced Queen Ambi in the past to build the sinister Black Tower. Link had to use the Harp of Ages to travel back and forth between the present and the past in order to collect the eight Essences of Time and challenge Veran atop the Black Tower. Link was able to drive Veran out of the body of Queen Ambi and defeat her, but he was too late: the Flame of Sorrow had been lit.

The Return of Ganon


In order to light the third and final flame, Twinrova kidnapped Princess Zelda who had arrived in Labrynna. This would complete their dark ritual and light the Flame of Despair. However, Link challenged them and killed them in battle. As a last-ditch effort to complete the sacrifice needed to revive Ganon, the witches offered their own bodies and revived the King of Darkness. However, because the ritual was incomplete, Ganon returned as a mindless beast. Link battled Ganon and defeated him, restoring peace to Holodrum and Labrynna.

His quest to stop Ganon's revival complete, Link departed Labrynna by boat.

The Triforce, Split Apart
Sometime after the events of the Great Cataclysm and the defeat of the Demon King Ganon, and after Link's adventures in Holodrum and Labrynna, the Triforce was split apart. Ganon, despite being sealed in darkness following his defeat at the hands of Link, obtained the Triforce of Power, which remained sealed with him. The Triforce of Courage's location is unknown, but said to be hidden in the heart of the eternal hero.

A Link Between Worlds
Centuries after Ganon's defeat, the peace of Hyrule is once again shattered by the sudden appearance of a mysterious and enigmatic wizard known as Yuga. With his cruel magic, he invades Hyrule from another world, transforming the descendants of the Seven Sages into paintings. Link, a young apprentice of the Blacksmith attempts to halt Yuga in his ambitions, but Yuga succeeds in not only acquiring all Seven Sages in the form of paintings, but Princess Zelda as well. He retreats to his world, that of Lorule, while Link chases after him, using the power of a bracelet given to him by the mysterious peddler, Ravio.

Link is too late to stop Yuga. Using his magic and that of the Seven Sages, he is able to release Ganon. Along with the Triforce of Power, Yuga and Ganon are joined as one, and using this power, Yuga desires to consume both Hyrule and Lorule. Link is protected from the beast's onslaught by Hilda, the princess of Lorule and the dark counterpart of Zelda, who urges Link to rescue the Seven Sages who have been sent to the far reaches of Lorule. With Hilda holding back Yuga and guiding Link in his quest, he succeeds in rescuing the Seven Sages and, with their power, awakens the Triforce of Courage in himself.

Taking the Triforce, he rushes to challenge Yuga in Lorule Castle, only to find Hilda waiting for him in the Throne Room. Here, she reveals the truth; it was her who sent Yuga to obtain the Seven Sages and release the Demon King. Taking the Triforce of Wisdom from Princess Zelda's portrait, she explains the history of her kingdom. Lorule once had its own Triforce, but was destroyed by her ancestors long ago to stop endless wars over its power. However, with the Triforce gone from her world, the kingdom crumbled, monsters arose and the world turned to darkness and corruption. Upon hearing of another world with its own Triforce, she sent Yuga to obtain the keys to unlocking the Triforce of Power, and manipulated Link into obtaining the Triforce of Courage. Summoning Yuga, she demands he obtain the Triforce of Courage from Link. Yuga, using Ganon's power, unleashes his might upon the hero. Link fights valiantly however, and defeats Yuga, upon which point Hilda demands he relinquish the Triforce of Power to her. However, Yuga disobeys his ruler, and using his magic upon her he takes her portrait and her Triforce of Wisdom into himself, becoming stronger than ever. In a desperate final battle, Link, with the aid of Princess Zelda, finally defeats Yuga. Upon his defeat, Hilda and Zelda are returned to normal, yet Hilda still desires the Triforce to save her doomed kingdom. At the last moment, Ravio appears and reveals himself to be Link's Lorulean counterpart and once Hilda's loyal subject, and pleads with her to let Link and Zelda return to Hyrule with their Triforce. Finally relenting after seeing the senseless fighting that had led to this was not what her ancestors wanted, she helps Link and Zelda return to Hyrule with the last of the bracelet's power, through the first crack to appear between the worlds in Lorule's Sacred Realm.

