Zelda Timeline

Like many people I have played many Zelda games over the years.
And also like many people, I have wondered how these games fit together.
I decided to create a short unofficial timeline that linked a few of the Zelda games together.
As I did, I realized there were gaps and I needed to include details from other Zelda games as well.
What started as a short timeline has evolved into more of a semi-epic story that almost wrote itself.

WARNING, SPOILERS BELOW!

Before I begin, let me mention certain things that I do not believe:

Some people think there is only one Link and that every game simply comes after
the previously released game in a linear sequence.
Not only have these people not played the games, they have not even read the back of the box.

Some people go to the other extreme and say every game has a different Link.
Most "Links" seem to have 2 adventures:
One where they become a hero and fight Ganon(dorf),
and one where they fight someone or something totally completely different.
Examples:
Original Zelda & Zelda II
Ocarina of Time & Majora's Mask
WindWaker & Phantom Hourglass

Finally, it was suggested by the Nintendo game developers themselves that
"WindWaker" takes place 100 years after "Ocarina of Time".
No way!
Ocarina of time is the first adventure with Ganon.
WindWaker features the total destruction of Hyrule.
All other games with Ganon(dorf) and Hyrule must take place in-between.
Also, there is no way the Zoras would evolve into Bird People in a mere 100 years.
And finally, nobody in WindWaker even remembers Hyrule!

The Characters

Link	Several "Links" have existed throughout the History of Hyrule. They might be descendants or reincarnations (or both) of any previous "Link"..
Zelda	Several "Zeldas" have existed throughout the History of Hyrule. This is because by royal proclamation every princess in Hyrule must be named after their ancestor, the original Princess Zelda.
Ganon(dorf)	There is and was only one Ganon(dorf) throughout the History of Hyrule. He was born Ganondorf. Occasionally he transforms into the beast Ganon via black magic. While this evil magic does not seem to be able to make him invincible, it does seem to make him somewhat immortal. Like a Terminator robot, he simply does not "stay dead", though when dealt a killing blow, it seems to take him about 100 years to recover, or escape, or both. Usually by that time, there is another Link to deal with him.
Dark Link	An alternate version of Link that appears in Ocarina of Time, Four Swords Adventures, and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. It is my personal theory that Dark Link is the Link from the world of Termia. At some point he becomes an apprentice of Ganon(dorf). NOTE: Dark Link is sometime referred to as Shadow Link. (Like Shadow Mario from SMB: Sunshine). This can be confusing because when Link-2 transforms into Wolf Link, he also is occasionally called Shadow Link. I will use the terms Dark Link and Wolf Link to avoid confusion.
Vaati	This is the final boss of the Minish Cap. He appears again in Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures.

Things you just have to accept:

There are ALOT of temples (as in about 70) scattered throughout Hyrule. Each Link seems to visit between 4 to 8 of them in each of his adventures. The only repeated temples are the Water Temple and the Temple of Time used in both Orcarina of Time and Twilight Princess.
Even though Link is a hero, he has no problem breaking into people's homes, smashing their pots, and taking their money.
Just because Link-9 can fight monsters the size of football stadiums, that does not mean he can swim more than 10 yards.
When the Zoras refitted the Water Temple, they pumped out the water and put in rotating staircase rather than just swim around it. Also beneath the Water Temple is a huge area with a giant monster. For some reason when the monster crashes into the wall, the water drains. This could only mean the Zoras built their temple on top of a giant air bubble.
Even though Link can be strong enough to lift boulders, he still needs 2 hands to hold some swords.
Even though Link will spend one adventure collecting tools and weapons, he will have to do it again for his next adventure.
Whenever temples are built, they put a scary monster in it to keep people out, yet they also leave the very weapons you need to defeat the monster lying around.
Link has a wondrous backpack. Not only can it carry more stuff that should logically fit into a backpack -- Dr. Who would say "It's bigger on the inside" -- but it also has another property that defies physics. When Link-1 wears Iron Boots, he sinks. But when the boots are in his backpack he does not. When Link-2 carries the ball and chain, it is so heavy he can barely walk. When it is in his back pack, he has no problem running.
When Young Link-1 has an Hyrule shield on his back, it will protect him from flaming bolders falling from the sky; but if a Deku Shrub shoots a tiny deku nut in his back, Link will be injured.
If Link has 1 key, and stands in front of 2 locked doors, that 1 key can open either door. However, after it is used in one door it apparently disintegrates and cannot be used in the other door. Link must first find another -- seemingly identical -- key to open the other door.

King Gustuf Long ago... before any Legends of Zelda... before any Adventures of Link... there was a great war for control of the Triforce. Mentioned in several Zelda titles. When the war was over there was one unified Kingdom of Hyrule and its first king was King Gustuf. Aside from uniting Hyrule, and obtaining the Picori Sword, King Gustuf also is the one who made wearing green fashionable. Mentioned in the Minish Cap
NOTE: Some have suggested the Picorri Sword, 4 Sword, and Magical Sword, and Master Sword are all one in the same. I can see that the Magical Sword used by Link-7 in the Original Zelda and Zelda II is probably the Master Sword and the name got mis-translated up over the generations. I can also see that the Picorri Sword would one day become the 4 Sword for those two "Four Sword Adventures". However, the 4 Sword cannot be the same sword as the Master Sword. Link-1 has the Master Sword when he battles Ganondorf and later Ganon. This was the very first time Ganon(dorf) faces a "Link" in battle. Link-4Green, Link-4Blue, Link-4Red, and Link-4Violet used the 4 Sword to fight Ganon. This had to take place at a later time. To suggest that the 4 Sword one day one day loses its splitting capabilities to become the Master Sword does not make sense.
Link-0 and Zelda-0 The Minish Cap While I really like the idea of Orcarina of Time being the "first" Link and Zelda (the game was marketed as such), The Minish Cap was a "prequel". There is no Ganon(dorf) yet. Link fights Vatii I still want to call the Link and Zelda who first met Ganon(dorf) Link-1 and Zelda-1. The fact that they face Ganon(dorf) defines them as the Link and Zelda we all know and love. I will refer to the Link and Zelda of the Minish Cap as Link-0 and Zelda-0. In a sense, this is the Original Link and the Original Zelda.
