Hyrule Town Square

[Sabrblade]

Namely, it now explicitly shows the BotW/TotK era as a common end point of any of the three timelines (the web site's HTML code calls it a "shared epilogue"), and makes it explicit that TotK Rauru founds a new Hyrule after the classic Hyrule is long gone.

Except, no it doesn't. The Wild games are placed after all three timeline branches but are not connected to any of them. There is a bracket of separation at the end of all three branches before the timeline of the Wild games begins each time. They are basically continuing to take an agnostic stance of refusing to give a precise connective placement to the Wild games in relation to any of the other games on the main timeline, just as they have been doing ever since BOTW first released nine years ago.

 

[Exatron]

Except, no it doesn't. The Wild games are placed after all three timeline branches but are not connected to any of them. There is a bracket of separation at the end of all three branches before the timeline of the Wild games begins each time. They are basically continuing to take an agnostic stance of refusing to give a precise connective placement to the Wild games in relation to any of the other games on the main timeline, just as they have been doing ever since BOTW first released nine years ago.

Yes, there's a giant gap between the classic games and the Wild era. But they literally are placed after the current end of each of the classic timelines. You literally cannot see the Wild era timeline unless you choose one of the classic timelines (downfall, child, or adult) and then scroll all the way to the end of it. No matter which timeline you choose to follow, it has BotW and TotK at the end. And like I mentioned before, it's coded into the HTML that they are a "shared epilogue" for each timeline.

No, they aren't making any hard ties between the classic games and the Wild games that could potentially lock it down in some way. But it's clear that the whole Wild era, founding by Rauru included, takes place long after the classic games. They've said that directly in interviews, it's always been depicted on the official timelines consistently with that, and they've now tweaked it to remove a little more of the ambiguity.

I'm certainly not going to say that anyone has to like the official timeline, or overlook the issues that have come up over the last 40 years. And of course anyone can head cannon whatever they want. But officially, it's crystal clear at this point: At some point long, long after all the classic games, Rauru founds a new, separate kingdom of Hyrule, and the events of BotW and TotK happen to that kingdom.

I am curious if there's some sort of Dragon Break type of scenario that literally merges the timelines, or if Nintendo's view is just that the events of the classic games are so far in the past that the details about which games happened just don't matter. My bet is it's the latter. Regardless of how many times Hyrule is invaded by which version(s) of Ganon(dorf), at some point the kingdom(s) fall into ruin and are forgotten. Eventually, Rauru comes along and founds a whole new kingdom from scratch. Maybe with some knowledge of the previous kingdom(s)? I doubt we'll ever get any answers on that. I'm betting Nintendo will be content to just permanently leave a giant gap there to allow the Wild games to remain in the far future of whatever they decide to do within the classic timelines.

 

[Sabrblade]

founding by Rauru included, takes place long after the classic games. They've said that directly in interviews,

On the contrary:

 

[Exatron]

On the contrary:

I appreciate the extra context. The part about it possibly referring to the Zonai history rather than Hyrule feels really speculative to me, but I certainly can't argue the specifics of the language.

Either way, the points where he insists that the history was not done in a slapdash way, and that they want to leave room for fans to speculate, along with the fact that he brings up the idea of everything having been destroyed before unprompted, all still feel very on point for this discussion. I don't see anything here that undercuts anything I've said, beyond weakening the one point about the interview. If anything, it's otherwise entirely consistent with what I already said: they're not going to say anything that completely locks down all the details. They're just giving the broad strokes.

 

[The Predaking]

I just went ahead and used mine to get Wolverine cheaper

Well, I have around $450 in points pending right now after replacing most of my lightning fried electronics there. I was going to get an Xbox Series X or PC parts with it, but this for the kids seems like a good idea.

 

[ZakuConvoy]

I am curious if there's some sort of Dragon Break type of scenario that literally merges the timelines, or if Nintendo's view is just that the events of the classic games are so far in the past that the details about which games happened just don't matter. My bet is it's the latter. Regardless of how many times Hyrule is invaded by which version(s) of Ganon(dorf), at some point the kingdom(s) fall into ruin and are forgotten. Eventually, Rauru comes along and founds a whole new kingdom from scratch. Maybe with some knowledge of the previous kingdom(s)? I doubt we'll ever get any answers on that. I'm betting Nintendo will be content to just permanently leave a giant gap there to allow the Wild games to remain in the far future of whatever they decide to do within the classic timelines.

