05-28-2004, 10:21 PM
First off -- there are several Links portrayed within the games, and I'll try to chronologically record them here.
Ocarina Link, or "Kid" Link is the earliest recorded to date, and I doubt there will ever be a Zelda Game occurring before Ocarina of Time. This Link is BOTH forms seens in Ocarina of Time, and unless I miss my guess, this also the same Link who appears in the upcoming Zelda GC. Ocarina Link, in his young form, is also the hero of Majora's Mask.
Second in line is the Waker Link, the Link from Wind Waker and The Four Sword (also from Four Sword Adventures/Tetra's Trackers scheduled for upcoming release on GCN). THe fact that it is Waker Link in The Four Sword is evidenced by the art for "The Four Sword" and "Four Sword Adventures". (Note: It IS "The Four Sword" and not "The Four Swords" -- the Sword in these titles is called the Four Sword because it splits the wielder into FOUR copies of himself.)
The third Link is "Triforce Link", from Link to the Past (aka: Triforce of the Gods) and, so far, no other games with him are definite.
The fourth and last Link is "Calatia" Link, a Link from a land neighboring the Hyrule of Zelda 1 & 2 (Calatia is official at least by Nintendo of America who endorsed the old Valiant Comics about several video games, including The Legend of Zelda; these comics identify Calatia as the original home of the Link from Zelda 1 & 2). This Link stars in Zelda 1 and Zelda 2, and if you follow Nintendo's timeline, he is also the Link in Link's Awakening.
It is unknown which of these Links is in the Oracle games, however the fact that Impa recognizes him means he is most likely to be either Calatia Link (my favor leans to this theory) or Ocarina Link, the only of the two Links to ever meet Impa. Also the overgrowth surrounding the Temple of the Triforce indicates it to be far later in time than the Ocarina era, although the presence of Koume and Kotake (aka Twinrova) attempting to resurrect Ganondorf can tilt the balance back towards Ocarina Link.
It should be noted my chronology of the games does tend to generally follow with timelines that can be derived from the games themselves:
The Sealing War, when Ganondorf, prince of thieves, was sealed in the Golden Land/Sacred Realm is clearly /Ocarina of Time/.
The "Great Cataclysm" referenced in the manual of /Link to the Past/ could very well be the Great Flood and the ultimate sinking of Old Hyrule portrayed in /Wind Waker/.
Following the defeat of Ganondorf in /LttP/ he may not have been powerless, and could have regained the Trforce of Power, allowing his resurrection for /Zelda 1/, where "Calatia" Link defeated him at a young age (before 16, see below).
At around age 16, (Zelda 2 manual) the Triforce Mark appeared on this Link's hand, and Impa told him the legend of the sleeping Princess Zelda (which, by this timeline, occurs sometime between LttP and Zelda 1, possibly soon after LttP) and sets him on the mission to retrieve the Triforce of Courage so that the sleeping Zelda can be awakened.
Still 16, perhaps 17, as Link is on his perilous journey to retrieve the triforce of Courage, he is knocked unconscious in a storm and awakens on Koholint Island (be the island itself real or not) where he must awaken the Wind Fish in order to escape the dreamscape of darkness the Nightmare force is causing to overcome the Wind Fish's peaceful slumber.
Whenever the /Oracle/ games take place, it is at a similar time, and involves a plot by Twinrova to revive Ganondorf (hinting that he is dead, not simply in the Golden Realm) by using the powers of chaos and suffering in the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna. The confusing factor of ear shape means little, as Link is in clearly foreign lands (only he, Impa, Nayru and Din have Hylian ears, all others have "normal" human ears).
My personal chronology is this:
Ocarina Link
- Ocarina of Time (+ Master Quest)
- Majora's Mask
- LEGEND OF ZELDA GC
Waker Link
- Wind Waker
- The Four Sword / Four Sword Adventures / Tetra's Trackers
Triforce Link
- Link to the Past
Calatia Link
- Zelda 1 (Hyrule Fantasy)
- Adventure of Link
- Link's Awakening
- Oracle Duo
And then...w ell, whenever The Minish Cap fits in, we'll see once it's released. It's time for Digimon now, so I'll post more later. Maybe.