Between Minish Cap and Orcarina of Time In Zelda II: The Adventure of Link we learn the actual "Legend of Zelda" which is that the Original Princess Zelda was cursed to sleep forever. By royal proclamation, every princess was named "Zelda" after her. This means sometime after Minish Cap, Zelda-0, the "Original Zelda", is the one who gets cursed. She does not wake up until 600 years later when Link-6 rescues her.
Link-1, Zelda-1/Sheik, Ganon(dorf) and Dark Link Orcarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Soul Calibur II Ganondorf is born in the dessert. By experimenting with black magic he contacts the Soul Edge in another dimension and increases his power 100 fold. Young Link-1, age 10, is summoned by the ancient Deku Tree. Not long after he encounters Ganondorf for the first time. He plots with young Zelda-1 to stop Ganondorf, unwittingly playing into his hands. Link-1 awakens 7 years later as an adult to a very different Hyrule. For one thing, Zora's Domain is completely frozen over and most of the Zoras are frozen in the ice. The ancient Deku Tree dies and gives birth to a young Deku Sprout. Link-1 faces several enemies including Dark Link. Later, using "light arrows", and the power of the Seven Sages, he battles and defeats Ganondorf. Ganondorf gets mad and transforms into GANON. Link defeats him too. Ganon swears revenge on the descendants of the Seven Sages. Link-1 then learns the reason for his time travelling: Ganondorf could only be defeated by someone with the strength of an adult and the purity of a child. Zelda-1 decides to give Link-1 back his childhood and sends him back 7 years to when he was 10. What Zelda-1 did not realize is that after defeating Ganon, Link had lost his child like innocence. Link could not enjoy his childhood in any way. Not only did he not feel like a child, he realized he would be forced to watch Hyrule decay as Ganondorf -- who would not be defeated for another 7 years -- assumed more and more control. Unbeknownst to anyone, Ganondorf dimension tampering created weaknesses between Hyrule's world, and the parallel world of Termia. When the first crack opened it created a link between Termia's Snow Peak ruins, and an area just north of Hyrule's Zora's Domain. Even though Ganon was defeated, the opening was still there and the intense cold came through which kept Zora's Domain frozen. Another opening near the lost woods allowed the Skull Kid to travel to Termia -- and encounter Majora's Mask. Link-1 decided to leave Hyrule because he could not bear to watch it decay. He goes to Lon Lon Ranch and convinces Young Malon to loan him Young Epona. While he knew there was nothing he could do -- he already defeated Ganon 7 years in the future -- it still made him feel cowardly and that caused him to lose the Triforce of Courage. NOTE: This is mentioned in WindWaker. The King of the Red Lions tells Link-9 that the "Hero of Time" (Link-1) was separated from the Triforce of Courage when he "embarked on another quest". That quest refers to Majora's Mask. So Link rides Epona, gets attacked by fairies, loses Epona, winds up in Termia, and turns into a Deku shrub. I believe this is where and when Link loses the Triforce of Courage. From the savior of Hyrule to a deku shrub. How depressing! Link begins his next adventure and transforms between deku, goron, zora, giant and (if you get all the other masks) a fierce diety. He has to get many of the weapons again that he had before (like the bow, hookshot, etc.) because he will not have those weapons until he is a 17-year old adult. In Termia, Link-1 encounters duplicates of people he knew from Hyrule. The idea of a parallel world makes an interesting story AND eliminates the need to create new characters for the sequel. Link wondered if he would meet a duplicate of himself. He did not, so he guessed there was no Link in this world... or was there? In Majora's Mask, Link-1 kept travelling back in time repeating the same 3 days over and over. Just like the movie Groundhog Day, only Link would remember his previous "loops" through time... or so he thought. Termia did have a "Link". I will call him "Link-T". And Link-T was "linked" (ouch, bad pun) to Hyrule's Link-1 in some way. Link-T found himself repeating the same 3 days over and over. This was maddening enough, but seeing his mirror image sometimes act heroic, and other times act cruel drove him completely insane. Remember, Link-1 was focused on the big picture of preventing the moon from crashing into Termia in a mere 3 days. This meant he sometimes would let the old lady get robbed and sometimes even knock someone out of a tree to steal his money so he could by some weapon to defeat some enemy. That freaky dance that Link-1 does will give Link-T -- or as he is now known Dark Link -- nightmares for the next 500 years. Anyway, Link-T found his way to Hyrule's world and became Ganondorf's apprentice. 7 years later "Dark Link" faced Link-1 in the Water Temple. Though "Dark Link" was defeated, he survived. Ganondorf kept him alive -- though in suspended animation -- to use as an agent for revenge if he was ever truly killed. After saving Termia, Link-1 briefly returned to Hyrule, specifically Lon Lon Ranch. He knew he would have to return Epona to Malon so his older self could win Epona from Ingo. Link-1 then wandered around, improving his fighting skills as he went on. After 7 years, he decided to return to Hyrule. On the way back he learned of an evil force from another world that threatened Hyrule. Using the Orcarina -- very handy device by the way -- Link-1 travels to the world of Soul Edge. He fights in the tournament and wins the chance to fight the ultimate evil. After defeating the flaming evil thing he returns home and helps rebuild.	Notes about the Master Quest: This is essentially a "second play through" with harder temples. If you are stuck and cannot see where to go next, play the Song of Time. Master Quest is full of Time Blocks that only show up when you play the song. When inside the great Jabu Jabu fish, you need to accept the fact that this version of Jabu Jabu is very carnivorous and apparently ate most of the cows in Hyrule. Somehow these cows are stuck in the lining of Jabu Jabu's digestive track and shooting them with your slingshot is actually the way to open many of the sphincter doors. Near the end of Majora's Mask, there are several gossip stones which will tell you the locations of all of the masks which you might have missed. One of these stones is completely pointless. It tells you where to find the Mask of Truth. If you did not have the Mask of Truth, you would not be able to read what is in the gossip stones in the first place. I found this game quite fun to play once I got through the first "loop". That first loop can be very tedious, and if you do not succeed, you have to start completely over. After that, you have freedom to go on with the quest.
