The Legend of Zelda timeline is one of the most commonly discussed pieces of video game lore out there. There have been countless videos, articles, and even infographics made that explain all the connections between the games and the different timelines.
Then, Breath of the Wild comes in and boldly states that it's at the end of all the timelines, that it doesn't follow the norms of most other LoZ games. But, after years of inspection, fans have found plenty of hidden lore, particularly about the game's villain, Calamity Ganon. So, here are the biggest secrets we could find about this natural disaster.
10 He Can Resurrect All Forms Of Life
Within BotW's expansive world are a number of reoccurring events. One such example is the Blood Moon, which occurs sporadically depending on the enemy population or how relaxed the Hero of Time is currently feeling.
The Blood Moon is when Calamity Ganon's power is at its peak and is used as a way of repopulating the world so the player doesn't eventually clear out every enemy. However, what many people don't pick up on is that canonically this power means Ganon has the ability to resurrect the dead, and not just monsters. Those of the Yiga clan also get brought back to life during these events.
9 He Is Intelligent Enough To Make Plans
This is gone over a tad bit in the introduction to the game with all the different murals/tapestries, but Calamity Ganon has appeared before. In fact, 10,000 years ago this being of pure Hatred and Malice was defeated by the Guardians (and who can blame him, they're a pain to fight), the Four Champions and the Sheikah.
Fans theorize that this is when Ganondorf was destroyed and Ganon was left without a physical form. But, it spent all its time sealed away thinking of how to counter the Sheikah the next time it was revived. And, it did, which is why it was able to hack and take over the Guardians/Guardian Beasts, something the King of Hyrule was a bit surprised by, to say the least.
8 Ganondorf Is Long Gone, Ganon Is All That's Left
There's a lot of reasons why fans were sort of bummed that Ganondorf himself wasn't in Breath of the Wild. For one, people just tend to relate more with a human than a natural disaster. But, also, they truly wanted to see how the Gerudo King would be realized in this new artstyle.
Unfortunately, he never appears, and it's likely because he is long dead. So far removed is Ganondorf from this game that people in BotW take any facts about his appearance and history as legend rather than fact.
7 You Only See The Incomplete Version
Readers might be asking "How is Calamity Ganon a ghost? Link fights against him at the end of the game after all." And, there's a good reason for that. Turns out that Calamity Ganon sensed Link awakening from his 100-year slumber and started working on its own physical form.
Sadly, no matter how long the journey takes to Hyrule Castle (and it will be long, considering how big the game is), Ganon's gross cocoon never completes its transformation, and Link is stuck fighting this weird incomplete spider monster. It's the most horrifying Ganon has ever looked.
6 His Horse Is Technically Still Around
There's an odd pattern that can be found within all the biggest and badest characters throughout history. If a big man rides a horse, it has got to be a big horse, like Lu Bu, for example. In the Dynasty Warriors games, Lu Bu's Horse, The Red Hare, is equally imposing and majestic. Or, what about Kokuoh, Roah's steed that was as big as an elephant from the classic series Fist of The North Star?
Well, Ganondorf had his own version. This gigantic black horse with a red mane is first seen in the N64 game but somehow makes an appearance in BotW. Turns out even the horses reappear in multiple timelines and Link can even fight against Calamity Ganon's final form with a descendant of his own horse.
5 Ganondorf's History Has Been Lost To Time
So much time has passed between Ganon's last appearance that nobody even remembers how it looked in a physical form. Ganon has simply been a natural disaster for too long at this point and is no longer known for being a man who can turn into a pig-demon. But, there are whispers and rumors that survived, and one such legend is that Calamity Ganon once took the form of a Gerudo.
Of course, fans know this to be fact, but Urbosa herself takes it as nothing more than an insult to her people. In fact, she hopes that he is so that her spirit may contribute to taking down the "man" who gave her already persecuted people such an awful name. Seriously, Urbosa is just the best.
4 It Repurposed A Shrine Of Ressurection
Going more into how exactly Ganon got that physical form Link fights at the end of the game, it turns out this incarnation of Evil can do more than fly around menacingly and resurrect Bokoblins, it can also repurpose Sheikah Tech.
Hacking and taking control is one thing, making the machinery serve another purpose is another thing entirely. But, that's exactly what Calamity Ganon did as soon as it sensed Link had awakened. It grabbed another Shrine of Ressurection and turned it into a machine that could generate a physical form for Ganon to inhabit. Sadly though, it never finished, and players got stuck with that weird spider demon instead of Ganondorf.
3 This Version Doesn't Seem To Even Care About The Triforce
Remember the Triforce? That triple triangle piece of godliness that allows the user to bend Hyrule to their will? The thing that Ganondorf is usually chasing in all the games? Well, not this time. Frankly, there's barely even a mention of it in Breath of the Wild outside of Hyrule Castle, and the one or two instances it is seen, it's implied that Princess Zelda might just have all three pieces of it already.
Calamity Ganon is mostly past sensible decisions by this point, it lost the ability to do those long ago when it first became Malice incarnate. So, the idea of claiming the Triforce and ruling Hyrule under an iron fist is no longer in its list of priorities. It is all about destruction.
2 Calamity Ganon Is The Result Of 10,000 Years Of Malice
Since the days of Skyward Sword, the theory of why there is always a Zelda, a Link, and a Ganondorf has taken on many different forms. Some believe that every Zelda is a reincarnation of Hylia, sometimes she is just a descendant and Link is the only one to reincarnate, while others believe it is just cosmic coincidence.
But, Ganon always appears due to a curse from Skyward Sword. Before, this Hatred and Malice was contained within Ganondorf and controlled to a certain extent. But, since it's implied Ganondorf was destroyed 10,000 years ago, there was nothing left to regulate this, and it kept growing and becoming more mindless yet powerful until it transformed into Calamity Ganon.
1 Zelda & Ganon Were In A Constant Battle For 100 Years
And finally, BotW Zelda does not get nearly enough credit for her 100-year mental battle with Calamity Ganon. Calamity Ganon is eons of Hatred and Malice given form, yet Zelda held him up for a century and restrained its power as much as possible within Hyrule Castle.
It's also stated within the game that this mental battle the two had is what stopped Ganon from starting its work on a physical form earlier, and it's only because Zelda's power was waning that it finally had the opportunity to start generating one. Just remember, Zelda was locked in a battle with an aggressive evil who wouldn't leave her alone, which just has to be an ISFP's worst nightmare.