Given how little Nintendo as a whole really seems to think through their larger stories, in general, I do tend to agree that they'll just never address it. Just leave it up to fan interpretation and speculation. Nintendo games, in general, tend to have pretty simple stories but surprisingly deep lore. So, I guess this is just something they wanted to do to add to the lore, for the hardcore fans.

...But, it's also kind of strange that they thought about it enough that they made the whole 3 Timelines thing in the first place? Why create something like the 3 Timelines, if you're never going to actually DO anything with that?

So, personally, I would really like for one of these games to actually DO something with the 3 Timelines. Travelling in between the 3 "dimensions". Maybe ending with all 3 Timelines ending up being merged together again. Just...doing something to actually explore the idea? Since it's out there anyway. If only for one game.

I'd prefer them to do something with the idea. Because it's kind of a interesting idea, there's some potential there to do something. But, if we're not going to see how these 3 Timelines develop differently...what's the point? Because it would be fun to see, like...The Wind Waker Timeline develop into a era of Sky-Pirates. Or the Twilight Princess Timeline becoming darker, because the people try to access darker magics. Or the Original Timeline becoming some sort of Sci-Fi Spacefaring Future world. But, if they're all going to end up in the same place...why are we doing 3 Timelines?

Because, otherwise, if the 3 Timelines just merge back together again due to time turning them all into myth and LEGEND...I think maybe they ought to just change the official timeline so it's just one, linear timeline? I'd like them to either DO something with the 3 Timelines, or just retcon the entire concept away, if they really don't want to do anything with it. Because, right now, it's really only something that exists in the Guidebooks. I feel like they thought it'd be a cool idea...but then got cold feet about actually DOING something with it. Which is a shame. I know a lot of fans hate the idea, but I don't.

 

[Caldwin]

I'm honestly surprised at this point people are seriously trying to hold on to the concept of a Zelda timeline.

 

[Shadewing]

I'm honestly surprised at this point people are seriously trying to hold on to the concept of a Zelda timeline.

I mean, you can't make sense of the Real World, you might as well try to make sense of the Fictional one.

 

[The Predaking]

I always just thought of them as a Multiverse from my limited experience of them.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

It's a relic. When there was only a couple of games it seemed simple enough that people couldn't resist trying. It didn't stay simple.

 

[Sabrblade]

The Downfall timeline was a mistake that never should have been thought of. OOT has jack all to do with ALTTP and never wanted to play nice with ALTTP's backstory, so there is zero point in trying to connect those to games together.

 

[Exatron]

The Downfall timeline was a mistake that never should have been thought of. OOT has jack all to do with ALTTP and never wanted to play nice with ALTTP's backstory, so there is zero point in trying to connect those to games together.

From that perspective, I'd call OoT the mistake. Incredible game, but it completely failed at being the ALttP prequel it was stated to be. I don't think there was any good solution to that. You either ignore the design intent and completely separate them, or you rationalize some way to negate a good chunk of the story. The downfall timeline does the latter. And as much as I don't think anyone likes the idea that Link fails so completely, especially in a scenario that we can play through, it does the job.

 

[Sabrblade]

From that perspective, I'd call OoT the mistake. Incredible game, but it completely failed at being the ALttP prequel it was stated to be.

On that, I agree.

I don't think there was any good solution to that. You either ignore the design intent and completely separate them,

The most rational option. After all, once Wind Waker came out, it was impossible for ALTTP to follow after OOT's Adult Ending as it was, but OOT still had its Child Ending that ALTTP and its backstory could have followed after. Even when MM came out, ALTTP's backstory could have still played out offscreen at some point afterward. It was only when TP came out that things got muddier, what with Ganondorf dying at the end of that game while being alive in ALTTP's backstory.