Returning to their own Sacred Realm with the connection between worlds gone, Link and Zelda find the Triforce once again whole. It awaits for Link to make a wish upon it, and with his wish, Lorule's Triforce is restored to its former glory, and a new, brighter age dawns upon both Lorule and Hyrule.

Several years after the events of, Link leaves the kingdom of Hyrule and ventures to the kingdom of Hytopia. In order to hide his identity as a hero, Link dresses in the casual Bear Minimum Outfit. Despite this, he is recognized for bearing the traits of a hero in Hytopia: namely pointy ears and sideburns. Because of this, he is recruited by the Witch-Hunting Brigade to help defeat the evil witch, Lady Maud, who has cursed Hytopia's Princess Styla into wearing an irremovable, brown jumpsuit.

The Golden Era


Following the defeat of Yuga and the recovery of the Triforce, Hyrule entered a Golden Era of peace, in which great and wise rulers governed the land with the strength of the united Triforce at their command.

The Tragedy of Princess Zelda
When the last of the kings to use the Triforce anticipated his death, he hoped to find someone with the innate qualities that were fitting of a worthy possessor of the true Triforce; for if it were to fall in the wrong hands, evil would befall Hyrule. Unfortunately, he was unable to find any such person during his lifespan. Since his own son did not fit this archetype, the King elected to split the relic into its three component parts. Upon his death, the prince, instead of receiving the entire Triforce, inherited only the Triforces of Power and Wisdom. The prince frantically searched for the remaining Triforce of Courage, but in vain. Then, a wizard came to the prince and told him that his younger sister, Zelda, knew the location of the mystical object. The prince demanded that Zelda turn the information over to him, but Zelda refused and, in a rage, the wizard put Zelda into an eternal sleep, himself dying in the process. Overcome with grief, the prince sealed his sleeping sister in the North Castle and ordered that all female descendants of the Hylian monarchy were to be named Zelda. As Zelda was the only one who knew the location of the Triforce of Courage, the relic was lost and the royal family was no longer able to rule using the power of the unified Triforce. No one worthy of using the Triforce appeared and the kingdom was divided and reduced in size.

Evil Creeps In
Many years later, an evil army attacked the little kingdom of Hyrule and stole the Triforce of Power. This army was led by the Demon King Ganon, who once again had been revived and sought to plunge the World into fear and darkness under his rule. Fearing his wicked rule, Zelda, the princess of this kingdom, split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight fragments and hid them throughout the realm. At the same time, she commanded her most trustworthy nursemaid, Impa, to secretly escape into the land and go find a man with enough courage to destroy the evil Ganon.

Braving forests and mountains, Impa fled for her life from her pursuers. As she reached the very limit of her energy she found herself surrounded by Ganon's evil henchmen, until a young lad appeared who skillfully drove off Ganon's henchmen. Hearing Impa's story, this young traveler, named Link, set out to recover the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. After doing so, he fought his way to Ganon's lair in Death Mountain. Link fought and destroyed the King of Evil, recovered the Triforce of Power and saved Princess Zelda.

The Hero's Quest to Reunite the Triforce
Although Link had defeated Ganon, his underlings remained. Waiting for the return of their master, they continued to cause chaos and disorder in Hyrule. The key to Ganon's resurrection was the blood of Link—the valiant lad that overthrew the King of Evil. The Demon King would be revived by sacrificing Link and sprinkling his blood on the ashes of Ganon.

Meanwhile, Link remained in the little kingdom of Hyrule and lent his hand to its restoration. One day, a strange mark resembling crest of the kingdom appeared on the back of Link's hand as he approached his 16th birthday. Link went to Impa, Princess Zelda's nursemaid, who was shocked when she saw the birthmark. She took Link to the North Castle and told him of the tragedy of the Princess Zelda of old. In order to revive the eternally sleeping Princess, Impa entrusted to Link six Crystals and a scroll so he could reunite the Triforce. The scroll revealed the location of the long-lost Triforce of Courage, which was hidden in the Great Palace in the Valley of Death. Link set out for the six palaces to defeat their Guardian Deities and, using each of the six crystals, dispelled the barrier around the Great Palace. After defeating the final Guardian, and his own shadow, Link retrieved the Triforce of Courage and awoke Princess Zelda from her sleep.

