This should be the first part of the Zelda history you should read. It contains information on the characters in the Nintendo games, cartoon, and the comic. The show and comic died out in the early nineties. I owe all this crap (good crap) to the GREAT Zelda Headquarters.

How to understand this stuff

Every person is document in the role they played. There are three sections: The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, and Link�s Awakening. Note that this deals with people with names, hence, the Flute Boy is not in here. The only exception is Link�s Uncle. In the first section, each biography shows in what medium they played their part:

[LoZ] The Legend of Zelda (Manual and Game)
[AoL] The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Manual and Game)
[CS] The Legend of Zelda Comic Series*
[CT] The Legend of Zelda Cartoon Series*

*None of this is actually "official", nor did i write it so there!. The comics are the ones from Valiant from 1989.

Section 1: The Legend of Zelda

LINK (The Third): A young hero from the Kingdom of Calatia, which is west of the kingdom of Hyrule. He is the eldest son of Arn and Medila. At a young age, Link showed talent in swordplay, and he had an unquenchable thirst of adventure. He left his home to search for adventure, fame, and romance. Link soon found the kingdom of Hyrule and defeated the minions of Ganon who were attacking Impa, nursemaid of the kingdom�s princess. Impa urged Link to find Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, and reunite the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom that were hidden from Ganon, the prince of darkness who held the Triforce of Power. Link traveled great lengths, reuniting the Triforce of Wisdom, defeating Ganon, recovering the Triforce of Power, and saving Zelda. Link became a hero to the Hyrulians. He was constantly at Zelda�s side, fighting for her because he fell in love with her. However, several seasons later, on his sixteenth birthday, the mark of the Triforce appeared on his left hand. That confirmed that Link was THE hero of Hyrule and he had to save a Princess Zelda from a long time ago (A predecessor of Zelda III) from a sleeping spell that had been cast by a evil wizard. Impa gave Link six crystals that he had to deposit in the six statues in six palaces around Hyrule. Only after he did that could he enter the Great Palace and find the Triforce of Courage. Only with the power of all the Triforces could Link wake Zelda�s predecessor. Link fulfilled his quest after he fought his shadow and recovered the Triforce of Courage. He awoke Zelda�s predecessor, and nobody knows what happened to her. Sometime later, however, Ganon recovered the Triforce of Power, and Zelda and Link fought all over Hyrule to recover the Triforce and to banish the minions of Ganon forever. Finally, after Ganon tricked Link in using the Triforce of Power without Wisdom, turning him into a pig, it seems Link defeated the master of evil for quite some time. [LoZ; AoL; CS; CT]

PRINCESS ZELDA (The Second): Zelda is the Princess of Hyrule, daughter and only child of King Harkinian. She is very talented in magic, an excellent shot with the bow, and keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom. When Ganon stole the Triforce of Power from the people of Hyrule, Princess Zelda split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and hid it from Ganon in eight dungeons. Princess Zelda then told her nursemaid, Impa, to find a hero to fight Ganon. Then, Zelda was stolen by Ganon and imprisoned in his stronghold in Death Mountain. Impa found a boy named Link, and he collected the eight pieces of the Triforce, defeated Ganon, and saved Zelda. Link was always at Zelda�s side, but sometime later after Link awoke Zelda�s predecessor from a sleeping spell cast ages ago, Ganon got his hands on the Triforce of Power, and Zelda and Link have traveled the world of Hyrule, searching for the Triforce and defeating Ganon�s minions. Finally, Link forced Ganon into a bottomless pit using the Triforce of Power, bringing Ganon�s reign of terror to a end. [LoZ; AoL; CS; CT]

IMPA: Impa is Princess Zelda�s nursemaid. She was the one to find Link and tell him to find the Zelda, defeat Ganon, and save Hyrule. She is also an advisor to the King and advised Link to wake Zelda when it was confirmed that Link is the Hero. For as long as she was available, she has advised and aided Link and Zelda on their various missions. [LoZ; AoL; CS; CT?]

KING HARKINIAN: King Harkinian (Also known as King Hyrakian is some comic books) is the aging King of Hyrule and father of Princess Zelda. Tall and white bearded, he is an extremely good and just king, who is beloved by the people of Hyrule. At every chance he can, he helps Zelda and Link in their various missions and duties. [CS, CT]

QUEEN SELINE: Queen Seline is Queen of the kingdom of Calatia, which is west of Hyrule and is where Link grew up. She and King Harkinian are good friends and she may actually be Princess Zelda�s mother. She is an expert magician like Zelda, and had her power stolen from her by Ganon some time after Link�s quest to wake Zelda. With Link and Zelda�s help, Seline regained her power and returned to Calatia. [CS]

BAGU: Bagu is the strongest man in Hyrule and is extremely large and tough. He helped Link cross the Saria river on his quest to awake Zelda�s predecessor. Link and Bagu became good friends from then on. Bagu almost betrayed Link when he stole a third of the Triforce of Wisdom for Ganon to get his pet frogs, Langhorne and Calaveras, back. [AoL, CS]

