There Was Probably Another Hyrule Before The Zonai’s In Zelda: TOTK

While the lore revealed in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom does seem to clash with the established Zelda timeline, there is an intriguing possibility that the Zonai may not have founded the original Hyrule as the game suggests. Instead, there is a suggestion that the Hyrule ruled over by Rauru and Sonia may actually be a successor to another, even older kingdom. If true, this has the potential to explain some of TOTK’s more puzzling details and has enormous implications for the entire series.

There has been more than one Kingdom of Hyrule featured in the Legend of Zelda timeline for some time now. After The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, Link and Tetra eventually discovered a new land and founded New Hyrule. It is here, in a Hyrule that is both separate and notably similar to the original, that the events of Spirit Tracks takes place. Given that Breath of the Wild, and by extension Tears of the Kingdom, is connected to all three of the Zelda timeline’s branches, the establishment of at least one additional Hyrule is therefore already vaguely canonical to TOTK, even before considering the implications of the Zonai era.

There Was Probably Another Hyrule Before The Zonai’s In Zelda: TOTK

“It’s Commonplace For Strange Phenomena To Occur In Hyrule” – Zelda: TOTK Director Explains Unsolved Mystery

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, has revealed new details of the game’s background in a recent interview.

The Zonai May Have Actually Rebuilt An Ancient Hyrule

Rauru and Princess Zelda talking at a table in a memory in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

In an interview with Famitsu, TOTK director Hidemaro Fujibayashi mentions the possibility of Hyrule having been destroyed before the Zonai arrived on the surface world, which would make the founding of Hyrule they are credited with actually more of a refounding. Although this is far from being a direct confirmation of a prior Hyrule’s existence, this would go some way to explaining some of the peculiarities that can be observed in TOTK’s Hyrule and its history when compared to the wider series. One example of this is the apparent changes to Hyrule’s religion and Hylia’s emphasis in the most recent games.

The existence of the Golden Goddeses is a key piece of Zelda lore, which seems to have been forgotten in BOTW and TOTK, along with that of the Triforce. However, if the Hyrule seen in these games is built on the ruins of an older version, perhaps the same kingdom in which older titles like Ocarina of Time take place, then this is far easier to understand. It would explain why the Zonai were not even referenced in Skyward Sword. Moreover, it is not unimaginable that the few surviving Hylians of a previous Hyrule could have forgotten much of their culture and turned their focus to their patron guardian deity.

In addition to this, an additional incarnation of Hyrule could explain some odd details regarding the Ancient Sages and BOTW’s Divine Beasts. The distant ancestors of TOTK’s new group of Sages wear masks apparently styled after the Divine Beasts, who are themselves named after figures in Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. This seems to suggest the Ancient Sages and Divine Beasts are somewhat contemporary, and the possible Zonai connections of the Ancient Hero similarly seem to confirm this. However, for this to be true, the events of both games would, by necessity, need to have already occurred before the Zonai era.

Ganon May Have Succeeded In Destroying Hyrule Before TOTK

Ganondorf with a glowing light in the center of his head while he rages with a red effect emanating from his body.

If TOTK’s Hyrule truly has been revived by the Zonai after its destruction, then this would presumably be due to the actions of some version of Ganon or Ganondorf. If TOTK is approached with the perspective that it takes place after Spirit Tracks, then this would likely be the Ganondorf of Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker, with the destruction in question being the Great Flood. The Zonai may have arrived in New Hyrule shortly after Link and Tetra. However, given the nebulous nature of TOTK’s placement in the timeline, it is just as possible for some other, perhaps entirely unknown Ganon to have been successful in his schemes.

Of course, if Ganon has been successful in his bid to destroy Hyrule on more than one occasion, then this in itself suggests that a cycle of destruction and rebuilding could be in effect in The Legend of Zelda. Ganon’s success brings ruin to Hyrule, after which the survivors eventually regroup and rebuild, only for Ganon to arise once more. Moreover, the timescale implied by the games suggests that this cycle is on a scale far beyond memory or even legends, with any record or story of the previous collapse long since forgotten by the time of the next.

TOTK’s Director’s Words Imply A Cycle Of Destruction In The Legend Of Zelda

Notably, the concept of a cycle like this lines up very well with the story of Breath of the Wild. Calamity Ganon’s emergence 100 years before the game events and the consequent near-obliteration of Hyrule fit the idea of Ganon’s rare but devastating success perfectly. Likewise, the rebuilding efforts evidenced in Tears of the Kingdom align well with the concept of Hyrule being continually re-established after such an event. If it were not for Link’s return to properly defeat Calamity Ganon, it is easy to picture all memories of Hyrule as the kingdom it was a century ago being quickly forgotten, as it may have before the Zonai appeared.

Art of the Zonai King Rauru in front of the Typhlo Ruins in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Tears Of The Kingdom’s Zonai Ruins Have A Subtle Connection To Zelda Lore

The ruins of the Zonai seen in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild provide subtle connections to classic franchise lore.

Fujibayashi’s words have opened up an intriguing possibility with immense implications for the Zelda series, which may also help to more firmly establish the Zonai’s placement inside the established canon. The Zonai helping to rebuild Hyrule could place their era in the space between Breath of the Wild and the prior branching timelines, easily explaining their prior absence from the franchise. Of course, ultimately, this is only a theory and has little effect on the actual events of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. But even so, it provides interesting explanations for some of the questions surrounding its impact on the series lore.

Sources: Famitsu, Nintendo of America/YouTube