Let's be honest. I honestly don't believe there's any legitimate argument against this: Nintendo never had any timeline for the games. Dark Horse either made up the timeline split for Hyrule Historia or were in touch with developers who made up a timeline split for Hyrule Historia. I'm waiting for the day Nintendo lays a couple of cards on the table and admits that there's no hard and fast rule regarding the "timeline" because it's actually the LEGEND of Zelda. The same story told again and again over centuries which takes on aspects of the culture in which it is told but necessarily exists in no era in which it is told. We'll all be able to call it a legend again and stop picking apart the specifics. I'm hyped for the day when The Legend of Zelda is as legitimate as BotW as Oracle of Seasons as Four Swords Adventures. No more The History of Zelda, bring it back to The Legend of Zelda!
So much wrong with this.
Zelda 2 is a direct sequel taking place after Link defeated Ganon in Zelda 1 and reclaimed the Triforce of Power and Triforce of Wisdom. The intro to the game and the manual both make this clear as day. This game introduces the Triforce of Courage, the fact that Ganon can be revived, and multiple incarnations of Zelda to the lore.
A Link to the Past is a prequel to
The Legend of Zelda. The back of the NoA box states that ALttP features the ancestors of Link and Zelda, and the NoJ box says it takes place during a time when Hyrule was still one nation, a bygone time mentioned by Impa in the JP Zelda 2 manual. The JP manual also mentions that ALttP and its backstory sets the stage for The Legend of Zelda(referring to the entire franchise since Zelda 1 had the subtitle of ''The Hyrule Fantasy'' in Japan, and ALttP was the earliest game in the chronology at the time), and there's this quote:
''Indeed, the King of Evil Ganon, the one who has threatened Hyrule so, was born at this time.''
This makes it clear that the main antagonist of ALttP, Ganon, is the very same antagonist from the NES era despite Link and Zelda being seperate incarnations from the NES games. Zelda II introduced the fact that Ganon can be revived to the lore, so this doesn't conflict with the fact that ALttP ends in his death. Talking about Ganon, this is the first game to be released that delves into his backstory as a human thief who invades the Sacred Realm and and claims the Triforce. This story would be expanded upon in
Ocarina of Time. This is also the first game to be released to feature the Master Sword, as well as the Creation myth(although the goddesses would remain nameless until OoT revealed their names). This game introduces multiple Links to the lore, too.
Link's Awakening had no confirmed placement at the time of its release per say, but there were some things we knew:
-It took place after an incarnation of Link defeated Ganon
-The Nightmares took the form of Agahnim
-Places like Turtle Rock appear in the dream, places Link visited in ALttP
Placing it after ALttP with the same Link seemed like the best bet; Zelda 1 already had a followup game, and Zelda 1's Link never fought Agahnim. Funnily enough, this placement was confirmed in 1998, when LADX came out:
''Having regained peace in Hyrule from the evil king Ganon's demonic clutches, Link set out on a journey of training in preparation for a new calamity before he could enjoy the peace he had obtained.'' Followed by a clip of the end of the fight with Ganon in ALttP.
So there you go. So far, the timeline is:
Creation-Imprisoning War-A Link to the Past/Link's Awakening-Tragedy of Zelda-Ganon is revived; he steals the Triforce of Power/
The Legend of Zelda/Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Ocarina of Time is a prequel to
A Link to the Past. It deals with elements of the backstory, such as Ganondorf entering the Sacred Realm and touching the Triforce and the Creation story while expanding upon them.
''The story in Ocarina of time isn't actually original, it deals with the Sages' Imprisoning War from the Super Famicom's ALttP. Because of the relation, I thought it would be right to leave a part of the pigginess in.''
The original interview can be found in its entirety at <a href="http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin1/nin1-6.htm" target="new">1101</a>. Translation thanks to <a href="https://www.glitterberri.com/ocarina-of-time/1101-interviews/ganondorf" target="new">Glitterberri</a>
www.zeldadungeon.net
The games ends with a split in the timeline; we know this to be the case because we witness the future continuing to exist after Link is sent back(the party at Lon Lon for example).
Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to
Ocarina of Time, not in the world where Ganon was defeated and sealed away, but in the world where Link lived out his childhood after being sent back. Proof of this is in the fact that the intro to the game makes it crystal clear, as well as the fact that Link has the OoT and the Kokiri Sword, with the description for the KS saying it's the same one he got from Kokiri Forest in OoT.
