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Zelda Timeline
Theories about the order of the Zelda games

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Zelda: "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. It's not very clear where Link's Awakening fits in--it could be anytime after Ocarina of Time." Shigeru Miyamoto Nevertheless, people are not totally convinced about this (?), and they develop their own theories...

In my personal opinion, when the Zelda series was started it was not intended to have a continous storyline between the games. As such, there are sure to be inconsistencies in this storyline. I do not accept Miyamoto's Zelda timeline; as is mentioned by another Zelda fan, he made that comment during an interview and probably didn't have much time to think about it. In my opinion, the timeline should go like this:

Ocarina of Time - 100 years - Link to the Past - 100 years - Game yet to come - 100 years - The original "The Legend of Zelda" - 100 years - The Adventures of Link

The game yet to come would tell of how Ganon escaped from the Sacred Realm.

Of course, I am sure more games will be made and will lengthen the storyline... there are several more Zelda games, however most of them I either have little or no knowledge of or do not have anything to do with the main storyline. Link's Awakening is a good example; the storyline is seperate from the main one and therefore I have not included it.

Moro Dobo

I am the mysterious and mystical Internet entity kwon only as GameSharkMan X and am sending you this e-mail to give you my Idea of the time line of the Zelda games, and the reasons I think that this is how it is supposed to go.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Why:
1.Link meets Zelda for the first time.
2.Link gets the Master Sword for the first time.
3. This is the game where Ganondalf first turns into Ganon thanks to the Triforce of Power.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Mask of Majora
Why:
1. It takes place gust six months after Ocarina of Time.
2. Everyone's favorite hoarse Epona is still here.
3. The Masks are still there along with most of the characters.

3.The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Why:
1.The Master Sword is still in this game
2.Kakarico Village is There
3. It sed that the wizard Agahnim opened the seal of the seven sages to free Ganon.
4. The Master Sword is lade to rest forever.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
Why:
1.It takes place right after A Link to the Past.

5. The Legend of Zelda 1
Why:
1. The Master Sword is not in this game (just the Reg., Weight, and Magical Swords)
2. Ganon is finally defeated for good, the Triforce of Power is finally recovered, and all three pieces of the Triforce are reunited.

6. The Legend of Zelda 2
Why:
1. It takes place right after Zelda 1.

Well, there you have it the time line of Zelda as I see it. I do however have one more thing to say about Zelda: A Link to the past and Zelda 1. I sad that the Triforce is reunited in Zelda 1 but it shows the Triforce reunited in Zelda: A Link to the Past. The only explanation I can come up with is that Link somehow got a fake Triforce of Power in Zelda: A Link to the Past because link gets the Triforce of Power in Zelda 1.

GameSharkMan X

It's strange, a few years ago every one believed that there was only one Link, and one Zelda. Now, that belief seems to be in the minority. I still tend to believe there is still only one Link and Zelda. It's a game, so inconsistency exists. Why? Because the creators created the game on playability, and second for story. If they tried to rationalize everything, then there would be no game, or at least, not a very good one. It's just a game to be played. One reason is that, if there are three Links and three Zeldas, then there must be four Hyrules, because the same locations are situated in different places. Why did the game developers do this? Because if they made Hyrule the same, the games would be dull, and gameplay would be restrictive. Same idea with Link and Zelda. Many people became fans after Zelda: Link to the Past, and to accommodate them, Nintendo reintroduced Zelda and Link's meeting. If you make a game, and don't intend to make a sequel (which might have been the case for the original) it would be very hard to create an interesting plot for a sequel, without damaging the first. What I'm
trying to get across is that it's a game, and they don't have to make perfect sense. Perhaps I'm beating a dead dog by writing this, but I thank you for your time. On a different note, what's your favorite monster? I like moblins.
Sincerely, a

Moblin Brother

First of all let me say Thank GOD! This the first comprehensive page about Zelda i have found. Its mostly information about the game not tips but that's what i like. Tip pages are a dime a dozen. This page is beautifully designed and i enjoyed cruising your site. Plus i loved the artwork it has become wallpapers for my computer. The Legend of Zelda series was great I've played every game but only beaten 3 of them. Links Awakening, Link to the Past, and just recently Orcania of Time. I had also heard that this game would clear up the timeline confusion and also bring the story to some kind of understanding conclusion. Well i beat the game about two weeks ago ( i borrowed it from my younger cousin) and yes, I believe that Orcania of Time is first. But here is my own spin on the time line. Please post this on your site.

1. Legend of Zelda: Orcania of Time
This game is obviously first because this is the first time we see Ganondorf without the Triforce and not already had Princess Zelda in captivity. After the events in this game Gannon is sealed in the Sacred Realm by the Sages and Link returns to his original place in the stage of history. But remember where did Link return to? To Zelda of course, the last scene in the ending is Link standing before Zelda in the garden.

