Legend of Zelda Timeline Discussion

[Ct.O.B.]

I took this into major consideration, and here are my opinions.
1. The Oracles feature the Master Sword as the max upgrade for Link's sword, this and this bit...

The Triforce was previously seen assembled at Hyrule Castle in TWW, and seems to disappear after being used to make a wish by the King, so it makes sense that it would be there.

... Both support the idea of the Old Hyrule Castle resurfacing in the event of OoX taking place after WW.
2. Link and Zelda don't know each other, and even though you can say this about pretty much any game, it's possible that this Zelda is ST Zelda's daughter, and Tetra's great-granddaughter. Now, ST Link and Zelda are very close friends, so how about they get married? It fits in with your idea of a random Link traveling to Hyrule and being called on by the Triforce to go to the foreign worlds.
3. Link sailing away in the linked ending of OoX. This probably means he's sailing in the Great Sea, back to Hyrule.

Now I'm going to trail off into MY idea of the rest of the timeline. After this, Link gets married and has a kid, and the three of them live happily... Until Koume and Kotake come back, kill the OoX Link and Wife, leaving their boy, Link, to live on his own. But Kouma and Kotake then revive Ganondorf (again), and this time does not go after Link, but to the WW Castle, where he claims the Triforce of Power, flings the Triforce of Courage far away (but not TOO far :B ) and shatters the Triforce of Wisdom, shards of it landing around Hyrule. After this he changes into Ganon, the pig beast, and goes on a rampage, releasing monsters and turning Hyrule into a wasteland. Those who survived hid in caves with their remaining supplies. One day, Link sees a woman who turns out to be Impa, being attacked by monsters, and saves her. Impa explains Hyrule's situation, and Link agrees to rebuild the Triforce of Wisdom, kill Ganon, and save the Triforce of Power, and Princess Zelda. This is obviously LoZ. Then of course, AoL takes place, leading to the end of the Adult Timeline.

The biggest problem I see is two Hyrule Castles existing, for a time.

 

[Masky]

Now I'm going to trail off into MY idea of the rest of the timeline. After this, Link gets married and has a kid, and the three of them live happily... Until Koume and Kotake come back, kill the OoX Link and Wife, leaving their boy, Link, to live on his own. But Kouma and Kotake then revive Ganondorf (again), and this time does not go after Link, but to the WW Castle, where he claims the Triforce of Power, flings the Triforce of Courage far away (but not TOO far :B ) and shatters the Triforce of Wisdom, shards of it landing around Hyrule. After this he changes into Ganon, the pig beast, and goes on a rampage, releasing monsters and turning Hyrule into a wasteland. Those who survived hid in caves with their remaining supplies. One day, Link sees a woman who turns out to be Impa, being attacked by monsters, and saves her. Impa explains Hyrule's situation, and Link agrees to rebuild the Triforce of Wisdom, kill Ganon, and save the Triforce of Power, and Princess Zelda. This is obviously LoZ. Then of course, AoL takes place, leading to the end of the Adult Timeline.

There are a few problems with this

1. How do Twinrova resurrect Ganondorf without kidnapping Zelda/lighting the 3 flames of despair or w/e? That was the only way they could figure out how to do it in OoX. Also it seems like Twinrova died at the end of OoX

2. OoX Link gained the Triforce of Courage when he found the complete Triforce in the intro. This is confirmed by Impa:

I see a ˆ on the back of your left hand.
That is the sign of a Hyrulean hero! That must be why the beasts fled.

3. It's explicitly stated in LoZ that Zelda split up the Triforce of Wisdom in order to hide it from Ganon. Also the whole point of LoZ was that Ganon was trying to take the Triforce of Wisdom from Zelda. Why would he scatter the Triforce of Wisdom if he wanted it?

 

[Ct.O.B.]

Oh, wow, I just realized how much of that I missed. Nevertheless, I think the Oracles CAN take place after WW, and that's all that counts!

 

[GwJ]

can someone explain to me how the timeline splits and how things in the adult portion of OoT don't affect the child portion? I was reading some of the theory threads and I'm totally baffled as to how the timeline splits.

