New Zelda Timeline, Would Like Feedback.

I reposted my theory after rewording it, in an attempt to make it less confusing.

The reason I believe this theory is accurate, is because before OoT was released none of the Zelda games were created with chronological order in mind(they could easily have made a chronological order for the games but, unfortunately, they placed OoT before Zelda1 and AlttP, and then they created the split time-line after OoT), but all the games released after OoT (excluding the Oracle games) have a chronological order of some kind.

In this theory only the 3d Zeldas, phantom hourglass, the minish cap, the four swords, and the 4 swords adventure, are in chronological order. The oracles games, Links Awakening, Zeldas1&2, and AlttP, are not considered to be part of the Chronological order, instead I'm going to give them their own time-lines. My reasoning for this is, the Oracle games are a severe problem for the chronological order,because they don't appear to be related to any of the other Zelda games, so my thought was to simply place them in their own time-line. As for Link's Awakening, I have heard that this game is generally accepted as a side story for one of the Link's(not many people agree on which one, although most of the theories I've run into think he's the Link from ALttP) so I decided tp put LA in the same time-line as ALttP. Now for Zelda 1&2, and ALttP. I have decided that they should have their own time-line as well, the reason for not including them in the "main time-line" is because, before Minish Cap was released, it was confirmed that OoT was the first Zelda in the story(check my sources). So because of this and because we now know that the time-line splits after OoT, it is impossible for Zelda1&2 and AlttP to be sequels. So the only way to include them, that I can see, is to include them before OoT, but that would contradict the fact that OoT is a prequel to AlttP and Zeldas1&2. So far my time-line looks like this.

Main Time-line:
Minish Cap> Zelda1> Zelda2> Link's Awakening> Four Swords> Four Swords Adventure> ALttP> Ocarina of Time (time-line splits after OoT)> (adult Link time-line) Wind Waker>Phantom Hourglass (young Link time-line)Majoras Mask>Twilight Princess.

Second Time-line: Zelda 1> Zelda 2> ALttP> LA.

Third Time-line:
OoA=OoS(it has been theorized that they take place at the same time in different dimensions, so I don't know.)

EDIT:second and third timelines no longer exist in my theory, I'm gonna leave them there so new comers can see what is being discussed.

EDIT2: I decided to ignore the fact that Miyamoto said OoT comes before Zeldas1&2, ALttP, and LA, and include them in my time-line, because that was said before the split time-line was created.

Now the reason that I put Minish Cap and it's sequels before OoT even though Miyamoto said that OoT comes first is because he said that before Minish Cap was released and given that MC is accepted by alot of people as coming first (and I personally believe that it fits very well at the beginning of the time-line), I decided to put it first. I would appreciate your feedback about my theory and any help that you can give me, just remember that we can't contradict what little has been confirmed about Zelda's Chronology. Thank you for your help and opinions. I felt that the only way to create a chronological time-line, because not all the Zelda games were created with continuity and chronology in mind, was to either eliminate them or give them their own time-lines. Originally I was gong to eliminate them but, I decided that people wouldn't like that, so I gave them their own time-lines.

This theory is based on what little Nintendo has confirmed about Zelda Chronology.
"In an interview conducted by Nintendo Dream with Eiji Aonuma in December 2006, it was revealed that there are two parallel universes in the Zelda chronology. The timeline is split at the end of Ocarina of Time, when Link is sent back in time by Princess Zelda to live through his childhood, while the original events of OoT continue on a different path. Once returned to his original time, Link goes to see Zelda again, and the result of this meeting is an alternate future in which the villain Ganondorf is arrested and tried by the ancient sages, who attempt to execute him, but are instead forced to banish him to the Twilight Realm. Twilight Princess then occurs over one hundred years later, after Link's role as a child in the events of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Meanwhile, The Wind Waker occurs in the "adult Link" timeline, hundreds of years after the Hero of Time saved Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, and it is directly followed by Phantom Hourglass."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda_(series)#Chronology

Nintendo Power: Where do all the Zelda games fall into place when arranged chronologically by their stories?

Miyamoto: Ocarina of Time is the first story, then the original Legend of Zelda, then Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and finally A Link to the Past.

http://www.miyamotoshrine.com/theman/interviews/111998.shtml

And borrows a few elements from this Theory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElYtOItMcrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd4MnBUei0k&feature=related

Interesting, but makes you think there are actually 3 timelines ? And not to sound like an ass, but the whole "OOS and OOA happening in different/parallel dimensions" sounds like baseless speculation, you could easily say that for any Zelda game if you wanted.NWA_31

So you're saying that LoZ, Zelda II and Alttp do not have a timeline ? But didn't Nintendo say otherwise ?NWA_31

Haha. I don't think Nintendo themselves have a clear picture of the whole series' timeline. :P

Most games seem to have been designed without a timeline in mind, which is why it's so damn hard figuring that out.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to make a timeline everyone would agree with, just the majority. But I probably will just do what I want and use that as my model until Nintendo releases an official timeline, if they ever get around to it:P.

