The Legend of Zelda spans 29 different video games and 37 years worth of storytelling. Between time travel shenanigans, the meddling of goddesses, spin-offs, and the repeated naming schemes of Link, Zelda, and some variation of Ganondorf, the overarching story of the Zelda games can be a little confusing. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, especially, bring on a new level of confusion because they're both the newest games and seem so detached from the rest of the story.

Thanks to the messy time travel business and how much each game relies on previous historical events, the best way to understand what exactly is happening is through a timeline. This way, it's much easier to keep track of what is happening and why. This specific timeline will also only focus on the 19 mainline Zelda games and ignore offshoots or spinoff games like Hyrule Warriors. If you're curious about what's happening in the official story so far, you've come to the right place.

Overview Of The Complete, Official Timeline

From the Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, we're given an official, canon timeline. What's important to note is that the timeline splinters at the end of Ocarina Of Time into three separate branches, where Link's actions have created an entirely different timeline (Child Timeline) from the one he was originally a part of (Adult Timeline). The third branch was created when the Hero of Time dies at the hands of Ganondorf, aka the classic Game Over screen that many experienced their first time fighting him at the end of the game.

Another important note is that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are both missing. The reason for this is that these games occur so far into the future of the Legend of Zelda franchise that none of the other timelines have any effect on them. From this point in time, the events of the previous games are all seen as myths surrounding the creation of Hyrule.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at the timeline and the overall story of the Legend of Zelda franchise. Be aware, there are spoilers ahead for each of the games.

The Three Goddesses And The Triforce

Games Involved:

• None, although this is discussed in Ocarina of Time

Historical Takeaway

• World is created by 3 goddesses
• Sacred Realm is created to house the Triforce
• Triforce is created by goddesses and is capable of granting the user a wish

At the beginning of time, the three golden goddesses, Din, Farore, and Naryu, created the world. Din was the goddess of power, and with her strength, she created the land. Naryu, the goddess of wisdom, created magic and order within the natural world of what would become Hyrule (enabling the later discovery of science). Finally, Farore, the goddess of courage, created life "who would uphold the law." Once their work was done, the three goddesses departed the world of Hyrule and left behind a token of their power - The Triforce. Each triangle of the Triforce contains a small fraction of its respective goddess' powers, and when all three pieces are united together, the wielder will be granted a single wish. This golden artifact remains in a realm just outside Hyrule known as the Sacred Realm.

Era Of The Goddess Hylia

Games Involved:

• The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword

Historical Takeaways

• Hylia is charged with protecting the Triforce
• Demise wants to conquer all of Hyrule
• Hylia seals Demise, becomes mortal, and creates the Goddess Sword.

Before the three goddesses left, they entrusted the safety of both Hyrule and the Triforce to a fellow goddess named Hylia. During this era, a demon-king named Demise rose through a crack in the earth with an army of monsters to claim the world as his. The goddess Hylia saved humanity by giving them a new home in the sky known as the Skyloft. Then, with the help of the remaining tribes on the surface, Hylia battled Demise. After a long, protracted war, Hylia sealed Demise away but sustained mortal injuries in return.

Knowing it would only be a matter of time until Demise breaks out of the seal and that the Triforce is the only way to truly stop the Demon-King, Hylia created a plan to rid the world of Demise once and for all. First, she created the Goddess Sword, a weapon powerful enough to reseal Demise, and she created Fi, a spirit that would guide the chosen hero to wield the sword. The hero would be chosen if they could pull the Goddess Sword from its pedestal and pass all of Hylia's trials. Next, since gods and goddesses couldn't use the Triforce, Hylia renounced her divinity and put her spirit into a mortal girl. This also allowed her soul to reincarnate when she died, but it also allowed her to wield the Triforce whenever Demise appeared again.

Sky Era

Games Involved

• The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword

Historical Takeaways

• Hylia is reincarnated into Zelda
• Link becomes the Chosen Hero
• Demise curses the two of them forever

2,000 years later, Hylia reincarnates as Princess Zelda. One day, she's kidnapped from the Skyloft by Ghirahim, a servant of Demise. Ghirahim hopes to use Zelda to bring Demise back, but the plan is foiled by Impa, Zelda's bodyguard. However, this gives Zelda back her memories as the goddess Hylia, and, with her childhood friend Link revealing himself to be the chosen hero by retrieving the Goddess Sword, sets into motion Hylia's plan to defeat Demise.