But here's the thing: ALTTP was made to be a prequel to the first NES Zelda game, in which Demon King Ganon is alive and well at the start of, while ALTTP killed him off before that time. Yet, people never disputed ALTTP's prequel status and were perfectly fine with "Somehow Ganon returned" happening between his death in ALTTP and his being alive in Zelda 1. And even with more and more games being added between ALTTP and Zelda 1, Ganon keeps getting killed off at the end of each one of those he appears in, and only one of those cases (the Oracle games) is explicit about his being resurrected from the dead before going back to being dead, while all of his other appearances post-ALTTP having him start off not being dead just because.

If that's the case, and everyone is okay with it, then why his is death at the end of TP treated by fans with such permanence? Why can't he come back somehow after that game? Despite its status as a spinoff, the first Hyrule Warriors even acts like he does come back at some point post-TP since that game is set in a post-TP future. But even that aside, I keep saying that Ganondorf's death at the end of TP is written as though it's not supposed to be a perma-death, as Ganondorf expresses confidence that this death isn't the end, that he knows something the player doesn't. He speaks as though somehow someway he'll be back someday to wreck havoc on Hyrule once again. With that in mind, ALTTP's backstory could easily come some many years after TP following an offscreen resurrection of Ganondorf, which, I repeat, are now a dime a dozen in the games set after ALTTP so what's one more set right before it?

or you rationalize some way to negate a good chunk of the story. The downfall timeline does the latter. And as much as I don't think anyone likes the idea that Link fails so completely, especially in a scenario that we can play through, it does the job.

Except, what people fail to realize about the Downfall ending as described in Hyrule Historia is

1. It goes against the aforementioned original intent of OOT being ALTTP's Imprisoning War by declaring said war to be a completely separate event that happens at some other point well after the Downfall ending of OOT, thereby nullifying the whole reason people continue to insist on connecting those two games together, and
2. It disgraces the integrity of ALTTP's story by completely ignoring ALTTP's backstory as described in its original (Japanese) game manual, which in turn completely invalidates ALTTP's present-day in-game story as a whole as everything said and done in that game is based on the precedent of what was described in its manual backstory being genuine and authentic history. The manual describes both the Imprisoning War and the prewar events that led up to it as initially only remembered as myth and legend, but over the course of the game's story, it is ultimately revealed that the events described in that manual backstory were no mere myth but actual history. Legends turning out to be true is an incredibly common trend in the Zelda games, and while that technically first began with the manual backstory of Zelda 2, it was ALTTP that first really perfected the formula with in-game cutscenes and dialogue text that gradually revealed the authenticity of the myths one Maiden at a time. But with Hyrule Historia making up a completely new backstory contradictory to what was described in ALTTP's manual, that suddenly makes everything said in-game in ALTTP about what was written in the manual a complete and total lie. It's the only case in the entire Legend of Zelda series where the entirety of a single game's narrative is rendered completely invalidated, which just isn't fair to ALTTP.

 

[Exatron]

The most rational option. After all, once Wind Waker came out, it was impossible for ALTTP to follow after OOT's Adult Ending as it was, but OOT still had its Child Ending that ALTTP and its backstory could have followed after. Even when MM came out, ALTTP's backstory could have still played out offscreen at some point afterward. It was only when TP came out that things got muddier, what with Ganondorf dying at the end of that game while being alive in ALTTP's backstory.

But here's the thing: ALTTP was made to be a prequel to the first NES Zelda game, in which Demon King Ganon is alive and well at the start of, while ALTTP killed him off before that time. Yet, people never disputed ALTTP's prequel status and were perfectly fine with "Somehow Ganon returned" happening between his death in ALTTP and his being alive in Zelda 1. And even with more and more games being added between ALTTP and Zelda 1, Ganon keeps getting killed off at the end of each one of those he appears in, and only one of those cases (the Oracle games) is explicit about his being resurrected from the dead before going back to being dead, while all of his other appearances post-ALTTP having him start off not being dead just because.