 

[Masky]

can someone explain to me how the timeline splits and how things in the adult portion of OoT don't affect the child portion? I was reading some of the theory threads and I'm totally baffled as to how the timeline splits.

Basically, at the end of OoT, remember Link defeats Ganon as the final boss and then the sages seal Ganon away.

After this is over, Zelda feels bad that Link's childhood was lost due to the 7 year skip which occurs after Link pulls out the Master Sword as a child. So she sends Link back in time to relive his childhood before he pulled out the Master Sword.

Events in the Adult Timeline occur after Link defeated Ganon. The Hero of Time left the world of the Adult Timeline to go back in time and relive his childhood. Wind Waker takes place in this timeline, after OoT.

Events in the Child Timeline occur after Link was sent back in time by Zelda at the end of OoT. The events of the adult portion of OoT, such as Hero of Time defeating Ganon or Ganon claiming the Triforce, never actually happened in this timeline. Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess occur on this timeline.

 

[Ct.O.B.]

http://www.zeldainmypocket.com/articles/the-minish-cap-origin-story-but-which/

This seems to shed some light on the Four Swords arc's, mostly Minish Cap, placement in the timeline. Here's the main point of interest.

1) If The Minish Cap (along with Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures) truly does predate Ocarina of Time, how is it possible that Hyrule could have had countless ages of monarchs governing it before it was even unified under a single governing body? How could “countless ages” of monarchs have governed the entire realm of Hyrule in such a short amount of time (between the time of the war mentioned in Ocarina of Time and the events of that game, roughly ten years estimating from Link’s age)?

The point here being, when you meet the old King in the graveyard in TMC, he says that he ruled Hyrule many years ago. Since the backstory for OoT is that a bloody war united Hyrule under the Royal Family, Zoras Gorons and all, Minish Cap can't go first, because if that happens, Hyrule is already united. The site explains it much better than I do, trust me.

Come to think of it, anybody consider the idea of SS being said war that unites Hyrule? We'll have to wait a while to confirm it, but I think there's a chance...

 

[Masky]

Yeah, Aonuma himself recently confirmed in an interview that SS is the very first game on the timeline, and that OoT is the very second one.

 

[Ct.O.B.]

Based on that evidence, I think that the Four Swords Arc takes place at the end of the Child Timeline, maybe interspersed between other games?

 

[GwJ]

Yeah, I don't think the Four Swords Arc necessarily has to take place the complete end of the timeline, but it's probably in between some games.

Question though: Why is the four swords arc considered the child timeline? What events show that it's the Child timeline and not the adult?

 

[Ct.O.B.]

I guess my mindset is "Well, we've been discussing the adult timeline quite a bit, and the child timeline gets little attention other than TP and LttP (or beith the case for me)."

 

[Masky]

Yeah, I don't think the Four Swords Arc necessarily has to take place the complete end of the timeline, but it's probably in between some games.

Question though: Why is the four swords arc considered the child timeline? What events show that it's the Child timeline and not the adult?

It takes place in Old Hyrule, not New Hyrule

 

[Ct.O.B.]

If you ask me, the arc should be far enough in the timeline for Ganon to be considered an

Ancient demon reborn!

in FSA. Also, any speculation on the Hero of Men? Some guy in green in between Links, or one of the main Links?

 

[GwJ]

Question:

Could someone explain why OoX and LA aren't on the WW side of the timeline?

 

[Spire]

Man, I really want to do some timeline debating again. It's a load of fun. On my phone, so I'll post more later.

 

[Phantom7]

The timeline is simply:

----------MM--TP
SS----OoT {
----------------WW-PH---ST

Zelda games often consist of parallel worlds, with parallel characters and locations, but it is not composed of one timeline that includes every game.

 

[Spire]

Well yeah, we've agreed on that sequestered timeline for a long time now. But then there comes Miyamoto wanting to string LoZ/AoL, and ALttP to OoT, meaning that despite how many games have been made since, he intended for OoT to predate ALttP, and thus LoZ/AoL in some way. We know that OoT is a canonical predecessor to ALttP. It's pretty much certain that the SNES classic is based after TP.