2. Legend of Zelda-First Game
After this I'd say about 10 years or more passes. Somewhere during this Zelda I returns to Hyrule to rule the kingdom in her fathers stead (I'd say she returned anywhere from 4-10 years later) because of this the seal is weakened and Gannon lays siege to Hyrule once more. All the temples are destroyed and the Sages are scattered. The Deku Tree is most likely destroyed and so are the Koriki. The Master Sword is most likely taken by the Sages and hidden in the Lost Woods near the ruins of the Forest Temple. Zelda divides her Triforce up into eight pieces and scatters them across the land. She then asks Impa to find Link. Link happens to find Impa and once more begins his quest. Although i also speculate that this Link may be a descendant of the original because remember the Sages don't age like normal humans. Most likely because of their duty to guard the Temple. And Zelda being a Sage could have returned at any point in time to Hyrule. When Gannon was defeated Zelda and Link went their separate ways

3. Legend of Zelda: Link's Adventure.
Gannon was defeated but his minions still survived. They have formed the cult of Gannon. They were attempting to break the seal and resurrect their evil lord. They cast the spell of sleep on Zelda and Link once more must journey through Hyrule. Link is approximately 19-25 years of age now so he is basically grown. Hyrule has changed once more and many towns have sprung up. They are named after the Sages most likely because they were founded by the Sages. The Cult is defeated by Link and Link revives the sleeping Zelda. With this Gannon is supposed to be dead...but remember Gannon had the Force of Power in his hand. So Death is easy to avoid.

4. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
I'd say anywhere from 100-300 years have passed since the last game.
Most likely the original Zelda and Link died and their Triforce pieces returned to the third and Gannon began to revive and constructed a new plan to enter Hyrule. He used the power of the newly form Triforce to shape the Dark World into a similar shape like that of Hyrule. Since the lands were now so similar Ganondorf could easily break the seal in places where the seal might be weak. These points are probably where the temples once stood. Meanwhile, Link I formed the Knights of Hyrule in order to protect the kingdom from evil. Time passed (about 100 years) and once more Gannon broke the seal. This time the Sages and the Knights all battled together and the Sages once more cast the seal and imprisoned Gannon. Gannon waited knowing that time was on his side and since the Knights had been nearly wiped out he had no worries. This time he decides to play it smart. Gannon sends Agahminim to convince the King of Hyrule into making him Grand Vizier. Agahminim succeeds and begins to collect the Wise Men's descendants. Then he gets rid of the King and imprisions Zelda II. Zelda sends a telepathic message to a young Link II and once more the quest begins. Link finds the the three pendants which are actually the three Spiritual Stones remade. Link then pulls the Master Sword from the mount in the Lost Woods. Link finally confronts Gannon and they battle. Link destroys Gannon utterly and claims all three pieces of the Triforce. Link makes one great wish and restores all of Hyrule and the Sacred Realm thus ending the story for now.

5. Link's Awakening
I believe that Link's Awakening happened most likely after Link to the Past. I believe it does because of the similarity of characters in both games. I believe this because of the Nightmares. The final one is too much like the Gannon in Link to the Past. But then again it could just be a coincidence. Or maybe they ran out of plot?

Well I hope this clears things up. If you want to ask me anything send it all to this email solarsword@rocketmail.com. Thanks

Mika-chan

I would just like to say the that I believe that Zelda game go in
this order.
5,3,4,1,2. For starters I believe in the three Link & Zelda theroy.
If you do the math each Link has had two adventure's (counting
Zelda V as two because Link went though two time periods).
So the next one will have all three Link's have one adventure together and a truly finnal confrontation with Ganon.
First Zelda 3 obvisoly gose after Zelda V because Ganon is still in
dark realm. The reason Ganon has all three Triforces is because when Link
and Zelda II entered dark world their Triforce rejoined with Ganon's after
being exposed to the binding forces of the Golden Land. Also I believe Agahinm is really Phantom Ganon in a new form. Don't forget Ganon banished that ghost to the void between realties not nothingness. So Ganon pushed Agahnim using the Triforce of Power into light world.
Zelda 4 goes next because the Link in the game had the same fighting style as Link II.
That leaves Zelda one and two. Which I believe for obvious reasons go in that order.

Cynthia Lenz

Well call me old fashiond but I think the timeline is the old theory.
Part 5 would happen first and all that junk would happen with the medalians.Then Gannondorf is traped in the golden realm.He has the triforce of power and seises controll of the golden realm.

Then part 3-I guess link meets his long lost uncle or something and lives with him.Well zelda calls on him to save him from ahgainim and the stuff happens.Now here is a theroy of my own-The Kokiri emerald ,The Zora's Saphire ,and the Goron's ruby are those three medalians.They both have the same perpous:to get the master sword.Anyway,after the stuff in part 3 link gets the tri force and wishes hyrule to glory.

Then part 4-Link is bored so he leaves to some land to practce.But on
his way back he is ship wreaked and finds himself on Koholint island.The
stuff happens and he gose back to hyrule.He has a son,and his son has a
son,and hs son has a son named link.Whle Princess zelda has a daugther
named Zelda gerations later too.

then part 1-well,since I never played part 1 I cant say what happend so forgive me

Jam

Hello! I'm back, and I'm here to give you my new theory of the Zelda Timeline. This is off of The Legend of Zelda The Page of Mudora, but I give Rall, the creator of this theory, the credit. Here it is:

The real order of the story is 5, 1, 3, 4, 2. Here are the reasons why:

Ocarina of Time is the first in the series, before Ganondorf became Ganon a.k.a. Piggy Ganon, when Link met Rauru, awakened the sages, Zelda passed for Sheikah and dressed in drag, changing her name to Sheik. Impa is also a lady probably in her twenties (I don't know how fast Sheikahs age), the only game where you see Gerudos besides Ganondorf, he meets Kaepora Gaebora, one of the Seven Wise Ones, etc.

