While the lore revealed in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom does seem to clash with the established Zelda timeline, there is an intriguing possibility that the Zonai may not have founded the original Hyrule as the game suggests. Instead, there is a suggestion that the Hyrule ruled over by Rauru and Sonia may actually be a successor to another, even older kingdom. If true, this has the potential to explain some of TOTK’s more puzzling details and has enormous implications for the entire series.
There has been more than one Kingdom of Hyrule featured in the Legend of Zelda timeline for some time now. After The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, Link and Tetra eventually discovered a new land and founded New Hyrule. It is here, in a Hyrule that is both separate and notably similar to the original, that the events of Spirit Tracks takes place. Given that Breath of the Wild, and by extension Tears of the Kingdom, is connected to all three of the Zelda timeline’s branches, the establishment of at least one additional Hyrule is therefore already vaguely canonical to TOTK, even before considering the implications of the Zonai era.
In an interview with Famitsu, TOTK director Hidemaro Fujibayashi mentions the possibility of Hyrule having been destroyed before the Zonai arrived on the surface world, which would make the founding of Hyrule they are credited with actually more of a refounding. Although this is far from being a direct confirmation of a prior Hyrule’s existence, this would go some way to explaining some of the peculiarities that can be observed in TOTK’s Hyrule and its history when compared to the wider series. One example of this is the apparent changes to Hyrule’s religion and Hylia’s emphasis in the most recent games.
The existence of the Golden Goddeses is a key piece of Zelda lore, which seems to have been forgotten in BOTW and TOTK, along with that of the Triforce. However, if the Hyrule seen in these games is built on the ruins of an older version, perhaps the same kingdom in which older titles like Ocarina of Time take place, then this is far easier to understand. It would explain why the Zonai were not even referenced in Skyward Sword. Moreover, it is not unimaginable that the few surviving Hylians of a previous Hyrule could have forgotten much of their culture and turned their focus to their patron guardian deity.
In addition to this, an additional incarnation of Hyrule could explain some odd details regarding the Ancient Sages and BOTW’s Divine Beasts. The distant ancestors of TOTK’s new group of Sages wear masks apparently styled after the Divine Beasts, who are themselves named after figures in Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. This seems to suggest the Ancient Sages and Divine Beasts are somewhat contemporary, and the possible Zonai connections of the Ancient Hero similarly seem to confirm this. However, for this to be true, the events of both games would, by necessity, need to have already occurred…
2024-01-16 02:00:06
Article from screenrant.com
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