If that's the case, and everyone is okay with it, then why his is death at the end of TP treated by fans with such permanence? Why can't he come back somehow after that game? Despite its status as a spinoff, the first Hyrule Warriors even acts like he does come back at some point post-TP since that game is set in a post-TP future. But even that aside, I keep saying that Ganondorf's death at the end of TP is written as though it's not supposed to be a perma-death, as Ganondorf expresses confidence that this death isn't the end, that he knows something the player doesn't. He speaks as though somehow someway he'll be back someday to wreck havoc on Hyrule once again. With that in mind, ALTTP's backstory could easily come some many years after TP following an offscreen resurrection of Ganondorf, which, I repeat, are now a dime a dozen in the games set after ALTTP so what's one more set right before it?

I think no one was bothered by Ganon being alive after ALttP because the series had already established that Ganon could be revived.

Having said that, I didn't like the language used in ALttP, at least in the English version. It implied a finality that didn't at all fit with what had come before. We knew it was supposed to be a prequel to the first two games, but the game was telling us something different. It's part of what led to all the timeline debates in the first place. The games themselves have a definite chronology, often both implicit and explicit, yet they keep getting in their own ways. You either learn to overlook certain contradictions, or you take the route many people do and just completely ignore the timeline.

I can't answer for how other people interpret TP. I didn't interpret it as being a final death at the time, and I was a bit surprised to see that others did and that Nintendo would later confirm it. Regardless, having the 2D games come after TP is a path that could be taken, but I think it requires much larger concessions than the Downfall timeline does. It requires the entire ALttP backstory to be an entirely new event that's completely disconnected from OoT to be possible. Ganon obtaining the Triforce, transforming into his beast form, being sealed away by an entirely new set of sages in the distant future, etc. You can build a timeline around it, and certainly many people did exactly that before Hyrule Historia provided an alternative. But ultimately, I think the Downfall timeline is a cleaner option. It requires Link to lose, but it leaves us with a scenario where Ganon has transformed, has the full Triforce, has already slaughtered most of the knights, and has a set of sages ready to try to seal him away. Like I said earlier, it does the job.

Except, what people fail to realize about the Downfall ending as described in Hyrule Historia is

1. It goes against the aforementioned original intent of OOT being ALTTP's Imprisoning War by declaring said war to be a completely separate event that happens at some other point well after the Downfall ending of OOT, thereby nullifying the whole reason people continue to insist on connecting those two games together, and
2. It disgraces the integrity of ALTTP's story by completely ignoring ALTTP's backstory as described in its original (Japanese) game manual, which in turn completely invalidates ALTTP's present-day in-game story as a whole as everything said and done in that game is based on the precedent of what was described in its manual backstory being genuine and authentic history. The manual describes both the Imprisoning War and the prewar events that led up to it as initially only remembered as myth and legend, but over the course of the game's story, it is ultimately revealed that the events described in that manual backstory were no mere myth but actual history. Legends turning out to be true is an incredibly common trend in the Zelda games, and while that technically first began with the manual backstory of Zelda 2, it was ALTTP that first really perfected the formula with in-game cutscenes and dialogue text that gradually revealed the authenticity of the myths one Maiden at a time. But with Hyrule Historia making up a completely new backstory contradictory to what was described in ALTTP's manual, that suddenly makes everything said in-game in ALTTP about what was written in the manual a complete and total lie. It's the only case in the entire Legend of Zelda series where the entirety of a single game's narrative is rendered completely invalidated, which just isn't fair to ALTTP.

The way Hyrule Historia describes sealing Ganondorf away in the Sacred Realm, but that somehow not sealing away the Sacred Realm itself and requiring a separate Imprisoning War to achieve that, really doesn't make sense to me. Like I said earlier, the series keeps getting in its own way. And this is entirely a fair complaint since the official timeline still shows exactly this, with the Imprisoning War being a separate event after Ganon is sealed away. Personally, I ignore that one bit and interpret the Imprisoning War as being the battle to seal away Ganon in the first place. That way, it's consistent with ALttP, and requires much less compromising of the original intent than any of the other options. To each their own, though.

Having said all that though, is it really as much of a contradiction as we both interpret it to be? I just reread what all the maidens say. Certainly, I always interpreted the Imprisoning War as being to seal away Ganon. But the game doesn't actually tell us that. It says that Ganondorf found a way into the Sacred Realm, but then couldn't get back out. And it says the Imprisoning War was fought when evil power started flowing from the Sacred Realm, which presumably would be after Ganon corrupted it. So is there actually even any contradiction? Was the official timeline actually correct all along, and I've been wrong to disregard that part of it? It's definitely something I'm interested in spending some time looking into further now.