Between Orcarina of Time and Twilight Princess The cracks between worlds affected the Lost Woods. Now they link to different areas than before. The cemetery in Kakariko village was shook up. The nicely lined up tombstones are now in disarray. So much snow came through from the crack in Termia's Snow Peak Ruins, that the people of Hyrule changed the name of their "Mountain Peak Ruins" to "Snow Peak Ruins" as well. The Water Temple was also damaged needed massive repair. It now looks completely different on the inside. "Magic" is now officially "taboo". Magic potions are no longer available. People fear that any magic might lead to the return of Ganon. At some point Link-1 takes on an apprentice. He trains him in many advanced techniques. Some of these are fighting techniques he developped after Majora's Mask, and used in the Soul Calibur II tournament. Some of these same techniques are taught to Link-6 (500 years later) in Zelda-II by various masters. After being locked away for 50 years, Ganondorf returns, destroying the Temple of Time in the process. He is stopped by some old guys that I will call "The Glowing Guardians". They chain him to a rock and impail him with a glowing sword (not the Master Sword). Ganon laughs, breaks free and kills one of the Glowing Guardians. They respond by activating the Twilight Mirror which imprisons him in the Twilight realm for the next 50 years. There he recruits Zant and plots revenge. Neither Link-1, nor Dark Link appreciated the ironic paradox they create together. When Link-1 had to face his dark mirror image it was the very beginning of Link-1 losing his child like innocence. When Link-1 was returned back in time to being a 10 years old -- now a jaded adult in a childs body -- his darkness helped to drive Link-T insane and thus Dark Link was born. 7 years later when Dark Link faced Link-1, he naturally assumed that Link-1 had grown into an adult in a normal fashon. He could not possibly understand that Link-1 had never seen him before.
Link-2, Zelda-2 & Ganon(dorf) Twilight Princess, Link's Crossbow Training and Yet Unnamed Wii Zelda Title for 2010 After 100 years, Link-2 and Midna finally free the Zoras from the ice by dropping a giganic chunk of super hot rock on it. Even though the Temple of Time is destroyed, Link-2 can still enter it because the front doors transport anyone who enters back in time to when the temple still existed. (It is the Temple of Time after all.) Leaving the temple returns you to the present. Link-2 learns several advanced fighting techniques from the ghost of the appentice of Link-1. Since magic is taboo, link cannot buy magic potion to power the magic armor. He also cannot buy light arrows to use against Ganon(dorf). It is found out that silver has some magic properties. Silver coins can power Link-2's magic armor. Silver arrows will also be used in the future. For now, Zelda has her own magic and created the light arrows to use against Ganon(dorf). Apparently, one of the weapons Link-2 gathered on his quest was a crossbow. He used the crossbow several times along the way. When the giant skeleton monster, which Link-2 defeated in the Sand Temple, returned, Link-2 used the crossbow to defeat him once and or all. NOTE: The crossbow action is only seen if you have the game Link's Crossbow Training. In that game link first trains with targets and then moves on to defeat various enemies from Twilight Princess with his crossbow. Playing this game is like watching the deleted scenes from a Twilight Princess DVD.	Link-2 is apparently much smarter than all of the other Links because he is the only Link that will put treasure back into a treasue chest if there is no room in his wallet. All other Links seem to just let the money simply fall on the ground and get wasted.
Between Twilight Princess and Four Swords The Triforces, sensed that Vaati might escape and if he would, he would be even more powerful. In response, it transforms the Picorri Sword into the 4 Sword. When Vaati actually does escape, it calls to Zelda-3 and lets her know that the 4 Sword must be sought out to defeat Vaati. With the Temple of Time destroyed, the Master Sword is placed in a pedestal in a very dense forrest. Ganondorf use to be able to return every 50 years. When he fought Link-2, he was still not fully recovered from the wonds inflicted by the Glowing Guardians. He needs longer to recover now.
Links-3Green, 3Red, 3Blue, and 3Violet, Zelda-3 & Vaati After being imprisoned for 200 years, Vaati returns. Link-3 finds the 4 Sword (which is NOT the Master Sword) and splits into Link-3Green, Line-3Red, Link-3Blue, and Link-3Violet. By working together the 4 "Links" defeat Vaati and imprison him again. NOTE: I was originally not going to include the 4 Swords Adventures in my timeline. I realized that in Link to the Past is was mentioned that a Hero showed up every 100 years. To be able to make that statement, we need to have more that 2 previous "Links" so for that reason I decided to include them. The one game I will definately NOT include is Super Smash Bros. That game is very fun to play, but has no business in any timeline.	I speculate that the unique magic of the 4 Sword -- which enables 1 to split into 4 -- interfers with the magic in Link's magical backpack (explained in #8 near the top). Because if this, Link can o nly cary one item at a time.
Between Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures While Ganondorf recovers, he watched Vaati's bid for power, while Vaati failed, Ganondorf thinks to himself, "This fool can be a useful distraction." Ganondorf recovers and escapes. He aquires a very powerful Trident. The trident magnifies Ganondorf power greatly and also magnifies his hate. He is now so full of hate that he is permanently in beast form. There is no more Ganondorf. Now there is only GANON. Using the Trident GANON frees Vaati on the condition that Vaati works for him.
Links-4Green, 4Red, 4Blue, and 4Violet, Zelda-4, Vaati and GANON GANON returns after 200 years. GANON uses the Trident to create an army cloned from Dark Link. (The game actually called him Shadow Link, but as I explained earlier, I will continue to use Dark Link.) As with his predecessor, Link-4 finds the 4 Sword (which is STILL not the Master Sword) and splits into Link-4Green, Line-4Red, Link-4Blue, and Link-4Violet. As before, these 4 Links can only cary one item at a time. By working together the 4 Links manage to destroy Vaati this time. GANON is imprisoned again.
