UPDATE! Summary translation of an old Hyrule Fantasy manga:

Update: 600dpi scans are uploaded here

@sergeithesage on Twitter was kind enough to translate the summary to this old manga, so we can get a little bit of a better idea of what it's about. Thank you so much!

The Legend of Zelda by Mitsunori Kitadono and Ikuo Miyazoe, 1987, Keibunsha Co.

"Once upon a time, when magic and mystic were abundant, several small countries joined into Great Kingdom Hyrule. It was prosperous and peaceful, but then the Prince of Darkness Ganoth (Ganosu) came. Monsters and beasts filled the country, devastating the land.

Soon Ganoth demanded to give him the only king's child, Zelda, as a bride. King refused, and Ganoth enclosed Zelda inside crystal. The court wizard tried to break the spell, but all was fruitless. So he remembered the old legend about 3 treasures. 

The only chance to ruin spell Is to find these treasures. But noone knows, where they are, or even how they look like. Then wandering (samurai) young warrior seeking to hone his fighting skill came into Hyrule. He heard about Ganoth's crimes and Zelda's disaster, and so vowed to king to find treasures."

UPDATE: Found this hilarious summary translation thanks to sergeithesage too
http://www.sceneryrecalled.com/zelda/newzelda.htm

This is lame but, because I'm short on time right now, I'm going to do a quick and sloppy copy of the test below so I don't lose it.

The New Legend of Zelda Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Comic Synopsis

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A good while ago, I picked up the New Legend of Zelda "Adventure Hero's Book" by writer Mitsunori Kitadono and artist Ikuo Miyazoe (a.k.a. The Legend of Zelda: An Original Version, as per the title page). It's an interesting little volume: a choose-your-own-adventure in manga form. It's not worth a full translation - all the choices are between Safety or Death - but I thought I'd use the full power of my late-'90's HTML to put together a synopsis and hit the highlights.

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The story begins not with a kidnapping, but a marriage proposal. The dark wizard Ganos - sic; no, I don't know, either - has demanded Hyrule's Princess Zelda for his bride. The king tells him to take a hike, whereupon Ganos flips out and encases Zelda in a giant crystal.

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Court magician Howie Mandel is stymied, so the King thinks back to an ancient prophecy: "only by finding the treasures of legend shall the princess be saved." Yes, an actual Legend of Zelda. Enter Link stage center.

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This being the *New* Legend of Zelda, his look has slightly changed. He still, however, comes with his usual complement of tools and weapons: his sword...

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...his bow & arrow (called "valchery" here for reasons later discussed)...

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...his boomerang (or "valterang")...

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...his power bracelet (he has two)...

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...his ability to fly like Mary Martin...

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...his over-9000 Kamehameha "Aura Ray"...

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...his ability to suck enemies into rifts in time ("Time Strahl")...

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...you know, the usual panoply.

Perhaps you were distracted by Link's sweet headband, but you might have noticed the small shield emblems on Link's power bracelets. All of Link's subweapons, as well as his sword, are activated via and materialize from his power bracelets, which can also grow to full size to serve as traditional shields. They also function as a sheath of sorts for his sword. You might also note that Link is the only resident of Hyrule with elf ears. In the book, (though he does indeed have a human mother), he is a descendant of the Valcon, a race of "fairy warriors," and a servant of the goddess Valkyria. (Hence the "valchery" & "valterang." It's worth noting that the word used to denote "fairy" here, "yousei," can also mean "elf," though more the Keebler than the Tolkien variety. It's up to you to determine where Link falls on that scale.)

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Link leaves the castle on his journey, only to be accosted by a little pickpocket right off. The thief pockets a few rupees (here represented by a type of gold coin) and runs off.

Link gives chase to find his little friend indisposed by a Gohma.

After Link dispatches the beast, the thief - whose name, we learn, is Com - is duly impressed and asks to accompany Link on his quest. Com claims to have been orphaned by Ganos and to know the Hyrulian countryside pretty well. That's a break for Link, who's already pretty lost as to how to accomplish his objective ("Hey, Com...do you know any stories about any treasure anywhere?").