 

[Rhinox]

I'm very excited for the upcoming remake and all, but am I alone in wanting a new top down Zelda game? Like, we could get such a huge game with software being what it is nowadays. Like, imagine a massive link to the past style game that just goes on forever.

I'd love something like that.

 

[Sabrblade]

It requires the entire ALttP backstory to be an entirely new event that's completely disconnected from OoT to be possible.

So, exactly the same as it has been since OOT itself first released, then.

Having said all that though, is it really as much of a contradiction as we both interpret it to be?

These are all of the major contradictions between ALTTP's backstory and OOT:

A Link to the Past backstory lore	Ocarina of Time in-game story events
Ganondorf led a band of thieves in search of the Sacred Realm, whose entrance no one (including Ganondorf) knew the whereabouts of.	Ganondorf knew the Sacred Realm's entrance was inside the Temple of Time all along, and meticulously manipulated Link, Zelda, and the tribes of Hyrule into granting him access to it.
Ganondorf first set foot inside the Sacred Realm along upon initially finding the entrance by complete chance/coincidence/happenstance with his band of thieves, who all entered the Sacred Realm along with him.	Ganondorf first set foot inside the Sacred Realm after his aformentioned meticulous manipulation led to Link opening the entrance to the Sacred Realm located inside the Temple of Time, which Ganondorf entered alone, by himself, with no band of thieves to accompany him.
Ganondorf acquired the full Triforce after his first setting foot inside the Sacred Realm and being the last one left alive when he and his band of thieves all fought each other over the Triforce while inside the Sacred Realm; Ganondorf then keeps the full Triforce in his possession all the way up until his defeat at the very end of the game, centuries after the Imprisoning War.	When Ganondorf first touched the Triforce upon his first setting foot inside the Sacred Realm, the Triforce split because Ganondorf's heart was out of balance, so he only got the Triforce of Power, and never acquired the full Triforce before he got sealed away at the end of the game.
Ganondorf couldn't figure out how to get back out of the Sacred Realm after he first entered it, and stays inside it from the moment he first entered it all the way to his defeat at the end of the game, never physically returning back to Hyrule outside the Sacred Realm (one of the Maidens subtly indicates that Ganondorf's lack of knowing how to get back out of the Sacred Realm is meant to contrast with Link's own ability to warp in and out of the Dark World via the Magic Mirror, indicating that Ganondorf needed the mirror in order to get back out, but couldn't because he didn't have it or possibly didn't even know about its existence or its Light World/Dark World warping ability).	Ganondorf got right back out of the Sacred Realn with no trouble at all right after he first acquired the Triforce of Power from there; he then went on to rule over Hyrule for seven long years.
Ganondorf became his pig-demon Ganon form after first getting the Triforce from within the Sacred Realm (there is more nuance to this as well, as the Japanese game manual also indicates that, back when he was the human man Ganondorf, he was also better known by the alias of "Demon Thief Ganon" before ever first becoming his pig-demon form, indicating that he was already using the name "Ganon" before ever even first becoming a porcine beast Demon King. There are also hints in the game that his pig-demon form was actually the form he became when the Sacred Realm was corrupted into the Dark World, as we see the Dark World transforming people from the Light World into animal or monster forms upon their first arriving there, like how Link is changed into a rabbit during his first visit to the Dark World before acquiring the Moon Pearl that lets him keep his Light World human form while inside the Dark World, but later games would never touch upon this notion ever again).	Ganondorf remained in his human Gerudo form for seven whole years, not yet becoming his pig-demon Ganon form until the very end of the game (a transformation which was explicitly triggered by his use of the Triforce of Power, just that single piece rather than either all three pieces together or via exposure to any corruptive otherworldly influence like how the Dark World affected people from the Light World who did not have a Moon Pearl to let them keep their Light World forms). Ganon then reverted back to his human Ganondorf form after being defeated.
The Seven Sages who were active in this Imprisoning War were all bearded/mustachioed elderly human men dressed in different colored robes according to the game's official promotional art found in the likes of the game's manual and player's guide.	The Seven Sages who were awakened during this game's events were a bearded Hylian old man dress in a golden robe, a Kokiri girl, a Goron, a Zora princess, a Sheikah woman, a Gerudo woman, and a Hylian princess. Only one of them matches the description (and species) of the Seven Sages of ALTTP's backstory.
During the Imprisoning War, the Sages are aware of the legendary Master Sword but its location has become lost to time. They search for both the sword and for a hero who could wield it in Hyrule's defense, but are unable to find either, due to the urgency of the escalating war.	During this game's events, the Master Sword's location is known of and Link, the sword's chosen hero, wields it in Hyrule's defense. But the Sages (minus Rauru) all need to be found, discovered, and awoken as Sages, rather than there already being a fully active preexisting group of Seven Sages during this time.
To end the Imprisoning War, the Seven Sages were summoned by the King of Hyrule (who was still around during this war) to cast a seal on the source of evil pouring out of the Dark World while the Knights of Hyrule fought off this evil, sacrficing their lives so that the Sages could complete their seal on Ganon, cutting the Demon King off from the Light World for good.	To end the events of this game's story, the Seven Sages sealed Ganondorf inside a void beyond the world of the dead. There is no King or no Knights of Hyrule involved, as Link is present and does all the fighting against Ganon by himself
The final battle of the Imprisoning War takes place across the Light and Dark Worlds, with Ganon inside the latter while the King, Sages, and Knights remain within the former.	The final battle of this game takes place in Hyrule amid the fallen ruins of Ganondorf's castle, with Ganondorf having transformed into Ganon and battled Link directly in close combat, while the Sages (minus Zelda) remained inside the Chamber of Sages within the Light Temple of the Sacred Realm.
When he is sealed by the Seven Sages, Ganon still has the complete Triforce in his possession.	When he is sealed by the Seven Sages, Ganondorf only has the Triforce of Power in his possession.
The Sacred Realm remains as a World of Darkness from the moment Ganondorf first touched the Triforce all the way up to his defeat at the end of the game, centuries after the Imprisoning War	The Sacred Realm is seemingly de-corrupted after Ganondorf is sealed away, reverting back to a heavenly cloud world based on Link and Zelda's surroundings after the final battle with Ganon (that is, if that final scene where Zelda sends Link back in time really is set inside the Sacred Realm, as from the game's technical perspective it was situated high up in the sky above Hyrule Field rather than being a new location built from scratch, but there is no sensible reason for Link and Zelda to suddenly literally be high up in the sky above Hyrule Field at that--or at any--point in the game).

