Notes from the Author
    I can remember buying the Legend of Zelda, the original Legend, way back in the late 80’s. Believe it or not the game was huge back then too, as huge as a video game could get back then. Now adays games are given the publicity of a movie, and the Ocarina of Time is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated games ever. It is also undoubtedly the most oddly arranged game series in history. That game I bought 10 years ago actually takes place far in the future, relative to the Ocarina of Time, and, oddly enough, every major sequel in the game has actually moved backward in time, instead of forward.
    With this comes a great deal of confusion, and if you don’t know the whole story, the games seem to sometimes flatly contradict themselves. But, everything does actually fit together, and I thought I, who has been a fan of the game since the beginning, would finally put most of questions to rest. Unlike most of the many written lectures on this topic, I tried not assume anything you will read here. All of this information came directly from playing all of the games in the series in their entirety. I tried to make this as accurate as possible. However, there may inevitably be imperfections in my data. If you see something that seems unusually suspicious, or flat out wrong, please mail me at john@dmgice.com, and I will look into it.
    The first thing you need to understand is that all of the games do not star the same character. (Link is not the same person in all the games, he is however a direct descendant of all the other Link’s in the series, who is destined to appear when the Hyrule is in trouble, but that’s part of the legend I’ll get into later.). Every two games, the Legend skips a few generations (with the exception of  the Ocarina of Time, which skips head to A Link to the Past right away.)  The chronological order of the existing games (at the time that this was written) is the following:

1. The Ocarina of Time
>>>Skip ahead a few generations>>>
2. A Link to the Past
3. Link’s Awakening
>>>Skip ahead a few generations>>>
4. The Legend of Zelda
5. The Adventure of Link

    Now, it’s pretty much set in stone that The Ocarina of Time is the true beginning of Zelda’s Legend, and that there can be no more prequals based on the same characters. Is Link immortal? How can he (and Zelda) be in all of these games? Well, he’s not... The Link in the Ocarina of Time is not the same Link as the one in A Link to the Past. The Link there is a direct male descendant of the other Link. (A single name must be keep in Hyrule, which acts as a last name. However it is a good thing we don’t have any telephones in Hyrule. Here is an example conversation:
“Ahem, hello, yes, uh, is Link there?”
“Well...yes...”
“Ahh, good, many I speak with him?”
“Well, there are five Link’s here, which one would you like?”
“Well, this is Hyrule castle, and well, we’re having a little problem with this Gannon fellow again...”
“Ah, yes, I see, hold on... OK, WHICH ONE OF YOU WANTS TO SAVE HYRULE THIS TIME? I DID IT LAST TIME!”)
    OK, not really, but... Below is my condensed version of the entire Legend in chronological order, starting with the creation of Hyrule. Any one who tries to actually play the games in chronological order, instead of release order will notice many loop holes, such as the obvious one in Gannon’s ending speech at the end of the Ocarina of Time about destroying the descendants of the Sages once the seal was opened, which is the beginning of A Link to the Past. At the end of each main section, I will present a few theories and facts about the legendary game series.

The Creation
    Years ago, the three golden goddesses descended on the chaos that was Hyrule. The three goddesses formed the land and created the life of Hyrule, including the Hylians (and probably the Deku tree, who would later in turn, create the Kokiri.) Hyleans were created like all other races, except for their pointed ears, which is said that they could hear the gods with. (Is has been shown throughout the history that Hyleans are able to establish telepathic links in extreme circumstances, it is not known weather or not early Hyleans were fully telepathic.) Before the goddesses left, at the point at which they departed, they left the Triforce, hidden inside the “Sacred Realm” (or “Golden Land”, or “Dark World” as it is also called, it is presumed to perhaps be a different dimension). The Triforce is composed of three perfectly balanced parts. The Triforce of power (the top triangle), the Triforce of wisdom (bottom left triangle), and the Triforce of courage (bottom right triangle). It is said that if any man were to enter the Golden Land and obtain the Triforce, he would receive ultimate power over the land. However if the heart of the receiver is not perfectly balanced exactly as the Triforce is, he will not receive all three parts of the Triforce, only the one part that is reflected of his heart. Therefore, if the heart of the person is good, then so would be Hyrule, but if the heart of the person is evil, then Hyrule would become an evil place.

