Historical Records
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| Any die-hard fan of The Legend of Zelda knows there is a widely-accepted timeline which connects virtually all the entries of the franchise into a single continuity. While parts from Legends of Hyrule can be used for this timeline, there is no point which can use all of it without considerable deviation. The history presented on this page is intended to be an alternative, unofficial timeline that provides a DM with the means to combine many different aspects from different Zelda games into one campaign while still drawing on a rich history rooted within the Zelda franchise. Of course, this is all entirely optional. If the DM intends to base a campaign off a recreation of one specific game, such as Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild, then it may be best to ignore this timeline entirely. |
So far in Hyrulean history, historical dates are rarely found and rarely reliable. Historians have managed to piece together a chronology of events that shaped the Light World we know today, but the exact number of years which transpired between these events is usually an approximation, and sometimes completely unknown. The most credible theories group history into eight eras.
The following sections are split into these major eras of Hyrulean history, and further sectioned off into major events instead of precise years. Events that are most recent and thus better understood are listed topmost. Each section that follows delves further and further back into the past—into the misty uncertainties of antiquity.
Contents
Modern Era
What historians call he modern era began about a century ago with the foretelling of a Calamity.
Era of Rebirth
This era began about a thousand years ago and ends about a century ago. Some creatures are still old enough to have first-hand accounts of this era. Few if any have lived through all of it. With the forces of Ganon subdued, the world enjoyed a relative peace for centuries.
Era of Decline
This era began nearly 5,000 years ago and ended about a thousand years ago. The oldest zora, great fairies, and undead might still remember the most recent years of this era but for most creatures it is several generations removed. It is characterized by conflicts between the major civilizations of the world, the emergence of the Evil King Ganondorf, and a millenia-long struggle between the forces of Ganon and the forces of Light.
Zoran Civil War
River zora became geographically and culturally separated from other zora. Before the split, the race as a whole worshiped and revered their patron god, the great fish Jabun. For reasons that have been lost to history, Jabun either died or vanished in this era. Sea zora replaced their former god with another immortal great fish now known as Jabu-Jabu, which many still believe to be the reincarnation of Jabun. The sect that would become river zora saw this as sacrilegious, and tensions rose into a holy war over this dispute. The outcome of the war is unknown, but nonetheless the two sides of this race still hold age-old animosity towards each other.
Over a few thousand years, river zora would grow to have vivid physiological differences from others of their race.
Era of Enlightenment
This era began with the fall of Demise about 10,000 years ago and came to a gradual end nearly 5,000. Perhaps only deities have first-hand accounts of this era. It is characterized by reshaping the world to grow anew after the devastating impact of Demise.
Era of Demise
This era occurred about 10,000 years ago but may have spanned only one or two centuries. This most cataclysmic time in the history of the Light World was wrought by a single entity for which the era is named, and whose name itself has become foreboding.
- Monsters introduced
- Languages split
- Great Caldera
- Fall of the Gerudo; the race would be shaped by the traits of the survivors
Progenitor Era
This era began ~100,000 years ago and ended abruptly with the Era of Demise 10,000 years ago.
- The Gerudo Kingdom diverged from the Hyrulean Kingdom after a great conflict. Eventually the gerudo would become so different from hylians that they are today no longer even considered the same race.
- Although several written languages exist in this era, by far the most widespread and understood is the script used in the Ancient language. The script is said to originate from the gods, but likely spread from the then-prolific zuna to other civilizations and races.
War of Twilight
- Some Ancient Hylians would be banished to the Twilight Realm, where they would eventually become the twili race. This divergence is believed by some to remove some of the most powerful mages from the Light World.
Ancient Robots
Prehistoric Era
Many historians consider the end of this era to be whenever the Ancient script began to spread through different kingdoms—about 100,000 years ago but spanned a million years or more. Although symbols appear in the written record throughout this era, there may not have no widespread written language as modern people know it.
Ancient Civilizations
Numerous ancient civilizations existed in this era, spanning all across the Light World. Almost all information about these cultures has been lost to time, with little more than the crumbling stone ruins offering any hint to what life was like for millions of people across thousands of years. Some of the more prolific civilizations are known today as the Cobble Kingdom, the Ikana Kingdom (possibly merged into hylians), the Zunai (possibly became the zuna), "Robots", and at least one aquatic empire.
Most of these civilizations engaged in long-distance trade with each other and there is evidence of intercontinental war. It seems many of these civilizations went extinct due to calamities, famine, war, or other causes. Some would disappear as they become absorbed by larger civilizations. By the time this era ended, only three great kingdoms would persist in the historical record: the Hyrule Kingdom, a Zora Empire.
- The Ancient Hylians would diverge into two races known today as gerudo and hylians.
- The Great Deku Tree originally sprouted in this era. The races now known koroks and kokiri were created by the Great Tree, and thus couldn't have predated it.
Primordial Era
The primordial era is generally everything that occurred before signs of intelligent life appear in the known record. This era ended about a million years ago, but opinions differ widely upon how long it lasted. Some say the world was created with intelligent life, while others suggest it existed for billions of years before intelligence emerged.
- Although intelligent people likely did exist before the prehistoric era, there is no evidence of even basic architecture anywhere in the Light World. Only simple items like stone tools, pottery, and the like are believed to originate in this era.
- An ancient aquatic race split off to eventually become the races now known as parella, zora, and rito. Parella are believed to most closely resemble these ancient ancestors.
- An ancient mammal race existed at this point, believed to be the common ancestor of many different humanoid races including both hylians and anouki, among others.
Creation
| “ | “Before time began, before spirits and life existed, the three Golden Goddesses descended upon chaos. Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore, with her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law. After these goddesses finished their work, they left the world, but not before creating a symbol of their strength, a trio of golden triangles which together could become known as the Triforce.” |
A small but powerful portion of the essence of the gods is still held within the mighty Triforce. The goddess Hylia was incarnated by the Golden Goddesses to guard such a holy and powerful item.
The Golden Goddesses created the Light World and, by most accounts, the Sacred Realm. Most modern scholars believe the Golden Goddesses would not have created Demise and did not intentionally create Lorule. It is unknown whether other realms, such as the Twilight Realm, were also created at this time by these goddesses. It is unknown if other realms—such as the Twilight Realm—were also created at this time by these goddesses; opinions diverge.
