Timeline Theories/2D Adult Community Theories

The "2D Adult" Timeline is a discipline of the Split Timeline that proposes that all of the older (2D) titles are to be placed in the Adult Timeline, along with The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, and that the Child Timeline serves as a separate story apart from the older games and thus completely free to continue into its own chronology. Below is a listing of 2D Adult theories created by the Zelda community at large.

Alter's Trident Timeline Theory
Trident Theory Timeline:
 * MM - TP

(SS) >< TMC - FS - (SS) - OoT
 * TRR/TWW/PH - ST - FSA - ALttP/LA/OoA/OoS - LoZ/AoL/Valiant Comic Series
 * TRR/TWW/PH - ST - FSA - ALttP/LA/OoA/OoS - LoZ/AoL/Valiant Comic Series


 * The Trident Theory is something I, Alter, came up with myself, and I'm unsure as to whether or not someone else has had any similar ideas. The basic idea of this theory is that Ganon was once a Human/Gerudo. Once he stole the Trident in FSA, he was transformed into a "demon". From this point on, he was unable to ever return to his human form, and is usually seen with the Trident from then on.


 * Vaati was sealed after the events in TMC, and was released during in FS. He was sealed again, only to be released once again in FSA, where Ganon obtains his Trident.


 * The Sealing War is made up of the events in OoT, and the entire OoT arc takes place in between FS and FSA.


 * The baby Deku Tree that Tingle helped in TRR grows up. The forest then becomes known as Forest Haven. Link later ventures there during the events of TWW.


 * When Ganon broke out of his seal in TWW's backstory, Hyrule was flooded, explaining why there are islands in TRR, TWW, and PH. The land then drains, likely due to the Deku Tree's success. A new Hyrule is then formed by Link and Tetra in ST. After Ganon obtains the Trident in FSA, he is defeated in ALttP. Link then travels across the now much smaller sea to the lands of Koholint, Holodrum, and Labrynna.


 * The game manual for LA states that Link went on a search for enlightenment after defeating Ganon. This makes sense, as ALttP had been its predecessor, and the developers wanted to continue the story. After leaving Koholint Island, and returning to Hyrule, he is warped to the lands of Labrynna or Holodrum, and then sailed to the other land after completing his journey.


 * Note that it is also possible that his "search for enlightenment" took him to Labrynna/Holodrum, and after those adventures, he sailed back to Hyrule, but not before getting shipwrecked on Koholint Island. It's very vague as to what occurred on his quest. However, this idea is not as likely, as it is implied that he set sail (i.e. not warped by the Triforce), and had just destroyed Ganon (i.e. not the "fake" Ganon).


 * Ganon returns to the Kingdom of Hyrule in LoZ and AoL. Link and Zelda continue their fight against him throughout the Valiant Comics as well.

Trident Theory Timeline 2:
 * MM - TP - FSA - ALttP/LA/OoA/OoS - LoZ/AoL/Valiant Comic Series

(SS) >< TMC - FS - (SS) - OoT
 * TRR/TWW/PH - ST - FSA - ALttP/LA/OoA/OoS - LoZ/AoL/Valiant Comic Series
 * TRR/TWW/PH - ST - FSA - ALttP/LA/OoA/OoS - LoZ/AoL/Valiant Comic Series

This is also a possibility, where they split, and then later re-merge at the point of FSA. This idea fits well, but there really is no reason for it.

Bitterlime's Timeline (ZU)
Adult: SS - OoT - TWW/PH - ST - TMC/FS/FSA - ALttP/OoS/OoA/LA - LoZ/AoL

Child: SS - OoT/MM - TP


 * Hyrule of TMC is the result of the Koroks/Deku Tree's success.


 * The Dark Mirror of FSA is the Twilight Mirror of TP (but not the Magic Mirror of ALttP).


 * OoT is still the IW, but the OoT Ganon is not the one sealed in ALttP. That is FSA Ganon.


 * Knowledge of the Triforce, the Sacred Realm and the IW, resurfaced after the waterlevel drop inbetween FSA and ALttP, probably in written form (Book of Mudora).


 * The AoL manual is still canon, but doesn't happen at the start of the timeline.


 * The Trident of Power is the reason for blue Ganon.


 * There are two Ganon(dorf)s: the one from OoT and the one from the 2D games.

Erimgard's "Freshly-Picked Oracles" Timeline (ZI)
Adult: SS - OoT - TWW/PH - ST - LoZ/AoL - OoS/OoA - [FPTRR] - TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA

Child: SS - OoT/MM - TP


 * Hyrule of TMC is the result of the Koroks'/Deku Tree's success.


 * The Dark Mirror of FSA is the Twilight Mirror of TP (but not the Magic Mirror of ALttP).


 * OoT is still the IW, but the OoT Ganon is not the one sealed in ALttP. That is FSA Ganon.


 * The AoL manual is still canon, but doesn't have to happen at the start of the timeline.


 * FPTRR is canon and timeline relevant
 * LoZ Hyrule does not necessarily have to be the same as TMC Hyrule


 * Places in TMC Hyrule such as Lon Lon Ranch are not related to the places in OoT, but instead to the islands of FPTRR.

