The Legend of Zelda

[Cori]

I believe the claims that Nintendo has a true 'master timeline' are false. Miyamoto himself says that he always put the gameplay before the story, and the rest of the Zelda team follows this method. So it's only until after they've worked out the gameplay that the Zelda team puts effort into tying up loose story ends.

[Chekt]

I think there is an official timeline, but only the developers know it.
Or that is just an urban myth, and they're just sorta making it up as the go along, just trying to make fun games without worrying about utter concrete continuity between 16 games.

[Nap1000]

I think somewhere in the past Nintendo has confirmed the split timeline theory.

Not sure where.

Also can we change the subject? I hate timeline speculation. It gives me a migraine...

[Syobon]

Nobody is forcing you to read the posts.

[NDividedByZero]

Just because you say we have to change the subject doesn't mean we have to

This is a democracy you know

[Kitsune Dzelda]

Personally, I think I heard that not only did they have the timeline, but they didnt WANT to divulge it, because if they should, people would immediately start looking for gaps and expecting games from those gaps in history.

And you know, people dont do half as much good work with games if they are pressured into filling the plotholes rather than just having a good time and having people care enough about the game to argue like were doing now and doing whatever they want to do. I know I dont.

But in my opinion the Seasons and Ages Curve really interested me. Im of the mind that after Link left on a journey he went quite a few more places than just Termina.

I mean on the way from Termina he could have had to cross a huge ocean. And lets say he had a sudden shipwreck or two? Links Awakening. After his swaree with the Wind Fish, he wakes up on the ruins of his ship on a relativelely expansive ocean

He may run into a few kingdoms he does not remember well. Oracle of Ages and Seasons. I wish it went that way, but theres alot of plot holes in that theory too. ^w^

[Crawfish]

I think the split-timeline theory is really fascinating, don't know why people dislike it.

[Kamak]

I believe the claims that Nintendo has a true 'master timeline' are false. Miyamoto himself says that he always put the gameplay before the story, and the rest of the Zelda team follows this method. So it's only until after they've worked out the gameplay that the Zelda team puts effort into tying up loose story ends.

This is what happens, and this is the reason why some games no longer fit. OoT was originally made to be a prequel to ALttP that would explain how Ganondorf was sealed in the Sacred Realm with the Triforce. However, now we know that he escaped and caused the Great Flood in the Adult Timeline, and he wasn't sealed in the Child Timeline, which means he would haver to be sealed at another time. Plus, you have to consider whether certain plot points got changed as the series progressed. In ALttP, the Master Sword is said to sleep forever after the game, but that was only the first game with the Master Sword, so it's likely that they didn't intend to keep using the Master Sword as the definitive weapon of the series, but they ended up changing their mind on the matter.

The timeline won't be released because they don't want to paint themselves in a corner with the story, or have their developers thinking "Hey, this game would fit perfectly right after this game and before this game, maybe we can reveal why X happened". Plus, by not releasing it, they're able to rewrite it as they go, in case a new game retcons a plot point.

Basically, the best sense of canon that we've got is going to be Skyward Sword since it has repeatedly been stated to be the first game in the series. Anything that contradicts SS is likely explainable in some other way (like Ezlo giving Link his cap wasn't a sign of the "beginning of the tradition" but was just Link getting a hat like the previous Link(s) before him.

[Noble Wrot]

Aonuma and Miyamoto have said multiple times that there exists an official timeline. The reason they do not reveal it is so they can added games in wherever they feel like. For example, Aonuma specifically said Skyward Sword takes place before Ocarina of Time, but he said that it does not necessarily mean that Skyward Sword is the first game in the timeline.

[Guyperson]

---------------------MM>TP>ALttP>Oracle>Awaken>LoZ>AoL
SS>MC>FS>OoT<
---------------------WW>PH>ST
An explanation.
Oracles come before Awakening, because at the end of them, Link is sailing off in a raft, and Awakening starts with your raft blowing up. Awakening's Link is the Link from A Link to the Past, so ALttP>Oracle>Awakening. ALttP is a prequel to the originals, so Awakening>LoZ>Adventure. SS come before Hyrule is on the ground, so must be before Minish Cap, which is before Four swords, which is before OoT. OoT splits into two timelines, MM and WW. WW goes on into PH and ST. TP is after OoT, and isn't in WW timeline, so it has to be after MM. SS>MC>FS>OoT>MM>TP and OoT>WW>PH>ST. One of these goes into the ALttP timeline, and since ALttP doesn't have steam technology, it must follow TP. Further, WW timeline leaves Hyrule for a new land, while ALttP and on take place in Hyrule, with it's forest grove for the Master Sword where the temple of time was, Mt. Death and spectacle rock, and the continued existence of Zoras since there was no sudden influx of salt water.

But, none of this answers: which previous incarnation of Zelda is brought back awake in AoL?

[Vahnara]

Here's a video of a timeline understanding attempt.

It was made before Twilight Princess came out, so newer entries aren't in.

[Stu_Pidasl]

And I doubt it is named after the race, as opposed to the nation, since "Hylian" means "of Hyrule"

The Goddesses created the Hylians though, so if the Skyloftians are the Hylians that will someday found Hyrule, then wouldn't the Hylians in this case have to exist before the founding of Hyrule? The Skyloftians may just not call themselves Hylians until Hyrule is founded, but the word could still have existed back then (and with different meaning), eventually being adopted as the name of the race.

Also, could it be a placeholder name for the shield? There's nothing confirming that it'll be in the final product, is there?

I'm interested in what all of this means for the Creation of Hyrule myth... Maybe it's not as straightforward as we were led to believe all this time.

It's called Hyrule because it's under Hylian Rule...they're probably Hylians (their race) before Hyrule is actually founded.

You guys are forgetting that TP had to come between MM and WW

Its after Ganondorf escaped the Sacred Realm, but before Hyrule was flooded by the goddesses.

Actually, MM and WW are in different timelines; Majora's Mask is in child, right after Link goes back to the past, and WW is in the adult timeline, where Link disappears and the Goddesses have to flood Hyrule.

[Nap1000]

Now we'll miss the epic beard...

[Guyperson]

I don't get why he shaved the beard. Was it a sign of his determination to win against his daughter? Was it a sign of mourning for losing against her previously? Did it get in his way, so he killed it?

[NDividedByZero]

It was a bet. If he lost, he would shave his beard- which he ended up doing.

Who knows what Zelda would've done.