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Com leads Link across a river...

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...to the fairy forest, where they come across some...Manhandlas, I suppose.

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This is, incidentally, one of the better mechanics of the novel: you have to choose wisely which weapon is best to use on each of the foes you meet. The arrows, for example, dispatch the Manhandlas neatly.

The boomerang, however, is less effective.

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Further on in the forest, the pair meets a fairy with Sadako eyes.

Her name is Fonti, this Zelda's fairy of the fountain and a friend of the Valcon. After she and Link exchange a greeting in their ancient tongue, she offers him both a healing drink and help down the road, promising that "a crystal will guide them."

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That's later, though. They eventually, with no help from anything crystal whatsoever, find one of the treasures of which the prophecy spoke in the hollow of a giant tree.

I don't know if this is a reference to the entrance of Zelda's first dungeon or not. Unsurprisingly, the treasure's a part of the Triforce - the Triforce (er, Treasure) of Wisdom, actually.

It's kind of dinky.

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Link and Com press on to a wasteland. Ganos's home looms in sight.

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Soon, however, they are a visited by a crystal bird - a crystal *talking* bird. This is Cryckon, Fonti's friend.

The bird gifts them with a crystal and leaves.

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The journey continues. Landslides are dodged.

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Merchants are patronized.

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Baddies are fought.

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Potions are drunk.

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Labyrinths (here labeled the "makai" or "demon realm") are encountered...

...and Triforces - er, Treasures - of Power are found behind helpfully-labeled doors.

Link's power bracelet absorbs it like a Bag of Holding.

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Eventually, the two come to Death Mountain.

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After encounters with some Reaper-like Wizzrobes and a dragon Link punches to death that might be an attempt at an Aquamentus (which are basically "Do you have two Triforces?" checks, 'cause if you don't, it's game over for you, buster)...

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...the duo come across a mirror. Guided by the crystal and Cryckon, the two press through the mirror and walk through the wall.

On the other side is Ganos's throne room.

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Link makes threats. Ganos is unimpressed.

The battle is joined. Link quickly gains the upper hand by suplexing Ganos. (All right, it's a brain buster.)

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On a purely personal note, I had a classmate in elementary school who insisted that he had gotten to the end of The Legend of Zelda and claimed that in the last room, you found Ganon seated on a throne posed exactly like this, head leaning on his hand and all. I doubt that he had access to this manga growing up, so I will content myself to note that history bears witness to your lies, Vincent Formisano.

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Also, Ganos has this strangely memorable attack where he breathes black smoke.

Another thing: Contrary to tradition, arrows are the wrong choice when dealing with Gano(n)/(s).

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Anyhow, back to the correct progression of events: After a followup Kamehameha and sword thrust, Link joins forces with Com and Cryckon to annihilate Ganos with the power of friendship.

He shrivels to dust, as per the game, and leaves behind the Triforce of Courage, as not per the game.

Celebration!

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Link goes to retrieve the medicine to revive that will...er, unfreeze Zelda from the crystal somehow, which Ganos has stored below an alabaster bust of the princess he's kept in his chamber.

Link is more interested, though, in the commemorative plate underneath.

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Upon returning to Hyrule Castle, Link learns that Zelda got better from...er, being trapped in a crystal the moment Ganos bit it. It turns out Link's Franklin Mint priorities were correct after all, as the plate is necessary to contain and store the Three Sacred Treasures Link picked up on his journey. Zelda announces that she's given the Treasures a name - the Triforce ("the three forces!" she enthuses to Link, presumably to solicit compliments on her cleverness).

Zelda also announces that her family's going to take in the orphaned Com, who shows up in new clothing.

Zelda discloses that her real name is Commy Impa. Ha ha ha. Link departs to continue his Fairy Warrior training, and the tale ends with a prophecy from the very first Zelda that if the Triforce is ever lost, a lone hero will visit the land to set things right. We are not told about the status of his headband.

Gallery Update: Official Art for Majora's Mask mostly complete!