The Legend of Zelda is the sequel because Link is returned to his childhood, back when he was about 12, but he finds Ganon again. Also, very few Gerudos are alive and well (I never played the original Zelda game), Link learns to use the Fairy Bow as a child, and so forth. He also finds a second quest if you start a new character and name him ZELDA.

A Link To The Past is the third one in the storyline.
Link and Zelda are probably 13 or 14, Link finds his Uncle Johnny X (Note: Before he dies, Link's Uncle gives him the Fighter's sword and shield and says, "You must save Zelda. She is your..." and dies. I know the answer to this. He said, "You must save Zelda. She is your future wife. You will get married and have lots of kids."). The Master Sword of Time was also destroyed and the original sages made the Master Sword of Evil's Bane. He kills Ganon for good, gets the Triforce, rescues the maidens, and became the guardian of the Triforce and a knight of Hyrule.

Link's Awakening comes fourth. Link goes on a quest for enlightenment as the Hyrulian people wonder what dangers Hyrule will be vunerable to if Ganon could enter Hyrule from the Dark World through the Tower of Hera. This time (from 15 to 18) is sketchy. He crashes on Koholint and is rescued by Marin. He meets Kaepora Gaebora one more time after finding his sword on the Toronbo Shores, collects the Instruments of the Sirens, fights the Nightmares: Gel, Moldorm, Agahnim, Ganon, and Dethl, awakens the Wind Fish, destroys Koholint, and drifts off to Hyrule.

The Adventure of Link is last. The Cult of Ganon (Horsehead, Helmethead, Ironknuckle, Carock, Gooma, Barba, Thunderbird, and Dark Link) is formed. Link finds that Zelda is put to a deep sleep courtesy of Carock. He is given six crystals from Impa to lower the energy field from the Great Palace, kills the guardians, destroys Dark Link, and everyone celebrates the demise of the Cult of Ganon. Link finds Zelda at the ruins of the Temple of Time. He plays the Song of Time on his ocarina, his only keepsake of Marin and Koholint, and throws the Triforce and the Ocarina of Time in the Sacred Realm, only to reappear when the world can handle a Golden Power.

That is my new theory. Enjoy!

Link

Obviously, Ocarina of Time is the first episode of the Legend of Zelda series since Link and Zelda are only 10 years old. True, they do grow 17, but at the end they're 10 again. The second episode is A Link to the Past because Link is still a kid, and looks about 12. Then Link's Awakening, he learned to use a raft (he'd have no idea how to use one if the first game replaced Link's Awakening) and he looks about 15 in the end sequence. Then the first game when he finds Impa again (but she's an old geezer) and the sword is too heavy to cut things with so Link stabs now.
The Adventure of Link is next, link looks about 24 and Ganon's monsters are
trying to revive him. Then Link's Awakening DX when Link has another dream, then Super Smash Bros. when Link enters the battle tournament.

Jason Reichard

Hi! My name is ¶ Z ê £ ð å, as you may already know by now. Anyway, my timeline theory is in this order: 5 3 4 1 2. I'll state my reasons why, and oh, by the way, I don't go with the generations thing, and I don't go with the Triforce, I just play it when I have to get the
Triforce. *wink*

Zelda: the Ocarina of Time is first because Link and Zelda are just little kids when the adventure starts out, and then they get to be in their late teens near the end of the game. And, there aren't as many people to talk to in Karkariko Village, because it still isn't very big yet. And as I stated at zeldapower.com's MB, Link's hair is still VERY blonde with a few streaks of brown here and there.

Zelda: A Legend to the Past is second because Link and Zelda look to be about 20 when they embark out on their 2nd adventure. And, besides, have you noticed the changes in their hair? It's getting to be sandy brown, and the blonde color is fading. Other than that, the Spiritual
Stones have been made into Pendants and the 7 Sages are gone; in their place, is the 7 Wise Men. Plus, the talking faerie makes her appearance in this game. Maybe Sprite's sister? You never know, because she's got BLONDE hair, not red hair!

Zelda: Link's Awakening is third because it's like, Sprite maybe makes her appearance in that game (Find her whenever you beat an enemy or in faerie fountains), and unfortunately, Zelda doesn't make her appearance in this game, probably because it was just Link's dream. And also, his hair is fully brown. Note: I'm not sure if Marin/Malon and Tarin/Talon are the same person, though. And, Link looks a little older, like maybe 21 or 22.

Zelda 1 is fourth because Link and Zelda look to be about 24-27 years old, and Sprite again makes her appearance in the game (don't ask me why), but she doesn't talk anymore. You start getting a certain Ring to change the color of your tunic, like...You don't have a Ring for your standard tunic, but you get the Blue Ring for your White tunic, and the Red Ring for the red tunic (Ohhhh, I LUV the Red Ring!).

Zelda 2 is last because...Um, you still have to get Rings to change the color of your tunics. And for some strange reason, Zelda has been put to sleep by Ganon, and the towns are named after some of the Sages in Zelda: the Ocarina of Time, including one non-Sage (Mido). And, the duo look to be almost 30 years old =).

Well, I've stated my reasons why, and I hope you agree with me about the timeline!

¶ Z ê £ ð å

I believe the game falls in last. Why do I think this? You will never know, HA HA HA HA! Well unless of course you read on. Number 1 is the final nightmare itself. If all the forms of the nightmare are reflections of evil from Link's past, then the game could not have fallen before all the others because Aganhim was only present in Link to the Past. In the, I guess, official timeline, LttP comes after all the others. It just works, I tell you!