The Beginning of the Legend
    Before Hyrule was united by the good king, there was a great war. (The cause of the war, and what fractions were involved, is unknown, it is assumed to be a fight for power over Hyrule, although at the time, no one was able to find a way into the Sacred Realm.) It was during this time that the first two children of destiny were born, Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, and Link, a Hylean destined to be the Hero of Time. Toward the end of the war, a Hylean mother sought refuge in the Kokiri forest, which had been protected from the evil. The mother soon passed away, and the child was left to be raised by the great Deku tree as a Kokiri. (It should be noted that the Kokiri do not age, they remain as children forever, this obviously did not apply to the child, who was Hylean, although he didn’t know it.) The Deku tree was able to recognize the boy as a child of destiny (Link), and raised him as a Kokiri in preparation for the time when he would be needed. Princess Zelda was born into the royal family, and the war soon ended, and the good king set up the Kingdom of Hyrule, and peace ruled the day.

NOTE BEFORE YOU BEGIN READING
These tales could be considered 'spoilers' if you've never finished these games, because The Legend of Zelda is very plot driven. If you haven't finished one of these games, and you plan on doing so later... you may want to skip that section if you really want to enjoy it later. The purpose of this is to clear up most of the confusion about how all these story lines tie together, which they do.

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
    Ten years later, Zelda (10 years old) had a strange dream. In her dream the land of Hyrule became covered by a vast, dark cloud of evil. However, the cloud was cleared by a boy from the forest accompanied by a fairy. Zelda told her father of this dream which she believed to be a prophecy, but he did not believe her. Soon after her dream, Gannondorf, leader of the Gerudos (a tribe of thieves west of Hyrule), came to Hyrule to offer a alliance, and to pledge his loyalty to the king. Zelda knew at once that this Gannondorf was evil, and symbolized the dark clouds of her dream. Meanwhile, the Deku tree of the Kokiri felt the evil beginning to spread over the land, and knew it was time for the legendary hero to begin his quest. The Deku Tree sent Link out of the forest to seek the Princess of Destiny. Link found Zelda, and she explained that in order to keep Gannondorf away from the Triforce, they must find it first. In order to do this, Link must find the 3 precious stones that would open the door of time, which lay inside the Temple of Time, which she knew led to the sacred realm. Link set out on his quest and found the 3 stones, helping and meeting many people on the way. However, on his way back to the castle, Link saw Zelda fleeing with her Nursemaid Impa away from the pursuing Gannondorf, who knew that Zelda was the key to reaching the scared realm. Before Zelda vanished though, she was able to toss Link the Ocarina of Time, which would allow Link to open the Door of Time himself. With the Ocarina and the 3 stones, Link opened the door of time, and received the Legendary sword of evil’s bane, the Master Sword. However, (a lot of plot twists, aren’t there?) Gannondorf had followed Link, and entered the sacred realm just as Link had pulled the master sword from it’s pedestal. In the sacred ream, people are transformed into what is reflected in their heart, and so Gannondorf was transformed into a hideous beast (known simply as ‘Gannon’ in this form, instead of ‘Gannondorf’). In the realm, Gannon found the Triforce atop a mighty pyramid. But since those who receive power without wisdom cannot claim courage, Gannon only received the Triforce of Power, instead of all three. The other two Triforce pieces went unknowingly to the two chosen children of destiny. Gannon’s evil power instantly spread over the sacred realm, which became known as the dark world, and soon spread to Hyrule when Gannondorf returned to search for the other two holders of the remaining Triforce pieces, so he could finally gain the power to rule the world. Instead of returning to Hyrule, Links spirit was locked in the sacred realm by one of the sages until he was old enough to become the Hero of Time, and so Gannon could not find him when he returned to Hyrule to search for him. When Link finally awakened after seven years, he discovered that Gannon had attacked Hyrule long ago, and after the fight known as the imprisoning war, Gannon’s evil had overcome the land, and Hyrule was in ruins. Link’s new task, and the last hope for Hyrule, was to find the sages that could imprison Gannon and his evil in the dark world. On his quest, Link learned much about himself, including the fact that he was Hylian, not Kokiri. And that he, as the legendary hero, was the holder of the Triforce of Courage, and Zelda was the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. In the end, Link found all of the Sages (who turned out to be people he already knew, or had gotten to know on his journey. Over time, history was slightly corrupted, and the seven wise men were thought to be magicians or sages of the king, when in actuality, they were commoners who had never before used such magic, and were chosen by their loyalty and integrity.) Link went to a final showdown with Gannondorf, who had captured the Princess. In the final battle, Gannon was able to transform into his hideous form he had in the dark world through the Triforce of Power. In the end however, Link and the master sword prevailed, and Link and Zelda, with the combined power of the sages, trapped Gannon with the Triforce of power in the dark world with a magic seal. Gannon vowed that if he was ever able to escape his imprisonment, he would hunt down and capture the descendants of Zelda and the sages. Link replaced the master sword in the Temple of Time, was transported back seven years, as if none of it ever happened, and Link was able to live the childhood he was supposed to.
Facts
    The fifth installment of the Legend of Zelda, currently the only Nintendo 64 game. If you're very familiar with the previous Zelda games, it's interesting the way that Nintendo tied in so many links that combine all the games. The creation of Hyrule, and the legend of the hero of time is clearly explained in this game. Gannon's vow to get the descendants of the sages is an obvious reference to A Link to the Past, and many of the other speeches in the game refer to future events. Also note the characters Malon and Talon, who look and sound suspiciously like Marin and Tarin (Link's Awakening) Talon and Ingo were also designed to look like Mario and Luigi, if you didn't notice that. This is still officially the most successful game ever. Selling the most about of units in the least about of time. The only full 3D Legend of Zelda so far, it is undoubtedly one of the best in the series. Most people place Link's Awakening a notch higher in their opinions, because it doesn't contain as must character emotion or development as Link's Awakening does. (ie. you don't get to know the non-player characters as well.)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Many Generations after 'The Ocarina of Time'
    Hyrule went through another great era of peace. The imprisoning war became history, and the story of the legendary hero became a legend. The descendent of Zelda lived in Hyrule castle, and Link’s line probably also remained in Hyrule. The economy was good and the people were happy. The seal of the sages (known as the wise men in this time, due to history becoming slightly distorted, as it often tends to do) should have stayed for ever. History, however, repeated itself (as it tends to do), and Hyrule, without explanation, began to experience some peculiar disasters. Earthquakes damaged homes, droughts left many thirsty, and crops died. When a powerful wizard, Aganim, came to the land of Hyrule and pledged his allegiance to the kingdom, the king was quick to accept him. The Aganim stopped the disasters (which was easy, because he started them.) However, one by one, the descendants of the wise men (sages) began to disappear, and it wasn’t long before the wizard eliminated the good king. One night, the two living descendants of Link received a telepathic plea from Zelda, asking for someone to rescue her from her captor, the wizard. The older of the descendants (known only as 'uncle' in the game) sneaked off into the rainy night on a quest to find the princess. When he didn’t return, his nephew (the player, Link), sneaked into the castle as well, and found his uncle mortally wounded. Link took his uncle's sword and shield, rescued the princess from her cell, and hid her in the sanctuary. It was there that Link learned that he was the legendary hero that was destined to appear, and was advised to find the elder of a local village (who was a descendant of one of the wise men). Link found the wise man, who