LoZ/AoL, FSA, and OoX are three arcs that detail the return of Ganon. Because LoZ/AoL are also based around the original sleeping Zelda, then they must take place in the Child Timeline, otherwise she would be underwater in the Adult Timeline. On top of that, the Master Sword "sleeps forever" after finally being put to rest at the end of ALttP, so its use in LoZ is nil, hence the use of the Magic Sword and the Silver Arrows. I'm fairly certain that to expand your timeline, we go:

-----------MM → TP → ALttP → LoZ/AoL → (OoX)
SS → OoT—{
-----------------WW/PH → ST

As for OoX, it most likely follows LoZ/AoL as Twinrova had not been killed in the Child Timeline and hence spend centuries plotting to revive Ganon. TMC/FS/FSA are a strange trio. Firstly, TMC is directly connected with FS and FSA via the Four Sword, but does not necessarily predate them directly on the timeline. It simply has to come before. To set up an analogy, TMC : FS/FSA :: SS : OoT/TP/ALttP/WW. TMC and FS were created as predecessors to OoT, but FSA may or may not have retconned such a chronological position. Furthermore, FS may stand as its own, or it may be a direct prequel to FSA. However, it does have a story so it is considered canon, regardless of how weak it may be as a Zelda game.

 

[Phantom7]

ALttP, LoZ/AoL may be included in the timeline (I wouldn't consider it official, just plausible), but OoX and TMC/FSA probably stand alone.

From what I've seen of SS, I'm almost willing to believe that it is parallel to events mentioned in TMC. Firstly, the forest area that was introduced at E3 really resembles the Minish Woods.

Notice the mushrooms?

And in SS, Link descends from the sky to save the evil-consumed world below. Could he possibly be parallel to the Hero of Men mentioned in TMC? Note that the Picori Sword descended from the skies, meaning that it could very well be parallel to the Master Sword.

OoX, on the other hand, is a parallel Hyrule in which Link gains the full Triforce but is warped to parallel worlds of Hyrule. It seems both games happen simultaneously and are parallel to each other. (A lot of parallels here).

 

[Spire]

Oracle of Ages and Seasons do not happen at the same time. The story from those games is as follows:

Link (of an age about halfway between his young and adult incarnations in OoT) rides to Hyrule Castle on Epona. Upon entering, he approaches the Triforce which sends him to either Labrynna or Holodrum to save one of two oracles: Nayru or Din from the clutches of either Veran or Onox. Upon doing so, he sets out via boat to the other land. Upon saving either Nayru or Din and defeating either Veran or Onox (depending on which land he went to first), he then faces Twinrova, who having failed to sacrifice Princess Zelda, sacrifice themselves in place. Resulting is the resurrection of a feral Ganon (not the unsealing or bringing back of, but a resurrection from the dead). He is not the king of evil, only a shell and thus can be defeated by normal weapons. He is simply a raging beast.

Now to note: Labrynna and Holodrum may be extradimensional or parallel worlds to Hyrule just as Termina is, as the four lands share alternate versions of familiar faces. Needless to say, I think it's smartest if we understand that the only alternate Hyrules are the two depicted in the split timeline. There is absolutely no evidence of parallel universes in the series thus far, and such a conclusion is only drawn by those who accept that all of the games cannot be perfectly connected chronologically—which is true, but does not necessarily yield such an answer. Parallel universes is yet another theory.

As far as I'm concerned, the games are as connected as they are not. There is a definite connection and a definite sense of chronology, but it is not a heightened sense by any means. It is like possessing a memory but not knowing from when or where that memory originates. It's pseudo-realism. It's fantasy.

 

[GwJ]

What do you think of Links Awakening?

 

[Spire]

Judging solely from in-game content, it probably takes place between OoA and OoS given that Link sets out on a boat and then ends up on shore at either Labrynna or Holodrum, just as he would have post-LA.