Here's the most complete The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask character, poster, and concept art gallery ever online. Find it here! I just have item art left to do and I will also probably come back and add a single render for each character and enemy, for reference, as well as a few more pieces of Himekawa art, 4koma art, and I may redo some of the Hyrule Histora images. Most of all: Let me know if I'm missing anything.

I also did some re-draws over these characters, that had other characters overlaid on them, so that people could have them as single images for character sheets and the like. I need to redo Romani's hair though. It was 1am when I did that and I'm not happy with it. You'll find high resolution images for them in the gallery

Gallery Update: Ocarina of Time Gallery mostly complete!

I've been bad about updating here and I'm making an effort to change that starting now since I'm seeing how much the backlog piles up. Lots up updates are getting posted today. 

Oot! This is, by far, the most complete & highest-rez official art gallery for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ever online. I spent so much time tracking down the highest quality images & cleaning up saves and scans. Find it here! I have a few maps from the Versus guide left to add, and I will probably come back and add a single render for each character and enemy, for reference, as well as a few more pieces of Himekawa art, 4koma art, sage symbols, and I may redo some of the Hyrule Histora images. Most of all: Let me know if I'm missing anything.

A note: While most of the official art gallery borrows heavily from the incredible work people have done archiving things on Wiki's, they can still be quite hard to navigate and the sections aren't always interconnected. Like Impa art may only be under a small sub directory of Impa, not in the gallery for the character or a game. It can still be pretty hard to track down an image on them even when you know what you are looking for. Some of these images don't even come up on reverse searches even though they've been uploaded for ages. I also do as much work as I can myself, (and many of these same wiki's have used hundreds of my guide and book scans for the past 20 years, I really do try not to take from places that haven't benefited from my work as well) but we all have access to different things so it really is a joint project, preserving this stuff for people to find and people look for things in different ways. Wikis are incredible for information and holding on to art anyone can add but the point of the gallery on History of Hyrule site is a little different. It's purely easy-access image archival, so people can have quick viewing access to find what they need for their project and to learn what is out there. I am also trying to encourage back traffic back to the wikis if people want transparent PNGs.

Super Rare Link to the Past Manga: Never Posted Online Before

 Ah, AH! I am so in love with how this happens. So if you saw the last post you'd know MiloScat wrote me about 3 old school Zelda mangas that have never even been online before. I really love them all but, what I am so incredibly in love with, is the fact that people are still finding and getting this stuff online exactly so it's never lost.

 
He sent me this LttP one from scans he made from the volume he located and is allowing me to host them on the site. (I'll get them added to the site-proper soon, right now they're in the flickr gallery.) He may even translate them eventually. I cleaned them up a bit and am so happy to be able share them here. It's a 39 page Link to the Past manga by Toshihiro Ono that he believes is a stand-alone work. That can seem a little confusing because it introduces itself in the middle of the game, and appears to have established characters, but the context of the text in the rest of the magazine implies it. Apparently, according to an interview, this was this guy's first published manga too! I think Link looks great in it and would have been very excited if he had done more Zelda stuff. The fairies, and especially the wide shot of the dungeon, are pretty awesome in my opinion.

So anyway, thank you Milo, for allowing all of us to enjoy this. After 30 years I'm surprised anyone still had a copy of this magazine. Thank you for locating it, importing it, and scanning it!

Absolutely Adorable Adventure of Link Manga-Short

Tumblr, Twitter, and Flickr user MiloScat wrote me about a Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and this Adventure of Link manga- all of which I was completely unaware of.  I'm in love with each and everyone of them but this one is the absolute cutest thing ever. I'm posting about this one now because you can go read it in his Flickr album or find the original scans in Japanese on Ragey's site, here: randomhoohaas.flyingomelette.com. I can not thank Ragey enough for discovering this work and getting it online! It blows my mind that it could have been so easily lost forever but this person found it and helped bring it to all of us.

To know more about it, visit MiloScat's Tumblr. There's a lot more at each, site too, these guys are getting a ton of cool stuff online. (The others manga will hopefully come in a bit, I'll post more when the pages are cleaned up and if I have permission to add them.)