had gone into hiding. The wise man told Link that he alone would be the only to restore Hyrule to his former glory with the legendary sword of evil’s bane. Link found three pendants that would earn the master sword that rested deep in a forest. Once again, the master sword from it’s pedestal, and Link went to the castle to defeat the wizard, who had just found and recaptured Zelda. If the wizard was able to combine the powers of the descendants of the wise men with Zelda, he would be able to break the seal that imprisoned Gannon. Link found the wizard, but it was too late. Link arrived just in time to see the wizard make Zelda vanish into the dark world. Link confronted the wizard, and with the master sword, he was able to defeat Aganim. Just before dying, with his last bit of power, he banished Link into the dark world. Link appeared on top of the great pyramid, Ironically, where Gannon found the Triforce so many years ago. In the meantime, Aganim had fulfilled his purpose, and Gannon was able to begin the creation of a gate in front of Hyrule castle that would allow his armies of evil to invade and conquer Hyrule. Stuck in the dark world, which was still corrupted by Gannon's evil, Link had no choice but to set out on a quest to rescue the descendants of the wise men that Aganim had imprisoned there. Link found all of the maidens, and Zelda, and had found ways to travel back and forth from the light and dark worlds. After Zelda and the seven descendants were safe, Link went into the great pyramid, to battle Gannon and insure a lasting peace. Link defeated Gannon, regained the Triforce in whole, the dark world was returned to it's former golden glory, the gate in front of the castle disappeared, and  Hyrule became a land of peace once again.
Facts
    The third Zelda game, released in April of 1992. It was a long wait for Zelda fans after Zelda II, but this SNES sequel was well worth it. It had the longest, most twisting plot at it's time, and quickly moved into Nintendo's 'Millions Seller' category. This was also the first game that was made as a prequal. Taking place before the existing Zeldas, it set what was to become a long trend in making the series from the top down.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Directly after 'A Link to the Past'
Link's Awakening is a bit of a side story of A Link to the Past, and isn't directly a part of the 'legend', as it isn't about the relationship between Hyrule, Zelda, Link, and the Triforce. In the entire period of this game, Link never sets foot in Hyrule, you never see Zelda, and the Triforce isn't mentioned. It's a game about Link discovering who he is, it's a game about Link's..... Awakening. It is also considered by some to be the best game in the series. It's a very emotional game compared to the others. Link's gets to know characters, and understand their pain and confusion.
This story is exceptionally story driven, and I highly suggest that you do not read the following section or it's ending if you haven't finished this game yet.
    Link had fulfilled his destiny, defeated Gannon, and recovered the Triforce. He knew that his purpose in the legend was finished. Link decided to set out on a journey. A simple one, where he would master his skills and gain a sense of completeness. Link sailed to foreign lands and other countries, training himself and disciplining his mind. When Link finally felt ready to return to Hyrule, he build a very small one man sailboat, and began the long journey back to his homeland. Along the way, his craft became caught in a storm. Link desperately fought to keep the ship on course, but a single bolt of lightning struck the mast, reducing his ship to splinters, and knocking Link unconscious. When Link awakened, he found himself in a soft bed of a warm house, being woken by the comforting voice of Zelda. Or so he thought. He did wake up in a bed, but the person that woke him was not Zelda, but Marin... a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Hyrule's Princess. Link learned from the locals that he had shipwrecked on the beach of Koholint Island, and that Marin had found him barely alive as she was walking along the beach; and that the monsters of the island have suddenly become very hostile since he washed ashore. Link decided to search the area he was found at, to possibly find some clues as to how he could get home, and to find the equipment he had lost. Just before finding his sword in the wreckage, he met a owl, who told him that the island he was now on was a merely the dream of a creature called the Windfish, which rested in a giant egg on top of the biggest mountain on Koholint, Mt. Tamaranch, and that the monsters of the island were becoming violent because they knew that he would begin a quest to awaken the Windfish to they Link could escape to his own world. Link eventually began to do just that. He learned that the only way to wake the Windfish would be to collect the mythical 7 instruments of the sirens, which were scattered throughout the island; hidden in dungeons and shrines. Link traveled through the dungeons, collecting the instruments, and helping and teaching the island inhabitants of the world outside of the island; a concept they had never even thought of. Link became more worried as he advanced (and so did the player), because monsters told him differently than what the owl had, that waking the Windfish would not free him, but kill him. And many of the ancient stories and inscriptions implied that if Link were to wake the Windfish, it would end the dream and effectively destroy anything that's a part of it. Is Link a part of the dream? Is Hyrule? What are all these 'Nightmare monsters' that are guarding the instruments, and how do they know so much about the island, the Windfish and his dream? It became painfully obvious as Link got closer to waking the Windfish that waking him would probably do more harm than good... even if these facts were given by the monsters and ancient history. Link discovered, though, that while he had been on his quest, other secret plans had been set in motion. Evil beings known only as 'Nightmares' had been making preparations to take control of the island, and make sure that the Windfish sleeps for eternity. With this knowledge, Link made the decision to take the instruments and attempt to wake the Windfish from it's slumber. Link traveled to the top of Mt. Tamaranch, played the interments, and entered the great egg. It appeared to be too late, though. Inside the great egg, Link found the essence of the nightmares, who had already entered the egg to make sure that the Windfish never wakes. Link fought the nightmares for the last time, who took on many forms of recognizable characters before being defeated. (Including Aganim, Gannon, and other evils from Link's mind.) After destroying the nightmares, a stairway appeared before Link, and Link climbed it. Link was met by the mysterious owl at a platform high at the top, where he could see a beautiful view of stars and strange wonderful random forms. The owl told him that his had served his purpose, and he would now meet the dreamer. Link finally met the Windfish, who told Link that the island really is simply a dream, and that Link entered it when he was knocked unconscious by the storm. The Windfish was ready to awaken along with Link. He played the instruments one last time, and everything seemed to go crazy. Link was hit by huge jets of water that pushed him upward at incredible velocities. Link blacked out. He woke up again, this time not in a warm bed, but clutching a floating piece of wreckage in the ocean. The only thing to ensure that it wasn't all a dream was the giant Windfish that few overhead. It is presumed that Link either floated to land, or was rescued by a passing ship. (He certainly didn't die, because his descendants appear in the sequels.)
Facts
    Currently, the only Zelda title available on Gameboy. This game was obviously designed to look like the A Link to the Past engine, and it succeeds. The game, even though shorter than A Link to the Past, is considered by almost everyone to be the better of the two, and even the best in the entire series by most. What sets it apart it the way the story develops, and the way Link interacts with the characters. You must be very shallow if you don't feel sadness when you see Marin and the rest of the island disappear when you and the Windfish awake in the end. Two main versions of this game were released, the original, and the DX version, that included a color, and many new options, and a new dungeon. Link's Awakening combines the best elements of all the Zelda games. The graphics from A Link to the Past, the exploration required in The Legend of Zelda, and even a few side-scrolling areas from Link's Adventure. Other little cool things, such as cameo appearances from many other game characters. (Goombas, Bloopers, Kirby, and many more), the extensive barter system, and the secret ending make this a superb game. (And this editors favorite.)