Link's Awakening is simply this: Link sails out to sea, gets caught in a torrential storm, is knocked out, dreams about a whole adventure similar to Hyrule, Labrynna, or Holodrum, then awakens floating at sea.

For all we know, it could have taken place with WW/PH Link after helping set up a new kingdom in the land of the Lokomo. Several years later he sets sail once again and gets caught up in a storm. Really LA could follow any Zelda game, just as Miyamoto said back in '98 when discussing the timeline. It's just a dream that takes place at sea. All we know is that Link was sailing for some reason, but his agenda is completely unknown to us as of right now. Given our history with the hero, he was probably setting out to save someone or something as he always has. What was he trying to do between OoA and OoS? Save both a someone and something. Given the boat cinematic, it's highly supported.

 

[Dragoon Fighter]

Why does TP take place after MM? Interview aside what in game evidence is there?

 

[Masky]

Well yeah, we've agreed on that sequestered timeline for a long time now. But then there comes Miyamoto wanting to string LoZ/AoL, and ALttP to OoT, meaning that despite how many games have been made since, he intended for OoT to predate ALttP, and thus LoZ/AoL in some way. We know that OoT is a canonical predecessor to ALttP. It's pretty much certain that the SNES classic is based after TP.

LoZ/AoL, FSA, and OoX are three arcs that detail the return of Ganon. Because LoZ/AoL are also based around the original sleeping Zelda, then they must take place in the Child Timeline, otherwise she would be underwater in the Adult Timeline. On top of that, the Master Sword "sleeps forever" after finally being put to rest at the end of ALttP, so its use in LoZ is nil, hence the use of the Magic Sword and the Silver Arrows. I'm fairly certain that to expand your timeline, we go:

-----------MM → TP → ALttP → LoZ/AoL → (OoX)
SS → OoT—{
-----------------WW/PH → ST

As for OoX, it most likely follows LoZ/AoL as Twinrova had not been killed in the Child Timeline and hence spend centuries plotting to revive Ganon. TMC/FS/FSA are a strange trio. Firstly, TMC is directly connected with FS and FSA via the Four Sword, but does not necessarily predate them directly on the timeline. It simply has to come before. To set up an analogy, TMC : FS/FSA :: SS : OoT/TP/ALttP/WW. TMC and FS were created as predecessors to OoT, but FSA may or may not have retconned such a chronological position. Furthermore, FS may stand as its own, or it may be a direct prequel to FSA. However, it does have a story so it is considered canon, regardless of how weak it may be as a Zelda game.

So another Imprisoning War occurs between TP and LttP? Also, Ganon's dead at the end of TP, so was he revived somehow before the IW? And the Triforce for some unknown reason magically re-assembled itself and retreated to the Sacred Realm after the end of TP?

Personally, with the release of WW, I don't even think LttP is canon anymore. LttP was obviously originally supposed to take place after the AT ending of OoT, but WW kind of stole that position for itself.

 

[Spire]

Well it takes place at least a century after MM first of all. Ganon has been immortalized within the Twilight Realm because of the Triforce of Power, and has thus assumed his godly energy head form. Interesting to me is the concept of a once mortal being assuming the visage of a god to a weaker, deceptive, and power-hungry mind (Zant). Essentially Ganon was an alien to the Twilight Realm since it was a different world altogether...

This next bit goes off on a tangent about the concept behind Zelda and is not at all necessary to understand the timeline.

It's kind of the same concept as a mortal alien species coming to earth and presenting themselves as immortals, backed by advanced technology and 'power'. I know I'm deviating from the timeline, but I have to talk about this residual projected power phenomenon. The Goddesses leave behind a powerful form of technology known as the Triforce. It is unmatched by anything else in the known material world. A piece of it passes on to Ganondorf, he who strives for power beyond any other being, and thus uses it to spread and inspire evil. Because of this, he is banished to the Twilight Realm where he then instills part of his granted power in another being, Zant. So while Link is fighting Ganon's passed-down power in Zant and the cloaking Twilight, he is actually fighting the abused power of the Triforce. Link is essentially fighting the Triforce while upholding the Triforce. The whole series is about balance, hence the "two sides of the same coin" speech that Midna gave in the end of TP. The Zelda universe is based around the rule of three. It fights itself to uphold itself. Such is the human condition on our very own earth: we fight eachother to maintain an innate balance of sorts. There has to be evil, therefore Ganon will always exist.