Credit: "Famicom Manga pack-in booklet included with the May 1987 Ninensei edition of Shogakukan’s Shogaku Gakushu Zasshi magazines. The raw scans come from Ragey; he also cleaned these up before I got to them! I took these and translated them into English with the help of Horseypope."

Added High-Res Book Illustrations from Futabasha Game Book Series: Legend of Zelda: Tryfoce of Gods

 Just added roughly 27 black and white illustrations from this Link to the Past novel called Futabasha Game Book Series: Legend of Zelda: Tryfoce of Gods, published in 1992. These are some of my absolute favorite pieces of art for the series. They hit many of the major moments and I think the style is so perfect and solid. The high res scans are in the flickr gallery, here.

Scanned by Melora of History of Hyrule.

Added High-Res Book Illustrations from Futabasha Fantasy Novel Series: Legend of Zelda

Just added roughly 14 color and black and white illustrations from this Link to the Past novel, with Hyrule Fantasy (Zelda1) art. It's called Futabasha Fantasy Novel Series: Legend of Zelda and was published in 1992. I love these, so much, they're incredible. The high res scans are in the flickr gallery, here.

Scanned by Melora of History of Hyrule.

Added High-Res Book Illustrations from Futabasha Fantasy Novel Series: Legend of Zelda 2

 Just added roughly 15 color and black and white illustrations from this Link to the Past novel called Futabasha Fantasy Novel Series: Legend of Zelda 2, published in 1992. It's not my favorite style, it's very different than the game, but it still has some pretty neat pieces. The high res scans are in the flickr gallery, here.

Scanned by Melora of History of Hyrule.

Added High-Res Book Illustrations from Link's Adventurous Quest: A Counterattack from Darkness

 Just added roughly 21 black and white illustrations from this Adventure of Link novel called Link's Adventurous Quest: A Counterattack from Darkness, published in 1987 by Futabasha. It's all pretty cute. The high res scans are in the flickr gallery, here.

Scanned by Melora of History of Hyrule.

Added High-Res Book Illustrations from The Adventure of Link: The Legend of the Black

Just added roughly 22 black and white illustrations from this Adventure of Link gamebook called The Adventure of Link: The Legend of the Black Triforce, published in 1987. I really like a ton of these. The high res scans are in the flickr gallery, here.

Scanned by Melora of History of Hyrule.

 

Added High-Res Book Illustrations from The Legend of Zelda: The Mirage Castle

Just added roughly 33 black and white illustration from the novel The Legend of Zelda: The Mirage Castle by Akio Higuchi and Yuko Tanaka, 1986, published by Futabasha. These are absolutely adorable. The cover and jacket has cool art in a completely different style and I wish we could have more work by that artist too. Find the high res images in the flickr gallery, starting here.

Scanned by Melora of History of Hyrule.

Added High-Res Book Illustrations from Adventure Hero's Book no. 10

Just added roughly 59 black and white illustrations from this Hyrule Fantasy and Adventure of Link novel called Adventure Hero's Books no. 10. Published in 1987 by Studio Hard. These have some pretty cool bad guy art and scenes in them even if they're not my favorite drawings of Link. They are completely worth checking out though!

High res scans are in the flickr gallery. I put them in the Original Legend of Zelda (Hyrule Fantasy) folder simply because more of the enemies in this are from that game.

Scanned by Melora of History of Hyrule 

I've been working on the site again

Long time, no see.  It's only been about 7 years and a couple of surgeries later! Well, the nostalgia bug bit and I decided to pick up some old projects that I never finished. But first, follow me on Twitter!

1. The official art gallery. Even with amazing newer books, like Art and Artifacts, which added art that had never been public before, a lot of old art is still missing from the internet. At least in a cohesive and easy to reference manner. So I decided to try to complete the gallery. I'm using the same Flickr account. For the past month I've been internally organizing files, scouring the web, and renaming and nit picking the gallery. Right now I'm focused on the 1st four games because they have the most art with odd and scattered sources. Once I'm done adding I'll need to go back and re-edit some files so that we can have one good version instead of 2-4 funky-in-different-ways versions.

Getting the lesser-seen official art online is why I started History of Hyrule in 2002, and here I am after all, unable to leave that task unfinished.