Between Four Swords Adventures and A Link To The Past Magic is no longer "taboo" and magical potions are available again; however, light arrows will still not be available for many, many centuries. The Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Power are placed in the Sacred Realm. Aided with the power of the Sacred Realm, the 2 triforces call out to the missing triforce, the Triforce of Courage which is still lost in the world of Termia. (Yes, Link-2 had the inner-triforce. I am talking about the physical-triforce which is the golden triangle. More on this later.) It took a while, but contact is established and with their combined power, the Triforce of Courage appears in the Sacred Realm and joins the other 2 in what would be a very fateful day. Ganon recovers and escapes. He enters the Sacred Realm where the 3 Physical Triforces are currently being stored, on the VERY SAME DAY that the Triforce of Courage appeared in the sacred realm. When he touches the 3 joined triforces, the Sacred Realm transforms into a Dark Realm. With Vaati destroyed, Ganon needs another stooge, so he enlists the help of Agaham. Agaham remains in Hyrule and will help Ganon fullfil a 400 year old promise for vengence. When Ganon(dorf) was defeated by Link-1, it was with the aid of the 7 sages. Ganondorf swore he would return and come after their descendants. The 7th of those sages was Zelda-1 and Zelda-5 is her descendant. Agaham starts capturing the descendants of the sages and banishes them to the Dark Realm one by one. Now only one sage's descendant remains... Princess Zelda.
Link-5, Zelda-5, GANON, and a really big egg. Link learns that he is one of many Heroes of Hyrule. Every 100 years a new Hero is born in Hyrule destined to combat great evil (usually Ganon(dorf)). After being lost for 300 years, Link-5 finds the Master Sword. It has lost its power and needs tempering. Apparently, it did not occur to him to save the cheap sword he had before the Master Sword. During the time that the Master Sword is being tempered, Link-5 is incapable of defending himself. Since Light Arrows are no longer available Link-5 gets Silver Arrows. The magical proprties of silver make it just as deadly. When the Master Sword is returned to full power Link-5 uses it and the Silver Arrows to fight and defeat GANON. After defeating GANON, Link-5 uses the power of the 3 triforces to make a wish of his own. So much evil had happened and Link-5 wanted to undo it all. His exact words were: I wish for everything to be back the way it was the day before Ganon entered the Sacred Realm. Link-5 accomplished what he wanted, but he did not realize the consequences of his poor word choice. Yes, everything and everyone was restored... including GANON. GANON would be able to return almost immediately instead of waiting another 100 years. The other side affect that the Triforce of Courage was sent back to the world of Termia. After that, Link-5 embarks on a sea voyage. He is blown off course and winds up on this island with a big egg. I have not actually played this game so details are sketchy. I do know it was made as a direct sequel to Link to the Past and I also know the final boss is Ganon and Zelda is hardly in the game at all. We can assume Ganon's Trident is destroyed either during the battle, or after Ganon is defeated.	This was the only Zelda game for the Super NES. It is still a favorite of many Zelda fans. A few years later, the deluze (DX) version of this game was released in color. NOTE: Link-5 is the only Link to face Ganon TWICE.
Between Link's Awakening and the original "The Legend of Zelda" The book that Link-5 used to translate the ancient Hylean enscription on the pedistal of the Master Sword was lost. In the decades that followed, scholars mistranslated the enscription to as Magical Sword. By now the previous "Links" have found all of the Heart Pieces scattered around Hyrule and its surrounding areas. They have ALL been assembled into complete Heart Containers. Some of them are then hidden again in secret locations. The elders decide it is too dengerous for the 3 triforces to be together. The Triforce of Courage has mysteriously disappeared. Nobody knows it is back in Termia. For that matter, nobody in Hyrule even knows where or what "Termia" is. To further prevent anyone from misusing the power of the combined 3 triforces, the Triforce of Wisdom is split into 8 pieces and hidden in 8 (of the many) temples in Hyrule.
Link-6, Zelda-6, Ganon and a new age of video games. Link-6 finds the Magical Sword (which is really the Master Sword) along to several Heart Containers and Silver Arrows. Link-6 manages to do something that no Link has done before. He actually kills GANON. GANON is actually dead. With Ganon not just merely dead, but really most sincerely dead, the people rejoice. They sing. They laugh. They dance. Life is good. Unbeknownst to the good people of Hyrule, GANON had a fail safe: Dark Link. Upon Ganon's death Dark Link awakened. He and other followers had a means to resurrect Ganon, but they require a special sacrifice... The blood of Link.	Here we have the one that started it all. It may not be the beginning of the timeline but this was the first Legend of Zelda game released. It had a cool golden box and also was the first game that allowed you to save your progress. We could actually continue the game later! Whoa!
Between the original "The Legend of Zelda" and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Having some of Ganon's power gave Dark Link access (though not physical contact) to the Trifoce of Power. This lead him to the castle where Zelda-0 slept. Being in the presence of Zelda-0 gave him access to the Triforce of Wisdom. Even though he only had a slight access to these 2 triforces, it was enough to point him in the right direction. Dark Link embarks on his own quest and finds the long lost Triforce of Courage. He was surprised that it lead him all the way back to his own world of Termia. It was here that Link-1 "became separated from the Triforce of Courage". Dark Link had not been in Termia for 500 years, so he expected it to be different. What he did not expect was that it now looked so much like Hyrule (the reason why is explained later). It even now had a royal family. This gave Dark Link an increadibly ambiscious idea. He wanted to rule as well, but he knew he could never rule with Ganon around. He also knew he would never have enough power to rule unless he first resurrected Ganon. Fine let Ganon have Hyrule. Dark Link wanted to rule this New Hyrule. He aquires followers in both worlds. In Hyrule, he sets a trap for Link-6. In Termia, his followers infiltrate the city with a different mission... prepare Termia for his rule. First step, change the name to Hyrule. His following infiltrate various areas of influence from business to politics. The name change was easy. Unbeknownst to anyone... During the first 400 years that the physical* Triforce of Courage was in in Termia it did something rather peculiar, though completely unintentional (not that a triforce has intentions in the first place). It longed for its home in Hyrule. It was unnatural for it to be in this other world. This longing actually had an affect on the people of Termia over the next several generations. Like a substle subconcious suggestion is gently influenced architecture, food, business and polictics. 400 years later, you could not tell the difference between Termia and Hyrule. When the Triforce of Courage was contacted by the other 2 triforces 100 years ago, it was able to transport to the Sacred Realm. After being wished back to Termia (unintentionally by Link-5) the Triforce of Courage was not able to return under its own power. It would have to wait for someone to find it. In the meantime the Triforce of Courage did something truely astounding. It actually multiplied! It created new Triforces of Courage, Power and Wisdom in Termia. * This is not to be confused with the inner Triforce of Courage which some Links have. This is indicated with the triangle on their hands. While there is a link between the inner Triforce and the physical Triforce one does not need to be touching the physical object to have the inner power, though it does tend to magnify it greatly if you do. Also, sometimes the physical triforce seems to actually be stored inside the person with the inner triforce. The physical triforce appears only when the 3 with inner triforces (Link, Zelda & Ganondorf) are together, or when someone "is separated from it" which occurs when they do not believe they deserve it anymore and essentially give it up.