The Legend of Zelda
Many generations after 'Link's Awakening'
    The peace lasted in Hyrule for a very long time. With little need for defense, the towns of Hyrule dispersed and people began to live in separated houses and caves that dotted the land. Link's descendants eventually moved from the land, to settle somewhere else. Hyrule became a place of open fields, great deserts, dense forests, and ancient temples. But, as fate would have it, the evil Gannon used this as an opportunity to once again attack Hyrule. It started as a slow process. Beginning with the monsters the roamed the lands becoming evil and bold, attacking anyone who crossed them. One day, Zelda discovered that the Triforce was missing two pieces, just as legend told of. Missing were the Triforce of power and courage. The only thing Zelda could do was go and try to recover the Triforce piece herself, before the evil grew even larger. Before she went, to ensure the safety of the rest of the Triforce, she split the Triforce of wisdom into eight pieces. Zelda was, however, unable to recover the Triforce from Gannon, and was captured and imprisoned inside Death Mountain. Zelda's nursemaid, Impa, set out on a desperate search to find a hero who could find the separated Triforce pieces, defeat Gannon, recover the stolen Triforce of power, rescue Zelda, and solve the mystery of the missing Triforce of courage. She, of course, by fate found the hero of time destined to appear. At the time, Link was simply passing through Hyrule, when he found Impa, about to be finished off my Gannon's minions. Link fought off the monsters, and saved Impa, who told Link of what has happened in the land. Link, as expected, vowed to recover the Triforce and save Zelda. He first had to piece together the Triforce of wisdom to obtain the power to defeat Gannon. Link searched the land, finding the hidden temples and recovering the pieces. Along the way, met many Hylians that helped him on his quest and he learned that he held the Triforce of courage in his heart, where it would stay until it wasn't needed, and the land was out of danger. Link collected all the pieces, and went for a showdown with Gannon on Death Mountain. Link defeated Gannon, rescued Zelda, and once again restored the entire Triforce.
Facts
    The game that started it all. The first of two Zeldas on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The first in the series is oddly, of the last in chronological order. This game is, for most people, more difficult than the others. Mostly because you get little help on your quest, and some of the dungeons are well hidden, and very difficult to find. This is a simply fantastic game that you have to play if you like the others. Unfortunately, it's extremely difficult to get a hold of, and of course, requires a working NES. Luckily, Nintendo is releasing a Deluxe version of this game, and probably sooner than you think. Wait just a few more months...