I don't think it is that hard to place LoZ and AoL in the original timeline. Here is how I would do it:

When they try to execute Gannondorf, he manages to flee by taking Zelda as a hostage. He travels away from Hyrule and hides up in the mountains. Remember that in the original OoT there is no houses and all the people live in caves. I belive this is a civilizacion outside Hyrule. When a young boy set out to explore the world he happens to find that a lot of evil is lurking not far away. He finds and destroys Gannon and discover that Gannon has kidnapped a princess.

Link agrees to help Zelda return to Hyrule, but when they are on the sea, a storm strikes and this is where Link's Awakening is in the timeline. The first thing he sais when he wakes up is "Zelda" since they where travelling together, but he finds himself stranded on the island where there is a wind fish he will have to defeat. The island is a mystical seperate world just like the land of the occean king in PH. When Link wakes up he can't find Zelda, because he has been away on the island.

But Zelda managed to save herself. When Link reaches shore, he is met by Impa, telling him that Zelda has been frozen and that he has to collect the triforce shards in order to save her.

This is my theory on how it goes. Later Gannon is sealed in the twillight realm, but I don't know when that could be.

The only problem I can see with that is Nintendo said that Zeldas1&2, ALttP, and LA, all take place after OoT, but then they said that the timeline splits after OoT, so how would they come after? I was originally going to put them before OoT in-between MC and 4swords, because I felt that would explain Ganon not being mentioned (as far as I know) in 4swords and 4swords Adv. and then put ALttP after 4swords Adv. and before OoT. Now we know from the manual for Zelda1 that it does in fact take place in Hyrule, I think the reason there were no towns and such is because it was an 8-bit game:P, no seriously they probably just weren't thinking about it, and the fact that there are no towns shouldn't have any bearing on anything, I think its just one of those continuity errors. We also know that the Link from Zelda1 wasn't from Hyrule, according to the back story Impa fled from Hyrule after Ganon took over and Link found her being attacked by Ganon's minions who had followed her. Link rescued Impa and she told him about Zelda, Link then agreed to rescue Zelda from Ganon and travelled to Hyrule. If we ignored the fact that Nintendo (or rather Miyamoto) said that OoT comes before Zeldas1&2 and LA, (because this was said before the split timeline was created) we could put them between MC and 4swords, and then put ALttP after 4swords Adv. now we would then have to decide were to put LA, if I were to say that it was the Link from Zeldas1&2 then I would put it after Zelda2, the reason for this would be that, because Link wasn't from Hyrule, after he was done defeating Ganon (Zelda1) and awaking Zelda from her sleep (Zelda2) he wouldn't have any reason to stay seeing as he was not from Hyrule in the first place. I really don't see any reason to say the Link from LA is the same Link as the one from ALttP, it just doesn't make as much sense to me, Link was from Hyrule in ALttP, I would think that after saving Hyrule he would want to enjoy the peace he helped bring about, and therefore wouldn't leave. So I would put it like this.

MC>Zelda1>Zelda2>LA>4swords>4swords Adv.>ALttP>Oot, and then the time split and what not, of course this would still leave the Oracle games, I haven't played them yet so I think for now I will leave them out of my timeline, and possibly include them later.