Link-6, Zelda-0 & Dark Link On Link-6's 16 Birthday, he awakes to find a Triangle on his hand. This would be the symbol for the Triforce of Courage. Link learns that there are 3 triforces. He also learns the actual Legend of Zelda (mentioned earlier). It will take the power of all 3 triforces to wake up the original Princess Zelda (Zelda-0) who is cursed to sleep forever. Thus begins Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. This is the only game where Link begins with the Master Sword (or Magical Sword). He collects new items and explores another 8 temples. When Link-6 finally gets to the Triforce of Courage, Dark Link is standing in the way. One of the greatest sword fights in history takes place. Both warriors sustain injuries but in the end, Link-6 is victorious. He gets the Triforce of Courage, and awakens Zelda-0. Epilogue: Dark Link lay dying. He sees blood on the ground, though not his blood. After all, he did manage to get in a few good strikes himself. He now has a desparate plan. Maybe this will be enough to resurrect Ganon, and then Ganon could restore him. As he crawls across the ground to an area stained with Link-6's blood his followers enter. They see Dark Link defeated. They see the Triforce of Courage is gone. "My loyal followers...", Dark Link cries out, "help me up so that I..." "YOU FAILED US !!!!" the followers shout. Then Dark Link hears the sound of more than a dozen swords simultaneously being drawn from their sheath. Dark Link is killed before he has a chance to explain anything.	NOTE: Zelda-6 is not the Zelda in Zelda-II: The Adventure of Link. She is not even in the game. The Zelda in this game is the orginal Princess Zelda or as I call her "Zelda-0".
Between Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and Oracle of Ages/Seasons Since it has only been a few years since Link-6 rescued Zelda-6, we can assume that she is still alive. The sudden appearance of Zelda-0 did cause a minor upheval in the royal family. Yes, at first there were grand celebrations for the return of the original Princess Zelda. Everyone was happy. But after a while, things became akward. Who was "Princess Zelda", Zelda-0 or Zelda-6? For a while they tried to live as sisters, but even the best of sister relationships can have a big sister who is a little bossy and a little sister who is a little annoying. The fact that Zelda-0 is 600 years older than her descendant only complicate matters. Sometimes, Zelda-0 had to work very hard not to say, "Listen here missy! I am your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, grandmother and you will do as I say!" NOTE: Zelda-6 is called "Zelda-6" not because she is the 6th "Princess Zelda" after the original. If each Zelda had a baby girl somewhere between the ages of 20 and 35, then she could be the 20th or the 30th "Princess Zelda". I call her "Zelda-6" because she is the 6th significant "Princess Zelda" after the original. The Zeldas were of course very proper and never let their akwardness show in public. After a rather lengthly discussion the royal family finally came up with a solution. Zelda-0 will now and forever be known as Queen Zelda (but with no real power) and Zelda-6 will remain Princess Zelda. The 3 triforces are now stored in Hyrule castle. People seem to have forgotten the danger of keeping them together. The followers of Dark Link from Termia manipulate the educational system and circulate stories from the exploits of the other Links as historical fact, but they make one significant change. They say it was all done by one imortal devine Link (Dark Link of course). Their stories seem confirmed when archeologists recover 3 triforces (The ones that multiplied from the original Triforce of Courage) and store them in the castle, in the exact same place as the corresponding castle in Hyrule. The followers of Dark Link from Hyrule (and their descendants) prepare for 100 years for the birth of the next Link. They know that with his blood, Ganon can be resurrected. One of these followers finds his way through one of the "cracks" and winds up in Termia. Since it now looks so much like Hyrule, and is even called "Hyrule", he went to their hideout not knowing he was not on the same world anymore. When he got there, he was shocked to find... himself. After an inital shock, the found out what was going on. Dark Link had mentioned the other Hyrule. The man from Hyrule tells his Termian counterpart that Dark Link is dead. He continues to tell them that they now prepare for the next hero to be born and plan to use his blood to raise their true leader, Ganon. After the man from Hyrule leaves, the Termian followers have their period of denial and mourning, but them they decide they want to resurrect Ganon as well. Some question whether someone from one world can be resurrected on another. They are used for that evening's sacrifice. Some question whether a new Link would even be born in their world. They were saved for tomorrow's sacrifice. Then they started preparing... And for only the second time in history, 2 twins Links were born, one in Hyrule, and another in Termia (New Hyrule, whatever). When Dark Link had returned to Termia, his very presence upset the balance of good and evil. In response, a new Link was born, though it took 100 years.
