My timeline theory

[Juno Reactor]

This take on the timeline only applies to the beginning, namely OoT and TP.  However, it also extends before OoT.

Before OoT: The goddesses create the world of Hylia, and its kingdom of Hyrule --->  The first race of Hylians emerge, and lead a peaceful existence --->  Word spreads of a great power in the Sacred Realm, accessible through Hyrule --->  Lust for this power consumes a number of Hylians, who in turn master black magic (which manifests itself as Fused Shadow), and wage war against other Hylians in an effort to conquer the Sacred Realm (this could be the war referenced in OoT, the one Link's parents died in) --->  The Light Spirits intervene, sealing away the power of these interlopers, which manifests itself as Fused Shadow --->  The goddesses then retaliate by driving these interlopers out of the Sacred Realm, across Hyrule, and into the Twilight Realm, where their descendants would become the Twili.    

Years pass...

Ocarina of Time: Ganondorf tricks young Link into opening the path to the Sacred Realm --->  Ganondorf succeeds where his predecessors failed, obtaining the Triforce of Power while Link lies in suspended animation for seven years --->  Adult Link, with the strength of Zelda and the Sages, seal Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm.

During the following hundred years: Ganondorf, posing too great a threat, is to be destroyed by the Sages back in Hyrule at the Arbiter's Grounds, but his Triforce piece prevents this.  Instead, the Sages (who are different from the Light Spirits) ban him to the Twilight Realm.  Here, Ganondorf will become like a god to one among the Twili, an aspiring warlord named Zant.  And then the events of Twilight Princess occur, a hundred years after OoT.  

The cutscene with the shadow Links was a metaphor for the pre-OoT events I described.  Link and Ilia represent the first Hylians, who marvel at the Triforce.  Then they become lustful for it, and turn against each other (Ilia tries to stab Link, but Link kills her -- this represents the war for power).  The Shadow Links represent those who have fallen to temptation, and when Link is killed by the Shadow Link, and the Shadow Link becomes Link, this represents the fall of man, the death of good, and the emergence of evil.  The rest is fairly obvious.  

However, I do not believe the interlopers are the likes of Ganondorf and his followers.  The Hero of Time imprisoned Ganondorf, not the Light Spirits.  The Light Spirits sealed the magic of those who came before Ganondorf in the pre-OoT war, and the goddesses themselves imprisoned those magic-wielders.  The Twili also appear to have existed before Ganondorf was sent there, as the Twili, too, led a peaceful existence until one of them, Zant, was tempted with power by the appearance of Ganon -- it was like history happening all over again, but in the Twilight Realm.  This requires that the Twili have been there before Ganondorf, which in turn requires that the Twili's ancestors were people who came before Ganondorf.  

This is where my theory tends to differ with others.  I believe the sequence of events makes more sense this way.

Any thoughts?

Please don't post spoilers in the title

[Fierce Diety]

Yes this is a fantastic timeline- well done. Could you explain one thing though... Is it the same link as the one from OoT, as the ganon is the same, why shouldnt he be? And if he is not, why does he look the same??
Cheers!

[Eater]

I mostly agree with this, although I'm not sure if the interlopers were sealed before or after OoT.  It was probably before, but if it was after, perhaps OoT-Link had become corrupt, and tried to get the Triforce?  I doubt it, because the Triforce isn't whole after OoT, but I don't doubt that it's a possibility.

Good theory, though.

[Juno Reactor]

Yes this is a fantastic timeline- well done. Could you explain one thing though... Is it the same link as the one from OoT, as the ganon is the same, why shouldnt he be? And if he is not, why does he look the same??
Cheers!

Ganon is the only one who is the same throughout the series.  The Link from OoT and MM are the same, although the one from TP is not; according to Eiji Aonuma in Nintendo Power's "Reflections of Zelda" article, there is no relation.  

Although there's nothing to support it, one could speculate that each Link has the same soul, and that the soul reincarnates every time evil returns to the land, hence why the character always looks the same, but lacks memories of his previous lives.

Also, for the Twili to have existed when Ganon was banned to the Twilight Realm (they were already there, hence how Ganon's power was new to Zant), the interlopers would've had to have come before OoT, and thus Ganon was NOT one of the interlopers.

