Zelda Timeline

Legend of Zelda Timeline theory is perhaps the object of greatest debate amongst fans of the series. Nintendo's unconventional formula of "Gameplay first, Story Later" has arguably produced some of the greatest games of all time, but it has also resulted in an incoherent chronology - full of loose ends, contradictions, and general confusion. Fortunately, this has motivated fans to do all they can to sift, sort, and organize the Legend of Zelda canon.

Overview
Since the days of Pong, videogame storylines have endured an amazing evolution, moving from simple "slay the dragon" conflict, through "save the princess" heroism, and into wonderfully deep epics. Early installments of the Legend of Zelda series emerged at a very interesting point of this process; a point where the market was divided between casual platformers and plot-focused RPGs.

Zelda found a niche market somewhere in the middle. This is reflected in the storyline of such games as The Adventure of Link and A Link to the Past, which are simple and yet inspiring. Over the years, Nintendo has kept to this trend. Developers often focus foremost on gameplay and theme, and generally only decide on a definite storyline close to the completion of development. Resulting games are well-connected to the overall Legend of Zelda universe - and consider elements of games past - but do not often present immediate or obvious chronological connections.

In the early stages, this worked wonderfully. The first five Legend of Zelda releases were easily understood and organized. In 1998, the timeline had room even for the content of the Legend of Zelda television show and manga, as well as the mistakes of NoA, which would later be considered non-canonical.

Unfortunately, as time went on the sheer amount of information being introduced into the Legend of Zelda canon made a complete understanding less possible. Games such as The Wind Waker and Four Swords Adventures seemed to strain the connection between older games, and many fans began to wonder whether the Four Swords series had a place in the timeline at all.

English fans of the series wanting to learn more of the timeline began to discuss the concept on the Internet, slowly reaching conclusions on those issues which could be resolved and falling into bitter debate on those which could not. They continue to argue, as they eagerly await the release of Phantom Hourglass. It should be noted, however, that Phantom Hourglass does nothing to help the timeline, as it is unrelated to previous games, with the exception of The Wind Waker.

Timeline Principles
Timeline theory is often accused of being a collection of irrelevant fan-fiction with no real truth to it. In actuality, a large part of our timeline knowledge is strictly canon; a good deal more consists of simple, well supported inferences based on this canon and the intentions of Zelda's creators. These principles are held to be true by almost all Timeline theorists. We can combine all this information and conceive five timeline "arcs"


 * OoT/MM - TP
 * OoT - TWW/PH
 * TMC - FS/FSA
 * ALttP/LA - LoZ/AoL
 * OoS/OoA

Beyond that, all timeline theory is an attempt to combine these arcs and achieve a final chronology.

Timeline Display
In order to save space and typing time, fans discussing the broader timeline issues developed a system by which to convey theorised game placements in as little text as possible. Understanding this shorthand is pivotal to understanding timeline jargon.

Abbreviations

 * LOZ: Legend of Zelda (Series)


 * LoZ: Legend of Zelda (game)


 * AoL: Adventure of Link


 * ZG&W: Zelda Game & Watch


 * TotG: Triforce of the Gods


 * ALttP: A Link to the Past


 * LA: Link's Awakening


 * OoT: Ocarina of Time


 * MM: Majora's Mask


 * KnS: Kodai no Sekiban


 * AST: Ancient Stone Tablets (KnS anglicism)


 * OoA: Oracle of Ages


 * OoS: Oracle of Seasons


 * OoX: The Oracle Series


 * FS: Four Swords


 * TWW: The Wind Waker


 * FSA: Four Swords Adventures


 * TMC: The Minish Cap


 * TRPG: Tingle's Freshly-picked Rose-colored Rupee Land


 * TP: Twilight Princess


 * PH: Phantom Hourglass

--
 * BS: Backstory


 * DR: Dark Realm


 * DW: Dark World


 * FS: Four Sword


 * HoL: Hero of Legend


 * HoM: Hero of Men


 * HoT: Hero of Time


 * HoW: Hero of Winds


 * IW: Imprisoning War (AlttP)


 * SW: Seal War (AlttP)


 * KoH: King of Hyrule


 * KoRL: King of Red Lions


 * MS: Master Sword


 * PZ: Princess Zelda


 * SR: Sacred Realm


 * SZ: Sleeping Zelda (AoL)


 * TR: Twilight Realm

Other Indicators

 * X/Y: Indicates Game X and Game Y have a common Link


 * X - Y: Indicates Game X and Game Y are seperated by atleast a generation


 * (X) - Y - (X): Indicates that Game X may be placed in either of two locations

Time and the Timeline
Understanding the Legend's Timeline may require an understanding of the Legend's concept of time itself. Essentially, time is sequence; first, second, third, and fourth. A very basic concept at first glance, but one that takes on a whole new dimension when "fourth" comes between "first" and "second" and stops "third" from ever occurring.

