Let’s silence one of the most age-old questions for Zelda fans: here is the chronological order of the saga, including Tears of the Kingdom
To all readers who follow us, happy Easter and welcome back to the second installment (of six, as per our just concluded Month of Yoshi) of the project”Road To” dedicated to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdomfor an appointment that addresses an age-old and thorny issue for fans: the chronological order of the events of the saga. As we specified in the introductory episode, the Big N prefers that each chapter of the series only vaguely alludes to previously published chapters. The reason is to avoid a sort of “MCU effect” (or, to stay in the video game, “Kingdom Hearts effect”) in order not to alienate newbies.
Too bad, however, that the lore of the series is interconnected enough to better contextualize the temporal “trident” that affects all the games. There is not a handful of centuries between the history of one title and that of another that holds: there is definitely a common thread. Fans started putting the pieces together when they realized that Ocarina of Time, the chapter for Nintendo 64 (and ironically the console had a controller nicknamed trident, when the game split the timeline into three), fits perfectly with the backstory of A Link to The Past for Super Nintendo. The Kyoto giant has simply formalized what fans have always assumed. Spoiler alert!
The Dawn of Hyrule – Zelda: Road to Tears of the Kingdom (part 2: chronological order)
Following the chronological order, the starting point after the creationism that we illustrated in the first episode of this column are the events of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The goddess Hylia renounces the divine form to be able to use the Triforce and prevent the demon Mortipher from setting the earth to fire and sword. Guided by a spirit, the first Link transmutes the Sword of the Goddess into the Master Sword. Barring exceptions like the Four Sword (which we’ll discuss shortly), each new incarnation of Link wields this purple-hilted weapon, also known as “the sword that exorcises evil.”
Despite the defeat of Mortipher, who swearing revenge bequeaths part of his features to his reincarnations (Ganondorf, Ganon, Vaati, Mallard and others), peace is not enough. New wizards crave the divine power of the Triforce, but the goddesses Din, Farore, and Nayru send Spirits of Light to the earth, banishing the sorcerers to Realm of Twilight. The sage Rauru therefore erects the Shrine of Time, and with it seals the entrance to the Sacred land: a parallel dimension like the Twilight Realm, in which to keep the Triforce. Following this event, the Kingdom of Hyrule is officially founded.
The legend of the Minish and the Four Swords – Zelda: Road to Tears of the Kingdom (part 2: chronological order)
A whole people of tiny beings, the Minish, give the unknown Hero of Men a magical weapon, the Minish Sword, while the royal family obtains from them the sacred Golden Light. This hero fends off the evil that haunts Hyrule, but instead a new threat emerges: Vaati, sorcerer of the winds who aims for the Golden Light. During the events of The Minish Cap, the first reincarnation of Link reforges the Minish Sword to obtain the Quadrisword, a weapon capable of quadrupling him. Vaati is defeated, but returns in time for the events of Four Swordsa co-op adventure included with the GBA port of A Link to The Past.
Link inadvertently uses the Four Sword to free Vaati, but defeats him with the help of his three doubles spawned from the same weapon. With the help of Zelda, also now reincarnated (and, following the order of events, before the dynasty to reign over Hyrule), Link manages not only to exile Vaati, but also Ganon in what appears to be his first timeline appearance. This can cause a bit of confusion, because the true origins of the demon with porcine and anthropomorphic features at the same time take place in Ocarina of Time, to which we are about to get.
Hyrule Civil War and the Splitting Timeline – Zelda: Road to Tears of the Kingdom (Part 2: Chronological Order)
The different races of Hyrule are at loggerheads, to the point of starting a real civil war. The monarch manages to end the conflict, and it is from this point that the kingdom of Hyrule is no longer composed of only the Hylian people. We’ll talk more about different cultures next week. Having united the entire population does not prevent the bad apples from showing up: Ganondorf, the only male born in the desert population of the Gerudo thieves after a hundred years, as such assumes command and swears false allegiance to the crown (Ocarina of Time). Betraying the royals, Ganondorf invades the Sacred Land and makes contact with the Triforce.
Due to his derangement, he only manages to obtain the power of Din (the Triforce of Power). The Link of this era, known as the Hero of Time, after learning that he is not part of the Kokiri people (the eternal children of the forest), draws the Master Sword from its pedestal in the Shrine of Time. It is he, awakened seven years after obtaining the Sword, who comes into contact with the Seven Sages, in a ruined Hyrule. Drawing the blade brought Link into the future, in body and mind, and now that Ganondorf has used the seven years to take command, the fight between him and the hero marks the division of the timeline.
