The Legend of Zelda Timeline

By Ronald D. Roberts Jr.


  1. Ocarina of Time
  2. Majora's Mask
  3. Wind Waker
  4. The Minish Cap
  5. Four Swords Adventures
  6. A Link to the Past
  7. Oracle of Seasons
  8. Oracle of Ages
  9. Link's Awakening
  10. Legend of Zelda
  11. Adventure of Link

 

01:

Link is summoned by the great Deku Tree, and told of the impending doom of Hyrule.  He sets out with his fairy Navi and collects the 3 stones and pulls the Master Sword, unlocking the way to the Golden Land. Ganondorf, the King of Thieves, enters the Golden Land and places his hand on the Triforce. Because he did not have all 3 qualities needed to control the Triforce it is split into 3 parts: Wisdom, Power and Courage.  He retains the Triforce of Power, while Zelda receives the Triforce of Wisdom and Link receives the Triforce of Courage. 7 years pass as his sprit is held in time, until he is old enough to become the Hero of Time. Once the Hero, he awakens the 5 other Sages (the old guy already being there) and with the aid of Princess Zelda, Link defeats the evil Ganondorf, and flees the tower, where the duel had taken place.  At the bottom of the tower, Ganondorf, now consumed by the power of the Triforce changes into the evil Ganon, Lord of Darkness.  After a hard fought battle, Link manages to defeat Ganon, and the Sages all use their powers to seal Ganon into the Golden Land, which they hoped would be forever.  This great adventure would later be referred to as “The Imprisoning War”.

02:

After sealing Ganon away Link decides that he wishes to find his childhood friend the Skull Kid who lived in the Lost Woods in the Kokiri Forest.  Upon looking for his friend in the usual spot where they played together and finding no trace of him, he begins to worry.  This worries him enough to decide to go and search for her.  Knowing that he must leave Hyrule to do so, Link entrusts the Triforce of Courage to the Princess Zelda.  While on his journey he is attacked by the Skull Kid, who is under the influence of the evil demon Majora, via the Mask he stole from the Happy Mask Salesman. The Skull Kid steals the Ocarina of Time, which was once again entrusted to Link by Zelda. The Skull Kid also steals Link’s horse Epona. After chasing the possessed Skull Kid, Link ends up in the land of Termina, which is in dire straights.  The moon is going to crash into the land within 3 days due to the effect of the Mask the skull Kid stole.  Through the use of masks, Link is able to overcome several obstacles, and free his friend from the grasp of the evil Majora, and return the cursed mask to the Happy Mask Salesman.  From this point, it is speculated that Link and the Skull Kid remained in Termina for a time. Because Link left the Triforce of Courage in Hyrule he lost that which made him the Hero of Time. As time passes differently in Termina, Link was able to live substantially longer in this alternate reality. However, this was not without a heavy price.  While in Termina with his friend, several hundred years passed in the land of Hyrule.  With time the sage’s power began to fade and  Ganon was able to break free of his seal.  With no sign of Link, Ganon attacked the people, leaving them with no choice but to plead to the Gods.  Using the power of the 2 Triforce pieces, the King of Hyrule asks that time be frozen, and that the land be covered by water, so that Ganon could not fulfil his wicked ambitions.  Shortly after the freezing of time, the world is transformed into a Great Ocean, and Link, knowing nothing of the events which have passes, returns from Termina, bringing the want-to-be-fairy Tingle, and leaving the Skull Kid in Termina with his friends the Giants.  Shocked that the world he knew was gone, Link decided to live out the rest of his days on a small island to the south of the new Great Sea.  He guarded the Ocarina of Time, passing it down from generation to generation, and eventually it is lost as the time passes.

The years pass the Legends of the Hero of Time are all that remain of the long forgotten realm of Hyrule. A young boy, a descendant of the Hero of Time, and the Hero of Time reborn, is also given the name of Link, in honour of the Hero. On the birthday which marks his passage to manhood, coming of the same age as the Hero of Time, Link II dons the traditional garments of the Hero of Time, and prepares for his birthday celebration.  Directly after receiving his birthday present from his sister, a large bird, the Helmaroc King, is seen in the air over the small island caring a young girl.  Slightly behind it, on the ocean, is a pirate vessel, and the young girl is the captain of that ship. Link II wastes no time, and heads to the place where the girl is dropped by the bird when it is hit by a cannon ball.  He rescues her using exceptional courage, but no sooner does he rescue her than the giant bird takes Link II’s sister, mistaking it for the young pirate girl Tetra. After being with the pirates Tetra agrees to take Link II to the Forsaken Fortress, which is where the bird has made it’s nest.  Once he arrives at the Forsaken Fortress, he sets out to free his sister, however, he is caught unaware by the Helmaroc King, which picks him up and heads to the highest part of the fortress.  There a shadowy figure commands the Helmaroc King to toss Link II into the ocean, and leave him for dead. However, unknown to the shadowy figure Link is saved by the King of Red Lions, a talking boat, with a secret mission.  Link and The King of Red Lions sail forth to stop the evil which is brewing at the Forsaken Fortress.  They first collect 3 ancient pearls,, and then The King of Red Lions shows Link II a startling truth.  Below the ocean is a kingdom sealed away in time.  Link II is instructed to retrieve the legendary Master Sword, hidden in the Castle of Hyrule’s basement.  As Link II enters the castle he notices that all the monsters which roam about are frozen in time, thus he easily finds the hiding place of the Master Sword.  However, once he pulls the sword from it’s resting place, time is reinstated, and the enemies begin to move once again.  After fighting with his newly acquired weapon Link II returns to the King of Red Lions, and returns to the world above the waves.  Link II then returns to the Forsaken Fortress with the Master Sword and battles the Helmaroc King, frees his sister and the other captive girls, and then travels to the topmost part of the fortress.