With the Triforce reunited for the first time since Zelda was put to sleep, the revival of Ganon was prevented and peace finally returned to the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Child Link Timeline
The Child Link Timeline is the branch of the timeline that follows Link back in time at the end of. The young hero warns the Royal Family of Ganondorf's treachery, thus averting his rise to power and thwarting him from the start. Link leaves Hyrule on Epona to search for Navi. Years later, Ganondorf is sealed within the Twilight Realm.

This timeline contains the events of, , and.

Majora's Mask
Several months into his search for Navi, Link becomes lost in a mysterious forest. He encounters the Skull Kid wearing, accompanied by the sibling fairies Tatl and Tael. The Skull Kid steals Link's horse Epona as well as the Ocarina of Time, which Zelda had given to him as a parting gift. He then curses Link by turning him into a Deku Scrub, then leaves with Tael, leaving Tatl behind with Link. The two become companions and pursue Skull Kid into the parellel world of Termina.

When Link first enters Termina, he meets the Happy Mask Salesman, from whom the Skull Kid had stolen Majora's Mask. The Happy Mask Salesman is able to restore Link to his true form by teaching him the Song of Healing. He pleads Link to retrieve the ancient and powerful Majora's Mask, which has corrupted the Skull Kid and caused him to send the Moon crashing into Termina. Link has only three days to stop the apocalypse, but he is able to return to the First Day by playing the Song of Time.

Link ventures to the four outer regions of Termina, using transformative masks obtained with the Song of Healing to free the Four Giants. On the Final Day, atop Clock Tower, Link summons the Four Giants to hold up the Moon. He thwarts Majora, the demon inhabiting the mask. The Moon disintegrates, Skull Kid is freed, and Tatl are Tael are reunited. As Carnival of Time starts, Link leaves Termina to continue his search for Navi.

The Hero of Time is not seen again.

Ganondorf's Execution


Several years after the failure of his attempted invasion, Ganondorf was taken prisoner in the Arbiter's Grounds prison. When the ancient Sages tried to execute him, however, they discovered to their horror that he had the Triforce of Power, so they activated the Mirror of Twilight and sent him into the Twilight Realm. Here, Ganondorf languished for years, until he met Zant and promised him power in exchange for freedom from his prison.

Shadow King Zant's Invasion of the Light World
Ganondorf took the form of a dark god and promised the Twili Zant incredible powers and the throne of the Twilight Realm on one condition: Zant would merge the worlds of Light and Twilight in order to create a world of darkness. Zant agreed, and pledged his undying service to his new master. He used his newfound powers to transform the Twilight Princess Midna into an imp and take the throne before launching his invasion of the light world.

Hyrule was unprepared for the invasion, and Princess Zelda soon found herself with her back against the wall. When given an ultimatum by Zant to surrender or die, she chose to surrender. Zant sent his minions over the land and stole power from the Light Spirits guarding each province, shrouding the kingdom of Hyrule in Twilight.

Midna and Link
Midna uncovered the dark magic of her Dark Interloper ancestors in the form of the Fused Shadow. She used its magic to help a youth from Ordon Village named Link, a descendant of the Hero of Time, who had become trapped in the Twilight in the form of a wolf. Twili legend said that the Hero of Light would appear in the form of a sacred beast: in this case, a wolf. Midna struck a deal with Link that she would help him regain his human form if he would help her gather the other pieces of the Fused Shadow in order to defeat Zant. Once Midna and Link had cleared the land of Twilight and gathered the Fused Shadows, Zant revealed himself and stole the Fused Shadows, wounded Midna, and cursed Link to his wolf form once again.

Midna and Link sought the aid of Princess Zelda, who gave up her soul so that Midna could live, and told Link to seek out the Master Sword in the Sacred Grove. The Master Sword dispelled the curse on Link, and allowed him to transform between his human and wolf forms at will. Throughout his adventure, Link learned the secrets of combat from the ghost of his ancestor, the Hero of Time. The Hero had lived a life filled with regret because he could not be a hero in this timeline, so he imparted his wisdom to his descendant.