(P.S.: I do not know why the columns in the above table aren't the same width, nor can I figure out how to make them the same width, instead of having the first column being so much wider than the second)

 

[Tm_Silverclaw]

The answers to the "Timeline" is simple.


They are legends. That's it.

Otherwise I'd love someone to give me a fully functional Greek/Roman legend timeline. Or Egyptian or Norse "Timeline".

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Otherwise I'd love someone to give me a fully functional Greek/Roman legend timeline. Or Egyptian or Norse "Timeline".

I once went there in a manic episode. My first goal was to rearrange the Bible in the order the books were actually written. Then I tried to weave in Egyptian/Babylonian/Persian/Greek myths. Then I realized there really needed to be two versions of this project: one with the stories in the order they were written, and one assembled in a sensible in-universe timeline. I got stuck on the Egyptians because there are very few clues as to the order of most of it, if there ever was one. I lost a lot of sleep over this until I abruptly stopped caring and never thought about it again, like all my other manic episode projects.

I do this a lot. Teachers thought it was cool. They didn't understand there was something wrong with me and I needed help.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

I'm very excited for the upcoming remake and all, but am I alone in wanting a new top down Zelda game? Like, we could get such a huge game with software being what it is nowadays. Like, imagine a massive link to the past style game that just goes on forever.

I'd love something like that.

I’d also throw in that I’d like to see some integration of more “traditional” RPG mechanics, like XP. Maybe even throw in some unique “usage leveling” and allow us more freedom in our weapons, or reward us for using certain weapons/items more.