After using the Sacred Flames to turn the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword and a short trip into the past to save Zelda, Link returns to the present to collect the Triforce which he then uses to vanquish Demise. This turn of events doesn't enthuse Ghirahim, and he kidnaps Zelda, brings her back to the past where Demise is still alive, and then uses her soul to free Demise. With the newly empowered Master Sword, Link forever seals Demise away into the sword itself, but not before Demise utters a curse to Link and Zelda.

"Those like you… those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero… they are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!"

In his final words, Demise curses every reincarnation of Link and Zelda to be plagued by "an incarnation of his hate," meaning Ganondorf or Ganon. It's from this curse that every other Zelda game's story can happen, and it's why Zelda and Link must continually defeat Ganon again and again.

Humanity would later descend from the Skyloft and settle the new land. They named it Hyrule after its goddess and its people would come to be known as Hylians.

Chaos Era And The Sealing Of The Sacred Realm

Games Involved:

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Historical Takeaway

• Twilight Realm exists
• Interlopers are banished by the gods
• Interlopers become Twili
• Sacred Realm sealed away from Hyrule

Once news of the Triforce and the Sacred Realm it resided in spread, war erupted over who would control this realm and the Triforce. The Interlopers, a tribe of powerful sorcerers, came the closest and tried to use their magic to gain control of the Sacred Realm. After witnessing their attempt, the goddesses sent Spirits of Light to shatter the Interloper's magic, curse them, and banish them into the Twilight Realm. The descendants of these original Interlopers would later become the Twili who are a pale shadow of the beings they once were.

It was during this age that Rauru, witnessing all the chaos the Triforce has caused, sealed away the Sacred Realm through the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm and the Temple of Time in Hyrule. Now, the only way to connect these two temples and enter the Sacred Realm is by unlocking the Door Of Time and freeing the Master Sword - feats only the chosen hero of each age would be able to accomplish.

Force Era

Games Involved:

• The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

Historical Takeaway

• Vaati is sealed into Picori Sword
• Picori Sword is later reforged into Four Sword

Minish Cap

Sometime after the Chaos Era, Hyrule would come under threat once again by a massive swarm of evil monsters. When the Kingdom was on the brink of destruction, the Minish (or Picori to the Hylians) descended from the sky and gave this age's Link (known as the Hero of Men) two gifts: the Picori Sword and the Light Force. With these two gifts, Link was able to defeat the evil monsters and seal them away into the Bound Chest. To ensure they couldn't escape, Link used the Picori Blade itself to keep the chest locked. At the same time, Link sealed the Light Force into Hyrule's princesses, granting the royal bloodline the ability to access the Light Force's powers from that point onward. To mark such a momentous occasion, Hyrule holds the Picori Festival, to celebrate the Picori, and to hold a tournament where swordsmen compete to touch the Picori Sword.

A hundred years later, on the one hundredth Picori Festival, an evil Minish named Vaati wins the tournament, shatters the Picori Sword, and unleashes the sealed monsters onto the land once again. Uncaring of the evil he's unleashed, Vaati turns Princess Zelda to stone and searches inside the chest for the Light Force. He soon realizes the Light Force is in Zelda, so he kidnaps the princess. Link, who was attending the Picori festival when all of this happened, picks up the broken Picori Sword and goes in search of the Picori to help reforge it. Along the way, he finds a talking hat named Ezlo, Vaati's unfortunate former mentor who was transformed by his student into a hat. Ezlo helps guide Link to the Picori and the Four Elements in order to reforge the blade. With the Picori Blade reforged into the Four Sword, Link strikes down Vaati before he can finish draining Zelda of the Light Force. Then, with the powers of the Mage's Hat (a powerful artifact Vaati stole from Ezlo) and the Light Force from Zelda, Link makes a wish to heal the land and undo the damage done by Vaati.

