Theories: every Legend of Zelda fan has one. While fan theories are just as abundant in the Zelda fandom as Koroks are in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom combined, not all fan theories are created equal. Some popular Zelda fan theories catch on simply because of how ridiculous and meme-worthy they are, and not because there's any actual merit to the idea. On the other hand, some theories created by the fandom actually make perfect sense in the grand scheme of the franchise.

The subjects of Zelda fan theories can range from comprehensive alternative versions of the oft-debated Official Zelda Timeline to more specific theories about individual games or characters. Given Nintendo's tendency to leave the Zelda series' greatest mysteries unanswered, fan theories often end up being the best — and sometimes, only — means of making any real sense of things.

Updated on September 25th, 2024: Due to the extensive and long-reaching nature of the Legend of Zelda franchise, new theories are always forming. Therefore, this list has been expanded to include even more plausible theories and has been updated to adhere to CBR's current formatting standards.

15 The A Link to the Past Wish Theory

Link's Wish at the End of ALTTP May Have Been What Caused the Zelda Timeline to Split

The Downfall Timeline is the most heavily debated and criticized aspect of the Official Timeline. Unlike the Adult and Child Timelines, the Downfall Timeline doesn't have anything to do with Link time traveling, making it seem contrived in comparison. However, if the ALTTP Wish theory is correct, then the Downfall Timeline not only makes sense, but it is the original Timeline that started it all.

According to the Wish Theory, Zelda's Downfall Timeline is the original timeline, meaning that Link in Ocarina of Time originally lost to Ganon. However, after Link gains the Triforce at the end of ALTTP, he makes a wish on the Triforce for Ganon's evil to be undone. This not only causes Ganon's evil to be dispelled in the present, but also causes Ganon to be defeated by the hero during the events of OOT. This change of events due to Link's wish is what ultimately creates the three timelines as they're known in the official Zelda Timeline today.

14 Link Originally Owned the Old House in Hateno Village

He Most Likely Bought Back His Own House

In Breath of the Wild, there's a side quest called "Hylian Homeowner" where Link can buy an abandoned house in Hateno Village and refurbish it. Karson mentions that this house was once owned by a knight who left for the castle and never came back, leaving it to sit empty. After much debate, the villagers have decided that it's time for the house to be demolished, but Link can stop Bolson's crew by taking ownership of the house himself.

Many fans believe it is all but confirmed that this house was actually once Link's from 100 years ago. He fits the description of a knight who performed his duties at the castle and never returned, and it is said that his father was a knight as well. In Creating a Champion, the official art book for Breath of the Wild, it is stated that Link was a "country hero" and that "his hometown may have been Hateno Village." Given all of this, the implication of the previous owner being Link seems to be pretty strong. It makes it somewhat ironic, then, that Link has to shell out to regain what was most likely his family home — not that he would remember due to his amnesia.

13 King Rhoam Is Buried at the Top of Mount Hylia

The Pile of Rocks There Likely Mark King Rhoam's Grave

The Great Calamity of Breath of the Wild was devastating for everyone in Hyrule, including those who were left behind to deal with the aftermath. In the tutorial on the Great Plateau, King Rhoam recounts to Link his own death during the events that took place 100 years ago. But there is a moment even earlier than this when players stumble across what is probably his final resting place.

There is an unmarked pile of rocks at the top of Mount Hylia that is labeled as "King's Tomb" in the game files. Once the Old Man is revealed to be King Rhoam, it is easy to believe that he perished here during the Great Calamity and that's why his spirit is stuck on the Great Plateau. This idea is given further credence in Tears of the Kingdom as a Royal Claymore now sits at the base of the monument, which is known to have been his weapon. It is unknown who created this grave for the king when he fell, but given that the Shrine of Resurrection also rests here, there's a good chance it might have been the Sheikah.

12 The Rito May Have Evolved From the Loftwings

The Skyward Sword Companions Are a Logical Choice for a Potential Lineage

When the Rito were first introduced to the Legend of Zelda franchise with the Wind Waker, the game explained that they were a species evolved from the Zora. Many players have thought that this is odd because of how large the leap is from an aquatic species to an avian species, especially given that the Zora already would have had an advantage when the world flooded that wouldn't have necessitated the need for evolution.

With the release of Breath of the Wild having Rito and Zora living alongside each other simultaneously, this subject has only gotten more confusing. Some fans have pointed out that rather than the Zora, the Loftwings from Skyward Sword are a more optimal candidate as an ancestor for the Rito. Their designs are incredibly similar, the Rito crest heavily resembles the Loftwing crest that Hyrule uses, and it would make more sense for the Loftwings to have simply evolved rather than disappear off the face of the earth. This may just be the case of Nintendo trying to fix or edit pieces of the lore as new games are released, but for now things are still left ambiguous.