[Eater]

Well, isn't it possible that the interlopers were sealed after OoT, but before they sealed Ganon?  Probably not entirely, but it seems like there would be enough time to in a hundred years.  And besides, if OoT-Link did become corrupt with greed(or "blind" like Ganondorf, thus he doesn't seem to have eyes in that cutscene), maybe he was the one who had sort of "created" the fused shadow; perhaps it is really Majora's Mask, or the Fierce Diety Mask.

[Juno Reactor]

Well, isn't it possible that the interlopers were sealed after OoT, but before they sealed Ganon?  Probably not entirely, but it seems like there would be enough time to in a hundred years.  And besides, if OoT-Link did become corrupt with greed(or "blind" like Ganondorf, thus he doesn't seem to have eyes in that cutscene), maybe he was the one who had sort of "created" the fused shadow; perhaps it is really Majora's Mask, or the Fierce Diety Mask.

There is nothing to support this wild notion that OoT Link became "corrupt with greed" at some point.  I think some people may be taking the Shadow Link cutscene too literally; the whole cutscene was symbolic for the fall of some Hylians to greed, and what happened as a result (war, the interlopers, etceteras).  It was also a warning to Link that the same could happen to him if he's not careful.

The interlopers couldn't have been sealed away after Ganondorf.  The interlopers would've had to come some time before Ganondorf's imprisonment, since their descendants (the Twili) were already present in the Twilight Realm when Ganon appeared to Zant as a "god."

[Master Hylia]

I agree with JR on this, the cutscene is just symbolic so Link could understand the dark history of the power that he and Midna are seeking

[Eater]

Well, I guess so, but Ganondorf wasn't sealed in the Twilight Realm directly after OoT, or so it seems.  He was first sealed in the Sacred Realm, if the two are in fact not the same.

[Fierce Diety]

Ganon is the only one who is the same throughout the series.  The Link from OoT and MM are the same, although the one from TP is not; according to Eiji Aonuma in Nintendo Power's "Reflections of Zelda" article, there is no relation.  

Although there's nothing to support it, one could speculate that each Link has the same soul, and that the soul reincarnates every time evil returns to the land, hence why the character always looks the same, but lacks memories of his previous lives.

Also, for the Twili to have existed when Ganon was banned to the Twilight Realm (they were already there, hence how Ganon's power was new to Zant), the interlopers would've had to have come before OoT, and thus Ganon was NOT one of the interlopers.

Yes, again you have amazed me with your insight into such matters. One more thing though... Did midna at the end break the mirror as she knew that she could never be with Link??

[Master Hylia]

I think that this Ganondorf is probably Young Link's timeline one, because he's not mentioned as the evil's king just as a thief, and also we don't know when he was sealed in Twilight but probably was some time before TP and remember that a Gerudo male is born once 100 years so this has to be the same Ganondorf from Oot (Young Link's timeline)

Did midna at the end break the mirror as she knew that she could never be with Link??

I think she broke the mirror because as she said ¨Light and shadow can't mix¨ so probably to prevent further problems she just decided that it was better for all to close the gate between worlds and that's why she destroyed it

[Fierce Diety]

Dya rekon this is the last of the zelda games? And by the way, Master Hylia, you seem to be an expert on this game... Kudos to you!


*Don't post spoilers in the title*

[Master Hylia]

Lol thanks but I'm not an expert and no this is certainly not the last in the timeline cause this is just decades or 100 years after Oot so there's still the FS Saga, A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Oracles and maybe NES Zeldas

because my actual timeline theory is:

In Oot breaks the timeline in 2 so:

Adult Link's timeline:

Ocarina of Time - The Windwaker - Phantom Hourglass - The Legend of Zelda - The Adventure of Link

Young Link's timeline
Ocarina of Time - Majora's Mask - Twilight Princess - The Minish Cap - Four Swords - Four Swords Adventures - A Link to the Past - Link's Awakening

And for the oracles they I would put em anywhere where they don't conflict with other games like at the end of any timeline or why not one in one timeline and the other one in the other timeline

[Fierce Diety]

Awsome i think Link is a great action hero.... Do you actually fight the real Zant in the game??

[Master Hylia]

Well I don't know if you actually fight with him....but I think he is the 2nd to last boss

[Juno Reactor]

Yes, again you have amazed me with your insight into such matters. One more thing though... Did midna at the end break the mirror as she knew that she could never be with Link??