2. Getting the old official manga translated. It's so good and no one has picked it up in all this time. It's really bugging me. One volume is already 35 years old! We need this. So I'll be working on that too after I work on the gallery a bit more. But write me if you can translate, I'll switch gears if it means making this happen.

This is my fav, 4 part series of Legend of Zelda through the Adventure of Link. He has pink hair pre-LttP! And even rides a Loftwing!! (-cough- okay, parrot,) into battle against Ganon:

https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_loz_en/index.html
https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_aol_1/index.html
https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_aol_2/index.html

https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_aol_3/index.html

And this other 3 part Adventure of Link one that sticks incredibly close to the game, closer than any other manga. Don't want to play AoL but want to know what happens? Seriously, here you go:

https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_aol_wan1_en/index.html
https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_aol_wan2/index.html
https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_aol_wan3/index.html

This tLoZ one is pretty cool too, it's almost like a game guide, but I wish Link wasn't so absurd looking. That's the only reason it's last, the rest of it is amazing:

https://historyofhyrule.com/publications/manga_loz_wan/index.html

Switching Hosts

Sorry for the inconvenience, I'm switching web hosts and things probably wont be up and running for another month or two due to life being crazy. ;)

FAQ:
1: I can't send you files; there's thousands upon thousands of scanned of pages on the site and, literally, the reason the site isn't re-launched is because I don't have free time right now. Sending individual people stuff would take longer than just getting it back online.

2: If you want to reach me, my email is melorasworld@gmail.com
You can also contact me through FB: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryofHyrule/
But, again, I don't have free time, so if it's not a short thing you may not hear back. Not meaning to be rude; it's just a mix of everything in life including major chronic health issues, work, art, pets, family, prepping a house for sale, looking for another, (minecraft) etc etc etc.

3: This site has downloads of a lot of my scans and those of others, I use to be staff there: http://www.zeldalegends.net/?n=manga

4: Not to be crude or lewd, but if you just want rare Zelda comics, and don't mind (or perhaps like) porn, the adult site is still up and running because it's always just been on blogger. It was never hosted like a full-scale site. http://zeldaporncomics.blogspot.com/

5: there's still art on the flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/historyofhyrule/

Article Feedback -- The Imprisoning War by TML

The Imprisoning War was perhaps the single-most important event in all recorded history. Not only do we have more recorded documents that make mention of this event than any other similar historical event for that era, but also the very calendar upon which we reckon our dates and years is based around this very event. Against popular notion, the Imprisoning War--or the Sealing War, as it is named in a few texts--did not immediately begin with the Hero of Time's death at the hands of Ganondorf. The war began several months after the fact, beginning in earnest in 2 BW. This was largely because Princess Zelda was still held captive within Ganondorf's Castle after the famous battle, and it was believed that she would be murdered if any attempt at resistance took place while she was still held captive.

After a daring though successful attempt to free her, the Knights of Hyrule along with the remnants of the might from the other great races of Hyrule fled the kingdom to the border of the neighboring land of Calatia to the northwest. Calatia, allies to the Hylian throne in those years, sent along a token force in aid, but more help was to be found by uniting Goron and Zora tribes from the Calatian lands. Princess Zelda appointed several of the Seven Sages--of particular note the Goron Darunia, the Gerudo Nabooru, and the Sheikah Impa--as commanders of her brigade, and together they led the troops back across the border into Hyrule.

The Imprisoning War lasted five years and wrought great devastation across the land. Beginning in the late spring of 2 BW, the Hylian forces struck at the belly of Ganondorf's own army, which seemed to be primarily composed of monsters, undead, and a contingent of Gerudo who were still faithful to his rule over the desert band. The Hyrulean coalition did not win their first or second battles, but it was finally at the Battle of Kakariko where the Hyruleans supposedly had their first victory. History tells the story as if fighting for the preservation of their home soil rallied them against the horde of monsters. It wasn't until the year AW 1 when an assault against Ganon's Castle was finally possible. The assault lasted for a full month, but ultimately the Knights of Hyrule were able to press through and cause Ganon's own army to flee through the Temple of Time into the Sacred Realm.