Four Swords

Despite his defeat at Link's hands, Vaati isn't dead, but he has no memory of his life as a Picori. He takes over the Palace Of The Winds, proclaims himself the Wind Mage, and is then summarily defeated and sealed by a new Link wielding the Four Sword once again. The sword is then enshrined in the Four Sword Sanctuary for safekeeping. Generations pass, and the Four Sword's seal weakens enough for Vaati to once again break free from his sword-shaped prison. His first order of business is to kidnap Zelda (as Hyrulian villains do) and flee to his Palace. Link, who is once again Zelda's childhood friend, picks up the Four Sword, collects the keys to Vaati's Palace, and then once again summarily defeats and seals Vaati back into the Four Sword. The sword is then returned to the Sanctuary where Vaati will remain imprisoned.

Hero Of Time Era

Games Involved:

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

Historical Takeaway

• Hero of Time travels 7 years into the future to save the world
• Zelda sends Hero of Time back 7 years and splits the timeline into three branches
• Sacred Realm is turned into the Evil Realm by Ganondorf

Years pass, and Hyrule is once again engulfed in a civil war. A Hylian refugee flees into the Kokiri Forest where she entrusts her child to the Deku Tree before succumbing to her wounds. A new Hylian King reunifies the kingdom and peace is brought back to the land, albeit with the Royal family having a far tighter grip on the land this time around.

That small child is Link, and he grows up as a Kokiri until one day, he discovers that the Great Deku Tree has been poisoned. The culprit is the new leader of the Gerudo, Ganondorf, who was trying to steal the Forest Spirit Stone. The spirit stone is one of the three keys to the door of time. After witnessing the death of the Deku Tree, Link sets out to meet with Zelda and when they meet, the two hatch a plot to get to the Triforce before Ganondorf does. After collecting the stones and the Ocarina of Time, Link opens the Door of TIme and pulls the Master Sword from the pedestal. However, Link is sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven years until he is strong enough to be the Hero of Time. However, by removing the Master Sword, Link had created a portal into the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf uses this opening to enter into the Sacred realm and steal the Triforce. Sensing his corrupt heart, the Triforce splits and Ganondorf is only able to get the Triforce of Power. With that power, Ganondorf transforms Hyrule into a nightmare-filled hellscape and twists the Sacred Realm into the Evil Realm.

Link awakens in this hellscape 7 years later, then saves the Zoras, Gorons, Hylians, and the Six Sages, and finally confronts Ganondorf. After a climactic fight, Link slays Ganondorf and, with the help of Zelda and the Six Sages, seals Ganondorf into the Evil Realm. With the world now saved, Zelda sends Link back in time so he can live out the 7 years of childhood that was taken from him. This moment also marks the exact time when the timeline diverges into three branches: the Child timeline, the Adult timeline, and the Fallen Hero timeline.

The Child Timeline

Games Involved:

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Sword Adventures

Historical Takeaways

• Hero of Time foils Ganondorf before he comes into power
• Hero of Time dies, forgotten and unknown.
• Hero of Twilight and Midna save Twilight Realm and Hyrule from Ganondorf
• Hero of Four Swords Adventure permanently seals Vaati and Ganondorf into Four Sword

After Zelda sends Link back in time, Link sneaks back into Hyrule Castle and warns the Royal Family of Ganondor's treachery. Ganondorf's plans are foiled, and he's then arrested and sentenced to execution. However, at his execution, Ganondorf awakens the Triforce of Power and uses it to resist his would-be executioners. Since they were unable to kill him, the Sages instead trap Ganondorf within the Twilight realm.

The Legend Of Zelda Majora's Mask

After Ocarina of Time, Link's fairy companion, Navi, disappears. Link travels to Termina to find her and is instead robbed by the Skull Kid. The Skull Kid, who is being corrupted by the demon living within the titular Majora's Mask, plans to destroy Termina by crashing the moon into it in three days. Link uses the Ocarina of Time to relive those three days in a loop until he can awaken the Four Giants. On the last day, the Giants hold up the moon long enough for Link to defeat Majora.

Sometime after this adventure, the Hero of Time dies, unremembered by the people of Hyrule. This creates enough regret in Link to transform him into the Hero's Spirit.