Links-7A&7S, Zeldas-7A&7S & Semi Resurrected Ganon Oracles of Ages / Oracle of Seasons In both worlds, the descendants of Dark Link's followers -- who are now Ganon's followers -- kidnap Princess Zelda (Zelda-7A and Zelda-7S) to set a trap for the next hero (Link-7A or Link-7S). They still need his blood for the sacrifice to resurrect Ganon. Link-7A and Link-7S embark on separate different adventures, never knowing that the other exists, or that their ultimate victory will lie in each other's hands. (More on that later). In both worlds the plan to trap Link fails. Ganon's followers try something desparate and barbaric. They decide to sacrifice Zelda and use her blood. They theorize that Link's blood is special because he is "a keeper of a triforce". Since Princess Zelda is also a "keeper of a triforce", her blood would also be special. Both Links are literally at the front door so they do not have time to "finish her off", though they do wound her seriously. The result seems to be a Semi Resurrected Ganon. What the followers in both worlds do not realize is that they were right. Zelda's blood was just as good. Resurrecting someone on a different world also was not a problem. However, there definately was a problem. 2 groups of followers performed the exact same ritual in 2 different worlds at the exact same time. Ganon was simultaneously resurrected on 2 different worlds and effectively split inbetween them. As far as each Link was concerned Ganon was teleporting. This was no big deal for either Link. They had heard stories of Ganon's teleporting before. However, this was a major big deal for Ganon. He was not actually teleporting. Everytime one Link struck Ganon, he focus in that world weekend and he was pulled to the other. Ganon was very confused because to him Link was teleporting since the other Link was standing in a different location. As each Link struck Ganon, they would get a short break until Ganon returned, but Ganon experianced non-stop relentless strikes. The 2 Links were essentially tag-teaming Ganon and not even knowing it. Ganon's resurrection was short lived and he was dead (as a doornail) again.	I personally have not played these 2 games, but I have read that they can be played where one game continues from the other. I have also read the theory that the 2 games happen simultaneously in 2 different worlds. It is the second interpretation that I am using. One of these games takes place in Hyrule and the other in New Hyrule (formerly called "Termia"). As to which one is where... who knows?
Between Oracle of Ages/Seasons and the birth of the Link-8 In Termia, Link tells the people he is not the "Divine Immortal Link" that they were told about. The people of "New Hyrule" begin to question their history. After a few decades they finally accept that it was all a lie. The ramining followers of Ganon were executed. They then changed the name of their city back to Termia, though they still kept the royal family and still tell stories of the great hero Link who long ago saved them from the crashing moon, and then returned 700 later to prevent a great evil from coming to their world. Their history was not perfect, but they were peaceful. In Hyrule, the exact details of the many stories of Link became somewhat blurred. People started to belive that there was only one Hero. They called him "The Hero of Time" which was the title given to Link-1. They beleived that this Link simply returned every time Hyrule was in danger. They did not understand that there were different heroes throught the History of Hyrule (though through reencarnation, it may be infact be the same spirit each time). The followers of Ganon continued preparring, and as the decades pass so do their descendants. There will be no escape for the next Link...
Link-8, Zelda-8 and the return of Ganondorf Conjecture (Not based on any existing video game) Ganon's followers manage to do the unthinkable. Using their black magic, they track down the next Link while he is still a very young, very innocent child. This child (Link-8) knows nothing about fighting or the grand legacy that he is part of, nor does he comprehend the terror he will unwittingly help to unleash. Ganon's followers kill this young Link and finally perform the ritual to resurrect Ganon. They are surprised when a human figure appears. They were expecting the beast Ganon, but since this ceremony was perfect, they completely restored Ganondorf to his original form. At first Ganon's followers protested. Ganondorf quickly turned them all into loyal mindless mobkins. Ganondorf began plotting his ultimate revenge against all of Hyrule. He had no need for "beast" forms any more. He decided blind rage had not served him well in the past. Zelda-8 sensed the return of great evil. The history of her family told her that this had happened before, but in every case, the Hero of Time would return and defend Hyrule. Previous Princess Zeldas had sensed the presence of this hero and were able to seek him out. Zelda-8 was full of dread. All she could sense... was death. Zelda-8, the royal family, and several servants flee Hyrule. Along the way they stop at a small farm house whose family is in mourning over the senseless death of their young son. They stay for the euligy. Afterwards, Princess Zelda leaves behind some silver coins to help the family. She also leaves behind her most trusted craftsman. Her final decrees was that he help take care of the family (the father was getting old and now he had no son to help out) and errect a special tombstone. (Look to the right.) Ganondorf's previous failed resurrection attempt did affect his memory somewhat. Like most people, Ganondorf now believes that there was only one hero and now he also refers to him as "The Hero of Time". However, whether there were many heroes, or one hero that just kept returning does not matter anymore. Ganondorf has returned. And this time, there would be no hero, no Link to stop him...
