Storyline Articles

There are many areas of the Zelda series' internal history that are weak, contradictory, or otherwise unexplainable by known facts. The purpose of these articles is to theorize about ambiguous aspects of the storyline, explain confusing issues, and raise thought-provoking questions. Note that I do not go back and revise articles once they are completed, so if you disagree with something written here, that might be because that opinion is out-of-date. I plan to write addenda for all the articles, which will list that article's strengths and weaknesses, updates/additions, and possible objections along with my responses.

  • Aonuma says Split! Forum Violence up 15%. - TheMissingLink addresses the implications of and community response to Aonuma confirming the split timeline. An entertaining read, as usual.

  • Disproving the Divine Prank Myth - An article by James Hurvid, a forum contributor, in which he seeks to disprove the commonly held "Divine Prank Myth." Contains Twilight Princess spoilers.

  • In Communist Hyrule, the Song of Storms Plays YOU - An excellent article by TheMissingLink, webmaster of Zeldablog and The Grand Adventures. In it, he uses the Song of Storms as an example to show that strict canon rules limit our ability to create a workable timeline.

  • SteveT: Zelda Timeline Theory 101 - SteveT, long time contributor to the Storyline section of our forums and experienced theorist, explains how to go about getting started in the timeline community.

  • Arturo 3: The Minish Cap Mysteries - An examination of the most prominent mysteries of Zelda's latest installement on GBA, The Minish Cap

  • Arturo 2: A Defense of the Split Timeline - Arturo is back, and this time he's teamed up with a member of ZL's forums, Jumbie, in an enormous and in-depth defense of the Split Timeline theory.

  • Arturo 1: Sleeping Zelda, Revisited Again - Zelda Legend's new writer, Arturo, delves into the Sleeping Zelda legend once again, and attempts to establish it's position relative to a few of the other games.

  • Article 26: A Defense of the OoT/ALttP Connection - This is a defense of the thesis that OoT is ALttP's true prequel, and that it tells about the Imprisoning War. This article attempts to resolve many of the inconsistencies that have bothered Zelda fans for years.

  • Article 25: One Ganon or Many? - This article examines the theory that there is more than one Ganon. I argue that it is best to believe in only one Ganon, and that attempts to theorize otherwise have very little basis and are a waste of time.

  • Article 24: Zelda.com's Storyline - I explain why I think the zelda.com storyline is only a theory, not an "official order," and I give a detailed critique of the whole storyline.

  • Article 23: Common Misconceptions - This article points out common mistakes that people make when talking about Zelda, as well as a few ideas that I don't think fit very well into the flow of the canon.

  • Article 22: Spectacle Rock & The Death Mountain Area - Read how Spectacle Rock, an important geographical feature which I neglected to consider in my previous geography article, sheds new light on the identity of the mysterious Death Mountain area.

  • Article 21: Zelda: History or Myth? - This article deals with the issue of whether the Zelda games are just retellings of one basic story, or if they really do have an internal history.

  • Article 20: Creation of the Dark World - This interesting new theory explains many mysteries about OoT's ending, the Dark World, and more. Come see for yourself, and see how it compares to previous theories on the subject.

  • Article 19: Oracle Mysteries - Come hear my thoughts on such stumpers as: Why are the oracles named after the golden goddesses? Where in the storyline do the Oracle games fall? Since Capcom made the games instead of Nintendo, do they still "count?"

  • Article 18: A Good Look at Hyrule's Geography - The purpose of this article is to clear up any confusion about Hyrule's geography. Here I try to deal as thoroughly as possible with all aspects of Hyrule's landscape.

  • Article 17: Analyzing the Canon - Having now established what it I believe to be the canon sources for the Zelda storyline, I now comment on the relative strength and authority of the different aspects of the canon, such as the art, text, and gameplay in the games and instruction booklets.

  • Article 16: What is Canon? - As one studies the wonder that is the Zelda storyline, it is important to understand which sources to accept and which to reject. Come read my opinion on what's authoritative and what isn't.

  • Article 15: Great Cataclysms and Miyamoto's Order - Another theory, looked at in the context of prophecies about the Great Cataclysm, may explain how Miyamoto's order could make sense.

  • Article 14: Miyamoto's Order Reconsidered - Miyamoto, the creator of Zelda and Mario, gives a different order for the storyline of the games. A new theory explained herein shows how this order could be feasible.

  • Article 13: Hyrule's Geography, Revisited - After studying the different maps of Hyrule again, I feel that it is necessary to make some minor and major revisions to my previous theory about Hyrule's changing landscape.

  • Article 12: OoT's Ending, Revisited Again - If you've already read my last article on this subject, come ponder some new additions to the theory that may prove quite interesting.

  • Article 11: Descendants of the Sages, Revisited - After thinking about the time period between OoT and ALttP a bit more, I've come up with some new theories about the descendants of the Wise Men and the disappearance of the races of Hyrule.

  • Article 10: Hyrule's Geography - Know how the land of Hyrule seems to change in each Zelda game? I have a theory that may explain why this is so.

  • Article 9: OoT's Ending, Revisited - After thinking about OoT's paradoxical time-traveling ending again, I think I have hit upon a theory that explains a lot. Read all about it inside.

  • Article 8: Descendents of the Sages - Come explore the mystery behind the progeny of the Seven Wise Men and the dilution of the races of Hyrule in this three-part article.

  • Article 7: Master Sword Discrepancies - There are a lot of them, folks. Come with me and delve into the apocryphal mystique of the legendary Blade of Evil's Bane.

  • Article 6: The Sleeping Zelda, Revisited - If you've visited this site often and read my first article, "The Sleeping Zelda," you know that I have claimed, even proved, that this princess is the same one as in OoT. However, in a recent flash of enlightenment, I have discovered that I am completely wrong and that I must change my whole site. This article explains the details.

  • Article 5: Who is Agahnim? - This mysterious wizard from ALttP remains a mystery. This article throws some light on the contradictory aspects of Ganon's pawn.

  • Article 4: The Manji Labyrinth - In the original Legend of Zelda, one of the labyrinths, called Manji, is signified with what looks like a swastika. Find out the story behind it here.

  • Article 3: OoT's Ending - The paradoxical time-traveling ending of Zelda 64 is confusing to say the least. Read this article to see my viewpoint on the issue.

  • Article 2: Nintendo's Storyline - Both Shigeru Miyamoto of NCL and Dan Owsen of NOA give a time line that is different than the one on this site. What's going on?

  • Article 1: The Sleeping Zelda - In "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link," Link must awaken an ancient Princess Zelda. What is the identity of this mysterious princess?