The Twilight Era

While in the Twilight Realm, Ganondorf empowers a Twili named Zant to usurp the throne from the rightful princess, Midna. As the new ruler of the Twilight Realm, Zant and Ganondorf invade Hyrule. A new Link is called to action, and with the help of a new Zelda, the guidance of the Hero's Spirit, and a beautiful reunification with the Master Sword, Link and Midna deal a killing blow to Zant and Ganondorf. Midna then returns to her Twilight Realm and shatters the Mirror of Twilight, the only link between these two worlds, behind her.

Four Swords Adventures

Years would pass, and Ganondorf would reincarnate as another King of the Gerudo. This time, Ganondorf plans to steal the Dark Mirror to create an army for himself, and unleash Vaati from his prison to help him take over Hyrule. Ganondorf uses the mirror to create a Shadow Link, who then tricks this era's Link into pulling the Four Sword from its pedestal, releasing Vaati. The four Links then travel around Hyrule, rescuing Zelda and the Shrine Maidens in charge of taking care of the Four Sword. With their help, the four Links are able to defeat both Ganondorf and Vaati and seal them into the Four Sword once again.

The Adult Timeline

Game Involved:

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
• The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hour Glass
• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Historical Takeaways

• This timeline is missing a Hero because of Zelda
• Ganondorf returns, and the Goddesses flood the world to stop him.
• Old Hyrule is washed away forever
• New Hyrule is founded by Link and Tetra

Back in the original timeline that Zelda sent the Hero of Time away from, ages have passed and the seal of the Six Sages has weakened enough for Ganondorf to escape the Evil Realm and threaten all of Hyrule again. This time, however, there was no Hero to save Hyrule (cause he was sent to the Child timeline). The King of Hyrule pleaded for salvation from the Goddesses, and in response to his pleas, the Goddesses flooded the world and sealed Hyrule beneath the waves.

Era Of The Great Sea (Wind Waker)

When the Goddesses flooded Hyrule, they also chose a few select people to start a new world above the seas. One of these people is Zelda, who has half of the Triforce of Wisdom. That half would be passed down for generations down Zelda's bloodline until it ends up in the hands of a Zelda who calls herself Tetra. Ganondorf, the same Ganondorf from the end of Ocarina of Time, manages to escape from the sealed Hyrule and wants to reunite the Triforce so he can save the land and rule it. To do so, he convinces the Helmaroc King to kidnap elf-eared, blonde girls for him, which leads to Tetra being kidnapped. She's rescued by a new Link who has no relation to the previous Hero of Time but shows promise to being the new Hero. When Tetra is reunited with the other half of the Triforce of Wisdom, she reawakens as Zelda.

This new Link proves himself worthy of the Master Sword, repairs the Triforce of Courage, and together with Zelda, travels to the flooded Kingdom of Hyrule. There, they are almost defeated by Ganondorf who subdues Zelda and Link and unites all the Triforce pieces together. But before he can make his wish to save (and conquer) Hyrule, and to escape this eternal loop the three of them are in, the King of Hyrule beats him to it and wishes for Link and Zelda to have hope for the future and for Hyrule to be permanently washed away. This way Link and Tetra will have a fresh new start without the shackles of the past.

With the wish completed, Ganondorf flies into a psychotic rage and fights Link and Zelda who is then defeated by their teamwork. In the process, Link embeds the Master Sword into Ganondorf's forehead, sealing the villain and the sword in place. The pair escape the second flooding of Hyrule, and then set off in search of a new land.

Phantom Hour Glass

While looking for a new land, Link and Tetra investigate a ghost ship. However, Tetra is then kidnapped by the possessed ship while Link is thrown into the ocean. To save her, Link teams up with an old man named Oshus and the spirits of Power, Wisdom, and Courage to track Tetra's whereabouts and save her. They find her petrified in stone and discover a monster named Bellum who feeds on soul energy. After forging the Phantom Sword and fusing the Phantom Hour Glass into it, Link defeats Bellum and frees Tetra. Strangely, once Tetra and Link return to their ship, they discover that only 10 minutes have passed since they boarded the ghost ship.