Between the death of the Link-8 and Windwaker The royal family goes into hiding. The 800 year old decree that every princess be named Zelda is now null and void. For their own protection, princesses are no longer named Zelda. The Dark Times Begin Ganondorf begins his invasion of Hyrule. The Knight's of Hyrule fought bravely. Most were killed. Some were turned into loyal mindless mobkins. (NOTE: These knights were much braver than the knights Link-2 dealt with 600 years ago. Those cowards cringed in fear at the sight of Wolf Link.) The people hoped and prayed that the Hero of Time would come to save them. He did not come. The great sorrow in the land of Hyrule caused the Heart Containers to break again. (As the people's hearts were breaking, so were the Heart Containers themselves.) 44 pieces remain hidden throughout Hyrule. 100 Years Later... Many people had lost all hope that the Hero of Time would return. The descendants of Zelda-8 (the last princess to actually be named Zelda) knew that Link-8 had been killed. Since a century had passed they hoped another hero would be born soon. He wasn't. They waited for another 20 years. No hero was born. There was no "Link-9". Finally, after much research, thought, reflection, and meditation, the great-great-great-granddaughter of Zelda-8 realizes why. Ganondorf was now so powerful, that he upsets the very balance of good and evil itself. The Flood After 150 years even the descendants of the royal family stop believing that the Hero of Time will return. Instead, they join the people in praying that the gods will directly intervene. Ganondorf's power is so great, it limits what even they can do, but they do do something. It starts raining. Noone, not even Ganondorf, thinks much of this. That was their hope. Anything direct and grandious and Ganondorf would fight back. At first the rain slowed down the ever expanding invasion force of Ganindorf. The rain washed out bridges which prevented Ganondorf's armies from reaching certain settlements. Over time people had to move to higher and higher ground. The people were miserable. They thought the gods had abandoned them, just as the Hero of Time had. Ganondorf rejoiced in their misery; all the while not even realizing that his hold on the vast surrounding areas of Hyrule was slipping. The rain continued for 50 years and eventually everyone had to move to the tops of what they use to call mountains. Now they were simply islands. Being cut off from each other actually was the people's salvation. Each of the many islands was too small to be worth invading. Ganondorf used his magic to erect a protective dome around his castle to keep it from flooding. He still retired there every night. One night, as ganondorf slept, the gods finally finished their plan and finally took direct action. They sealed Ganondorf's castle. He was trapped! Usually, Ganon(dorf) would return 100 years after being defeated. Even Ganindorf did not realize that this was related to the fact that every 100 years, a new Hero was born. Now, with the balance of good and evil all out of wack, no hero can be born. This meant Ganondorf could not escape. Ganondorf's greatest victory had now become the very source of his imprisonment. Sometimes, when the royal family is together in a place they feel safe and are only in the company of their most trusted friends, they might call a princess "Princess Zelda". But as the centuries role on, royal traditions -- even in private -- are all but forgotton. The royal family does not exist in any "royal" sense anymore. Only one member who calls himself The King of the Red Lions still follows the old ways. He is the last person who actually believes the Hero of Time will return. In preparation he uses to own magic to do many things. First, he protects Hyrule castle from flooding, in much the same way as Ganondorf protects his own castle. He gives himself the ability to live a veeeeeery long life, so that he will be able to greet the hero whenever he returns. He also divides the Triforce of Wisdom up into 2 pieces. One he keeps, and one which he gives to his daughter. He actually calls her "Zelda", though the rest of the family roles their eyes when he does. Out of respect they do honor his 3 requests. First, that his daughter take one piece of the Triforce of Wisdom, disguise it as a necklace, and pass it down to her daughter, instructing her to pass it on to her daughter as well. Second, for their own protection, and Hyrule's as well, the family (which can no longer fit on the tiny island) divides into 8 units and spreads out across the islands of the Hylean sea. And Third, that each unit takes a piece of the Triforce of Courage with them and hide it somewhere in the Hylean Sea. As time goes on the royal family is all but forgotten. They have not died out. There are royal descendants. Some people are technically hiers to the thrown, but just do not know it. They have family hierlooms that they do not even know are priceless. The bloodline of Princess Zelda continues on for one thousand years, to the most unlikeliest of hiers... During the course of the next 1000 years... People go back to living normal, peaceful lives. The drastic climate changes causes some creatures to evolve at a very fast rate. The Zoras were fresh-water creatures. The rains washed down many minerals from the mountains and slowly turned the water to salt-water. The Zoras would not have survived if they had not evolved into the Rito (bird people). Jabun a descedant of Jabu-Jabu can now swim all over what use to be called Hyrule. (People do not even know that word anymore.) They live on islands in the Hylean Sea. They cannot remember a time when this was not so. The rain helps the Deku Sprout (who is now the new Deku Tree) grow even stronger, yet more flexible than his "father", the previous Deku tree from 2000 years ago. The Korki -- who use to be humanoid -- have evolved into these funny little creatures called "Koroks" who can fly (but not as well as the Rito). They still serve the Great Deku Tree who treats them as his children. Enemies like the Peahats, Mobkins and Darknuts, which use to be so formidable have "gone soft" over the past millenium and have evolved to become much more wimpy and are rather easy to defeat. An ancient legend from the Hero of Time mentions that when Link-1 turned into a Goron (waaaaaay back in Majora's Mask), he was not able to survive underwater. Because of this, it is believed that the Gorons have all drowned and are now extinct. What is lost from the records is the time Link-2 encountered a Goron underwater. (He actually was inside the giant hot rock that Link-2 and Midna used to free the Zoras.) So maybe the Gorons still exist. It took a while, but King Gustuf's fasion trend of wearing green is now over. Green is no longer "in". People still tell stories of the Hero of Time, and it has become a custom for children to dress as him on their birthday. After 1500 years, light arrows are available again! Ten years ago... After 1000 years of inprisonment in his own castle, Ganondorf finally escapes. And after 1000 years, a new hero is finally born. Some will think the The Hero of Time has returned... Some will think the The Hero of Time has been reborn... but he will make his own destiny, and become know as The Hero of the Winds. However, before that can happen, Link-9 must grown and learn to fight. In the meantime, Ganondorf sends out giant birds to look for Princess Zelda (Zelda-9)