In order to enter the Twilight Realm and confront Zant, Midna and Link sought the Mirror of Twilight at Arbiter's Grounds, but Zant had shattered it into pieces and scattered it across the land. The Sages who had executed Ganondorf appeared to the pair and told them about Ganondorf's involvement with the darkness which plagued the land. Midna and Link gathered the pieces of the Mirror and entered the Twilight Realm, and Link defeated Zant in single combat. Zant was not fazed, however, boasting that his god Ganon would revive him. In her fury, Midna reclaimed the Fused Shadow and used its power to destroy Zant completely. Link and Midna went to the top of Hyrule Castle in order to battle the King of Darkness, who was in possession of Zelda's lifeless body. He possessed it and forced Link to do battle with the princess. Once he defeated her, Midna revived Zelda and Link defeated Ganon in his beast form. Midna used the Fused Shadow to become a terrifying monster and her struggle with Ganon destroyed the castle itself. Midna transported Link and Zelda to Hyrule Field, where they battled Ganondorf on horseback, and finally Link defeated Ganon in single combat, stabbing him in the chest. Ganon attempted to use the Triforce of Power to revive himself, but discovered that its power had left him. Zant stood on the gateway to the afterlife, mocking Ganon by snapping his own neck just as Ganon died.

Midna was restored to her true form as the beautiful Twilight Princess, and bade farewell to Link and Zelda as she returned to the Twilight Realm. As she left, she shattered the Mirror of Twilight to ensure that its power would never be misused again. Link returned to Ordon Village; however, he later departed with Epona from his hometown.

The Era of Shadow
Hundreds of years after Ganondorf's death, the people of Hyrule had reconciled with Ganondorf's tribe, the Gerudo, and it seemed for a while that peace would prevail in the land. However, a new Ganondorf was born to the Gerudo tribe who was the reincarnation of the King of Darkness that was defeated by the Hero Chosen by the Gods, and violated their taboo on the Ancient Pyramid. He stole the Trident from the pyramid and then stole the Dark Mirror from the Temple of Darkness. The mirror served as a prison for a dark tribe that, long ago, invaded the kingdom. It had the ability to reflect the evil heart of its bearer, giving birth to demonic creatures.

Ganondorf schemed to release the ancient sorcerer Vaati from his prison within the Four Sword, and created a dark copy of Link, Shadow Link, with the Mirror. The clouds of darkness covering the land made Zelda uneasy, so she gathered the six shrine maidens to renew the seal upon Vaati. At that moment, Shadow Link appeared and scattered the maidens with his powers. Link drew the sword from its pedestal, splitting into four just as in ancient times. However, this released Vaati from his prison to cause chaos. Ganon used Shadow Link to tear open rifts to the Dark World, pulling the four Knights of Hyrule into his sway and transforming them into Stalfos.

The four Links journeyed throughout Hyrule to rescue the Shrine Maidens, and learned that Ganon was the mastermind behind the darkness plaguing Hyrule. They obtained the four jewels from the Knights, and made their way to the Tower of Winds, where they battled Vaati and Ganon himself, destroying Vaati and sealing Ganon inside the Four Sword forevermore.

Adult Link Timeline
The Adult Link Timeline is the branch of the timeline in which Link has disappeared from Hyrule after being sent back in time at the end of. In this timeline, Ganondorf is sealed within the void of the corrupted Sacred Realm along with the Triforce of Power. The Triforce of Wisdom remains in Zelda's possession. When Link goes back in time, the Triforce of Courage is left behind, shattered into eight shards scattered across Hyrule.

This timeline contains the events of, , and.

The Era without a Hero
Many years after the Hero of Time's victory, the seal of the Seven Sages began to weaken for an unknown reason, and Ganondorf managed to escape his imprisonment. Ganondorf intended to make good on his threat to the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages that he would escape one day to make their descendants pay for his imprisonment.

The people of Hyrule hoped that the Hero of Time would show up to save them, but the hero did not appear. Left with no other choice, they pleaded to the gods. The gods answered their prayers by instructing those chosen to take refuge on the mountaintops before they flooded Hyrule, keeping Ganon and his army trapped in time underneath the waves.

The people of Hyrule would then go on to build a new civilization on the surface of the Great Sea and, with the passing of time, largely forget the memory of the old Hyrule that still existed deep beneath the waves. On Outset Island, a tradition emerged of having young boys wear the green garb of the Hero of Time for one day on their birthdays.

The Era of the Great Sea
Beneath the waves, Ganon was revived and sought out the two sages who prayed for the power of the Master Sword. He killed them in order to stop the sword's power to repel evil and reach the surface world. He built a base in the Forsaken Fortress and filled it with his dark army. He sought out all young girls with long, pointed ears, in hopes that he would capture the descendant of Princess Zelda. In response, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule also awoke and used his powers to guide a boat called the King of Red Lions on the surface world.