Spirit Tracks

Link and Tetra find a new land with a large central tower (called the Spirit Tower) that has mysterious railroad tracks known as Spirit Tracks sprawling away from it and connecting each part of this new land. Tetra and Link settle in this new land and decide to call it Hyrule. 100 years pass, and the Spirit Tracks begin to disappear. A new Zelda and a new Link discover that Zelda's advisor, Chancellor Cole, is plotting to revive Malladus, an evil being sealed away at the top of the Spirit Tower. With the Spirit Tower weakening, the Spirit Tracks are starting to disappear. Cole separates Zelda from her physical body, giving Malladus a new vessel. With Zelda's help and the Lokomo Sword, Link is able to chase Malladus into the Dark Realm and defeat him there before returning to Hyrule.

Fallen Hero Timeline

Related Games:

• Ocarina Of Time
• A Link To The Past
• Link's Awakening
• Oracle of Seasons/ Oracle of Ages
• A Link Between Worlds
• Triforce Heroes
• The Legend of Zelda
• Adventures Of Link

Historical Takeaways

• Link is killed by Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time
• Triforce is sealed away into the Dark World
• Dark World is fully sealed by the Sages so no one can enter ever again
• Reincarnated Link defeats Ganondorf in the Dark World and in Hyrule because villains keep finding ways into the Dark World or resurrecting Ganondorf
• Link wishes on the Triforce to revive people killed by Ganondorf
• Link wishes on the Triforce again to save Lorule

This timeline is created when Link faces Ganondorf in the climactic final battle and is killed by the Gerudo King. This allows Ganondorf to unite all three pieces of the Triforce into one place. To stop Ganondorf, the Six Sages in this timeline seal him away into the Evil Realm, but they're also forced to seal away the Triforce. Ganondorf makes a wish on the Triforce to rule all of Hyrule. This transforms the Evil Realm into the Dark World, a twisted mirror image of Hyrule. Years would pass, and a door to the Sacred Realm once again opened. People would hear whispers about a mystical realm where a great golden power awaits anyone who enters, yet everyone who journeys into that world never returns. Between the missing people and the monsters that would come through the door, the Seven Sages were convinced that it was time to seal the Sacred Realm up for good.

A Link To The Past

Years later, Agahnim, an evil wizard, assassinates the King of Hyrule, brainwashes all of his knights, and kidnaps the descendants of the Seven Sages so he can use them to open the seal to Ganondorf and the Dark World. Zelda, now a captive of Agahnim, telepathically calls out to Link to rescue her. Link fights his way to Hyrule Castle and saves the princess, and together, they collect the medals required to reawaken the Master Sword. With the Master Sword in hand, the latest reincarnation of Link fights Agahnim but fails to prevent Agahnim from using Zelda to break the seal into the Dark World. Link pursues Agahnim into the Dark World and slays both him and Ganondorf before they can reach Hyrule. Link takes the fully assembled Triforce and makes a wish to revive everyone killed by Ganondorf or Agahnim.

Link's Awakening

After training in other countries, Link's boat capsizes on his return trip to Hyrule. He washes ashore on Koholint Island where a giant egg lies on top of a mountain at the center of the island. An owl flies down and tells him that the only way to leave the island is to awaken the Wind Fish in the egg. Link travels across the island collecting the instruments needed to wake the Wind Fish. After reaching the egg, playing the instruments, and fighting shadow-nightmares, Link successfully wakes the Wind Fish and the island disappears.

Oracle Of Seasons And Oracle Of Ages

The Twinrova Witches, who were guarding the Sage of Light in Ocarina of Time, are the main antagonists of the Oracle games. They plan to use a ritual that involves lighting three magical flames to resurrect Ganondorf. But first, they have to kidnap the oracles and sacrifice them to make the ritual work. Despite Link's best efforts, the Witches successfully kidnap the Oracle of Seasons and the Oracle of Ages, and while their henchmen fail to sacrifice them, they are still successful in lighting the flames. Link continues to chase after the witches and discovers that the third and final flame can only be lit by sacrificing Zelda. Link stops the ritual in time and saves Zelda, but in a desperate attempt at summoning Ganondorf, the witches sacrifice themselves to bring Ganon back to life. This Ganondorf, however, is a pale imitation of the Gerudo King, and is easily slain by Link.