Desiring a true victory, Princess Zelda alongside her commanders pressed into the Sacred Realm and attacked at Ganon's own troops from the very resting place of the sacred Triforce in the autumn of AW 1. However, with the impending winter approaching, they were forced to call off their attack until the spring of the next year. At that point Ganon was waiting. His full mastery of the Triforce had not only replenished his forces to numbers equal to the beginning of the war but also was enhanced due to the Triforce being returned to the Sacred Realm, where it had more influence and power. The war began to sour for the Hylian forces, at first becoming a stalemate for a long period of time before finally Ganon's army turned the tide in AW 3.

Believing that there could be no true defeat of Ganon without the Hero of Time, Princess Zelda enacted a bold plan to seal away Ganon and his forces within the Sacred Realm, thus effectively sweeping him beneath the rug, hopefully never to be encountered again. News of her plan was leaked through a Gerudo spy in Zelda's camp, and so Ganon knew that he had to win and win decisively. His armies boldly approached the Warp Gate that connected the Sacred Realm and the Temple of Time to thwart the casting of the sealing spell. It was this very battle--the Battle of the Temple of Time--for which the Imprisoning War gets its name. The Seven Sages remained at the front of the Temple while the Knights of Hyrule defended them as Ganon pressed his charge. The casualties of this battle were great and nearly exhausted the Knights to their last man; however, the Sages managed to complete their spell. In consequence to the sealing of the gate, the Temple of Time was torn asunder and destroyed.

The decision to reckon time off of the Imprisoning War was decided at the Council of Kasuto in the 275th year post-war. The then Queen Lorand initially proposed marking the first year of the new era based upon the life and death of the Hero of Time; however due to the Hero's failure to thwart Ganondorf, his popularity in the stories recorded from the era made the decision fairly unpopular with the remainder of the council. Her Majesty eventually yielded to the council's protests and allowed the demarcations to be recorded as "AW" (after the war) and "BW" (before the war); however, in revenge she attempted to forgo her agreement and actually mark the year AW 1 as the very year the Hero of Time died. Curiously enough, it was discovered decades later that the Royal Family's own records of the annals of history--recreated due to the razing of Hyrule Castle during the war--were incorrect and differed by a few years from the more reliable historical accounts. As such, AW 1 occurs as the proverbial midpoint of the Imprisoning War instead.

The Great Palace (WIP with Feedback Appeciated)

The Great Palace by Cavalier

Upon the nameless continent that lies beyond the eastern sea of Hyrule, hidden within a fortress realm of all but impassable mountains lies the hidden magnificence of the Great Palace. Built in like fashion to the palaces of Northern Hyrule with its massive double porticos and towering collonades the Great Palace looms a monolithic edifice hewn of sand colored stone. In ages past the King of Hyrule housed the Triforce of Courage within the boundless labyrinth recesses of the palace, and then sealed its fabled halls behind an inviolate barrier of ancient spellcraft known as the Binding Force. 
What purpose the Great Palace served before the King of Hyrule entombed the Triforce of Courage within the depths of its dungeon mazes is unknown. Who constructed the Great Palace and its relationship with its sister palaces scattered across northern Hyrule and the lands across the eastern seas is equally enigmatic. Many believe that the Great Palace once served another purpose. Such speculation is based on historical accounts which clearly indicate that the King himself "created and chose" the legion of fiercesome denizens including the palace's horrific guardian known as the Thunderbird. By what terrible processes of creation this act was accomplished is unknown....

