Spoiler Breath of the Wild in the Child Timeline?!

[LinktheHauntedHero]

Now, I know all of you will disagree with me INSTANTLY. And I don't exactly have the evidence required to prove this. Except for one small, but very powerful line. Zelda, as you are in the Sacred Grounds being recognized as the champion, says "Whether Skyward Bound, Adrift in Time, or Steeped Into the Glowing Embers of Twilight." Coincidence? Can't be. If the game was in any other timeline (including all three), how come more evidence points to the Child Timeline (Mirror of Twilight, Lake Hylia (yes, it's only in the Child Timeline), Temple of Time (again, only in the Child Timeline), Castle Town (don't think I need to say it again, but only in the Child Timeline), Goron City (same as before), (yep, same thing) and Zora's Domain (also the same). In the Adult Timeline (excluding the Adult Timeline in Ocarina of Time) and the Fallen Hero Timeline (the parallel of the Adult Timeline), none of these appear. The only link to any other timeline (in this case, the Adult Timeline) is Vah Medoh, and the fact that the sages are now legend (though, they did send Ganon into the Twilight Realm in Twilight Princess). Other evidence includes the general map of Hyrule and its landmarks (Bridge of Hylia, Hyrule Castle is even similar to Twilight Princess's version, and even Lon Lon Ranch (which makes no appearance in the Child Timeline and got flooded in the Adult Timeline)). I will expand on this theory later, with the "Breath of the Wild CANNOT take place in the Adult Timeline, Here's Why" theory. If you have a different opinion or more proof of this, I'd love to see it! But please have evidence if you have an opposing opinion.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

But Lake Hylia, the Temple of Time, Castle Town, and Goron City all would have existed on the Downfall Timeline too. Why? Because Ocarina of Time is the common factor in every timeline split. Likewise, all of history before OoT is common history on every timeline divergence too. All of your points are taking things from OoT and saying it is proof that Breath of the Wild could only be on the Child Timeline, but this is a fallacy because of what I just explained above.

Just because we don't see the Temple of Time on the Downfall timeline doesn't mean it isn't out there somewhere; landmarks and geography have never been consistent throughout the entire series, too.

Also keep in mind there is more evidence against the Child Timeline because the Temple of Time is in complete ruins in Twilight Princess, and the Mirror Twilight was shattered beyond repair. Finally, the Sages from Ocarina of Time would have never awoken as Sages because the events that led to their awakening were prevented by Link's time traveling that created the Child Timeline in the first place.

The Mirror of Twilight was created prior to Ocarina of Time anyway, so it makes sense for it to be intact on the Downfall timeline, which is the split that I believe BotW best fits in (unless convergence theory is proven as the truth). The OoT Sages were awoken on the Downfall Timeline, and the lengthy history of Hyrule leading to practically a dark age of knowledge of the Triforce makes sense here, but on other timelines there isn't enough history for that.

 

[Spirit]

Other dubs of that scene where Zelda seemingly mentions the other time lines have more information in them than the English. I think the Japanese and German dubs in particular go on longer and be heard clearly. She mentions the sea, which could easily be a link to the adult timeline.

Some of it can be found in Creating A Champion.

But that's completely meaningless because while there is evidence for BotW to happen in any timeline, there's just as much that it doesn't occur on any, even if people don't want to believe it.

In Creating A Champion, there is the timeline and beneath it is a line and beneath that line in BotW.
The timeline above the line is now known as 'The Era of Myth', so the established timeline we knew from the previous 19 games has no real relation to BotW outside of legend and myth.

This positions BotW as more of a stand alone continuity. Aonuma has literally drawn a line under the timeline and started BotW without any hard ties to the previous continuity so that he can cherry pick whatever lore he wants to use in the future.

The timeline, as far as BotW is concerned, is a myth. It doesn't link to anything, it wasn't intended to explicitly link to any of the branching timelines so that Aonuma didn't have to bind himself to past rules and laws of the established continuity.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

"Technology is highly advanced."

Still relies on horses, swords, and medieval technology.

 

[MapelSerup]

"Technology is highly advanced."