 

[Sabrblade]

The answers to the "Timeline" is simple.


They are legends. That's it.

Legends turning out to be true is an incredibly common trend in the Zelda games,

Zelda 2: Link is told about an ancient Princess Zelda who was placed under a sleeping curse by a wicked magician. He is then shown this sleeping Princess Zelda in person, revealing her story to be more than mere legend.

ALTTP: The Imprisoning War and all that led up to it happened so long ago that they were considered mere myth by the present day. As Link rescues each Maiden, he learns more and more that the Imprisoning War and its prewar events were actual history.

OOT: The Triforce is considered a legendary sacred object left behind by the goddesses who created Hyrule and is said to grant any wish of the one who touches it, or else it will split if the one who touches it has an unbalanced heart. All of this proven to be true when Ganondorf enters the Sacred Realm and touches the Triforce, as recounted to Link by Rauru and Sheik.

MM: Link is told by Anju's grandmother of a legend of the Four Giants who once lived with the people in the land of Termina before having to leave the people and go guard the four corners of the world, leaving behind an "imp" who was once their friend and who lashed out in anger and sadness over their departure before the Giants returned to tell him to knock it off and Termina or else they would have to kill him. Link is also told about the Skull Kid's past by Tatl and later witnesses a reconciliation between the Skull Kid and the Giants, revealing that the imp in the legend was actually him, and that the events in said legend actually happened.

FS: The manual tells a tale of the wind sorcerer Vaati who once terrorized Hyrule and kidnapped girls before a young boy armed with the Four Sword went on to defeat Vaati, seal him away, and rescue the girls. The game then opens with Vaati escaping his seal within the enshrined Four Sword and kidnapping Princess Zelda, revealing the story in the manual to be true.

TWW: Myths and legends of an ancient kingdom at the bottom of the sea and some old relic remembered only as the "Triumph Forks" all are proven to be true when the King of Red Lions brings Link (and later both he and Tetra) to the undersea kingdom of Hyrule and reveals the existences of the Triforce of Wisdom and the shattered Triforce of Courage upon revealing his own true identity as Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the last king of the undersea kingdom.

FSA: Tales tell of a Dark Tribe that once invaded Hyrule back in ancient times before they were sealed away using an enchanted mirror. Remnants and relics of this tribe of darkness are discovered over the course of the game, such as the Dark Mirror and the Trident. The Temple of Darkness is also an eerily mysterious place filled with dark power, and is where the Dark Mirror was placed, suggesting it too may have once had some ties to this ancient Dark Tribe.

TMC: The game opens with a legend of the Picori who once gifted a Hero of Men the Picori Blade and the Light Force. The Picori are revealed to be the Minish, the Picori Blade becomes the Four Sword, and the Light Force is discovered to have been inherited by Princess Zelda, making everything from that legend all true.

TP: Shad and Rusl speak of legends about an ancient sky people who were the founders of Hyrule and left the surface back to the sky where they built a great City in the Sky. Link discovers many relics of these sky people, such as the Dominion Rod, the Owl Statues, the Ancient Sky Book, and a large cannon that launches up to the City of the Sky, revealing that these ancient Sky People really did exist (and meets their creepy-looking chicken-bodied descendants).

ST: Niko tells of a legend from the earliest people of the land the game is set in, about an ancient Demon King named Malladus who warred against the god of this land before being sealed away by said god. The Tower of Spirits is revealed to be the cork of this seal placed on Malladus, who is ultimately revived at the end of the game, revealing his legend to be true.

SS: The war between Goddess Hylia and the Demon King Demise is told in the form of an ancient legend at the beginning of the game. Zelda discovers that she is the mortal reincarnation of Hylia while Demise is proven to be real by his repeated revivals as the Imprisoned before Ghirahim revives him properly at the end of the game.

ALBW: The events of ALTTP are described as legend in portraits found in Hyrule Castle. They are proven to be more than just legend when Yuga brings back Ganon in the flesh (before immediately fusing with him), revealing to all that he really did exist.

And I'm sure there are many more examples but you get my point.