Okay, SO... there are a lot of references in TP's Hyrule to OoT's Hyrule. First of all, it is not flooded, so it doesn't take place in the Adult Timeline. One might ask: well couldn't it take place between OoT and WW? No. WW's intro states specifically that there was no hero to save Hyrule from Ganon, thus why it was flooded. So much of OoT's Hyrule is preserved in TP's.

TP / OoT
Southern Hyrule field = Hyrule Field
Hyrule Castle Town = Hyrule Market
Hyrule Castle = Hyrule Castle
Forest Temple = Great Deku Tree (theorized)
Kakariko Village = Kakariko Village
Death Mountain Trail = Death Mountain Trail
Goron Mines = Goron City/Death Mountain Crater/Dodongo's Cavern/Fire Temple
Lake Hylia = Lake Hylia
Lakebed Temple = Water Temple
Zora's River = Zora's River
Zora's Domain = Zora's Domain
Gerudo Desert = Haunted Wasteland
Arbiter's Grounds = Gerudo Fortress/Spirit Temple (theorized)
Sacred Grove/Temple of Time = Temple of Time

Even the big tree that was growing on the island in Lake Hylia in OoT seemingly grew so big that it snapped and died by the time of TP. It's there.

So another Imprisoning War occurs between TP and LttP? Also, Ganon's dead at the end of TP, so was he revived somehow before the IW? And the Triforce for some unknown reason magically re-assembled itself and retreated to the Sacred Realm after the end of TP?

Personally, with the release of WW, I don't even think LttP is canon anymore. LttP was obviously originally supposed to take place after the AT ending of OoT, but WW kind of stole that position for itself.

And then there's the matter of the Master Sword resting in a pedestal belonging to ruins deep in the Lost Woods/Sacred Grove and the maidens having Hylian ancestry rather than Kokiri, Goron, Zora, Sheikah, Gerudo, and Hylian ancestry. Link never awakened the sages in the Child Timeline, so the maidens would be descendents of the ancient sages, who if not Hylian were at least similar, thus why the maidens are.

But I do agree with WW killing ALttP. Though again while it's implied that Ganondorf dies in the end of TP, he seems to have the ability to return time and again. If you canonize ALttP, you put it in the CT simply because Ganon has effectively been rubbed out of the AT. Two games later and he doesn't return at all? Seems gone to me.

 

[GwJ]

Wait, so what about WW that killed aLttP? Sorry, pardon my inept Zelda knowledge. I'm only starting to get into this kind of stuff.

 

[Masky]

Wait, so what about WW that killed aLttP? Sorry, pardon my inept Zelda knowledge. I'm only starting to get into this kind of stuff.

LttP takes place after the Imprisoning War, which was a series of conflicts that occured as a result of Ganondorf trying to obtain the Triforce in the Sacred Realm. The Imprisoning War is most often interpreted to refer to the events of OoT, and the developers have also said it themselves that OoT was meant to be the Imprisoning War.

So LttP was originally meant to take place after the adult ending of OoT. However, WW came out, which was ALSO set after the adult ending of OoT. WW and LttP can't coexist as sequels to the adult ending of OoT because WW effectively says "no games can come between OoT and WW, and no games featuring Ganon/the Triforce can come after". So, yeah.

 

[Spire]

Before WW came out, ALttP was the distant sequel to OoT, period. No one really even thought about the Child Timeline thing. OoT was created to tell the backstory (Imprisoning War) of ALttP, how Ganon was sealed away and all. Then WW waltzed on in and disrupted everything by effectively erasing Hyrule, Ganon, and the Master Sword by washing them away underneath the ocean. So the placement of ALttP was up for grabs again. Soon enough, people realized that there could be an alternate timeline following MM where ALttP might take place (somehow) and upon TP's release, this alternate timeline was confirmed. Though with TP's release ALttP was once again debunked. It's almost as if they're purposefully trying to push it away from the canon. Like: LoZ/AoL, ALttP, and LA were all trials until they perfected what Zelda was with OoT. After all, OoT really did usher in a new era of Zelda.