Link-9, Zelda-9/Tetra, and Ganondorf Windwaker Link-9 receives a telescope from his little sister Aryll on his birthday. Using it, he sees a giant bird being chased by a pirate ship. Looking closer he notices that the giant bird is carrying a young girl. and when the pirate ship hits the giant bird with a cannon ball, the girl is dropped into the Forbidden Forest. Link sets about to rescue her. He gets the wooden sword from Orca, makes his way to the Forbidden Forest. He fights some bad guys and rescues Tetra (the girl who fell). The giant bird comes back to recapture the girl, but mistakes Aryll for Tetra. Link-9 is helpless as he sees his little sister being flown away. He gets a ride on Tetra's pirate ship to the Forbidden Fortress (apparently, the word "forbidden" does not mean much to Link). Ganondorf quickly dispatches him as a minor annoyance. Link-9 wakes up miles away on Windfall Island (which is actually the top of a mountain in the old Karkariko Village) and encounters the King of the Red Lions which appears as a talking sailboat). Thus begins this grand cell shaded adventure. Link-9 finds some pearls and meets Jabun (descendant of Jabu-Jabu). He then finds his way to Hyrule Castle which is protected at the bottom of the Hylean Sea. Link-9 sees the King of the Red Lions in his true form. He really is an actual human king, the last King of Hyrule, who has been waiting for 1000 years for the hero to return. Link-9 gets the Master Sword, goes back to the Forbidden Fortress, defeats the giant bird, and rescues his sister. He then goes after Ganondorf, but the Master Sword has lost its power and is inaffective against Ganondorf. Ganondorf calls Tetra "Princess Zelda". Link-9 takes Tetra back to Hyrule Castle. The King of the Red Lions combines her necklace with the piece of the Triforce of Wisdom that he kept and them explained that she is Princess Zelda (Zelda-9 for our purposes). Link discovers that 2 of the friends he has encountered on his travels are descendants of sages who used to pray over the Master Sword (who in turn are descendants of 2 of the original 7 sages). Link also recoves the 8 pieces of the Triforce of Courage. Along the way, he has a brief encounter with The Ghost Ship. The King of the Red Lions offcially calls him the Hero of the Winds and then he fights several minions and finally confronts Ganondorf in his own castle. Ganondorf knocks out both Link-9 and Zelda-9. The 3 physical triforces show themselves when the 3 are together. Ganondorf wants to wish for the flood to go away and that he would rule Hyrule. The King of the Red Lions beats him to the 3 Triforces and wishes a future for Link-9 and Zelda-9, and that Ganondorf "drown with Hyrule". The water starts pouring in as Link-9 battles Ganondorf. Zelda-9 takes the bow and help out with the light arrows (much like her ancestors Zelda-2 did 1800 years prior). Link-9 jumps high in the air and plunges the Master Sword deep into Ganondorf's cranium. Then the gods seize the opportunity and cover Ganondorf and the Master Sword in stone. This is to prevent it from ever being removed again. Ganondorf is dead, finally. The King of the Red Lions tells Link-9 and Zelda-9 to go forth and find a new world. Zelda-9 wants the king to join them and says they will call it "New Hyrule". The king says he cannot go. His job is done. He also says the new world will NOT be Hyrule. Hyrule's time has past. The new world will be their world. The air bubble collapses and the ocean crashes down. The king encases Link-9 and Zelda-9 in small air bubble so they can get to the surface.	Since I did not have a Nintendo 64, I went many years without playing a Zelda game. The last one I had played was Link to the Past. So I found this game amazing. I know some people cut down the cell-shading, but I think it is a good look for this particular game. Some other people cut down the "ease" of the game. Since I was quite out of practice, that was just fine with me. When I finished the game, I had the usual Zelda withdrawal and I read up on the Orcarina of Time and found out a game cube version of the game did exist, but was not for sale. You could only get it if you preordered Windwaker way back when. That was frustrating. I searched for a while, and final got my hands on a Game cube disk for Orcarina of Time and Master Quest. For me, playing this game after Windwaker was just perfect. I was now ready for something more challenging. Yes, the graphics were not as smooth, but that became less and less of an issue as I became more and more absorbed into the game. To date, Orcarina of Time is still my favorite Zelda game. Twilight Princess is second. Windwaker and A Link to the Past both tie for third place. The last 2 paragraphs to the left explain why this has to be the last game in a Hyrule timeline. Hyrule is destroyed after this game and will not be coming back. Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to this game, which takes place somewhere else. Any future games that involve both Hyrule and Ganon(dorf), would have to be placed somewhere between Orcarina of Time and Windwaker.
Between Windwaker and Phantom Hourlass Tetra/Zelda-9 takes Link-9 back home on Outset Island. Link's boat will still sail, but it is not a living boat anymore without the power of the King of the Red Lions. The Great Fairy wins a grand legal battle for the rights of fairies. It is now illegal to shove a fairy into a bottle. New map technology is now invented. Now maps do not only show the locations of rooms and platforms in a dungeon. They also show the movement of these platforms IN REAL TIME. Link-9 realizes his destiny is not to be somebody that just stays put on an island. His destiny is to explorer... to find the new world that The King of the Red Lions spoke about. Link-9 and Tetra/Zelda-9 depart Outset Island to begin their search. Link-9 waves goodbye to his sister and his grandma. (This is actually shown if you are patient enough to wait through all of the ending credits after you defeat Ganondorf.)
Link-9, Zelda-9/Tetra, Linebeck, The Ghost Ship and Bellum Phantom Hourglass Link-9 and Tetra/Zelda-9 are now venturing beyond the Hylean Sea, exploring, and looking for The New World. Along the way they encouner The Ghost Ship. Link-9 recognizes it (he got a Triforce map from it in Windwaker). Tetra (who HATES to be called "Princess Zelda" - not a very tough sounding pirate name I guess) is curious and starts to board the seamingly empty vessle. Tetra is captured. Link jumps after her. The Ghost Ship disappears with Tetra. Link is too late and lands in the ocean. His backpack opens as he hits the water. In the process, he loses most of his weapons and heart containers. The only good news is that the heart containers are still intact. Part of Link's quest is to get back his stuff. So Link teams up with Linebeck and a trio of fairies and eventually defeats Bellum. During the final battle Bellum possess Linebeck. To fight him you have to use the Phantom Hourglass to briefly stop time. This can only be done by drawing a figure "8" with the stylus. For some reason this is very difficult to do. After freeing Linebeck and Tetra, Link and Tetra are returned to Tetra's ship. They find out only a few minutes have passed for everyone else. They wonder if it was a dream. In the distance... Link sees Linebeck's ship goin off into the distance. Yes... it really happened. They continue the search for the new world... and I guess they eventually find it... Spirit Tracks certainly seems to take place on dry land. There would be no point in setting up extensive train tracks on just a small island. Link has a choo-choo!	This game was fun, and I eventually got use to using the stylus. I guess I am just "old school" in that I am use to buttons and a joy stick. I did get tired of doing the Temple of the Ocean King again, and again, and again, and AGAIN! The Masked Ship shows up between 10:00am and noon on Saturdays and 10:00pm and mid- night on Sundays. By changing the date & time on the DS, you can make other Masked Ships appear. Setting the year to 2099 allowed me to get the Golden Paddle Wheel.