Hyrule, the land that Link and Zelda thrive in, or sometimes come to find despair in. But overall, at a first glance, Hyrule is a beautiful place. Full of life, villages, green rolling hills, and horses that dot the landscape. It seems like it would be the perfect kind of world to explore and have adventures in, which is probably what Link thought when he was a kid, but oh, has that changed drastically.

Link has found himself constantly being thrown into battle, whether he’s helping Princess Zelda or he’s trying to save the world from imploding from all the chaos, he pretty much has his hands full, to say the least.

But there are also a ton of different moving parts to the land of Hyrule, not only does it seem like there are a ton of different versions throughout the games, but it actually has been confirmed that Hyrule is one place for the most part, and we’ve just been seeing different moments in time. While this seems interesting and does make so much more sense, there are some aspects that seem to be a bit unexplained. It really makes you wonder what other little secrets are out there in the tall grasses, dark forests, and crystal glistening lakes of Hyrule.

In this list, we’ll be looking at all the moving parts of Hyrule, we want to look hard at each theory and idea behind the game, and you’ll be left to choose what you want to believe about the mystical lands!

25 Hyrule Isn't Always The Same

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There are so many timelines when it comes to the land of Hyrule. The games often explore them in random order, but it’s been confirmed once before from Nintendo that Hyrule is just seen at different stages in all of these timelines.

If you really think about it, it does make some sense that there would be different timelines, especially with the various styles of the game that have been released. While it might be difficult to understand at first, it does explain why there are so many different stories that almost seem to be standing alone.

24 Characters There Exist, But In Different Forms

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Of course we all know that Zelda and Link constantly come in and out of specific times to save the world or Hyrule as we know it, but there are actually other characters that show up in the stories as well, even if they are on different timelines. Such as the very famous Tingle, who is a silly little elf that appears in many of the games on different timelines. There is also a merchant named Beedle that is in two different timelines as well.

23 Ganon Wasn’t Always The Big Bad

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It’s hard to believe that Ganon wasn’t actually what created all the evil in the world of Hyrule. It was a spirit known as Demise in Skyward Sword, that’s what started it all in the first place.

Maybe he just wants to show us that we all have a dark place in our hearts as well? Or maybe he just really is the bad guy.

Once you beat Demise he tells you that he will come back again and again to rule Hyrule.

22 The History Of Magic

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When the game isn’t right there in front of you and you see the colorful graphics and hear the beautiful music, just knowing that the already passed rise again at night can be a very haunting thought, especially when all the cute and fun exploring can’t mask that fact. It can be very creepy if you really think about how many monsters come back alive constantly in the game because of the evil that’s trying to destroy Hyrule. Don’t forget to turn around to see if a skeleton is chasing you!

21 Different Versions Of Zelda

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Not only does Link constantly come back to life, but he goes in and out of timelines, and so does Zelda. According to the character named Impa, who was an elder, there were many princesses known as Zelda because of it being a blessing, named after the true princess. It’s unclear whether or not this means that they all are Princess Zelda but just different versions, or actually different individuals altogether. We might never know, but maybe one day we’ll have the answers.

20 The World From A Dream

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There are some seriously weird concepts in the world of Hyrule, but did you know that there was a game based on a dream that Link had? It even showcases his story as he grows up and learns fighting skills. Even though it’s not actually taking place in Hyrule, it does deserve to be on this list because it is still based on Hyrule. Although it doesn’t end well for him, it still is interesting to play through Link’s Awakening, even if it can be a bit creepy and off putting as a game.

19 The Three Goddesses

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The three goddesses that created Hyrule were known as Din, Nayru, and Farore. They were the ones who created the world and they were often looked upon as magical and special. Maybe people pray to them on a regular basis.

Even though the lore behind these games is very deep and complex, we want to know more about the three goddesses.

They are also the ones who created the triforce when they left the world of Hyrule, they left their power behind, even if it could grant evil wishes as well.

18 The Time That Has Crossed Over

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Now that we understand that there have been many different time periods that have been explored in Hyrule, it’s also interesting to see how often many of the timelines have crossed each other in strange ways that don’t seem like they would actually make that much sense in the long haul. But at the end of the day the games are quite fun, so it’s not always something people pay much attention to, especially when it can be hard to pinpoint.