It is here that he confirms that the figure was indeed Ganondof King of Thieves.  He attempts to  fight however, to his surprise the Master Sword has lost its full power, and is easily overpowered  by the Evil King.  During the battle the pirate captain Tetra attempts to help Link II but is also no match for him. It is at this point Ganondorf discovered that Tetra is none-other-than the Princess Zelda II, the last heir of the lost kingdom of Hyrule.  Through a valiant rescue from the Ruto people and their protector the dragon Valdoo, both Link II and Zelda II were saved and taken back to the castle of Hyrule.  It is here that Link II discovered that the King of Red Lions was in fact the  King of Hyrule, who was granted the power of ages to search for the new Hero who would defeat Ganondorf and restore the kingdom of Hyrule. Thus, The King of Red Lions, and Link II set off to restore the power to the Master Sword, via finding 2 new Sages.  With the Master Sword back to full power, The King of Red Lions asks Link II to search for the lost Triforce of Courage, which was scattered in 8 pieces across the Great Sea.  After much toil, and help from Link I’s friend Tingle, The Triforce of Courage had been remade.  With the Master Sword back at full power, and the Triforce of Courage in hand Link II and the King of Red Lions head back to the hidden realm of Hyrule.  Upon returning, Princess Zelda II is kidnapped by Ganondorf, and taken to his tower, which had since been rebuilt in the time which had passed before the fall of Hyrule.  After breaking the barrier which surrounded Hyrule Castle with the full-powered Master Sword, Link II entered the ancient land and fought to the top of Ganon’s Tower, where he finally found the Princess Zelda II and Ganondorf.  After receiving a punishment from  the Evil Lord, the Triforce in it’s full form appears and Ganondorf all but is able to make his true  desire come true.  However at the last minute the King of Hyrule shows up, and touches the Golden  Power first.  He wishes that the future be bright for Link II and Zelda II, and driven insane at the fact that his ambitions were stopped just when they were within arms reach, Ganondorf draws his swords and attacks Link II in hopes to defeat him and deny the wish of the King.  With the aid of Princess Zelda II, Link II is victorious over Ganondorf, and the two return to the world above, leaving the King of Hyrule, and the ancient kingdom lost forever under the waves.  Upon returning to the island where he was born, to check in on his sister, and family, Link II sets out on a journey with Princess Zelda II to find and found the new land of Hyrule.  Link II is known throughout the ages as The Hero of Wind, and after a long journey, the two find the new promised land, and they build the new kingdom of Legend.

 

04:

Several hundred years after the events of the Hero of Wind, and the new Hyrule is fully restored, a wandering wizard possesses the Prince of the Land, As the new King of Hyrule tried to fend off this  secret attack, he was too late to save Princess Zelda II, who was put into an eternal slumber by the wizard. However, by casting this spell, the wizard was sent back into the Dark World, the realm which used to be called the Golden Land, but has sense been changed by Ganon, formerly Ganondorf, who had sense in his imprisonment after Wind Waker, who had finally taken the form which reflected the darkness in his heart, and truly transformed into the King of Evil.  Though sadness overtook the land, life did continue, however in his grief the Prince placed the Princess Zelda II into the Northern Palace, and declared that every female child born to the royal family be named Zelda.  Several hundred years after this, Link III, and  Zelda III are born, and become childhood friends.  Zelda III invites Link III to an annual festival, where the pair meet a sorcerer of the Tiny Race, named Vaati.  Vaati later becomes the Evil Wind Mage, and it is apparent that he has ties to the great King of Evil.

 

05:

Vaati, changed by the darkness in his heart, transforms into a terrible monster, and kidnaps the Princess Zelda III.  Link III takes the Legendary Blade, the Master Sword, also known as the Four Sword by this time, makes his way to Vaati’s temple and rescues Princess Zelda III.

 

06:

Vaati, though defeated and sealed by Link III inside the Four Sword has yet to give up his quest for vengeance from the 2 people who have stopped his master’s plans of resurrection.  An evil person  who disguises himself as Link III attacks the Princess Zelda III, and captures her, and several maidens, who are the descendants of the Sages.