The only problem I can see with that is Nintendo said that Zeldas1&2, ALttP, and LA, all take place after OoT, but then they said that the timeline splits after OoT, so how would they come after? I was originally going to put them before OoT in-between MC and 4swords, because I felt that would explain Ganon not being mentioned (as far as I know) in 4swords and 4swords Adv. and then put ALttP after 4swords Adv. and before OoT. Now we know from the manual for Zelda1 that it does in fact take place in Hyrule, I think the reason there were no towns and such is because it was an 8-bit game:P, no seriously they probably just weren't thinking about it, and the fact that there are no towns shouldn't have any bearing on anything, I think its just one of those continuity errors. We also know that the Link from Zelda1 wasn't from Hyrule, according to the back story Impa fled from Hyrule after Ganon took over and Link found her being attacked by Ganon's minions who had followed her. Link rescued Impa and she told him about Zelda, Link then agreed to rescue Zelda from Ganon and travelled to Hyrule. If we ignored the fact that Nintendo (or rather Miyamoto) said that OoT comes before Zeldas1&2 and LA, (because this was said before the split timeline was created) we could put them between MC and 4swords, and then put ALttP after 4swords Adv. now we would then have to decide were to put LA, if I were to say that it was the Link from Zeldas1&2 then I would put it after Zelda2, the reason for this would be that, because Link wasn't from Hyrule, after he was done defeating Ganon (Zelda1) and awaking Zelda from her sleep (Zelda2) he wouldn't have any reason to stay seeing as he was not from Hyrule in the first place. I really don't see any reason to say the Link from LA is the same Link as the one from ALttP, it just doesn't make as much sense to me, Link was from Hyrule in ALttP, I would think that after saving Hyrule he would want to enjoy the peace he helped bring about, and therefore wouldn't leave. So I would put it like this.

MC>Zelda1>Zelda2>LA>4swords>4swords Adv.>ALttP>Oot, and then the time split and what not, of course this would still leave the Oracle games, I haven't played them yet so I think for now I will leave them out of my timeline, and possibly include them later.

MaceKhan

Where does all the backstory come from. Is it from the instruction booklets? Frankly I haven't read the intruction booklets on the NES games because I got them both as part of collectors edition when I buyed Game Cube.

I agree that LoZ-Link and ALttP-Link is not the same person. I do belive that when they said in the end of ALttP that the Master swoird sleeps again... FOREVER! They really ment it, so any game after ALttP would not include the Master Sword. Because of that, I doubt your timeline is the correct one. - But then, changes are that noone has yet guessed the correct timeline. Even if it wasn't a split timeline it would be more then a billion diferent orders you could place the games in.

Yes, by "that" I meant what you were talking about, and why would you place them after OoT? Yes, the back story comes from the manual for the original Zelda, I'll see if I can find a link. And I really don't remember them saying the master sword "sleeps forever" but its been awhile since I beat ALttP so I'll try and find a vid for the ending or replay it. And it is possible that things have changed since then, I mean it has been more than a decade since ALttP was released, there could be allot about the chronology Nintendo hasn't released. I guess we'll just have to keep theorizing until Nintendo makes an official timeline. And why do you feel so strongly about them saying the master sword "sleeps forever"? I ask because this isn't the first time you have mentioned this.

Edit: I found the link, sorry its in text format but the only scans I could find were unreadable because the letters were to small to read. http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/manuals/zelda.txtI'll go look for that vid now, and if I can't find any vids I'll start replaying the game, I think I've got an old file thats about half way through the game. EDIT2: Alright I found the vid and it does infact say that the master sword "sleeps forever" interesting I'll have to think about this. And I realize that the back story doesn't actually say that Link isn't from, Hyrule but thats always been the way I interpreted it, I mean says that Link was an adventurer who found Impa being attacked by Ganon's minions while travelling, so I interpreted that to mean Link was from another country.

I do think that the main hints when it comes to the timeline is in the games. And the ending in ALttP really did say that the master sword slept forever. I beat the game two days ago, so I should remember.

Thank you for that Link. I think I will make a word document with all links that can be important in timeline speculations.

Here is a video of the ending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JU0C_l4aac

five and a half minutes into this video, it sais "And the Master sword sleeps again... FOREVER!"

Here is a video of the ending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JU0C_l4aac

five and a half minutes into this video, it sais "And the Master sword sleeps again... FOREVER!"

waZelda

Lol, this is getting so confusing.

It's funny how Miyamoto, Aonuma, the games and Nintendo are all contradicting each other. :P

I think that they did not have a timeline in mind when creating some games so it would make more sense just to remove them from the timeline altogether.enemylines

[QUOTE="enemylines"]I think that they did not have a timeline in mind when creating some games so it would make more sense just to remove them from the timeline altogether.MaceKhan

If you want your timeline theory to be as good as possible, I think you should play all the games. I'm thinking of making a timeline some day as well, but not before I have played them all (well maybe apart from FS because I hear it can only be played with four players and I will have a hard time finding three friends who want to play it with me).

[QUOTE="MaceKhan"][QUOTE="enemylines"]I think that they did not have a timeline in mind when creating some games so it would make more sense just to remove them from the timeline altogether.waZelda

If you want your timeline theory to be as good as possible, I think you should play all the games. I'm thinking of making a timeline some day as well, but not before I have played them all (well maybe apart from FS because I hear it can only be played with four players and I will have a hard time finding three friends who want to play it with me).