17 Different Dimensions Have Merged And Split

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We’ve mentioned briefly in this list that some theories state that there are different dimensions that exist in Hyrule. Dimensions that often are creepy and dark, but also mirror the world that we have come to know and love. There are many sinister secrets that we don’t want to spoil for you, but many events have taken place to solidify this theory that there is a whole other world side by side with the one that Hyrule exists within. Maybe we can have a game just based on that?

16 Hyrule Has Fallen Many Times

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In one game that has become a favorite for many who enjoy the series, The Wind Waker tells the tale of Hyrule falling and being completely flooded. The people of Hyrule can only live on little islands that were once mountains. This game does stand out among the others we’ve seen, but it is interesting to see a different timeline where the world has been flooded and basically washed away, all the history is completely gone, even though it’s a shame.

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A big fact that many people miss when they play the games, happens to be the fact that Link was the one who actually created and forged the master sword. Many people don’t realize that because he has been reincarnated so many times and searches for the sword, it can be tough to catch that it has always been his sword from the start. It’s the sword you need to have if you want to be able to banish Ganon, even if it’s only for a few years.

14 Zelda The Goddess

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Skyward Sword has so much lore within this specific timeline, it’s always very interesting to dive into.

Even though it’s not something you catch right away, it is something that becomes more and more obvious as time goes on.

But it should be noted that because Zelda is actually a goddess, the Skyloft in this game was one that she created when she was the goddess without her human form to try and protect her people from the evil around Hyrule.

13 A Real Civil War

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Taking a step away from the games for a moment, it should be noted that in some of the older comics it was mentioned that there was a civil war within Hyrule, a war not against evil, but against the people of Hyrule. It does set up events for other timelines, but the story is actually very open ended right now, it would be amazing if there was another game added to the timeline to close the events or at least give some kind of closure.

12 A Different Version Of Ganon

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Just like how Link and Zelda constantly are brought back into the game within different dimensions and timelines, so is Ganon. Ganon is just like Link and Zelda, but instead of trying to protect the people, he wants to rule the people in very evil ways. But there has been confusion because he has been ruled as gone for good before, yet he continues to come back and exist when it doesn’t exactly make the most sense in the timelines.

11 Creating Hyrule Twice

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In the Skyward Sword timeline of the game, it’s known that Link and Zelda created the kingdom of Hyrule, but they also do this in Wind Waker as well, even though it doesn’t make the most sense.

This one seems far fetched, but of course anything can happen in the land of Hyrule if you will it to happen.

Who knows, maybe they will introduce a new timeline where they make a third kingdom named Hyrule once again with a different story altogether?!

10 The Mess Of The Wars

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The wars were constantly a mess in the land of Hyrule. It banished many people to never return and it often made situations much worse for all of the individuals trying to live their life within the boundaries of Hyrule. While many of the wars don’t take place in the games, we do know that there is a long and complicated history of wars similar to ones we are familiar with. Even though this is a fantasy world, it’s quite sad how much bloodshed there was.

9 The Divine Ended It All

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Many think that Ganon is the only evil in Hyrule, but that’s not true. Many could easily believe that the goddesses were also evil since they basically started this never ending cycle of rebirth, war, and evil. There are many different evils that lurk within Hyrule, many individuals like followers of Ganon, and even Vaati which was an independent spirit that was able to make their own choices, even though they believed in Ganon. Maybe more evil characters will be introduced in the future as well, who knows?

8 The Villains Are Always Lurking

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Evil is always lurking, especially because there is a theory that there is an alternate universe right in each of the timelines, a world where there are monsters and it’s a very dark setting. This seems to be true based on many different parts of the games where it's revealed when evil is lurking around every corner. There are tons of different dimensions within the game, especially within Majora’s Mask which is quite creepy. Let’s hope they find a solution to all this madness.

7 They Couldn’t Help

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Even though Hyrule constantly seems to be in trouble all the time no matter who stands up to protect it, it’s just a never ending cycle. Did you know that there is an actual Hyrule army? Even though you don’t hear a lot about it, it does actually exist. Usually it just seems like they were thrown into the story to make it seem more realistic, but if anything, it just made it worse, because this army hasn’t been able to protect literally anything, ever.

6 It Wasn’t Known As Hyrule

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There was one other name that really made no sense, Grooseland. A character in one of the games named Groose was a bully and loved Zelda. When he made it to the surface of the land he named it Grooseland.

Just like any fictional or real world, there has always probably been a time where things were very very different.

That should tell you how entitled he felt he was! We’re just glad it was renamed to Hyrule later on.