Second, though this has no bearing on the timeline, I don't agree about the owl thing. He was, as he said, only a part of the Wind Fish itself. He wasn't Kaporea Gabea (did I spell that right?) and has no relation other than the fact he was an owl.

Third, I hope Marin makes an appearance in the next game. Why? She made a wish to the Wind Fish but refuses to tell you what it was. It is kind of obvious she wished to leave the island, as that is what she tells you lots of the time. She tries to wake the Wind Fish herself so (I think) she can leave. She knows what would happen to the island if she had succeeded, so she is obviously very certain she will survive. And my last point is how if you are successful in winning without dying once, you can see Marin fly away with wings. This obviously means her wish was fulfilled. After all, the island was once reality, she could have been saved before its complete dissappearance. Well, my point is, Marin probably survived. Also, LA was the last game, so she could make an appearance in the next. And that, ladies in gentelman, are my timeline contributions. I await your applause.
Please post this.

Contributed by,
MaxiBoom

Okay I've just got done reading your Timeline section and boy oh boy do I disagree. The true order is 53124 or Oot, then LTtP, then The Orignal, then AoL, nad lastly LA. And it's all in one generation too.
After Oot link gets sent back to being 11 and does LTtP, then he's 12 and does the original and AoL. Then he is about 13 or 14 when he does LA. I don't know where you people get this generation bull.

Karsa TLS

PS: I'm using a lot of abreveations

If you ask me, you should agree with Miyamoto. Seeing as he actually MADE the games!
Fools...

Jonathan Ziapour

Hi people. Jason Boaz here, with the correct order of the timeline of..THE LEGEND OF ZELDA. According to Shotaro Ishinomori's comic, "Legend of Zelda; Link to the Past," A Legendary Hero appears once every hundred years, so I will go from that.

Ocarina of Time: The Gerudo Thief known as Ganondorf Dragmire claims the Triforce, and the Sacred Realm is transformed into the Dark World. The Imprisoning War is fought for seven years, and was won by Link I, who had awakened the Seven Sages, who had Zelda I as their leader. With their help, Link I had banished Ganon into the Dark World.

A Link to the Past: 100 years have passed since the Imprisoning War was fought. Ganon uses Agahnim to send the Seven Maidens into the Dark World, so he could once again marshal his forces against the Light World. Fortunately, Link II got in the way. He saved the 7 maidens, defeated Agahnim, and fought Ganon. He won the fight, saved Zelda III, claimed the Triforce, and peace returned to Hyrule.

Link's Awakening: Thirsty for adventure, Link II went overseas, but was caught in a raging storm. He was sent into the island of Kohilint, which was in truth a dream of the Wind Fish. In order to get out, he claimed all the necessary instruments and awakened the Wind Fish. After he was awakened, he found himself ashore, and settled in the land of Calatia.

Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link: 100 more years have passed since the last fight with Ganon. The Great King of Evil somehow made it back into Hyrule. He kidnapped Zelda IV and once more laid his hands on the Triforce. Impa found Link III, who came from the land of Calatia, where hs ancstor had settled in. He was then able to defeat Ganon and claim the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage, as well as rescuing Zelda. After all that, he was sent to awaken Zelda II, who was put in a sleeping spell by a wizard. He fought in several Palaces, and found the Great Palace. Then, he encountered the Thunderbird, and beat it. But to win the Triforce of Courage, he had to defeat Dark Link, the evil shadow duplicate of Link who had fought Link I 200 years ago. He won, and awakened Zelda II.

There it is. The Zelda Timeline, in full. I hope that helps straighten things out. Thank you.

May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.

Jason Boaz

Hi there guys

I saw your new timeline thingy, and decided that I wanted to contribute my own little theory :-) Print it if you like, but if you're swamped, then no matter. I just like to think it makes a decent point or two.

My personal timeline goes 5,3,4,1,2. It's the one that makes the most sense to me, and until someone officially verifies one theory, then I'm sticking to that one. I don't care that Miyamoto was supposed to have said '5,1,2,3 with 4 anywhere', he said it on the spur of the
moment, after al, during an interviewl :-) Ignoring the Triforce slightly, I concentrated on geographical, and historical aspects instead.

Let me try and prove it.

Zelda V is obviously first, as you rightly say. The Triforce is still in TSR, Ganondorf rises to power, with Link and Zelda trying to stop him. There's all the different races, and Hyrule is only tiny. The imprisoning war takes place, and Ganondorf is sealed up with the Triforce. Here's the confusing bit; did all the Triforce go with him, or not? I'm plumping for yes, just so the next bit fits.

Zelda 3 should come next. The master sword still exists, and the 3 stones have become pendants. There's no Triforce in Hyrule whatsoever.
Hyrule is still very small; Kakariko village, Hyrule Castle, Lake Hylia, Lost Woods and Death Mountain still all exist, though their positions are a little jumbled. Link defeats Ganon and brings the triforce back to Hyrule.

Zelda 4 can go anywhere, but I like to place it here.

Next comes Zelda I. Prior to this adventure, a previous Zelda was put to sleep, and the Triforce of Courage hidden by a previous King. Ganon reappears (he has resurrection skills) and steals the Triforce of Power, whilst the latest generation of Zelda is alive. She then attempts to protect the final triforce, Wisdom. Link retrieves both triforces back after defeating Ganon. There is no master sword, Hyrule is MUCH bigger (see Zelda II) and everything about TSR is long forgotten. North Castle is a whole new castle. Hyrule Castle and Kakariko are long gone.