On Outset, a young boy named Link came of age and was given the Hero's Clothes to wear for one day. Unfortunately, this was the day that the terrible bird called the Helmaroc King attacked the island, carrying the pirate captain named Tetra. The bird dropped Tetra on the island, but left with Link's sister Aryll. Link joined forces with Tetra's pirates in order to storm the Forsaken Fortress and rescue Aryll. The Helmaroc King captured Link once he reached Aryll's cell, and showed him to Ganon. Ganon thought the boy was worthless, so the bird threw him into the sea. Luckily, the King of Red Lions rescued Link and brought him to Windfall Island. Along with the magical baton called the Wind Waker, they journeyed across the Great Sea in order to retrieve the Goddess Pearls and open the gateway to Hyrule. Link raised the Tower of the Gods to the surface and proved his worth to be a hero by passing its trials. Then, he ventured down the ancient kingdom of Hyrule and drew the Master Sword from its pedestal.

With the Master Sword in hand, Link went to challenge Ganon in the Forsaken Fortress, but Ganon told him that the sword was powerless to defeat him, because it did not have the power to repel evil. Link went back to Hyrule with Tetra, where the King of Red Lions revealed himself as the King of Hyrule and Tetra as his descendant Princess Zelda. Link then searched for the Sages of Earth and Wind in order to restore the power of the Master Sword. He awakened Medli as Sage of Earth and Makar as Sage of Wind. Their prayers restored power to the Master Sword. Link then searched for the Triforce of Courage, which had been split into eight pieces when the Hero of Time left to return to his own time. Armed with the Triforce and the Master Sword, Link returned to the kingdom beneath the waves and challenged Ganon atop his tower.

Ganon united the Triforce pieces and made a wish that he be the ruler of Hyrule. However, before he could touch the Triforce to make his wish come true, King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule touched the Triforce and wished for Hyrule to be washed away, so that his descendants could build a new future above the waves. Ganon was defiant, and faced Link and Zelda in battle. Link stabbed Ganon in his forehead, turning him to stone as the waves crashed around him. The King, staying behind to be buried beneath the waves along with his kingdom, sent Link and Zelda back the surface world in order to begin their new future.

The Era of the Great Voyage
After defeating Ganon, Link and Tetra set out on a new voyage. They reached the waters ruled by the Ocean King to investigate rumors about a mysterious Ghost Ship which had terrorized the ocean. The Ghost Ship appeared and Tetra jumped aboard and was taken away. Link tried to rescue her, but fell into the ocean. He awoke on Mercay Island and met Ciela the fairy and her "grandfather," Oshus.

Link met a sea captain named Linebeck who let him use his ship. After searching for clues in the Temple of the Ocean King with the help of the, Link rescued the Spirits of Power and Wisdom, and discovered Ciela was the Spirit of Courage. Link then boarded the Ghost Ship in order to rescue Tetra, who had been turned to stone. Oshus revealed himself to be the Ocean King and told Link that an evil monster named Bellum had drained her life force. He then affirmed that the only thing which could defeat Bellum was the Phantom Sword.

Link journeyed through the seas to find the three Pure Metals and forge the Phantom Sword. Then, he ventured deep into the Temple once more to confront Bellum. He defeated Bellum, but then Bellum possessed Linebeck and forced him to fight in the form of a powerful knight. Link was able to defeat Bellum without harming Linebeck, and restored Tetra to life. The Ocean King returned Link and Tetra to their world, where only ten minutes had passed since they left. Link was not sure if the entire adventure had been a dream, but then he saw that he carried the empty Phantom Hourglass, and saw Linebeck sailing off into the distance.

The Era of Hyrule's Rebirth
Tetra's pirates eventually landed on a new continent, where the Tower of Spirits stood tall over the landscape. She founded a new kingdom here, connected by the which ran across the land. Tetra decreed that her soldiers would wear a green uniform, like that worn by the Hero of Winds.

A century after the kingdom's establishment, the rails began to disappear. Tetra's descendant, Princess Zelda, gave a Royal Engineer named Link a Recruit Uniform and joined him to investigate the Tower of Spirits. Link lived with Niko, the last remaining member of Tetra's pirate crew.

