The Temple Ruins Version 2.3.1

THE SWORD SLEEPS FOREVER
- “The Wind Waker cannot happen after A Link to the Past because at the end of A Link to the Past the game says that the Master Sword sleeps forever!”
  
  I have seen that quote many times in the past few years, and it is an argument that I always felt was not thought through well. If you play through A Link to the Past the game does indeed say “And the Master Sword sleeps again forever!” but you need to look at it in the context of the original release.
  
  The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released in 1991. That is long before Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, or Twilight Princess. It was the third major Zelda game released and the first to contain the Master Sword as we know it now (there is some debate about whether it appears in the first two games as well as the “Magical Sword”).
  
  I think it is very unreasonable to assume that in 1991 Shigeru Miyamoto or anyone else at Nintendo had any idea where the story of The Legend of Zelda was going. In fact, it is well known that Nintendo often takes a “gameplay first, story later” approach to many games (especially during the NES and Super NES era). The Master Sword was a new item and I do not believe that in 1991 they realized how important the “Blade of Evil’s Bane” would become to Zelda lore.
  
  In addition, it is also sometimes suggested that Nintendo of America’s localization teams are responsible for the line and that it was not meant to say that at all. It is true that a lot of text in the original release of A Link to the Past was hard to understand and raised many questions (including the infamous “Zelda is your…” quote). However, another question can then be raised.
  
  Why was the statement not removed from the GBA remake? A lot, if not all, of the text in A Link to the Past was rewritten for the GBA release. The introductory story was completely rewritten and quotes like “Zelda is your…” were removed. Even so, the statement “And the Master Sword sleeps forever!” was left in the game. For this, I do not have an explanation and I have never seen someone else answer this question either.
  
  Of course, all of these things assume that The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past happen on the same timeline. However, since the release of Twilight Princess it has become common knowledge that there is in fact a split timeline. I was never a fan of that theory before (I have always supported a single timeline), but it is hard to deny that it exists when both Eiji Aunoma and Shigeru Miyamoto state that it does.
  
  The existence of a split timeline opens one new possibility. Perhaps The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past happen on different timelines and if that is the case then maybe the Master Sword does sleep forever.
  
  This is the stance that I now take on the subject. I believe The Wind Waker and A Link to the Past are not connected in any way. Instead, Ocarina of Time leads into Twilight Princess which then leads into A Link to the Past. Please keep in mind that I am not meaning that other games cannot happen in between those. I simply believe that those three games are placed in that order and others fill in the blanks.
  
  I enjoy discussing the Zelda timeline (and that’s why I have decided to write up these articles), but I would never refer to myself as a person who really knows what’s going on. There are many arguments I have never heard and others I cannot explain. I’m no Zelda historian. Even so, I can support my ideas a bit.
  
  Ocarina of Time is the confirmed split in the timeline and I don’t think anyone (except perhaps those who still want a single timeline) would argue against that. Twilight Princess happens approximately one hundred years after Ocarina of Time as stated by the developers before it’s release. I believe A Link to the Past must happen after Twilight Princess because of the location of the Master Sword through out these three games.
  
  In Ocarina of Time the Master Sword is found in the Temple of Time behind the Door of Time and in the Pedestal of Time. In Twilight Princess you find the Master Sword again in the Temple of Time. However, by an unknown series of events the Temple is in ruins and is now located in the Sacred Grove of the Lost Woods. All that remains is the Pedestal and some walls from the Temple of Time.
  
  Now, in A Link to the Past you find the Master Sword deep in the Lost Woods, not unlike Twilight Princess. There is no Temple present but there is a large pedestal (which may or may not be the Pedestal of Time; I believe it is).
  
  The only other game where the Master Sword is known to appear for sure is The Wind Waker and the developers have already confirmed that Twilight Princess and The Wind Waker do not happen on the same timeline.
  
  So does the Master Sword sleep forever? It looks like it does, for now. I believe A Link to the Past is the latest game on that timeline to feature the Master Sword. However, I do not believe that the statement at the end of the game keeps them from ever using the sword again. The Zelda timeline theories are altered with the release of each new game and I don’t believe that Nintendo would ever let a statement they put at the end of a game almost 20 years ago keep them from using a sword that they had no idea would become a staple of the series.