The Legend of Zelda has been one of Nintendo's longest-running franchises since its NES debut in 1986. Each new game is responsible for introducing new characters and lore into the fantasy world of Hyrule. However, the variety of each game's connection to each other has led to much confusion and contradiction in the official series timeline.
Nintendo has since made many attempts to rectify the Zelda timeline, from new titles like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword to official source material like Hyrule Historia. Many fans who are knowledgeable about the franchise have found these even more confusing. These six retcons are amongst the biggest debates in the Zelda community.
6 The Creation Of The Master Sword
Link's signature weapon throughout the series has been the Master Sword, a blade often found stuck in a pedestal for him to retrieve. At varying times, the Master Sword's pedestal has been located in sacred temples or maze-like forests, but its overall purpose in vanquishing Hyrule of evil has always remained consistent in the series.
The sword's origins, however, are less straightforward. A Link to the Past for SNES stated that the Master Sword was created by Hylians after the Triforce fell into the wrong hands. Skyward Sword revised this history, making the Master Sword a creation of the goddess Hylia and used by the very first Link in the timeline.
5 The Seven Wise Men
A Link to the Past is the source of many other retcons in the Zelda timeline. Prior to the events of that game, a group of Seven Wise Men was said to have sealed Ganon away in another realm to protect Hyrule. However, the true identities of these "wise men" are explored in the Nintendo 64 title Ocarina of Time.
As it turns out, some of the Seven Wise Men aren't actually men at all. Renamed the Seven Sages, these important figures come to Link's aid after Ganon takes over Hyrule. Twilight Princess revises this again, making the sages identical figures who sentence Ganondorf to death after the events of Ocarina, though Ganondorf frees himself and kills one of them.
4 Origin Of The Kokiri
The Kokiri made their debut in Ocarina of Time as a race of elves living in the Kokiri Forest under the watchful guidance of the Great Deku Tree. Link initially believes himself to be one of them, until learning of his true destiny as a Hylian and the Hero of Time. The game makes a particular distinction that the Kokiri and Hylians are different races.
However, The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, released in 2017 as the third in the "Goddess Collection" trilogy, retcons this. It states that long ago, the Kokiri were Hylians who decided to live closer to nature. This makes Link's lack of acceptance by the Kokiri community to be confusing, as they're all essentially Hylians who have just been raised by the Deku Tree.
3 Skull Kid Created Termina
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask has been one of the most difficult-to-place games in the Zelda timeline. Although the events occur directly after Ocarina of Time, Link spends most of the game adventuring in a world called Termina. This parallel world to Hyrule makes no appearance in any future Zelda title, often in place of a Dark World or Twilight Realm.
Again, this was clarified by the Encyclopedia, which states that Termina was actually created in the mind of the Skull Kid after he came into possession of the titular mask. This draws a lot of questions, such as Link's role in the game and how he entered the Skull Kid's imagination. It's also stated that Termina ceased to exist once Link defeated the Mask.
2 The Rito-Zora Connection
The Rito first debuted in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, as a tribe of humanoid bird-like people. It's also revealed in The Wind Waker that the Rito are descendants of the amphibian Zoras, who had previously appeared in many Zelda titles, including Ocarina of Time. However, both races appear together in 2017's Breath of the Wild.
The Rito's appearance also varies greatly in Breath of the Wild. While The Wind Waker kept them mostly human, except for beaks and wings, the Rito in Breath of the Wild more closely resemble birds. It's unclear if that game is completely retconning the connection between the two races, or if it's implying they both co-existed before The Wind Waker.
1 The Sheikah Tribe
Another retcon courtesy of Breath of the Wild relates to the Sheikah Tribe. Prior to that game, the only known member of the Sheikah Tribe was Impa, Princess Zelda's guardian in Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword. Ocarina specifically mentions that the Sheikah were wiped out during the Hyrulean Civil War.
In Breath of the Wild, however, the Sheikah are alive and well. Particularly, they're an advanced civilization in possession of incredible technology, such as Link's Sheikah Slate he uses throughout the game. Impa still appears in the game as an old woman who guides Link to save Zelda, while the rest of the tribe mainly resides in Kakariko Village.