The Oracle games are somewhat tricky; they take place in an era where the Triforce is unified and in possession of the Royal Family and Ganon is dead(NOT sealed). Some people tried placing them after ALttP and before LA with the same Link due to Link leaving on a boat at the end, but not only does Zelda not recognize him, but he has a Triforce birthmark that ALttP/LA Link doesn't have, and the point of the Oracle games was to test Link(which would be odd if he was already a hero), and he only becomes a hero at the end of the game according to Zelda. Therefore, the Oracle games could've only gone either after ALttP/LA and before the era of the NES Games, or after the era of the NES games.
Four Swords was the first game in the timeline according to Aonuma:
''Aonuma: The GBA Four Swords Zelda is what we’re thinking as the oldest tale in the Zelda timeline. With this one on the GameCube [(
FSA)] being a sequel to that, and taking place sometime after that
.''
Creator Quotes are commonly studied in the Zelda Timeline discussion by theorists attempting to interpret the Nintendo-intended path of the storyline. The precise meanings and relevancies of these quotes are commonly debated, and often raise more questions than they answer. After Ocarina of Time...
zelda.fandom.com
This places it as first in the timeline during this period.
The Wind Waker is a sequel to
Ocarina of Time in the world where Ganon was defeated by the Hero of Time and sealed away by the sages. Not only was this confimed ingame due to the multiple references to characters and events from OoT, but there's also interviews:
Q: Where does The Wind Waker fit into the overall Zelda series timeline? Aonuma: You can think of this game as taking place over a hundred years after Ocarina of Time. You can tell this from the opening story, and there are references to things from Ocarina located throughout the game as well.Miyamoto: Well, wait, which point does the hundred years start from? Aonuma: From the end. Miyamoto: No, I mean, as a child or as a... Aonuma: Oh, right, let me elaborate on that. Ocarina of Time basically has two endings of sorts; one has Link as a child and the other has him as an adult. This game, The Wind Waker, takes place a hundred years after the adult Link defeats Ganon at the end of Ocarina.
Creator Quotes are commonly studied in the Zelda Timeline discussion by theorists attempting to interpret the Nintendo-intended path of the storyline. The precise meanings and relevancies of these quotes are commonly debated, and often raise more questions than they answer. After Ocarina of Time...
zelda.fandom.com
The Minish Cap obviously takes place before FS due to providing the origin for the FS and Vaati, so it becomes the first game.
Twilight Princess is centuries after
Ocarina of Time in the world where Link lived out his childhood:
–When does Twilight Princess take place?Aonuma: In the world of Ocarina of Time, a hundred and something years later.–And the Wind Waker?Aonuma: The Wind Waker is parallel. In Ocarina of Time, Link flew seven years in time, he beat Ganon and went back to being a kid, remember? Twilight Princess takes place in the world of Ocarina of Time, a hundred and something years after the peace returned to kid Link’s time. In the last scene of Ocarina of Time, kids Link and Zelda have a little talk, and as a consequence of that talk, their relationship with Ganon takes a whole new direction. In the middle of this game [Twilight Princess], there's a scene showing Ganon's execution. It was decided that Ganon be executed because he'd do something outrageous if they left him be. That scene takes place several years after Ocarina of Time. Ganon was sent to another world and now he wants to obtain the power...
Creator Quotes are commonly studied in the Zelda Timeline discussion by theorists attempting to interpret the Nintendo-intended path of the storyline. The precise meanings and relevancies of these quotes are commonly debated, and often raise more questions than they answer. After Ocarina of Time...
zelda.fandom.com
Phantom Hourglass is an obvious direct sequel to TWW; Tetra is in it, and the beginning recaps it.
Spirit Tracks is about a century after TWW/PH; Niko is still alive, and Tetra is mentioned.
Skyward Sword is an obvious prequel to the entire series; it explains the origins of the Master Sword and Hyrule Kingdom.
So, even before the Historia and Encyclopedia, almost every game had an obvious placement besides FSA and, to a lesser extent, the Oracles. Pretty good track record if you ask me.
Also, just because it's called ''The LEGEND of Zelda'' doesn't mean anything. The LEGEND of Korra is still a part of the same continuity as Avatar: The Last Airbender despite having legend in its name. It's just an epic sounding name.