Hyrule Historia reveals a Zelda timeline!

One of the biggest debates among The Legend of Zelda fans is the timeline in which the games follow. Up until this point there has been no official timeline and Nintendo refused to acknowledge one.

Hyrule Historia is set to be released this Wednesday in Japan. From the table of contents one Gamespot forum member, FamliarStranger, was able to translate the text from Japanese into English. And if his translation holds up then it appears as though Nintendo will be issuing a timeline for our beloved franchise.

Here's a translation of all the subheadings for the chapter that talks about the timeline (found in this table of contents right here: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/zelda25th/guidebook/img/img_intro01b.jpg)

"History of Hyrule
~Finally Revealed, The Genealogy of the [Legend]~
The Timeline of Hyrule, Kingdom of the Gods......................................68
The Legend of Gods and the Hero of Time...........................................70
The Downfall of Hyrule and the last Hero...............................................92
The Twilight Realm and the Hero's Descendant................................. 110
The Hero of Wind and the new World.....................................................122

I'm 100% sure this translation is accurate, except for "downfall." It has been nearly 8 years since I've lived in Japan, and despite daily practice, I can't remember some kanji (characters) anymore. Coupled with the fact that this scan is too low resolution to show this particular kanji clearly, I could only read one kanji out of the two that make up this word. Using context clues and the meaning of the kanji that I was able to read, I guessed that the word meant "downfall." I'm assuming this might be referring to the Great Flood in Wind Waker's backstory.

This makes me curious though - who is the "last Hero"? I thought it was agreed upon that no hero showed up to save Hyrule (because OoT Link went back in time and he was no longer in this side of the split timeline).

Also, this book refers to Twilight Princess Link as the "Hero's Descendant." This was not a translation choice. The original Japanese leaves no ambiguity or room for doubt. It uses a word that could only mean a direct descendant related by blood. (I double checked with multiple dictionaries as well). This apparently confirms Twilight Princess Link is related to one of the other Links (Most likely OoT?)"

Looking at the translation, “The Legend of Gods and the Hero of Time” points pretty clearly at Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time. “The Downfall of Hyrule and the Last Hero” almost seems like they are referring to The Wind Waker storyline (with the great flood) but the next section “The Twilight Realm and the Hero’s Descendant,” clearly identities to Twilight Princess. So the "downfall" section could be another game. Possibly A Link to the Past since that game references The Imprisoning War and in it it is said that Link is the last of the Knights of Hyrule. Next is the "Hero of Wind and the New World,” which is understood to be The Wind Waker and its sequels released on the Nintendo DS; Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.

As for the many other titles in the The Legend of Zelda franchise, we'll have to wait and see what the book reveals and where it places them. But as a die-hard fan, I can say that I am definitely excited and a little saddened at the release of a timeline. The game creators always said half the fun was having fans try to figure it out themselves and the fact that there was no 'official' timeline kept it a 'legend'. I always liked that.

Until Nintendo announces Hyrule Historia for the rest of the world, we'll have to satisfy our curiosity with leaked translations of the text online.

Source: Gamespot GameFAQs