A Link Between Worlds

Centuries pass and the Triforce splits into three pieces gain. The Triforce of Wisdom remains with the royal family, while the Triforce of Power stays with the sealed Ganondorf. The Triforce of Courage, however, goes missing. During this time, an evil sorcerer named Yuga begins kidnapping the descendants of the Sages and brings them into a parallel Hyrule known as Lorule. Link journeys into Lorule and discovers that it also used to have a Triforce, but it was destroyed by its rulers when the people continually fought over the precious golden relic. Without their Triforce, monsters began to flood into Lorule and the kingdom fell apart soon afterward. Hilda, the current princess of Lorule and a dark doppelganger to Zelda, saves Link when he fails to stop Yuga from reviving Ganondorf and fusing with him. With her guidance, Link saves the Seven Sages and obtains the Triforce of Courage.

When he returns, Hilda reveals that she's been pulling everyone's strings and that she sent Yuga to Hyrule to claim the Triforce for her kingdom. She takes the Triforce of Wisdom from Zelda, and Yuga attacks Link in an attempt to rip the Triforce of Courage from him. Link successfully defeats Yuga, which cause Yuga to turn on Hilda, trapping her in a portrait and stealing the Triforce of Wisdom from her. He attacks Link again and is once again defeated by the young Hero. Hilda and Zelda are freed, but Hilda still demands the complete Triforce to save her kingdom. Link's dark doppelganger however, convinces Hilda to let Zelda and Link return to Hyrule, and after a short discussion, Hilda agrees. Upon returning to Hyrule, Link makes a wish on the complete Triforce to restore Lorule's Triforce and save their kingdom.

The Decline Of Hyrule

After the Triforce is returned to the Royal family, it's passed down from generation to generation, until one King of Hyrule hides the Triforce of Courage away from his untrustworthy son and only tells his daughter, Zelda. This son later ascends the throne and asks his sister where the Triforce is. When she refuses to respond, he has an evil Magician place a sleeping curse on her. Hyrule as a Kingdom falls into decline, and as the years pass, the Triforce of Courage is forgotten.

The Legend Of Zelda

A newly revived Ganon invades a weakened Hyrule and takes the Triforce of Power for himself. In a desperate gamble to prevent Ganon from also taking the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda shatters the Triforce into pieces and hides it away in different places in Hyrule. During this time, Impa flees the castle and meets up with a traveling swordsman named Link. She instructs Link to find the pieces of the Triforce and then defeat Ganon. Link collects all the pieces and a magical sword, and he slays Ganon.

The Adventure Of Link

Link helps clean up the remainder of Ganon's armies who remain a threat even without their leader. On his 16th birthday, a royal crest appears on the back of Link's hand, and he asks Impa about it. Impa guides him to the castle where they use Link's crest to discover a hidden room with the still-cursed Zelda. Link also discovers a scroll from the previous King of Hyrule who hid the Triforce of Courage. In it, the scroll tells him the crest on his hand signifies that he is worthy of the Triforce, and that the Triforce of Courage is in the Great Palace. To gain access to it, Link must defeat the six guardians and set their jewels onto the statues at the top of each palace. Link does exactly this and reunites all the parts of the Triforce and reawakens the sleeping Princess, bringing peace and prosperity back to the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Era Of The Wilds

Related Games:

• Breath of the Wild
• Tears Of The Kingdom

Historical Takeaways

• Most recent history with the latest incarnations of Link and Zelda
• Another founding of Hyrule
• Ganondorf is sealed and defeated once again

Founding Of Hyrule

A new race of beings known as the Zonai descended from the heavens to live on the earth. Years pass, and the Zonai dwindle in number until only King Rauru and his sister Mineru remain. King Rauru marries a Hylian Princess named Sonia, and together they create the Kingdom of Hyrule. During the events of Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda is sent back to this ancient time by one of Rauru's Secret Stones, where she meets Hyrule's founders. Rauru senses Zelda's ability to control the Light and Sonia's ability to control time. The three of them then join forces to stop an assault on the castle by Ganondorf's forces.

