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Does the New Legend of Zelda Break the Timeline?

Does the New Legend of Zelda Break the Timeline?

Where The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild falls in the universe’s timeline has baffled many fans, even the most accomplished theorists. There is a great deal of contradicting information within the demo and other gameplay footage we’ve seen, that may not even come together when the full game is released. Judging by the condition and location of the Temple of Time and Master Sword, the presence of the Koroks, and finally the resurrection rather than incarnation of Link, I believe that Breath of the Wild is in the “Victorious Hero (Child Era)” timeline after Twilight Princess but before Four Swords Adventure s.

The official Zelda timeline is divided into two main parts at its halfway point: the hero from Ocarina of Time is either defeated, or victorious. The Victorious Hero timeline is divided again into two, the Child Era and the Adult Era. As far as I understand it, the difference between the two depends on how Ganondorf was defeated. If he was executed, then it is the Child Era and the Scared Realm is protected. In the Adult Era, Ganondorf is sealed within the Sacred Realm, rather than executed.

So, why am I putting the upcoming Zelda game in the Victorious Hero Child Era timeline? There are several reasons. In Breath of the Wild , the Master Sword is not located in the Temple of Time; it is in the middle of a forest . I believe this is because the Temple of Time was rebuilt in another location after Twilight Princess (where the Temple was in ruins), succeeding a renewal of faith because of the events in the game. This would also explain the presence of the Goddess Hylia statue, as such a resurgence of faith would likely have made Hylians recall the events of Skyward Sword . I believe the choice to build the Temple of Time elsewhere (other than around the Master Sword again) was to further protect the Seal and ensure no one would attempt to find what is lost in the woods.

Speaking of the Lost Woods, the appearance of the Koroks further verifies that Breath of Wild occurred after Twilight Princess. To quote the Zelda Wikia , “the absence of the Kokiri in Twilight Princess [is] because they moved deeper into the forest after the [Hylians] founded Ordon Village, which bears a strong resemblance to the original Kokiri Forest village.” In addition, I am firmly under the belief that “the Kokiri aren’t actually humanoids at all and are actually magically transformed plants. This is supported by the fact that the Great Deku Tree created them, which could mean that they are born from his seeds. The Koroks are very tree-like in appearance, and could very well be the Kokiri’s true form.” Again, a resurgence of faith (and Link’s resurrection) likely drew the Koroks from the forest to aid Link on his journey as they always do.

Does the New Legend of Zelda Break the Timeline?

Finally, and most important of all, is Link’s resurrection rather than incarnation. This is highly unusual for the Zelda series, save for in defeated hero timeline (which mostly contains the series’ earliest games). However, it is my theory that because the Sacred Realm was protected in the Child Era, the Link from Skyward Sword was able to remain alive in his Resurrection Chamber as seen at the beginning of Breath of the Wild . Not before Link managed to have a family, of course. Those Hero’s Descendents have to come from somewhere. Though why Link was put into stasis and awoken when his descendents previously worked just fine is a little odd. I think this may be a kind of back-up plan, as the Hylians knew that Demise would return one day and that the original Link himself would be the only one able to defeat him again.

Breath of the Wild holds many signs of a resurgence of faith, not just the location of the Temple of Time and the Master Sword. More so, it seems obvious that the Master Sword is best protected in the Lost Woods with the Kokiri, or Koroks. Indeed, if the Master Sword is protected by the Koroks, then it follows that they protect Link’s Resurrection Chamber as well. What better plan than to have the hero and his sword in one place when Demise rises again? There are many theories out there, and I might very well be wrong, but I definitely look forward to finding out.

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