Bob Dylan`s Blues wrote:

As I understand it its: 1. Ganon defeats Link then … well I don't know, this is the first time I've heard of three timelines 2. Link defeats Ganon then is returned to childhood and goes to warn young Zelda of Ganon. Ganon is sealed in the sacred realm. 3. Link defeats Ganon then goes off on another adventure but Ganon comes back and with Link gone the goddesses flood Hyrule That's just how I think it is. I think it's more confusing now

It's incredibly simple though the explanation below wouldn't make it seem that way.

1) Ganon defeats Link in Ocarina of Time and obtains the Triforce. This leads into the events of A Link to the Past: He invades Hyrule and is imprisoned by the Seven Wise Men, and you know the rest.
2) Remember how at the end of Ocarina of Time, Link goes back to his original time and the last scene is Zelda and Link in the palace courtyard? Link warns Zelda of what Ganondorf is planning. Zelda gives him the Ocarina of Time and tells him to get the heck out of dodge, so Link goes hunting for Navi and we get Majora's Mask. On the strength of Link's information, Ganondorf is arrested and put on trial, we see this occur in a flashback during Twilight Princess.
3) This is the Adult Link alternate future. Ganondorf eventually escapes being sealed by the sages at the end of OoT, but Link just isn't there to stop him, having gone back in time. The goddesses flood Hyrule and we get Wind Waker.

tl;dr:
1) Ganon kills link in OoT and gets the Triforce
2) Child Link timeline
3) Adult Link timeline


The only thing that doesn't make sense is the placement of Four Swords Adventures, as the opening to that game implies it's the same Link as in the original, and how did Ganondorf come back from his untimely death in the ending of Twilight Princess? Ah well, we'll find out most likely when I get a better translation of the section from the book that covers those games.

ChaoticIgnorance wrote:

He goes back in time, but that doesn't mean he goes to an alternate timeline or anything. So Wind Waker shouldn't happen.

The timeline he leaves is the alternate timeline. Because in his own original child time Ganondorf is put on trial, the future in OoT never occurs. So you have a divergent timeline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel#Alternate_histories

Syd Lexia wrote:

Only, instead of one of them being reincarnated every so often and the other's descendants rising to fight the evil, both can apparently be reincarnated.

Have you played Skyward Sword yet? Also, it's always the same Ganondorf.

ChaoticIgnorance wrote:

LordHuffnPuff wrote: The timeline he leaves is the alternate timeline. Because in his own original child time Ganondorf is put on trial, the future in OoT never occurs. So you have a divergent timeline. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel#Alternate_histories Except that the event that would cause a paradox is not him leaving time and traveling to an alternate Hyrule. If it were then we should assume there would be multiple paradox's for every instance that he travels forward or backward. The specific event that would cause the split should be when he warns Zelda of what Ganon will do and she stops him. This would create two realities, each with it's own young link.He wouldn't be missing from either one. And I must say in regards to the new timeline, Williams doesn't exist in nearly enough timelines in my opinion. So sad.

Yeah but we only have games for a small number so that's what's included.

Also, this: http://dresdencodak.com/2009/04/19/onald-creely/

Syd Lexia wrote:

Now, Mask is a direct sequel to OOT. Adventure of Link is a direct sequel to LOZ. Are any other games direct sequels, or just timeline sequels?

Well there's Minish Cap/Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures.

And Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks.

And Oracle of Ages/Seasons.