Still relies on horses, swords, and medieval technology.

The era of prosperity takes place 10,000 years before BOTW, I believe. It’s not talking about Breath of the Wild, but its backstory, when the Shekiah technology was created.

 

[LinktheHauntedHero]

Very true. But remember in The Legend of Zelda and in Adventure of Link, Hyrule fell until was nothing. These cities were completely destroyed. And in the Adult Timeline, they were washed away when Hyrule was flooded.

Other dubs of that scene where Zelda seemingly mentions the other time lines have more information in them than the English. I think the Japanese and German dubs in particular go on longer and be heard clearly. She mentions the sea, which could easily be a link to the adult timeline.

Some of it can be found in Creating A Champion.

But that's completely meaningless because while there is evidence for BotW to happen in any timeline, there's just as much that it doesn't occur on any, even if people don't want to believe it.

In Creating A Champion, there is the timeline and beneath it is a line and beneath that line in BotW.
The timeline above the line is now known as 'The Era of Myth', so the established timeline we knew from the previous 19 games has no real relation to BotW outside of legend and myth.

Zelda mentions the sea when she says "seas of time and distance." People have many interpretations of this, I'm sure (and Aonuma continuously jacks this series up, Mases, Caleb Simpson or Shigeru Miyamoto needs to be in charge), but I believe it means that Hyrule has gone through a sea of heroes throughout time. All of which have traveled throughout the vast land (the distance part) of Hyrule. So every hero has taken time (or traveled through it) to travel through a great distance in order to save their kingdom.

 

[TheHeroofTime]

First of all, a slight inconsistency: Lake Hylia does actually exist in A Link to the Past. Second, I do agree with you that Breath of the Wild has to take place in the Child Timeline.
1) It is utterly impossible for it to occur in the Adult Timeline. First of all, Ganondorf is dead and the Master Sword is buried, along with the Triforce. Secondly, all of Hyrule was not just sealed, it was washed away completely by an entire ocean. Breath of the Wild's Hyrule clearly has not been buried under an ocean at any point. The land would have been deformed to the point of being unrecognizable, and no landmarks from Hyrule's past would be found anywhere. The natural terrain would have been scoured of the plant life that once defined it, and the soil would have been eroded and corrupted with salt, making it incapable of bearing the same life. To say that Breath of the Wild can take place in the Adult Timeline is to both ignore basic science and the entire ending of the Wind Waker.
2) It is similarly unlikely for the game to occur in the Downfall Timeline. The Sheikah, around which the story of Breath of the Wild centers, are not mentioned in the Downfall Timeline. The Kingdom of Hyrule, which is shown to have been in a state of prosperity both 10,000 years ago and in the current day, was nearly destroyed by the end of the Downfall Timeline: a fragmented ruin of a kingdom that resembles nothing the proud and strong kingdom of Hyrule in the age before Calamity Ganon's most recent assault.
3) Strong evidence points to the Child Timeline: Zelda's reference to the Twilight in the first memory, the ruins of a Twilit mirror, the Sheikah in a role of prominence, the Zora and the Gorons existing simultaneously in peace, the Gerudo existing at all (they don't appear in any of the Downfall or Adult Timeline games, aside from Ganon himself), and a land that seems evolved from that of Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Going even further and including the trailer for the sequel, Ganondorf has only died in human form in one timeline where Hyrule was not annihilated: The Child Timeline. His design resembles that of his final appearance in Twilight Princess; bearing a single prominent jewel upon his forehead, and logic dictates that he was likely sealed posthumously to prevent his resurrection.

I don't see how Breath of the Wild could take place anywhere but the Child Timeline. There are too many inconsistencies in the other timelines for it to make sense fitting into either of them, and the evidence strongly points to the Child Timeline.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Very true. But remember in The Legend of Zelda and in Adventure of Link, Hyrule fell until was nothing. These cities were completely destroyed. And in the Adult Timeline, they were washed away when Hyrule was flooded.

There are numerous thriving towns in Adventure of Link. In that regard, the Kingdom is more lively than we've ever seen it in other games.