Ganondorf then arrives at the castle to swear fealty to Rauru. Later, Ganondorf uses his position in the kingdom to assassinate Sonia, take her Secret Stone, and transform himself into a Demon King.

The Imprisoning War

Demon King Ganondorf then declares war on Hyrule. Rauru recruits 5 other sages from each of the major tribes in Hyrule to help him defeat the evil King. However, their combined efforts prove futile in the face of Ganondorf's power. Rauru then sacrifices himself to seal Ganondorf. Ganondorf, realizing what is happening, taunts Rauru by saying how "thousands of years will pass in the blink of an eye. You only delay the inevitable." With that, Rauru retorts that years into the future a swordsman wielding the Master Sword will defeat him once and for all. Ganondorf remarks how he looks forward to meeting him and loses consciousness.

Breath Of The Wild

Far into the future of Hyrule, the kingdom has become a technologically advanced society that's building robots to help it fight against the repeated invasions by Calamity Ganon. These machines then make short work of Calamity Ganon when it first appears to destroy Hyrule, 10,000 years before the events in Breath of the Wild. When Calamity Ganon returns, 100 years before Breath of the Wild's story, the Zelda of this age lacks any form of magic to help protect the kingdom, even though everything says she should have some kind of magical powers from the Goddess. Calamity Ganon possesses the same machines used to defeat it previously and turns them against their former masters.

Link, a Hylian Knight and Zelda's bodyguard, is mortally injured trying to protect her from the hordes of Guardian robots. This sparks Zelda's magic to life, but it comes far too late since her kingdom is burning to ash around her. Zelda then places Link into the Shrine of Resurrection so he can recover, hides the Master Sword in the Korok forest, then seals herself and Calamity Ganon into the castle so she can fully suppress Ganon until Link and the Master Sword are ready.

Link is awakened 100 years later with no memory of what happened. The Divine Beasts, the most powerful of Hyrule's ancient machines, are still roaming around Hyrule, and their powers will be needed to defeat Calamity Ganon and free Zelda. With that, Link regains the Master Sword, frees each of the Divine Beasts from Calamity Ganon's influence, and with their power they help him defeat Calamity Ganon and free Zelda.

Tears Of The Kingdom

After Calamity Ganon's defeat, a terrible substance has been harming the citizens of Hyrule called the Gloom, and it seems to be emanating from the bottom of Hyrule castle. Zelda and Link go to check it out and find the desiccated remains of the Demon King Ganondorf with only Rauru's arm remaining, keeping him in place. The pair arrive just in time to see the last of Rauru's seal wear off, and Ganondorf resurrects. He immediately defeats Link and shatters the Master Sword. Ganondorf laments how disappointing they are since Rauru had so much faith in them, and blasts the ceiling of the chamber with Gloom, causing the chamber to collapse. Zelda, with Rauru's Secret Stone, accidentally sends herself into the ancient past, and Rauru's arm whisks Link away to safety.

In the past, Zelda helps the founders of Hyrule and soon realizes that the Master Sword has followed her to the past so that it can recover. By using her light magic, she could empower the Master Sword so it can become even more powerful, but she would need to find a way to get it to Link. Through Mineru, she learns that there's a process that can transform her into a dragon with eternal life, and the Master Sword could spend countless millennia gaining power through her Light magic. However, it comes at the cost of her losing all of her memories and humanity. Zelda resolves herself to save her kingdom and help Link in any way she can. She swallows her Secret Stone and becomes a dragon.

In the present, Link travels around Hyrule, gathering a group of the Sage's descendants and retrieving a fully rejuvenated Master Sword from the Dragon of Light, unknown at that time to actually be Zelda. Armed with new allies and a repaired sword, he faces off against Ganondorf again and defeats him. Ganondorf then swallows Sonia's corrupted Secret Stone and becomes a Demon Dragon. Link, riding atop the Dragon of Light, slays the Demon Dragon Ganon, causing the monster to explode and disappear. Rauru and Sonia's spirits then repair Link's arm and revert the Dragon of Light back to Zelda, and the new kingdom of Hyrule is safe once more.