In addition to what Master Hylia mentioned (that light and shadow can't mingle -- so in one way, she broke the mirror to keep the worlds separate in accordance with divine law), I think Midna also broke the mirror because she doesn't trust people to refrain from mucking things up again.  She says to Zelda, "If all are as you then maybe you'll be okay" (I'm paraphrasing here), so in other words she's saying that if all people were as noble and pure as Zelda, wars and other problems wouldn't happen.  Knowing that her people and the Hylians have been in conflict before, and that few people are as good as Zelda, she decides to contain any future escalation by closing the path between worlds.

The above bit, of course, is just speculation (albeit speculation rooted in story).  I love Midna, and it's sad that she couldn't stick around with Link.

[Fierce Diety]

It is sad, as they were great fun to watch together.... Never mind. By the way master Hylia I agree with ur belief that the dark links are actually symbolic.... not actual happenings.

[Master Hylia]

In addition to what Master Hylia mentioned (that light and shadow can't mingle -- so in one way, she broke the mirror to keep the worlds separate in accordance with divine law), I think Midna also broke the mirror because she doesn't trust people to refrain from mucking things up again. She says to Zelda, "If all are as you then maybe you'll be okay" (I'm paraphrasing here), so in other words she's saying that if all people were as noble and pure as Zelda, wars and other problems wouldn't happen. Knowing that her people and the Hylians have been in conflict before, and that few people are as good as Zelda, she decides to contain any future escalation by closing the path between worlds.

The above bit, of course, is just speculation (albeit speculation rooted in story). I love Midna, and it's sad that she couldn't stick around with Link.

Well Juno Reactor I totally agree with you, good explanation

is sad, as they were great fun to watch together.... Never mind. By the way master Hylia I agree with ur belief that the dark links are actually symbolic.... not actual happenings

Yeah they're like to show Link what happened and to make him identify with them so he would knew what dark power was Midna and him seeking and what that dark power namely ¨Fused Shadow¨ could do to them

[Fierce Diety]

This question is mainly for Master Hylia, as it seems he is the only one capable around here.... (I read in one of the forums that someone did not know who Link was, thay thought that Zelda was link!) What exactly is the fused shadow and what does midna do with it??

[Juno Reactor]

You do know that I (Juno Reactor) explained the Shadow Link cutscene, right Josh?  I'm not saying other people hadn't figured it out before (I haven't really read anything else here), but as far as this thread's concerned, I pointed it out first.  Again, I wouldn't be surprised if others mentioned it before (it's pretty obvious when you first see the cutscene).

To answer your question, Fused Shadow is the manifestation of the ancient power the Twili's ancestors used to try and conquer the Sacred Realm, the power that was sealed away by the intervention of the Light Spirits.  It is the magic of the Twili, and a very powerful weapon too.  Midna originally intends to use it to stop Zant, but it ultimately proves more useful as a means of exorcising Ganon's spirit from Zelda's body at the end.

[Zant]

During the following hundred years: Ganondorf, posing too great a threat, is to be destroyed by the Sages back in Hyrule at the Arbiter's Grounds, but his Triforce piece prevents this.  Instead, the Sages (who are different from the Light Spirits) ban him to the Twilight Realm.  Here, Ganondorf will become like a god to one among the Twili, an aspiring warlord named Zant.  And then the events of Twilight Princess occur, a hundred years after OoT.

This got me to thinking; you say Ganondorf posed a tremendous threat due to his rise in power in the Sacred Realm and thus was to be eliminated by the sages at Arbiter's Grounds. Then why do the Sages tell Link that Ganondorf was "exposed, subdued, and brought to justice" as though Ganondorf was just a high-ranked thug who was running amuck with his band of thieves trying to establish dominion over this Sacred Realm and was a stranger to any danger that may befall him? This comes off to me that -- as much as I hate it -- their is a high chance of a split timeline. They made no mention of him being to great a threat in the Sacred Realm or anything. Another thing to add to this is the fact the Sages state "By some divine prank, he, too, was blessed with the chosen power of the gods." Like you said: Ganondorf tricked Link into opening the Sacred Realm where there he stole the Triforce of Power. That doesn't sound like a diving prank to me though.

But then -- on a completely different topic here -- I think: how can there really be a split timeline; Link, Zelda, and the Sages sealing Ganondorf away in the future and then Link traversing time back to his child state wouldn't hinder the fate of Ganondorf in any way. I'd still think Ganondorf would still be sealed in the Sacred Realm.

This is just my two cents though.