 

[LinktheHauntedHero]

There are numerous thriving towns in Adventure of Link. In that regard, the Kingdom is more lively than we've ever seen it in other games.

Yes, very true. But none of these towns are the towns mentioned above. They were towns named after the sages...or at least what remained of them in legends.

First of all, a slight inconsistency: Lake Hylia does actually exist in A Link to the Past. Second, I do agree with you that Breath of the Wild has to take place in the Child Timeline.
1) It is utterly impossible for it to occur in the Adult Timeline. First of all, Ganondorf is dead and the Master Sword is buried, along with the Triforce. Secondly, all of Hyrule was not just sealed, it was washed away completely by an entire ocean. Breath of the Wild's Hyrule clearly has not been buried under an ocean at any point. The land would have been deformed to the point of being unrecognizable, and no landmarks from Hyrule's past would be found anywhere. The natural terrain would have been scoured of the plant life that once defined it, and the soil would have been eroded and corrupted with salt, making it incapable of bearing the same life. To say that Breath of the Wild can take place in the Adult Timeline is to both ignore basic science and the entire ending of the Wind Waker.
2) It is similarly unlikely for the game to occur in the Downfall Timeline. The Sheikah, around which the story of Breath of the Wild centers, are not mentioned in the Downfall Timeline. The Kingdom of Hyrule, which is shown to have been in a state of prosperity both 10,000 years ago and in the current day, was nearly destroyed by the end of the Downfall Timeline: a fragmented ruin of a kingdom that resembles nothing the proud and strong kingdom of Hyrule in the age before Calamity Ganon's most recent assault.
3) Strong evidence points to the Child Timeline: Zelda's reference to the Twilight in the first memory, the ruins of a Twilit mirror, the Sheikah in a role of prominence, the Zora and the Gorons existing simultaneously in peace, the Gerudo existing at all (they don't appear in any of the Downfall or Adult Timeline games, aside from Ganon himself), and a land that seems evolved from that of Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess. Going even further and including the trailer for the sequel, Ganondorf has only died in human form in one timeline where Hyrule was not annihilated: The Child Timeline. His design resembles that of his final appearance in Twilight Princess; bearing a single prominent jewel upon his forehead, and logic dictates that he was likely sealed posthumously to prevent his resurrection.

I don't see how Breath of the Wild could take place anywhere but the Child Timeline. There are too many inconsistencies in the other timelines for it to make sense fitting into either of them, and the evidence strongly points to the Child Timeline.

Yes, of course. But Lake Hylia's really in that game? I didn't know..can you send me a picture of it? And yes, this is exactly what I was trying to get at that, but I avoided science for some reason...and in the Downfall Timeline Ganon wasn't just defeated. Rather, he was utterly destroyed. Link got the Triforce of Power, and in doing so, the only way Ganon could be ressurected is if Link died and his blood was sprinkled on Ganon (which never happened, because even if Link did somehow die, his body and his blood would be completely protected, and by the time the enemies found him, both Link and Ganon would have both long decayed), so all of that completely eliminates the Downfall Timeline.

And sorry if I mentioned anything you've already mentioned...

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Yes, very true. But none of these towns are the towns mentioned above. They were towns named after the sages...or at least what remained of them in legends.

Sages that were never awoken as Sages on the Child Timeline.

 

[TheHeroofTime]

@SuperMario101yt: Here's the map from A Link to the Past. I think Lake Hylia is the large body of water in the southeast.

 

[Moblinking5000]

The line in Japanese uses ''Tasogare'' in the Twilight line. Tasogare is used to refer to other things in Zelda such as the SR in the backstory of ALttP, and I believe that ''Kage'' was the word used to refer to the Twilight in TP. Without further context, using the Ceremony as evidence isn't a good idea.