The Adventure of Link
A few years after 'The Legend of Zelda'. Based on the same characters.
    Gannon was defeated, the Triforce was safe, and Hyrule began to organize into towns after the people saw that evil was able to strike the land. Hyrule was a happy place for a few years... then the monsters began to, once again, attack people simply for traveling the land and even the roads. At first, Link dismissed the idea of any serious threat, until one day when Zelda fell under a sleeping spell. Link also discovered the same day, that he had the symbol of the Triforce drawn on the back of his hand. Link explained this to Impa, Zelda's nursemaid, who told Link of the legend of the hero of time passed down through the generations. Link set out to find the source of the evil. Along the way he learned of the evil wizard, who put Zelda under the sleeping spell for not revealing the secrets of the Triforce to him. The only way to save Zelda, was to unlock the mystery of the Great Palace of Hyrule. It was sealed, however, and the only way to unlock it was to enter the other 6 palaces of Hyrule, and recover the crystals to the statue of each palace. This would break the magical barrier on the Great Palace, and allow Link to enter. Link did so, helping out towns people whenever he could, until he broke the barrier of the palace. Link fought the Thunderbird of the great palace, and thought that Zelda and Hyrule would be saved once thunderbird was defeated. That wasn't the end, though. Weary and tired from the difficult battle, Link had to fight his greatest battle yet. His own shadow. Link won the day, Zelda was saved, and just as the legend always foretells; Link ensured the peace in the great kingdom of Hyrule.
Facts
    The second of two Zeldas on the NES. Nintendo went with a different approach on this one. Moving around Hyrule takes place from an overhead camera, just as before, but all fighting takes place from a side view. Link also 'levels up' on this game from beating enemies. This is also the first game where Link learned to use magic.