Ocarina Link, or "Kid" Link is the earliest recorded to date, and I doubt there will ever be a Zelda Game occurring before Ocarina of Time. This Link is BOTH forms seens in Ocarina of Time, and unless I miss my guess, this also the same Link who appears in the upcoming Zelda GC. Ocarina Link, in his young form, is also the hero of Majora's Mask.
Second in line is the Waker Link, the Link from Wind Waker and The Four Sword (also from Four Sword Adventures/Tetra's Trackers scheduled for upcoming release on GCN). THe fact that it is Waker Link in The Four Sword is evidenced by the art for "The Four Sword" and "Four Sword Adventures". (Note: It IS "The Four Sword" and not "The Four Swords" -- the Sword in these titles is called the Four Sword because it splits the wielder into FOUR copies of himself.)
The third Link is "Triforce Link", from Link to the Past (aka: Triforce of the Gods) and, so far, no other games with him are definite.
The fourth and last Link is "Calatia" Link, a Link from a land neighboring the Hyrule of Zelda 1 & 2 (Calatia is official at least by Nintendo of America who endorsed the old Valiant Comics about several video games, including The Legend of Zelda; these comics identify Calatia as the original home of the Link from Zelda 1 & 2). This Link stars in Zelda 1 and Zelda 2, and if you follow Nintendo's timeline, he is also the Link in Link's Awakening.
It is unknown which of these Links is in the Oracle games, however the fact that Impa recognizes him means he is most likely to be either Calatia Link (my favor leans to this theory) or Ocarina Link, the only of the two Links to ever meet Impa. Also the overgrowth surrounding the Temple of the Triforce indicates it to be far later in time than the Ocarina era, although the presence of Koume and Kotake (aka Twinrova) attempting to resurrect Ganondorf can tilt the balance back towards Ocarina Link.
It should be noted my chronology of the games does tend to generally follow with timelines that can be derived from the games themselves:
The Sealing War, when Ganondorf, prince of thieves, was sealed in the Golden Land/Sacred Realm is clearly /Ocarina of Time/.
The "Great Cataclysm" referenced in the manual of /Link to the Past/ could very well be the Great Flood and the ultimate sinking of Old Hyrule portrayed in /Wind Waker/.
Following the defeat of Ganondorf in /LttP/ he may not have been powerless, and could have regained the Trforce of Power, allowing his resurrection for /Zelda 1/, where "Calatia" Link defeated him at a young age (before 16, see below).
At around age 16, (Zelda 2 manual) the Triforce Mark appeared on this Link's hand, and Impa told him the legend of the sleeping Princess Zelda (which, by this timeline, occurs sometime between LttP and Zelda 1, possibly soon after LttP) and sets him on the mission to retrieve the Triforce of Courage so that the sleeping Zelda can be awakened.
Still 16, perhaps 17, as Link is on his perilous journey to retrieve the triforce of Courage, he is knocked unconscious in a storm and awakens on Koholint Island (be the island itself real or not) where he must awaken the Wind Fish in order to escape the dreamscape of darkness the Nightmare force is causing to overcome the Wind Fish's peaceful slumber.
Whenever the /Oracle/ games take place, it is at a similar time, and involves a plot by Twinrova to revive Ganondorf (hinting that he is dead, not simply in the Golden Realm) by using the powers of chaos and suffering in the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna. The confusing factor of ear shape means little, as Link is in clearly foreign lands (only he, Impa, Nayru and Din have Hylian ears, all others have "normal" human ears).
My personal chronology is this:
Ocarina Link
- Ocarina of Time (+ Master Quest)
- Majora's Mask
- LEGEND OF ZELDA GC
Waker Link
- Wind Waker
- The Four Sword / Four Sword Adventures / Tetra's Trackers
Triforce Link
- Link to the Past
Calatia Link
- Zelda 1 (Hyrule Fantasy)
- Adventure of Link
- Link's Awakening
- Oracle Duo
And then...w ell, whenever The Minish Cap fits in, we'll see once it's released. It's time for Digimon now, so I'll post more later. Maybe.