The Temple of Time (WIP with feedback appareciated)

The Temple of Time by Cavalier

Cloaked behind a grim, weather-worn facade utterly devoid of ostentation, the Temple of Time is imbued with power and properties unparalleled in all the land of Hyrule. Over shadowed by the greater majesty of Hyrule Castle, the Temple of Time looms an ancient brooding edifice of somber grandeur and enigmatic purpose whose origins are lost in the shadowy pre-dawn of history.
Standing apart from its sister temples scattered across Hyrule, the Temple of Time has no patron Sage. This highly anomalous fact is made even more strange by the manifold properties of the Temple, and its powerful connection with not only the Sacred Realm, but the Spiritual Stones, the Ocarina of Time, the Triforce and also the Master Sword which it houses. Some believe that Raru the Sage of Light, and the last of the ancient Sages was its guardian. Others have come to believe the Hero of Time to be the Temple's honorary guardian. Yet when considering the unfathomable antiquity of the Temple, and its relationship with the Ocraina of Time, others have pondered whether the Royal Family itself serves as the temple's guardians, with Hyrule Castle, and the fortress walls of the royal city being fashioned for the sole purpose of protecting the enigmatic temple. 
Regardless of the identity of its patron Sage, the temple serves as a gateway between worlds, space and time. During the age of the Hero of Time it was last remaining conduit between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm. 

Note- As noted this is not finished. I need to fact check this one before I go to much further, particularly the various functions of the temple. As I began writing this I realized how convoluted the nature of the Temple is. It definitely sits at the very nexus of the Oot mythos.

Archaeology Project

Summary:
History of Hyrule (the website) was originally focused on the art and details from the older games. Given that many of us have a deep love for Zelda that goes way back to the earlier games in the series, and given that many of us have always wanted there to be a richer history and lore to the game, we've decided that it would be really fun to create our own mythos and world of Hyrule. In short, we're creating our own history of Hyrule.

The Premise:
Our history of Hyrule is to be presented as a scholarly look back through time to describe the goings-on of "ancient/medieval history" through the lens of a modern-day Hyrule. Everyone who participates in this project will become, in essence, Ph.D.'s in Hyrulean History. Together, our aim is to sort through the tales and legends (i.e., the games) and sort out what parts of those oral and written tales are factually accurate and which elements are entirely fictional. We will be presenting our knowledge of the ancient world via quotations from ancient texts (such as the Book of Mudora) as well as archaeological evidence (items and buildings uncovered at digs) as a means of supporting this fan-made history.

A Note about Timelines:
For our intents and purposes, Hyrule Historia is canonical. Therefore everything that happens in our history must abide by the general outline that it has presented. Because there are three separate timelines there, our history is going to follow the one that contains the early Zelda titles (LoZ, AoL, LttP, and LA). Therefore, the only games permitted in our timeline are as followed:

• Skyward Sword
• Minish Cap
• Four Swords
• Ocarina of Time
• Link to the Past
• Oracle of Seasons
• Oracle of Ages
• Link's Awakening
• Legend of Zelda
• Adventure of Link

Every other game in the franchise is considered extracanonical; in other words, you can reference these games insofar that people have written legends about those games, but those games did not happen; no conclusive evidence to support them will ever been found (unless it also happens to be used/found in one of the canonical games).

Where to Put Our Focus:

• Top Priority: Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link. These games are the ones that History of Hyrule (the website) focused on originally, and they're the ones that are keyed out specially in the main site, so describing the origins of these games is #1.
• Second Priority: Ocarina of Time. Because LttP includes the Imprisoning War as its backstory, which takes place pretty much straight away after OoT, we'll need to put some emphasis on this game as well. It doesn't take center stage quite so much as the primary four, but we'll need to talk about it some.
• Third Priority: Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages. The Oracle games take place during the same time period as do LttP and LA according to Hyrule Historia. Therefore, this is relevant to the time period under study. However, they will receive less focus because these events took place well outside of the borders of Hyrule. Our focus and mission is Hyrulean history. However, because it does have relevance, it should be included to some degree.
• Fourth Priority: Skyward Sword, Minish Cap, Four Swords. These games take place VERY early in our timeline, and therefore a lot of the historical records either have not survived or are much more difficult to prove the claims of. We should be able to make claims of little bits of pieces that we have found and make educated guesses about these, but we shouldn't go out of our way to make any sort of legitimate proof that these happened the way that we know them in the games.
• Last Priority: Every other game. When it comes to all of the extracanonical games, we should be able to talk about them as legend. We should be able to talk about theoretical/fictional places that are referenced in the legend. We can discuss that, if they were true, where we might find them in "our Hyrule." We just don't want to put any effort into substantiating those games.