Summary and the Future
    That's everything, so far. Five games, three generations. Nintendo is currently hard at work developing a surprisingly large number of Zelda games. A upgrade for The Ocarina of Time is in the works, although it will only be available in Japan. This N64DD attachment for the cartridge will not add any major changes, but greatly expand the current game, trying to recreate some of the things they wanted to originally add, but didn't have time. (Things such as the character emotion seen in Link's Awakening, which is the one thing that makes it better in the opinions of most.) Next is the American game currently intitled 'Zelda Gaiden' This sequel to The Ocarina of Time IS NOT the same as the N64DD add on, as most people think. It's takes place soon after the events in the Ocarina of Time, and will therefore probably feature most of the same areas. It will use the same game engine. There are five titles scheduled for Gameboy Color (Jump up and down.) Two of those are much needed deluxe versions of the original Zeldas. The other three are original games that are separate cartridges, but all part of the same story line. They can, however, be played in any order. How this will exactly be done has yet to be specifically revealed. It will most likely run on improved modified versions of the Link's Awakening engine.

Conclusion
    The Legend of Zelda is undoubtedly one of the best game series, ever. Anyone who hates is, simply hates it for it's popularity, is being company biased, or doesn't like complicated games. The Legend of Zelda broke a number of limits in it's time. It was the first game to use a battery pack to save games internally, so that the player never have to write down any passwords. It was one of the first games to combine the open-ended architecture of RPGs with the real time skill needed for Adventure games. It will, like Nintendo's own Mario and Metroid series', continue for a nice long time.

-1999 John Craig, DMG Ice

"To the finder...
 The isle of Koholint, is but an illusion... human, monster, sea, sky...  A scene on the lid of a sleeper's eye... Awake the dreamer, and Koholint will vanish much like a bubble on a needle... cast-away, you should know the truth!"