EDIT: Ninja'd.

Though the only hope of ALttP ever taking place on the AT is if the kingdom seen in ST develops into a new Hyrule (it is never referred to as such in-game). ST at least proves that Hyrule can come back in a sense, but as for the Master Sword and Ganon, well... we had the Lokomo Sword and Malladus instead.

 

[Masky]

A very possible theory for fitting in LttP that I've heard is putting it as part of the Four Swords Series. At the end of FSA, Ganon is sealed in the Four Sword, and in LttP GBA, there's a broken Four Sword in the Dark World. Maybe this could imply that at the end of FSA, after Ganondorf is defeated and sealed inside the Four Sword, the Maidens decide to seal the Four Sword inside the Sacred Realm for extra protection. However, Ganondorf, who is known to be able to magically and inexplicably escape seals, somehow escapes the FS and finds himself in the Sacred Realm, leading to LttP.

The biggest problem with this is that FSA would have to be viewed as the Imprisoning War. However, the Triforce is not present in FSA, and Ganondorf never attempts to claim it, so FSA doesn't exactly match up with the description of the Imprisoning War. However, it can be said that OoT doesn't exactly match up with the Imprisoning War either, since according to LttP, Ganondorf was sealed in the Sacred Realm with the entire Triforce, but OoT shows Ganondorf only being sealed with the Triforce of Power. So either way, there's no perfect explanation I guess.

 

[Spire]

If we go about that theory, then LoZ/AoL would need to fit in as well. With that being said, perhaps we could form a totally alternate timeline (contrary to what I said before):

TMC → FS/FSA → ALttP → LoZ/AoL → OoX/LA

 

[Masky]

Yeah, I like that ordering, and an alternate timeline does seem to simplify things. And I agree that OoX almost definitely takes place after AoL. But Twinrova's appearance in OoX kind of suggests a connection to OoT.

It's so frustratingly hard to place that chain of games on the main timeline. Having ST lead into it requires that the people of New Hyrule somehow rediscover the Sacred Realm/Triforce/Master Sword/etc, even though King Daphnes basically wished on the Tirforce for this never to happen at the end of WW. Having TP lead into it requires that the Triforce somehow magically reassembled itself and went back to the Sacred Realm.

 

[Dragoon Fighter]

Though again while it's implied that Ganondorf dies in the end of TP, he seems to have the ability to return time and again. If you canonize ALttP, you put it in the CT simply because Ganon has effectively been rubbed out of the AT. Two games later and he doesn't return at all? Seems gone to me.

That makes me wonder which games did ganon actually die in? What does it take to kill ganon for good?

 

[Spire]

@Masky - by that logic, don't you think placing this alternate timeline after TP would actually make enough sense though? Sure we never see the Triforce return to the Sacred Realm, but it's at least implied when Ganondorf loses his piece.

@Dragoon - the games that we're pretty certain Ganon dies in are: LoZ, ALttP, TP, WW, and OoX.

I think that TMC must come before OoT because it is referred to as the "Hylian Age" before the race began dwindling in numbers. Plus, it introduces the Hero's Shield that WW Link receives in remembrance of old Hylian tradition. FS/FSA probably follow TP, implying that between the games, the Gerudo reemerged and birthed a new Ganondorf. This is the Ganon fought in ALttP, LoZ, and OoX.

 

[Masky]

I don't think it's implied that just because Ganondorf loses his Triforce piece, Link and Zelda lost theirs too, and all of the pieces retreated back to the Sacred Realm. The (original) Legend of Zelda shows us exactly what happens to the Triforce of Power when its holder is killed: nothing. It doesn't retreat to the Sacred Realm or anything, after defeating Ganon Link just picks up the Triforce of Power from Ganon's ashes.