In four games, the precise nature of time has never remained constant. OOT contains at least two very different mechanics, which theorists often find irreconcilable (and downright strange). OoA's mechanics only begin to make sense when one sacrifices logic to storyline completely, and MM's Goddess of Time takes the whole thing to hell by drawing questions of omnipotency into the debate.

Generally, it is not an issue most theorists need worry over, and should only be explored by those with a strangely deep interest in the OOT/MM connection.

Common Points of Debate
Beyond these simple arcs, the amount of helpful canon begins to decrease. At this point, disagreements inevitably arise between various theorists who have naturally formed differing interpretations of the small amount of "truth" they have to work with.

Four Swords Related Arguments
Nintendo went out on a rather interesting tangent when they expanded the multiplayer mini-game featured in 2002's ALttP GBA release. The styles and storylines of the Four Swords games were so different from the conventional Zelda that, at first, many theorists did not accept them as a true part of the storyline. Nintendo has since confirmed their relevance, but the controversy continues.

Many theorists believe that at least one of the three games in the FS trilogy should be placed at the beginning of the timeline, even before Ocarina of Time, while others insist that OoT will always come first. Creator quotes seem to support the former, while small bits of canonical trivia support the latter.

In the end, arguers were again stuck debating principles. What was more important: A developer's quote or contrary canonical evidence?

Hand Held Related Arguments
Non-console Zelda games have never garnered the attention or prestige of their home based cousins. Miyamoto himself has lamented that LA, OoS and OoA lack any grand connection to the timeline as a whole. These games--the Oracles titles, specifically--are not only difficult to place, but also somewhat irrelevant. Still, in the meticulous world of timeline theorists, no detail goes unargued.

It is common for experienced theorists to devoutly insist that LA is, was, and always will be A Link to the Past's first sequel. At the moment, there is no "perfect" place for the Oracles, and most theorists are happy to let it be ambiguously "sometime after ALttP".

OoT/MM Related Arguments
Time travel is a principle element of Fifth Generation Zelda, factoring in 3 of its 4 games. In developing the game mechanics for OoT, MM, and OoA, Nintendo was far more concerned with making the mechanics fun and interesting than being scientifically sound (or even consistent).

Recent developments (most noticably Twilight Princess and related developer comments) have shown that the good people at Nintendo have tied up a number of their loose ends, confirming that the events of Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess run parallel to the adult portion of Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. In the wake of these developments, even the scope of debate concerning OOT, MM, and TP has yet to be to be decided.

ALttP/TWW/TP/FSA Related Arguments
Attempting to chart the passage of Ganon through his four very different post-OOT attacks on Hyrule is extremely difficult. The arguments consider everything from the progressions of The Triforce and The Master Sword to the Geography of Hyrule and the memories of its citizens. The true bulk of timeline theory lies in the Ganon conflicts.

Popular Timelines
Despite all the hoopla, most Zelda fans only have a passing interest in the timeline beyond the most obvious of links between games. They care not for the endless debates, and wonder only after the final product, or, in this case, products:

(NOTE: Any of these lines may accomodate Kodai No Sekiban after A Link to the Past and the Game and Watch after Legend of Zelda)

New Adult Story Line


 * "Child" Line: (TMC) - OoT/MM - TP - (TMC) - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA - (OoS/OoA) - LoZ/AoL - (OoS/OoA)
 * "Adult" Line: (TMC) - OoT - TWW/PH

New Child Story Line


 * "Child" Line: (TMC) - OoT/MM - TP
 * "Adult" Line: (TMC) - OoT - TWW/PH - (TMC) - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA - (OoS/OoA) - LoZ/AoL - (OoS/OoA)

New 3D Story Line
 * "Child" Line: OoT/MM - TP
 * "Adult" Line: OoT - TWW/PH
 * "2D" Line: TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA - (OoS/OoA) - LoZ/AoL - (OoS/OoA)

Mutltiple Continuities
 * "First develpoment" OOT - ALttP/LA - (OoS/OoA) - LoZ/AoL - (OoS/OoA)
 * "Second Development" OOT - TWW/PH
 * "Third Development" OOT/MM - TP

(NOTE: TMC, FS, and FSA have many possible placements within Multiple Timelines, including the possibility of a line of their own)

The Literal Legend Theory

This theory posits that the legend of Zelda is literally what it claims to be, a legend. For this reason a timeline is unnecessary. The value is in the lessons imparted to the audience, not in maintaining chronological or internal consistency. One line of evidence supporting this theory is seen in the way many games in the series appear to be re-tellings of the same story. This would reflect the natural evolution that all legends undergo. As the legend of Zelda is passed down from person to person, it changes, it evolves.