NOTE: FPTRR is included with this timeline because it serves as the basis for part of the placement.

Goldenrod111's Many-Line Theory
I would love to be able to condense this into a normal two-line theory, but it doesn't work out. We know that TP is along the child line, and TWW along the adult. However, Ganon appears in three distinct forms: fully human in TWW, tainted by twilight (with its powers) in TP, and a half-boar all the time in the 2D games, and each of these forms has a separate ultimate fate. The only way to condense this any further is to say that all the games are just stories, and the one who was telling TWW decided to say that Ganon was petrified instead of just returning to where he came from. I like this interpretation&mdash;(ALttP) - TMC - (ALttP) - FS - FSA - (ALttP) - LoZ / AoL / OoX / LA - TWW / PH - ST&mdash; but it definitely messes with how we understand the rules, and completely ignores Occam's Razor.

Basically, this theory states that the timeline split once at the end of OoT and once while Ganon was sealed in the Dark World. The child arc is rather straightforward: Link travels to Termina, and one of his descendants kills Ganon after his attempt to use Zant to take over. In the adult arc, though, the split is based on whether or not Ganon is changed by the dark world. If he remains a gerudo, he eventually breaks free on his own and indirectly initiates the flooding of Hyrule and his becoming a statue. Otherwise, he tries to use Vaati, and evidently brings about his own failure; Link is around to send him back to the dark realm, whereas he was largely unopposed just before the flood. The third time he attempts to break free, in LoZ, he is killed (we assume that he managed to escape before, as there would otherwise be a huge number of alternate timelines), and the remaining games in the progression he only appears in revival attempts. The Link that stops the schemes in OoX is definitely the one who killed Ganon initially, and so that leads us to the conclusion that he is quite the traveler, thus leading to the conclusion that he is the one "journeying for enlightenment," and therefore the Link in LA.

Lexxi’s New Hylian Kingdom Theory (ZI)
Adult: SS - OoT - TWW/PH - ST - LoZ/AoL - OoS/OoA - TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA

Child: SS - OoT/MM - TP


 * The kingdom of LoZ/AoL is founded on the islands of the Great Sea, made larger and brought together by the Deku Tree and christened with the Triforce’s blessing at the end of AoL.


 * The Master Sword is either reforged by the Zoras in OoA.


 * The Triforce returns to the Sacred Realm after OoS/OoA.


 * The Light Force is a powerful Force Gem introduced after the Triforce leaves the new Hyrule.


 * The Dark Mirror from FSA is the Mirror of Twilight from TP.


 * OoT is the IW of ALttP, and TP’s prolonged wars are the wars told as leading up to the IW.


 * The demon Ganon is one entity throughout the entire series, taking on multiple incarnations over time.


 * The Four Sword is sealed in the Sacred Realm by the maidens after FSA. This accounts for Ganon's appearance there in ALttP.

MoonMan's Subrosian Theory (ZI)
Adult: SS - OoT - TWW/PH - ST - OoS/OoA - [FPTRR] - TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA - LoZ/AoL

Child: SS - OoT/MM - TP

NOTE: FPTRR is included with this timeline because it serves as the basis for part of the placement.
 * Ganon of LoZ is the result of Ganon splitting his soul in ALttP to form Agahnim, who was never properly killed.
 * The location of the Triforce after OoS/OoA is unknown, either having been hidden or locked away by the royal family or having returned to the Sacred Realm.
 * OoS/OoA must come before FPTRR because of the appearance of the Salona, whose ancestors (implied to be Subrosians) had contact with the hero (OoS/OoA).
 * FPTRR must come after TWW due to the island structure of the world.
 * TWW-OoS/OoA-FPTRR-TMC-FSA represents a world transitioning from islands to continents.
 * OoT is still the IW, but ALttP Ganon is not OoT Ganon, it is FSA Ganon.
 * The Master Sword is recovered and reforged in OoA.

Ollathir's "Growing Hyrule" Timeline Theory (ZU)
Adult: SS - OoT - AoL BS - TWW/PH - AoL BS - OoX & TMC BS - TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA -LoZ/AoL

Child: SS - OoT/MM - TP

NOTE: This timeline is based on Erimgard's timeline, which I think is improved by moving LoZ and AoL to after ALttP and LA. The following points are my explanation of why I believe so.


 * In TWW, the Deku Tree says that he wishes to create more land by planting trees and eventually connect the islands on the Great Sea. In FPTRR, we see land growing, and in OoA, there is more land in the present than there is in the past. All these things point to land growing over time.


 * More land is seen in AoL than in any other game. Based on TWW, FPTRR, and OoA, this leads us to assume an end-of-AT placement for AoL, along with LoZ.


 * In FSA, which was the next game made after TWW, the land to the north of Hyrule on the AoL map is not there. This directly points to AoL, and LoZ, being after FSA, and logically, after ALttP.


