Show HN: The Zelda timeline to catch up before the Ocarina of Time remake
🛡️ The Legend of Hyrule: A Comprehensive Timeline Guide
Preparing for the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake? Here is the essential history of Hyrule to get you up to speed.
The narrative of Zelda is a complex web. While it begins linearly, it eventually fractures into three distinct paths: the Child Era, the Adult Era, and the Fallen Hero Era.
🗺️ The Chronological Flow
📜 The Annals of History
☁️ The Dawn of Time
Long before the kingdom existed, humanity resided on Skyloft, a celestial island hoisted above the clouds by the goddess Hylia. When a tempestuous storm dragged Princess Zelda to the surface, her companion, Link, wielded the Goddess Sword to rescue her.
Lore Note: The Golden Goddesses entrusted the Triforce to Hylia. Because the relic grants any wish to its holder, she guarded it fiercely to prevent its misuse.
Eventually, the Demon King Demise led an army to seize the Triforce. To protect the survivors and the relic, Hylia shifted them to the sky, creating a sanctuary above a sea of clouds.
🗡️ The Early Ages
- The Picori Incident: During the Picori Festival, a villain named Vaati shattered the sacred Picori Blade, releasing imprisoned monsters and petrifying Princess Zelda. Link, aided by a sentient cap named Ezlo, sought the tiny Picori to repair the weapon.
- The Four Sword: Generations later, the seal on Vaati failed. The wind sorcerer kidnapped Princess Zelda to make her his bride, forcing a new Link to intervene.
⏳ The Pivot: Ocarina of Time
Ganondorf, the Gerudo King, coveted the Triforce within the Sacred Realm. Link (a boy from the Kokiri Forest) and Princess Zelda attempted to thwart him, leading to a journey that flung Link into the future and back again.
Key Technicals:
- The Gate: The Door of Time.
- The Keys:
3 Spiritual Stones+1 Ocarina. - The Architect: The sage Rauru, who built the Temple of Time to protect the Sacred Realm.
🌿 The Branching Paths
📉 The Fallen Hero Timeline
Following the Imprisoning War (where Ganon was sealed in the Dark World), the wizard Agahnim seized Hyrule Castle and exiled the Sages' descendants.
| Game | Key Plot Point |
|---|---|
| A Link to the Past | Link travels to Holodrum and Labrynna to rescue the Oracles Din and Nayru from Onox and Veran. |
| Link's Awakening | Shipwrecked on Koholint Island, Link must wake the Wind Fish. |
| A Link Between Worlds | Yuga turns Sages into paintings; Link enters the mirror-world of Lorule to aid Princess Hilda. |
| Tri Force Heroes | In Hytopia, Link fights the witch Lady Maud to free Princess Styla from a cursed jumpsuit. |
| The Legend of Zelda | Ganon steals the Triforce of Power; Zelda hides the Triforce of Wisdom in eight fragments. |
| Zelda II | Link discovers a crest on his hand and seeks to wake an ancient Zelda from an eternal slumber. |
👦 The Child Era
After the events of Ocarina of Time, the timeline splits:
- Majora's Mask: Link enters Termina, guided by a mysterious Skull Kid.
- Twilight Princess: Link, a ranch hand in Ordon, transforms into a wolf to fight the spread of twilight alongside Midna.
- Four Swords Adventures: A dark double of Link kidnaps six maidens; Link splits into four to stop Vaati.
🌊 The Adult Era
The gods answered prayers with a cataclysmic flood, erasing the old kingdom and sealing it beneath the ocean.
- The Wind Waker: Link of Outset Island sails with Tetra to find his sister.
- Phantom Hourglass: Link searches for a ghost ship in the World of the Ocean King.
- Spirit Tracks: A century later in New Hyrule, Link (a royal engineer) restores the Spirit Tracks to seal an ancient demon.
🏹 The Wild Era & Beyond
Centuries after the Hero of Time, Link awakens from a 100-year slumber to find Hyrule in ruins.
- Breath of the Wild: Calamity Ganon is pinned to the castle by Princess Zelda.
- Tears of the Kingdom: Link and Zelda investigate a "Gloom" beneath the castle, discovering an ancient body. The seal breaks, the castle ascends, and Zelda vanishes.
- Echoes of Wisdom: After Ganon's defeat, a pretender king blames Zelda for dimensional rifts. Zelda uses the
Tri Rodto create echoes of objects to save the land.
🛠️ Summary Checklist for New Players
- Understand the role of the Goddess Hylia.
- Distinguish between the three timeline splits.
- Recognize the recurring cycle of Link, Zelda, and Ganon.
- Learn the basic math of the Triforce:
Final Note: Whether you are following the Zonai ancestry or the legacy of the Kokiri, remember that the river of time is ever-shifting.