Zelda II then takes place. Link retrieves the hidden triforce of courage, and thus ends the series. For example, why on earth would they put the Triforce back in TSR again, and why would Hyrule go so small again? Also, on the box of Zelda 3, it clearly claims 'control predecessors of Link and Zelda'. The Impa in this is not a Sheikah.
She's just a regular hylian.

Another point is the CD-i games. Where do they fit it? I've never played any of them, but looking at the artwork, I think they star the characters from Zelda III.

How's that for a theory people? :-)

Juliet A. Singleton

You know what? In my humble opinion, I don't think there really is a special order that the Zelda games should be in. I believe that each version is just a modification/improvement to the last. I know that Miyamoto acknowledged that there was a chronological order. But I think this would make more sense because if you look at all the games they're all pretty much the same plot if you take out all the insignificant details in each game: Link fights, Link goes to temples/dungeons, Link defeats bosses, Link saves Zelda, etc. So I don't think there really should be an order. It's not a continuing series of events.

Just my opinion.
Danielle

Okay! Here is the real order of the Zelda games (not counting the 3 games on CD-i because they sucked.Why?):

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time:
The first of the Zelda games. Before Ganondorf becomes Ganon, when Hyrule is a prosperous country, Impa is much younger than she is in the old Zelda games, Link and Zelda meet for the first time, Link, Ganon, and Zelda each get a third of the Triforce.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past:
After the Imprisoning War, when Ganon calls on the Sheikah wizard Aganhim to escape the Evil Realm, Link is returned to his childhood, the Gerudos die out because of the lack of newborn babies.

The Legend of Zelda:
Hyrule falls apart, Impa is a little old lady, Zelda herself is also older, and breaks the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces.

The Legend of Zelda 2: The Adventures of Link:
Impa is dying of old age, The Cult of Ganon is formed to ressurect Ganon, led by Dark Link, Ganon is ressurected but Link kills him for good.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening/Link's Awakening DX (colour):
Ganon is dead, Link begins a quest for enlightenment, but a squall strikes his ship and Link drifts to Koholint Island on a piece of driftwood. He meets Kaepora Gaebora again and wakes up the Wind Fish.

This is the order of the Zelda games as it is rumoured to be.

Link

Hello

My name is Hailey. I luv your site,especially the Fan-Fic Library. Well I think that the Link and Zelda in TOoT are desendents of the Link and Zelda in the other games. I think that the order of the games is the order that they where made in. How could Link be riding home from Hyrule in LA when his home is in Hyrule in TOoT unless the Link in LA is Link's
father of something like that. Cause The "MASTER" said that LA wasinbetween TOoT and the NES LOZ. I think that they were made in the order thay came out. Thankz for letting us state our opinion. And keep this site updated like it has been.

Hailey

Hello,

I check your site often to see the various ideas and beliefs that Zelda fans have about the many mysteries of Zelda.

I have my own set of ideas, just wanted you to think about them too:

First off there is the chronological order of the zelda series.
If you read the history on the 8-Bit NES Legend of Zelda Manual you will notice that Impa is a old woman that is ambushed by Ganon´s army. Then Link comes around, kicks the bad guys but, and saves Impa. She then tells him about Zelda and the Triforce and Ganon, etc. So Link starts his quest.

Then comes the Next NES Zelda Game: The Adventures of Link, in which once again, if you read the Manual of the game, it says that AFTER Link saves Zelda he stays around in hyrule to help its restoration. Then the Triforce mark appears in his hand and all, and he visits Impa again (who is still the old lady) and she tells him about Zelda sleeping and all. So Link goes out on his quest. Also, and most important, is the fact that Ganon is dead!. So (as the story marks) if Link dies Ganon would be revieved.

Next is The Legend of Zelda: A link to the past. This is the hard one. If you notice the manual, it evens goes farther back in time to the creation of the world and Ganon beeing a leader of thieves. If you notice Ganon in The Legend of Zelda for NES he looks like a monster, sort of like a warthog. In The Adventures of Link, if you die you see the siluet of a creature like the one in The Legend of Zelda. In Link to the past the story says that Ganon transformed to a nasty creature because of his evil and twisted heart, and that the triforce granted his wish. So this would put the game BEFORE the other two NES chapters. But then again there is something that is now right: In the first NES game Ganon only took the Triforce of Power and that is why he became so ugly. But in the SNES game he takes the entire triforce, so how can this be?. My theory goes now to the Ocarina of Time. The story says that after you take the master sword and Ganon enters the realm, he could only take the
Triforce of Power because that was what his heart reflected: the need for power.

So (after all this analisis), the conclusion is this. First off, the chronologically first game would be the Ocarina of Time. Why? Because Link starts having seven years, talks about his life in the kokiri forest and about his mother and all that. Then, when Ganon is defeated and sealed, he swears revenge to all the descendants of Link and Zelda. So if we then come back to Link to the Past, Ganon actually goes after the descendants, and traps them. Link to the past also talks about how Ganon was trapped in the golden land (even though it is described differently, talking about an Impressionment War). So it kind of makes sense.
But I am farther most convinced that this are just coincidences and that both games have nothing to do with each other.

As for the other two games, well I think their plot is separate from the ones in Link to the past and Ocarina of Time. Because in those the triforce is never united. And your goal is always obtaining a piece of it, not the whole thing. Those do make sense, no?