11 The Fortune Teller Intentionally Caused the Calamity in BOTW

This Mysterious Figure Likely Worked Alongside Ganon

100 years prior to the start of Breath of the Wild, the royal family of Hyrule received a prophecy from a person known only as "the fortune-teller" that foretold the return of Calamity Ganon, urging them to seek out the Guardians and Divine Beasts that were used to defeat him previously. Ganon then used this plan against them to take over the Sheikah technology and decimate the kingdom with it.

The fortune-teller's involvement has always cast suspicion on them, as King Rhoam likely wouldn't have sought aid from the Guardians or Divine Beasts without their input. This has made trying to decipher their identity somewhat difficult. Many think they could have been a member of the Yiga Clan, since they were once Sheikah Clan members that would have known about the ancient technology but now ally themselves with Ganon. There is also the possibility they could be Astor, the villain introduced in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, who seems to fit perfectly as a prophet carrying out the will of Ganon that works closely with the Yiga Clan; however, this connection is never confirmed in the story and the canonicity of this game has been called into question. Regardless, it's a compelling theory that leaves plenty of room open for speculation.

10 Link and Malon Got Married After Ocarina of Time

Twilight Princess Link May Be a Descendant of OOT Link and Malon

It's not uncommon for fandoms to dream up imaginative relationships between their favorite characters, and the relationship between Link and Malon may simply be another one of those cases. However, there are at least a few pieces of evidence that make Link's marriage to Malon seem like more than just a non-canonical ship. Apart from Link and Malon's obvious connection in Ocarina of Time, the first clue that their relationship could have continued after the game ended was the fact that Link rode Epona into the Lost Woods in Majora's Mask. This showed that the two at the very least retained their childhood connection.

Additionally, Twilight Princess doubles down on the idea that Link must have married someone due to the fact that TP Link is a descendant of the Hero's Shade. The reason fans think the person Link may have married was Malon is that not only is Twilight Princess' Link a farmhand — a profession that obviously ran in Malon's family — but this Link also knows Epona's Song, a song which Malon originally taught Link herself.

9 Tears of the Kingdom Shows a New Hyrule

TotK's Past Timeline is a Refounding of the Kingdom of Hyrule

In an effort to rectify the inconsistencies between TOTK's past time period and the pre-established lore of the rest of the series, many Zelda fans have subscribed to the Hyrule Refounding Theory. This theory states that TOTK takes place so long after any other game in the series that its past time period still happens after any other game in the Zelda Timeline.

This means that the founding of Hyrule shown in the past of TOTK is actually a refounding of a new kingdom of Hyrule after the previous kingdom was destroyed in some unknown event. While this makes TOTK's references to the Imprisoning War hold a bit less weight than if it were the same Imprisoning War as was mentioned in ALTTP, it does have the added bonus of avoiding the myriad of inconsistencies between TOTK's Imprisoning War and A Link to the Past's.

8 The BOTW Timeline Convergence Theory

The Zelda Timeline's Three Timeline Split Reconnects Before Breath of the Wild

With Breath of the Wild's placement on the timeline still not having been officially confirmed, Zelda fans have gone out of their way to present a number of theories of their own. One prominent theory is that BOTW takes place far in the future after every game and that it starts at a point where all three timelines converge.

While this wouldn't make any sense in real life because it would mean that past events occur simultaneously, not many things regarding time travel in the Zelda series apply to real life anyway. Considering all the elements of the other timelines that exist in the newer games, it would only seem logical to conclude that Breath of the Wild and its sequel Tears of the Kingdom take place after all three timelines join into one.

7 TOTK's Depths Is Wind Waker's Old Hyrule

The Depths Are the Hyrule That Was Contained Under the Great Sea

Tears of the Kingdom's Depths were always bound to be ripe for theorizing by their very nature. They’re strange and mysterious, and TOTK's story doesn’t give players much explanation as to what the Depths really are. One interesting fan theory considers the possibility that the Depths is actually just the bottom of Wind Waker's Great Sea.

An unimaginably long time after Wind Waker, the Great Sea that once covered Hyrule has dried over, and a new kingdom was built on the landmass above it. This theory is given even more credence by the simple fact that in Wind Waker's opening sequence, Ganondorf is described as having "crept forth from the depths of the earth." This theory would also help explain why all the old Heroes’ armor sets are found in the Depths, as they were left throughout old Hyrule when it was buried below the sea at the end of Wind Waker.

6 Is Majora's Mask About the "Five Stages Of Grief?"

Fans Have Noticed Parallels Between Majora's Mask and the Kübler-Ross Model of Grief

Majora's Mask's infamously dark story is full of strange mysteries, which makes it a natural breeding ground for fan theories. One of the most popular MM fan theories centers around the idea that either Navi, or Link himself, actually died at the start of MM, and the entirety of the game is about Link experiencing the "five stages of grief": a psychological model that seeks to explain how people experience grieving and pain after loss.