 * The Triforce being in Hyrule Castle before LoZ is explained by the "vanishing" of the DW at the end of ALttP. Since the Pyramid of Light was the parallel to Hyrule Castle, the Triforce would end up in Hyrule Castle when the DW vanished.


 * Ganon in LoZ can be explained by a resurrection like in OoX.


 * The AoL BS takes place shortly after the founding of New Hyrule, in accordance with the "first generation Zelda" quote in the4 AoL manual.


 * The TMC BS takes place in Hyrule during OoX. This explains Link's absence from the TMC BS. Also, the darkness in Hyrule during the TMC BS is similar to the darkness in Labrynna and Holodrum during OoX. Lastly, TMC has a lot of connections to OoX, (books in library, Din and Nayru) so it works out well to have the TMC BS taking place during OoX.

SUMMARY: With no sure explanation for Ganon in LoZ in Erimgard's timeline, it is beneficial to move LoZ and AoL to after ALttP and LA, making the explanation for Ganon in FSA available for use to explain LoZ Ganon. The only thing that is sacrificed in doing so is geography.

NOTE: Ollathir no longer follows this theory because he now believes that either TMC and FSA show a loss of land or that FSA's map is not Canon like Pinceove does.

Pinecove's "Dark Essence" Timeline Theory (ZU/ZI)
NOTE: THIS TIMELINE WAS PRE-SPIRIT TRACKS

Adult: SS - OoT - AoL BS - TWW/TT/PH - TBF - FPTRRL - LoZ/AoL - OoX & TMC BS - TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA - AST

Child: SS - OoT/MM - TP/LCT

NOTE: While this theory is based highly off the state of the Dark world, the Seal war, and Ganon, Geography is also incorperated into it.

NOTE: The following theory is based MAINLY off this quote:

"On Death Mountain I felt... I felt Ganon’s presence. I know the Evil King Ganon was sealed by Link, the Hero. His body was sealed, but his malicious essence could not be sealed. It was through this evil energy's doing that the youth was pulled into our world."


 * OoT is the SW.


 * Before TWW, Ganon uses a bushin to escape his seal from Hyrule and the Sacred Realm.br />
 * The Deku Tree in TWW is successful in his plans to connect all the old islands together to form the new Hyule.


 * LoZ's Ganon is Ganon's essence.


 * After LoZ when Ganon is destroyed OoX shows the ressurection of his spirit and his essence of darkness being put into a Trident.


 * TMC shows us the completion of the new Hyule setting as it is surrounded by mountains and forests.


 * FSA either shows us a slow loss of land from TMC or it's map is not Canon.


 * FSA shows us A New Ganondorf getting the Trident and gaining the dark essence of the old Ganon.


 * FSA Ganon once sealed in the FS is transported to the SR (the official art of the seal from the SW is reminicent to FSA's seal at the end of the Game.


 * ALttP's map is retconned by FSA if there is a loss of land.


 * ALttP shows us the escape of Ganon from the FS and the formation of another Bushin to escape the seal.


 * ALttP shows us the destruction of Ganon's Trident.


 * AST Ganon is the essence of Ganon.

SUMMARY: The Ganons from LoZ and AST can be explained by an essence which is occasionally randomly revived and other times is simply re-formed. TMC and FSA can either show us that there is a loss of land over the coarse of time and ALttP's map is not surrounded by mountains and forest anymore, or FSA's map is not Canon.

Sage of Earth's Paradox Theory (ZU)
Adult: SS - OoT/MM - TWW/PH - ST - ALttP/LA - LoZ/AoL

Child: SS - OoT - TP


 * Link's choices in the past result in a grandfather paradox that leads to TP. The rest of the timeline remains as it would were it a single timeline.

NOTE: The Oracle and FS games are not included with this timeline.

The Viral Timeline (ZI)
Adult: SS - OoT - TWW/PH - ST - LoZ/AoL - OoX - TMC - FS/FSA - ALttP/LA

Child: SS - OoT/MM - TP


 * The Deku Tree in TWW is successful in his plans, and LoZ's setting is the "new" Hyrule.
 * OoT is the IW, and FSA along with the aLttP remake fixes the problems posed by WW.
 * ALttP refers to OoT as the IW, but does not refer to OoT Ganondorf being sealed.
 * OoX shows Twinrova binding Ganon's soul to the Trident.
 * FSA features a new Ganondorf who claims the Trident that was used by OoX Ganon. The soul of this Ganon is bound to the Trident, and so when Ganondorf claimed the Trident, the old Ganon's soul took over his body.
 * After Ganon is sealed within the Four Sword in FSA, the Four Sword was then sealed within the Sacred Realm. Ganon then broke out of the Four Sword which sets up for aLttP, as shown in the GBA version of aLttP.
 * Ganon was likely able to make his wish by combining the 3 seperate Triforce pieces, after his minions stole it from Hyrule castle and brought it to him in the Dark World (According to the LttP Sound and Drama). He would not be able to wish on the complete Triforce, as it would split once he touched it.
 * An alternative to the above is that the Triforce, as separate pieces, returned to the Sacred Realm after OoX.