As for the real thing, I guess that after the two NES games Miyamoto wanted to make a new history line. And that is why the line becomes distorted from this point on. The most recent games run on different Universes, and different plots. And with a mind like Miyamoto´s, a new idea is a good idea.

La Carnagia

Well, there's been a lot of theories on the order of the Zelda games, but I have my own, and I think it works better than others, especially after reading all the manuals.  They definitely don't fit together well, I agree with you there, Falco, but I do believe they fit together if investigated carefully.  Here we go:
 
1.  Ocarina of Time
I think everyone agrees on this.
 
2. New Game
OoT Link and Zelda grow up again, this time with Ganon locked away in the Sacred Realm (isn't paradox neat kids?). 
However, he breaks free using the Triforce, and begins a full scale assualt on Hyrule.  This is the Imprisoning War as described in A Link to the Past. Seven new Hyrulian sages(to explain why the girls in crystal in LTP are hyrulian) led by Zelda and the Knights of Hyrule led by Link fend off Ganon and seal him off, this time more completely by placing the triforces of wisdom and courage back in the sacred realm.  Link then places the Master Sword in the Lost Woods, where it will be hidden from most people.
OR
2.  OoT Link and Zelda die a natural death and their Triforces return to the Sacred Realm.
 
3. A Link to the Past
Link, a descendent of OoT Link rescues Zelda, a descendent of OoT Zelda from Aghanim, an evil wizard attempting to open a gate to the Sacred Realm.  Link finds three medallions, which are actually the spiritual stones.  The Zoras at this point are fairly neutral, avoiding the rest of Hyrule, although they bargain with Link, and the Gorons have either died out or hidden.  The Gerudos have died out due to the lack of a male. Fighting Aghanim, he discovers that the ancient evil known as Ganon has finally found a way around the sages' seal and is planning to return to Hyrule. He then journeys into the Sacred Realm to rescue the descendents of the sages and fight a resurgent Ganon and retrieve the Triforce. This he does successfully and returns to Hyrule.
 
4. Link's Awakening
LTP Link decides he must train overseas in order to combat any new menace that threatens to disrupt the new Golden age of Hyrule brought upon by the retrieval of the Triforce, and gives the Triforce to the royal family for safe keeping. On the way back his boat is sunk and he dreams of an island consisting of a girl named Marin, an owl, and the Wind Fish. These are manifestations of memories of Link's past life- i.e. Malon, Kaepora Gaebora or whatever his name is, and Lord Jabu Jabu(where did he go in the middle of OoT anyways? Quite mysterious).  This game obviously follows LTP because the Nightmares Link fights are mostly from LTP.  He awakens from the dream, but is stuck overseas and Hyrule presumes him dead, or he suffers from amnesia, thus he does not return to his former position in Hyrule(I'll admit this is probably the least supported of my arguments, but I think it makes sense when Link is not around in Zelda 1)
 
5. Interlude(from the Zelda 2 manual)
Hyrule prospers under the Triforce, entering a Golden Age.  At some point, however, the King has a premonition of impending doom for Hyrule. To prevent evil from getting ahold of the Triforce, the King hides the Triforce of courage until one worthy of it can claim it.  He entrusts the secret to his daughter Zelda, named after the famous Zeldas of legend.  Her brother, the prince, wants the complete triforce to solidify his rule, and under pressure from a visiting wizard, tries to compel the princess to reveal the location of the missing triforce piece.  I believe this wizard to be a shadow of Ganon, not quite back to life yet, but trying to revive himself, like Aghanim. 
The wizard/Ganon in a rage at the princess's refusal to disclose the location puts her into a deep sleep. 
The prince is anguished over his role in the affair and orders that all females of the royal line be named Zelda, then places his sister in the North Palace, instructing Impa to watch for the one who can wake her.
 
6. The Legend of Zelda
Somehow Ganon manages to revive himself and quickly plunges a peaceful Hyrule into chaos.  He manages to get the Triforce of Power, but a new princess Zelda splits the Triforce of wisdom into eight pieces to prevent him from getting it.  She then sends her servant Impa, now aged(I believe that Sheikah have incredibly long life spans), to find one who can save Hyrule. Beset by Moblins, Impa is rescued by Link, a young man from overseas, and a descendent of past Links. She suspects what he is, and charges him with saving Hyrule. Link manages to recover the Triforce of wisdom and uses the silver arrows and the master sword(?) to defeat Ganon once again and save Hyrule.
 
7. The Adventures of Link
Hyrule is beginning to recover from the depredations of Ganon, and has formed towns named after the ancient sages, but there is still danger.  Ganon's hordes have discovered how to revive him; the blood of Link and the ashes of Ganon in a dark ritual will summon him once more.  At the same time Link has turned sixteen, and with the turningpoint a strange mark appears on his hand.
Impa is now convinced of Link's identity and tells him of the secret of the the sleeping Zelda and the Triforce of courage.  Note that sleeping Zelda is not the same Zelda as in any other game-for one, her hair was dark, if anyone cared to notice, while all other Zeldas had light hair.  Link successfully faces the guardians that the King once placed in charge of the keys to the hiding place of the triforce. He then fights the Thunderbird and faces himself, and proves himself worthy of the Triforce of courage. Using the newly united triforce, he awakens the  old princess, which probably causes all sorts of problems for ruling Hyrule-oops, two
princesses.  We don't have to worry about that though.
 