The Hero Is Defeated: Ruined Hyrule Timeline – Zelda: Road to Tears of the Kingdom (Part 2: Chronological Order)
During the final showdown, Ganondorf unleashed the remaining power in his side of the Triforce to become the unstoppable Ganon. Link’s demise leaves Zelda and the Sages few other options, and by joining forces they seal the demon in the Holy Land. The so-called “Prisonment War” lays the foundations for A Link to The Past, where Ganon plans his return from what remains of the place where he was imprisoned: the World of Darkness. Although the sorcerer Agahnim managed to bring him back (with a ritual that almost cost Zelda her life), the new Link defeated Ganon and restored peace to the world by recovering the Triforce.
Going on a training trip, the hero ends up shipwrecked on Koholint Island (Link’s Awakening). Later, while visiting Hyrule Castle, Link is guided by the Triforce to the realms of Holodrum (Oracle of Seasons) e Labrynna (Oracle of Ages), in both preventing the witches Koume and Kotake (guardians of Ganondorf) from bringing Ganon back to the world of the living. Nonetheless, the division of the Triforce is inevitable: once again, that of courage remains with Link, that of wisdom dwells in Zelda’s soul and, to no one’s surprise, that of power is only waiting for Ganon to return to instill terror.
The kingdom of Lorule, Hytopia and the fall of Hyrule – Zelda: Road to Tears of the Kingdom (part 2: chronological order)
The androgynous sorcerer Yuga emerges from the parallel world of Lorule, a realm devoid of his Triforce (which appears as a black trio of inverted triangles). His goal is to conquer that of Hyrule. Despite his efforts, the fearless merchant Lavio anticipated it by placing his possessions at the disposal of the reborn Link. Yuga still manages to resurrect Ganon in Lorule, and takes possession of him (A Link Between Worlds). After emerging victorious, Link disguises his appearance to reunite with other heroes in the fashionable kingdom of Hytopia, saving Princess Frills from a curse (Tri Force Heroes).
In the following era, in Link’s absence, the King draws on the Triforce to restore the kingdom to its former glory. Despite the prosperity, the death of the ruler puts an end to it. The throne is contested by the reborn Zelda and her coward Brother. The latter demands to know where to find the Triforce of Courage, but the princess categorically refuses to reveal its location. Her brother replies by hitting her with a spell, which makes her fall into a deep sleep. The kingdom’s prosperity is over. The borders of what was once the Land of the Gods are getting narrower, and the world remains little more than a pile of rubble.
The end of the defeated hero’s timeline – Zelda: Road to Tears of the Kingdom (part 2: chronological order)
The once glorious kingdom of Hyrule is in its worst shape ever. In this period of vulnerability (The Legend of Zelda, NES), Ganon awakens. His first target is the Triforce of Power. The physical manifestation of the dormant Zelda splits the Triforce of Wisdom into eight fragments, then hides them. The latest reincarnation of Link begins his journey in the middle of nowhere, but in a nearby cave a hermit supplies him with a sword to defend himself. After an extensive (and exhausting) search, the hero collects the eight fragments and, having cornered him, defeats Ganon once and for all.
In an era of relative stability, the same boy faces several tests left around the kingdom by the previous ruler (The Adventure of Link). The price for failure is steep: using the hero’s blood to resurrect Ganon (“Game Over: Return of Ganon”). After defeating a false twin born of darkness in the Grand Palace, Link finally awakens Princess Zelda from her long slumber. The three pieces that make up the Triforce are brought together in the kingdom of Hyrule, which has since embarked on a long and meticulous process of reconstruction. The defeated hero’s timeline ends here.
The Hero Triumphs and He’s a Child Again: End and Twilight – Zelda: Road to Tears of the Kingdom (part 2: chronological order)
Go back a few paragraphs and we see the final showdown of Ocarina of Time as experienced by the vast majority of players. Links won. Once the Master Sword is placed in his pedestal, the hero finds himself in his body as a child. Back to Princess Zelda, Link has a way of testify against Ganondorf, stopping his plans before they are realized. In possession of the Triforce of Courage, the Hero of Time sets out to search for the fairy Navi aboard the mare Epona. Upon reaching one of the nearby forests, however, Link is thrown off his horse and finds himself in a parallel world.
The size of Termina is a deformation of Hyrule, giving some of its inhabitants different roles (Majora’s Mask). After taking the role of three exponents of as many races to honor their last wishes, he puts an end to the curse with which Majora’s mask has set the moon on a collision course with the earth. Meanwhile, in Hyrule, the authorities try to execute Ganondorf for the crime of high treason. Since his possession of the Triforce of the Force (in a timeline in which he never fought Link physically) makes this impossible, the only option is to exile him to the Twilight Realm, where the traitorous wizards of many centuries ago await him.