I personally place BotW on the DT, because:

A. The sages from OoT are remembered,

B. Hyrule, the Land of the Gods, still exists.

Now, we know that both of these are true in the world that BotW takes place in. However, if placed in the CT, A can't be true(and don't give me that whole, ''Link told everyone what happened'' thing, because the HH says he wasn't remembered, and the JP intro of MM even says that he ''faded from legend''), as the sages did not awaken. If BotW is on the AT, B can't be true, as Hyrule is erased according to the JP version of TWW, and we know this is Old Hyrule due to things like the Master Sword existing and the Temple of Time being called the ''birth place of Hyrule''. Therefore, by process of elimination, the DT is the only one that fits, IMO. There's other evidence for a DT(Ganon having no real wits about him according to CaC, This being Ganondorf I according to CaC, Ganondorf having round ears in the BotW sequel trailer, the Hylian Alphabet being the same as the one that we see in ALBW, The cycle of there being a golden era follwed by an age of decline being present in BotW and its backstory, etc.) but the above is the best case as far as I'm concerned.

Here's a couple topics where I elaborate further if you're interested: https://zeldadungeon.net/forum/thre...of-botw-and-my-conclusion.60315/#post-1100907 and https://zeldadungeon.net/forum/thre...d-in-regards-to-the-placement-for-botw.68621/



Spirit: You putting too much stock into the ''Era of Myth'' wording. The Triforce is considered a myth in the backstory of ALttP, yet we see it with our own eyes at the end of the game. Many things in the games have been called legends and myths. That coupled with the fact that BotW is confirmed to be canon and to be at the end of one of the branches in an interview is indicative of the ''Era of Myth'' being flavour text until we have reason to believe otherwise.

 

[TheHeroofTime]

@Moblinking5000 You have an excellent point there. According to the general lore and history, it does make a lot of sense for the game to take place in the Downfall Timeline. However, Ganondorf does not exist at all in the Downfall Timeline. He transforms permanently into the Demon Boar Ganon prior to A Link to the Past. He is slain at the end of A Link to the Past, and then later sealed prior to A Link Between Worlds. He is resurrected in the Oracle games, but only as a mindless beast, then slain and sealed again. He is resurrected one final time in The Legend of Zelda, but instead of being sealed, he is utterly destroyed at the end of that game. He is deceased and it would require the blood of the hero to be spread over his ashes in order to resurrect him, something that never happens. The Master Sword has disappeared by the end of that timeline.
Ganondorf clearly exists in the sequel to Breath of the Wild, while he does not exist in human form at all in the Downfall Timeline. This, in my opinion is enough to rule out the Downfall Timeline. Secondly, the world and people inhabiting it bear significant resemblance to the Child Timeline, and there are major inconsistencies with the Downfall Timeline. According to Encyclopedia, the Zora have become a race of outright monsters by the time of The Adventure of Link. The Gerudo simply don't exist (aside from Ganon and Twinrova) as far as we know in that timeline. I think that it would be cool if Breath of the Wild was in the Downfall Timeline, but the world far closer resembles the Child Timeline and there are too many inconsistencies with the Downfall Timeline.

 

[Moblinking5000]

Ganondorf may not appear in his human form in the DT, but there is no lore prohibiting him from doing so. In fact, we have precedence for this. The Imprisoned is Demise reduced to a mindless beast, but he is eventually revived in his human form. Ganondorf being resurrected in his human shape is not necessarily proof against a DT placement.

The Zora in BotW are different from the ones in AoL, so that point is irrelevant; The Zora in BotW are said to have come to Hyrule 10,000 prior, so it would be after AoL and they would be seperate from the ones we see in the NES games, and the only place we see Zora aside from Hyrule are in Labrynna in the DT.

We also don't see Gerudo in TP, but we do in FSA. We can't assume that a race is extinct because we don't see them ingame.

 

[TheHeroofTime]

We do see the Gerudo Desert in Twilight Princess, though. I'm not saying they're extinct in the Downfall timeline, just not relevant. Also, the Zora in Breath of the Wild are descended from the same ones of which Ruto was a member. She is hailed as one of their heroes. And there is something prohibiting the return of any Ganon in the Downfall Timeline: he actually died. Link didn't seal him; he killed him outright. The only way that he could have been resurrected would have been to sprinkle the hero's blood over Ganon's ashes, but I don't see that happening. Besides, Ganondorf made the choice to transform into Ganon, so I don't know why he would turn back.