I know there are some points of this that are stretching the information we have a bit, but I have grown up with these games and I remember quite clearly that LTP was a prequel to the first Zelda games, as OoT was to LTP.  I believe this is the proper order and any liberties I have taken with the Legend(mostly Link's disappearance after LA) were to make sense of the established chronology. 
What does everyone think?

Yraen

Ok. Lately, people have been wondering a lot about where The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time fits in with the rest of the games. To be more precise, the order of the games especially. Well I have a very reasonable timeline and a reason why the games are so hard to fit together. I hope you read this with an open mind because I would love to have your opinion on any of it. Also, you will notice that I included some other sections where there aren't any games. Read and you'll understand.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Kid Link)

This is the first game in the series. I think everyone can accept that as truth. Link is first introduced to Zelda, Ganondorf and the idea of the Triforce and goddesses. This is definitely the prequel to all other games. In it, Link discovers the legend of Hyrule and that he is the
Hero of Time.

The Legend of Zelda: (not yet revealed)

Now here is what comes next: another game. We do not know if it will be created or not, but if there is another, I can almost guarantee you it will be strikingly similar to what I describe here. This story occurs right after Link touched the Master Sword. This means that Ganondorf can enter the Sacred Realm and touch the Triforce. Remember that as soon as Link touched the sword, the seal is broken, not when he pulls it. So theoretically, he could still remain in this time and Ganondorf can enter the Sacred Realm, touch the Triforce, and have it split up between the three. In this game, if it ever comes out, Link must overcome the evil that is beginning to spread itself over Hyrule. He must try and regain the Triforce of Power from Ganon. However, in the process of this excursion, he somehow loses the Triforce of Courage.
This explains why he is looking for it in The Adventure of Link. This quest ends ultimately in failure and sets up for the next part of the series. This is probably why this is not yet part of a game. You would have to lose for it to fit in with the storyline. It should have just been added to the beginning of

The Legend of Zelda

Yes, I do believe this is the next part in the series. Ganondorf still has the Triforce of Power and since the Triforce of Courage was lost from Link, the only other Triforce he could try for is the Triforce of Wisdom held by Zelda. Fearing that Ganon will obtain it, she splits the Triforce of Wisdom into eight sections and hides it throughout the land of Hyrule. At the end of this adventure, Link kills Ganondorf and obtains the Triforce of Power. This sets up for

The Legend of Zelda: (another game?)

As told in the beginning of the "The Adventure of Link" instruction manual, Zelda is put to sleep by an evil wizard. This means that there must be another game between the two stories for it to fit in correctly.
In this story, something must happen involving Link's signs of growing up. I don't know what the premise of this is, and I can't seem to put a plot to it. It is just passing time between the stories. If this were created, then it would not involve Ganon, for he has been killed.

The Adventure of Link

Ah yes. Zelda is asleep in North Castle and a symbol appears on Link's hand. Why is this symbol important? Well, for a clue, it appears at the age of sixteen on his hand. This will prove relevant in a moment.
In this game, Link already possesses the Triforces of Power and Wisdom and he is in search of the Triforce of Courage, which he had lost in the time between Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda. Meanwhile, Ganon's minions are out to kill Link and spread his blood over Ganon's ashes to revive him. Using six crystals given to him by Impa, Link restores the six palaces, obtains the Triforce of Courage, and awakens Zelda. This sets up for the next portion.

The Legend of Zelda: (not yet made)

In this story, the Triforces are restored to their rightful owners.
And, on a side note, Ganondorf is somehow awakened. Maybe it was the power of the Triforce of Power. I know not. Zelda goes into hiding and Link gets ready for the battle.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (adult)

You think I am crazy for putting this here in the timeline? Not so! Notice that in The Adventure of Link, Link is sixteen. Does everyone remember what age he was in Ocarina of Time as an "adult?" Seventeen! Theoretically, if it were the same person, this game would come after The Adventure of Link. Anyway, Zelda goes into hiding and Link comes forth, summons the sages, finds Zelda, banishes Ganondorf to the Sacred Realm, and returns peace to the Land of Hyrule for a long, long time.

Years of prosperity occur in Hyrule now. This means that Link, Zelda, and the sages eventually die. However, Ganon does not, for he is in the Sacred Realm. As they die, they lose their pieces of the Triforce and they return to the Sacred Realm. Since Ganon happens to be in the Sacred Realm at the time, he acquires the Triforce as a whole. He uses it to transform the Sacred Realm into his own Dark World and creates an army of his own. This means that it is time for

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Link and Zelda have no idea about each other. They are completely new people then the ones in the previous games. Also, we know that this Zelda is a descendant of the first one because she is one of the descendants of the Seven Wise Men (sages). Also, this means that the other six maidens are descendants of the six original sages. This proves that this game occurs many years into the future ahead of all the previous ones. In this game, Agahnim is controlled by Ganon and kills the good king. He then tries to open the Sacred Realm to let Ganon back. All this time, Agahnim is under the control of Ganon. Now, Link goes to the Sacred Realm (Dark World) and retrieves the seven maidens, kills Ganon for the final time, and makes a wish upon the Triforce that is now together and for him to receive. Notice also, that this means the three forces are in balance when Link touches it. It almost makes you wonder. Anyway, Hyrule is finally returned to its rightful state and the Legend of Zelda saga ended, right?