The "Majora's Mask Five Stages of Grief Theory" suggests that each of the five main locations of the game are a metaphor for the stages of grief, and there has been in-depth analysis of this theory all over the internet. While the Majora's Mask Stages of Grief theory does make sense to some people, when series Producer Eiji Aonuma (who directed MM) was asked about the 5 Stages of Grief theory, he offered a broader perspective: "it's not that each one of these episodes only has the one emotion that they are conveying. There are certainly other notes that we're trying to hit as well."

5 Koume and Kotake Have Still Never Left Ganondorf's Side

Koume and Kotake, AKA Twinrova, Appear to Be Ganondorf's Retainers in TOTK

Koume and Kotake, also known as Twinrova, have appeared in several Zelda titles in which they've played a variety of roles. While they were benevolent witches who owned a potion shop in Majora's Mask, they most commonly take the role of villains who serve Ganon as either his direct subordinates or by reviving him as in Oracle of Ages & Seasons.

In Ocarina of Time, Koume and Kotake had a close connection to Ganondorf in that they raised him as his surrogate mothers. According to one particularly plausible theory, Koume and Kotake have retained that role in Tears of the Kingdom. This is evidenced by two nameless Gerudo women who seem to always be by Ganondorf's side in the Dragon Tear Memories, and they even wear red and blue sashes which seem to coincide with Koume and Kotake’s magical command over the elements of fire and ice.

4 The Twili Were Once the Gerudo

The Gerudo's Absence in Twilight Princess May Be Due to Their Corruption by Ganondorf

The Gerudo have been a staple of the Zelda franchise ever since they were first introduced in Ocarina of Time. With them being such an important aspect of the series, the fact that the Gerudo were missing in Twilight Princess despite one of the best dungeons in the game (the Arbiter's Grounds) being located in the Gerudo Desert was understandably the source of a number of fan theories.

One of the most interesting fan-created explanations for the absence of the Gerudo in Twilight Princess was that they became Midna's Twili Tribe. In Twilight Princess, the Twili are described as a group of interlopers. That being the case, one popular fan theory suggests that the reason the Gerudo weren't seen in Twilight Princess was that they followed their king, Ganondorf, and were banished to the Twilight Ream, thereby becoming the Twili.

3 The Triforce Might Be a "Tetraforce"

The Empty Space in the Center of the Triforce Could Hold One Missing Piece

The Triforce is one of the most iconic symbols in gaming, but could there be more to it than meets the eye? According to one extremely popular fan theory, that's exactly the case. While the Triforce's three main pieces, Wisdom, Courage, and Power, are well known and clearly present in the image of the Triforce, fans noticed that there may be one more piece of the Triforce which was right under everyone's noses all along: that being of the central piece which is apparently missing.

According to this theory, the Triforce is actually a Tetraforce, and the fourth piece is what would ordinarily go in the space between the other three pieces. This theory was seemingly confirmed in the eyes of many fans due to the fact that the design of Link's Hylian shield from OOT had the image of what seemed to be an extra piece of the "Tetraforce" at the bottom of the shield. In BOTW and TOTK, however, the shield's design has been changed — perhaps to avoid any confusion about the true nature of the Triforce.

2 The Sheikah Made the Ocarina of Time From Timeshift Stones

The Ocarina Is a Remnant of Skyward Sword's Lanayru Mining Operation

The Ocarina of Time is a powerful artifact of the royal family of Hyrule, but its origins are somewhat of a mystery. WIth the release of further entries in the Zelda franchise, however, fans think they may have worked out a solution. Skyward Sword introduced Timeshift Stones, rocks from the Lanaryu Desert that can change the flow of time. In that game, the stones were used to create the two Gates of Time, but they also may have been used for the namesake of Ocarina of Time.

Until Breath of the Wild, the idea that the Sheikah were an advanced civilization that worked with technology wasn't prevalent in the franchise. But with that information, it's easy to surmise that it was the Sheikah who were using the Timeshift Stones for inventions like the Ancient Robots. The stones even have a symbol on them that look like the Sheikah eye. Pair that with the fact that the Ocarina glows the same blue as the Timeshift Stones, and this theory seems extremely plausible.

1 The TOTK Endless Time Loop Theory

Princess Zelda's Time Traveling in Tears of the Kingdom May Have Fixed the Zelda Timeline

TOTK's time travel-oriented story raised a lot of questions for fans, especially in terms of its placement in the Zelda Timeline. Of course, with no official confirmation of where TOTK's past time period takes place, Zelda fans had to do what they do best: come up with their own theories. One of the most interesting theories of TOTK's past period placement suggests that not only does TOTK's past time period take place near the beginning of the official Zelda Timeline, but the nature of Princess Zelda's time traveling caused an infinite time loop.

Because the Princess Zelda in TOTK's present inadvertently creates the conditions of her own existence by traveling to the past before she was even born, it creates a weird paradox that necessitates her having to infinitely time travel in a loop for all eternity. The interesting byproduct of this theory is that it allows for the split of the Offical Zelda Timeline to simply be three alternative possibilities which all really do happen, with the only requirement being that the events of BOTW and TOTK eventually take place.