A Story that Began in the Sky
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) is the earliest chronological entry in the series, serving as the origin story for the Master Sword and the cycle of Link, Zelda, and Demise. As a knight-in-training from the floating city of Skyloft, Link descends to the surface world to rescue his childhood friend, Zelda, who was taken by a dark force.
The game explains how the surface was sealed from evil, the origin of the kingdom of Hyrule, and how Demise's hatred curses Link and Zelda's descendants, sparking the endless battle against future incarnations of evil, such as Ganondorf.
he game ends with the surface now freely accessible to the residents of Skyloft, while Zelda decides to remain there to watch over the Triforce; she and Link together establish the kingdom of Hyrule. Setting the chronological stage for all future Zelda games.
The Ocarina of Time: Divergence of the Timeline
In the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), untold years have passed since the events of Skyward Sword. A young boy named link is summoned to save the land of Hyrule from the Gerudo King Ganondorf, who is the reincarnation of the evil Demise.
Guided by the fairy Navi, Link travels through time, collecting Spiritual Stones to access the Master Sword. He matures into an adult to awaken the Seven Sages and seal Ganondorf away, restoring peace. Ultimately, this is the major point of divergence in the timeline of the Legend of Zelda series, whether or not the Hero of Time manages to defeat Ganondorf impacts which games in the series come next in the narrative. This leads to two distinct branches in the timeline.