A possible explanation I had in mind is that after TP, Link/Zelda/the Sages retrieve the Triforce of Power from Ganondorf's remains. Then, with all of the destruction and trouble caused by the Triforce in mind, the Sages decide that it'd be a good idea to just re-seal all of the Triforce pieces in the Sacred Realm, figuring the world will be safer with it out of the way. Obviously, if this is true, this plan backfires in LttP, but the TP Sages are known to be foolish and overconfident in their abilities as sages (they even admit to this themselves in TP), so it's not so farfetched that the Sages would make this kind of stupid mistake.

However, that's basically all fan-fiction, afaik there's nothing in the games to support it I agree though that, even though both are somewhat flawed, a post-TP position for for TMC->...->AoL makes more sense than a post-ST position.

 

[Sephy95]

AoL and ST are both the oldest ones in the timeline. I know that for sure.

 

[GwJ]

I was watching Luncan's timeline video on youtube, and is it true that LoZ/AoL takes place in the adult timeline after ST?

 

[Masky]

I was watching Luncan's timeline video on youtube, and is it true that LoZ/AoL takes place in the adult timeline after ST?

LoZ/AoL most certainly takes place after LttP. The placing of LttP is hotly debated. So the placing of LoZ/AoL is not certain.

In any case, no, LoZ/AoL at least don't take place directly after ST. The most common timeline which tries to incorporate all the Zelda games into one universe usually looks something like this:

(TMC -> FS) -> OoT -> WW/PH -> ST -> (TMC -> FS) -> FSA -> LttP/LA -> (OoX) -> LoZ/AoL -> (OoX)
.............................-> MM -> TP

I listed two options for the locations of TMC->FS and OoX because their placements basically come down to opinion and highly vary between different people.

Personally, I prefer:

TMC -> FS -> OoT -> WW/PH -> ST -> FSA -> LttP/LA -> LoZ/AoL -> OoX
.............................-> MM -> TP

 

[Spire]

I cannot see ALttP taking place in the Adult Timeline. It has been entirely displaced by WW by a certain something known as The Master Sword and its placement. How does it get from Ganon's petrified head at the bottom of the sea to the pedestal of time deep in the Lost Woods? You might try and counter me with "but the imprisoning war and such", but there have been many vague wars in the history of Zelda. We know OoT was intended to be the imprisoning war, but it doesn't match up to everything in ALttP's backstory. In short, ALttP holds much more relevance to TP now, and because FSA is seen as a closely removed predecessor to ALttP, it too must take place in the Child Timeline. On top of that, both FSA and ALttP share the presence of dark mirrors, parallels to the mirror of twilight which serve similar purposes.

AT: SS → TMC → FS → OoT → WW/PH → ST
CT: -----------------------→ MM → TP → FSA → ALttP

I think this is a given. As for LA, LoZ/AoL, and OoX? LA either directly follows ALttP or OoX. It actually shares more in common with OoX than it does ALttP, and seeing as how: a) there is no ocean connected to ALttP's Hyrule; b) Miyamoto stated in his 1998 timeline that LA had no specific placement; and c) OoX was created on the LA engine, essentially marking the games as spiritual successors and featured Link sailing off on a boat nearly identical to the one seen in LA's opening cutscene, I think it is heavily implied that it follows the oracles.

As for LoZ/AoL, we know that they were intended to be distant sequels to ALttP. However, WW has seemingly dissolved this relationship, displacing ALttP to the CT and taking its place on the AT. With Link and Tetra forming a new Hyrule in an more oceanic land, the Hyrule seen in LoZ and AoL resembles that of ST far more. On top of that, Aonuma said prior to ST's release that "veterans of the series will find a certain appreciation of the game", and yes that is paraphrased. So to revise the timeline that I posted above:

AT: SS → TMC → FS → OoT → WW/PH → ST → LoZ/AoL
CT: -----------------------→ MM → TP → FSA → ALttP

Now the last games to place are OoX/LA. Do they take place in the AT or CT? What we know is that Ganon is deliberately dead. Twinrova manages to resurrect a feral, "incomplete" version of Ganon because their ritual was imperfect. Resurrect. You don't resurrect someone that's still alive and sealed in a magical prison land. Though this really isn't a problem because both LoZ and ALttP see Ganon's demise by the Silver Arrows. Seeing as how Twinrova was killed in the AT by the Hero of Time and that LA was originally created as a semi-sequel to ALttP, the placement of OoX/LA leans more towards the CT, plain and simple. So to complete the timeline:

AT: SS → TMC → FS → OoT → WW/PH → ST → LoZ/AoL
CT: -----------------------→ MM → TP → FSA → ALttP → OoX/LA

 

[Masky]

Well, I have two major problems with placing LttP on the CT.

First, the condition of the Triforce is not consistent between TP and LttP (in TP it is split in Hyrule, in LttP it is assembled in the Sacred Realm). On the other hand, at WW's ending the Triforce seems to have returned to the Sacred Realm after King Daphnes made his wish on it.

Secondly, and this might be somewhat ironic, but I think the presence of the Master Sword suggests that LttP takes place on the AT if anything. Remember that for LttP to occur, the Master Sword had to have been lost during the Seal War. In WW, the MS is obviously lost, but at the end of TP we see Shad and his group discovering it in the Lost Woods. So the state of the knowledge of the Master Sword's location for LttP is more consistent with WW than TP. It is conceivable that the MS could have been recovered from the sea floor, since WW shows us that its world has divers, submarines, grappling hooks that can reach the bottom of the ocean, etc.


As for LoZ/AoL, if we're going by developer intent, then they most certainly take place after LttP since Miyamoto explicitly told us they do. Geography IMO is not that important in determining timeline placement.


The reason I do not place OoX as a direct sequel to LttP is because when OoX Zelda and Link first meet eachother, Zelda clearly acts as if she is meeting Link for the first time:

You are Link, right? I knew it at first glance.

(Impa also acts in a similar way in OoA, but her dialog can not be considered fully reliable since she was possessed by Veran at the time)
Obviously this would be impossible if LttP and OoX Link are the same character. However, if we accept that OoX Link is a new hero, I think a placement after AoL is far more appropriate. First of all, it explains why Hyrule Castle looks so deserted in the game intro and has forests growing up to its walls. This makes sense if it's actually North Castle from AoL. The presence of Impa in OoX and OoX Link's hand showing the mark of a hero (which is only otherwise seen in AoL) solidifies the timeline connection imo.

 

[Problem2]

With Ganondorf dead at the end of TP, it could be said that Link and Zelda reunite the Triforce and return it to the sacred realm before the events of aLttP. The biggest problem I have with any game following tWW and its sequals is that everything about Hyrule is seemingly done for. I still have yet to play Spirit Tracks so maybe that game turns the land into a state like Hyrule, but I think they need a game that connects the new Hyrule to work like old Hyrule. For example, how does Ganon break free from the dark realm and invade a totally different Hyrule?

tMC - FS - OoT

Adult -> tWW - PH - ST
Child -> MM - TP - FSA - aLttP - LoZ - AoL - OoX - LA

The only assumptions made are between TP and FSA and between aLttP and LoZ. Between TP and FSA, I assume that Link and Zelda reunite the Triforce and return it to the sacred realm. The second assumption is after aLttP, Link's wish to undo what Ganon has done undoes more than he planned, causing Ganon to come back to life and be resealed. After Ganon touches the triforce in LoZ, the Triforce splits up again. TP and FSA is

 

[Spire]

FSA is very important in that it introduces a new Ganon backstory, hence a new Ganon altogether. By this accord, ALttP, LoZ/AoL, and OoX's Ganon might be FSA's, not OoT's—especially given the appearance.

 

[Problem2]

FSA is very important in that it introduces a new Ganon backstory, hence a new Ganon altogether. By this accord, ALttP, LoZ/AoL, and OoX's Ganon might be FSA's, not OoT's—especially given the appearance.

Yes I agree. This idea originates from the fact that Gerudos talk about Ganondorf in both FSA and OoT. This does not hurt my timeline.