On their way to the Tower, Chancellor Cole revealed himself as a demon whose aim was to revive the Demon King Malladus who had been sealed underneath the Tower of Spirits in ancient times. Cole and Byrne stole her body and left her as a spirit. Link and Zelda sought the advice of the Lokomo sage Anjean, who told them to restore the Tower. In spirit form, Zelda was able to possess the Phantoms which roamed the Tower of Spirits and helped Link advance to the top. Link and Zelda restored the Tower of Spirits by journeying throughout Hyrule and breaking the barriers at each temple so that they could reach the Demon King at the top. Once they reached the top of the tower, Malladus was revived, and Link went into the Dark Realm in order to defeat him. Once Malladus was destroyed and Zelda returned to her body, the Lokomos departed into the heavens, their duty to protect Hyrule fulfilled.

Great Calamity
After the branches of time reach their end, there is an era in which the events of any branch have merged to form generic myths of Ganon's endless cycle of revival and defeat. These myths are passed on through the countless years until they become nothing more than fairy tales that are not believed by most.

Revival of Calamity Ganon
The technology of the Sheikah develops to become highly advanced, and they build the Guardians and Divine Beasts in preperation for the re-emergence of the ancient evil of Ganon. Thanks to their technology, civilisation flourishes. Unfortunately, just as was feared, Ganon re-emerges as Calamity Ganon. However, with the aid of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, Princess Zelda and the hero Link were able to defeat Calamity Ganon and seal him away. In spite of this, the King of Hyrule becomes paranoid of a possible betrayal by the advanced Sheikah, and so begins to banish and subdue them. From his orders, the Divine Beasts are buried deep in the ground in various locations across Hyrule. The banished Sheikah eventually divide into two seperate factions of peaceful and militant Sheikah, and the militant faction become the Yiga Clan.

Signs of the Calamity Reviving
About 10,000 years later a new Princess is born and named Zelda in line with tradition. Around this same time, a prophecy warned of the return of BotW:. Hoping to prepare in the same fashion as their ancestors, the people of Hyrule began working to locate and excavate the Divine Beasts and Guardians. Four Champions from each of Hyrule's races were chosen to pilot the Divine Beast of their people and the restoration of the mechanical army seemed to be a phenomenal success.

The Day of the Great Calamity
A now seventeen year old Princess Zelda worked to awaken her sealing powers alongside a young knight, Link, who had been appointed as her protector. Zelda was determined to awaken her power and prayed at the three springs of the goddesses in Hyrule, but her efforts met with failure. Minutes after she had finished praying at the Spring of Wisdom, the Calamity broke its seal and rose up around the castle. In a move that surprised everyone, however, it managed to corrupt the entire Guardian army with its Malice, and turned them against Hyrule. Even the Divine Beasts, with their pilots slain, fell under the control of incarnations of Ganon's Malice. With their strongest weapons turned against them, Hyrule was laid to ruin and Link grievously wounded, requiring him to sleep in the Shrine of Resurrection for one hundred years. Princess Zelda went to confront the BotW: on her own and managed to seal it once more, though this required her to also become its prisoner to maintain the seal.

The Hero Awakens
One hundred years later, Princess Zelda's sealing power has weakened, and Calamity Ganon's return, as well as the awakening of Link, is imminent. In response to both, the Divine Beasts begin their rampages anew. Link awakens in the Shrine of Resurrection, his wounds healed, but his memories erased, and ventures foward with the Sheikah Slate. The departed King of Hyrule explains to Link his purpose, and about the events surrounding Calamity Ganon. At some point, Link obtains the Master Sword from within Korok Forest,, and is ultimately guided by Zelda's voice toward Hyrule Castle. Although he could have chosen to go entirely alone, Link instead takes back the Divine Beasts from Ganon's influence, freeing the spirits of the deceased Champions imprisoned within, and allowing them to lend him their power. With their help, Link is able to defeat Calamity Ganon using the Master Sword. However, after his defeat, Calamity Ganon's rage transforms him into Dark Beast Ganon. Zelda presents Link with the Light Bow, and Link uses it to weaken Ganon enough to allow Zelda to seal him away.

After dispelling the threat, Hyrule begins to slowly become restored. Princess Zelda focuses on rebuilding the Kingdom, while Link continues to support and protect her.

Gallery
Timeline Zelda