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Wrong. This story has to come in somewhere, and it seems to fit right in after A Link to the Past. Notice that it seems to be the same Link as in A Link to the Past, and the ocarina even looks strangely similar.
In this game an old character comes back: The Owl. Even though we have no proof that this is Kaepora Gaebora, as in Ocarina of Time, we know that The Owl, whoever he is, always plays an important role in the game.
Also, notice that Link is about the same age in this as he was in A Link to the Past. It also makes sense that this story would occur after A Link to the Past because Link is in charge of a boat. Would this have happened before with his uncle who wouldn't even let him go out into the stormy night? I don't think so.

And so with that game, the timeline is complete.

However, there is a big problem in my calculations. The number one reason why it might be incorrect is because of Impa. Why Impa you ask? Because she is so much older in Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Linkthan she is in Ocarina of Time. However, I have no idea how quickly Sheikah age, so this could be normal.

However, I remember there being two Zelda games for the CD-i. Could anyone tell me what they are about? Even though they weren't the best, they have to fit into the storyline somewhere, and I believe they are crucial to making a history of the games.

I hope this was somewhat informative and helps to describe the history of the Zelda saga in some way.

Email me:
goldenpower3@yahoo.com

Belgarath

Ok here it is- the true chronological order of the Zelda series this is a complete timeline, not so much character development, but you'll get the idea. I've also included the resons behind the location of the master sword in every game.

1-Zelda Ocarina of Time
Link and Zelda are born- Ganondorf becomes king of the gerudos and begins his quest for the triforce, there is a he stumbles upon the enterance in to the golden land (explained in Link to the Past as he finds one of the sealed portals that the sages sealed) and claims the triforce of power. He then battles an adult link and is sealed away in the golden -now dark land. Link is then returned to his childhood and the master sword is laid to rest. It is the first documentation of the Imprisoning War

2-The Legend Of Zelda
Link has been returned to his childhood, Ganon manages to escape his confines and lay waste to hyrule, and capture princess Zelda. The triforce of wisdom is broken into pieces and collected by Link who fights Ganon on death Mountain- apparently killing his link between this world and the dark world.

3- A Link to the Past
Shortly after the Imprisoning war, where Ganon made attempts to break from his prison and conquer Hyrule. the sgaes expend their last powers sealing him inside the dark world. Agahnim, an "incarnation" of Ganon, starts to break the seals of Hyrule. This is the generation of Link the second and Zelda the second. Zelda the second is sent away to the dark world, Link II pursues, and finally meets ganon face to face in the dark world. This is where ganon is the most vulnerable, but also the most powerful. In fact, his power is so great, it even reverts him to the pig-form instead of his more "human" shape. It is here that Link II finally Kills ganon, once and for all. He claims the triforce, and an era of peace reigns for a time.

4-Link's awakening
Link the III sets off to complete his training. He is the only one in his line that knows his destiny before it is revealed to him, and he sails for distant lands to make himself ready. He gets caught in a storm, and solves the mystery of Koholint island, he then waits to return to Hyrule where Zelda III is, but he never gets there. It's not said, but implied that he is sadly lost at sea.

5-The Adventures of Link
With no one of the Hylian Knight bloodline left, the forces of evil decide it's time to revive ganon, who was completely destroyed in the dark world. Again, a wizard is used on behalf of Ganon, this time to put Zelda to sleep, why? Because whenever Hyrule is in danger, a chosen one will come forward. It is the 16th birthday of Link the 4th, and an ancient Impa shows him his destiny. A now 20-something Zelda 3 lies prone on an altar, fast asleep. The evil knows that it must spinkle the blood of one of the Hylian Knight's line on the ashes of Ganon to reincarnate him, and regain the triforce which has been sealed in the golden temple, and blocked by the GREAT BARRIER, which can only be dispelled by placing the jewels in the heads of statues across a greatly changed Hyrule, which has colonized the globe now, a result from the era of pece from before. Link 4 awakens Zelda 3, and the entire triforce now rests with her.

I refused to put who married who, etc, etc, becuase it's not an intricate part of the storyline. I've been over this with many zelda historians- that's right they're out there- and this timeline holds truest to form, and even covers some of the discrepancies between titles, like the imprisoning war. The "war" actually spanned from z64 to right before Link to the Past, and the enterance to the golden land mentioned in "Link to the Past" is just an allusion to Ganon entering the Golden Land at the same time you retrieve the master sword in z64.
The master swords location throughout the games are explained as follows:

Zelda64: the sword rests in the temple of time as the final key to the golden land

The Legend of Zelda: during the first "battles" of the imprisoning war, the sword rested with one of the sages high upon a mountain, waiting for Link to claim it and use it against Ganon

Link to the Past:
the sword rests in the Lost woods. Why? well it makes sense if you consider that very close by there is an enterance to the then dark world, sort of a safeguard against any further attack from Ganon after the Imprisoning war.

The locations of the triforce are important, because for the most part, Ganon has a piece of the triforce all the way untill his death in Link to the Past, which explains why you only see two in The Legend of Zelda. after that, the triforce is housed in the Great Palace, and then back to Hyrule castle. It never returns to the temple of Light, as Ruaru is long since gone, most likely during a Link to the Past, where the powers of ganon completely overwhelmed that world. Ruaru was most likely killed during the battles, along with ruto, which would explain the hostility and monster-type zoras you get in later games.
The sheikah fade off after z64- their only survivor, impa, tells the last link of his destiny and dies in The Adventures of Link.

Xerjester