CAPTAIN KRIN: Captain of the royal guard of Hyrule�s North Palace. He is trusted and serves the royal family well. He also aids Zelda and Link at every chance, but he cannot always leave his post to help them. Tall and blonde haired, he is an expert at swordplay. [CS]

MIFF/SPYRTE: Miff is a fairy in the North Palace�s fountain. She heals people and has a crush on Link. In the Legend of Zelda Cartoon, Miff was called Spyrte. Also in the cartoon, Spyrte is said to be the daughter of the Fairy King. [CS; CT]

PRINCE FACADE: An adventurer and a brave warrior from a nearby kingdom. Facade cannot stand to be dirty. Ironically after falling in love with Princess Zelda, Facade refused to rescue her since she was imprisoned in a swamp sometime after Link awoke Zelda�s predecessor. [CT]

WATCHMAN EROL: Watchman Erol is the guard in charge of opening and closing the draw bridge. He is loyal and serves the royal family well. [CS]

RUS: Rus is a boy who lives in Saria. He aided Link and Zelda when Ganon promised to save Saria if Zelda and Link were killed. [CS]

POMPOL: Pompol is a merchant who owns Pompol Adventurer Boutique. He deals in brand new, expensive equipment. [CS]

JOZ: Joz is a merchant who owns Joz�s Supply Cave. He deals in mainly used equipment, but he has good prices. [CS]

ERROR: Error is a man who lives in Ruto. He knows much about Hyrule. [AoL]

Section 2: A Link to the Past

LINK (The Second): The Legendary Hero who was born in Hyrule. Link was raised by his Uncle, and one night they both heard a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, a captive in the castle. Link�s Uncle left, leaving Link alone. Link, however, concerned with his Uncle, followed him, and found him dying in the castle passage way. Link�s Uncle told him to save Princess Zelda. After fighting off the guards, Link found Zelda in a jail cell. Freeing her, they both fled to the Sanctuary, where a Sage lived. Zelda and the Sage told Link to find a wise man named Sahasrahla and learn where to find the Master Sword, the only weapon that could harm Agahnim, an evil wizard posing as the king. Link found Sahasrahla after much searching, who told him to find the three pendants of Wisdom, Power, and Courage so he could claim the Master Sword. Link found all three in three palaces, and claimed the Master Sword. Zelda was then kidnapped and brought to Agahnim to send her to the Dark World. Agahnim was the servant of Ganon, the Prince of Darkness who needed the life force of the seven girls who were descendants of the wise men who sealed Ganon in the Dark World. Zelda, being the seventh, was sent away before Link�s very eyes. Link used the Master Sword to reflect Agahnim�s magic back to him, but, before he died, Agahnim sent Link to the Dark World. There he had to find the seven girls who were imprisoned in crystals. Link found all seven and defeated the guardians, and finally came to Ganon�s Tower. At the top he fought Agahnim and two clones for the final time. Then, after destroying the real Agahnim, Ganon flew away to the Pyramid of Power, the house of the Triforce which gave Ganon his power. Link defeated Ganon, and regained the Triforce for Hyrule. He proved he was the Legendary Hero, and returned the King to his throne.

PRINCESS ZELDA (The Second): Princess Zelda was the last of the seven descendants of the seven wise men. She was saved by Link before Agahnim could send her to the Dark World. Zelda hid in Sanctuary, until Agahnim�s army found her and brought her back to the castle. Seconds before Link could save her, Agahnim sent Zelda to the Dark World, as well as Link. Link saved the six other girls, and then Zelda. He destroyed Ganon and recovered the Triforce, and then returned the king to the throne.

SAHASRAHLA: Sahasrahla was a descendant of the seven wise men and he was very old. He fled to a small temple after Agahnim started to pose as the king. He helped Link regain the Master Sword, the seven girls, and finally, defeat Ganon and regain the Triforce. He returned home after Link returned successful.

LINK�S UNCLE: Link�s Uncle and his nephew lived in small house south of the castle. They both were great warriors. He was mortally wounded when he went to save Zelda, but he gave Link his sword and shield and told him to go on. Link�s Uncle recovered using the power of the Triforce.

AGINAH: Aginah was an old wizened man who lived in a large cave called the Desert Sanctuary in the Desert of Mystery. He knew much about the ancient Hylian Legends and the Book of Mudora.

A. BUMPKIN: A. Bumpkin was a Lumberjack who lived near the Lost Woods. His brother, B. Bumpkin, was also a Lumberjack.

B. BUMPKIN: B. Bumpkin was a Lumberjack who lived near the Lost Woods. His brother, A. Bumpkin, was also a Lumberjack.

Section 3: Link's Awakening

LINK (The Second): After saving Hyrule from Ganon, the people were still uneasy. They were not sure that Link could save Hyrule again if such a disaster struck. So, Link sailed the seas to travel on journeys that would increase his strengh. After a long journey he traveled home to Hyrule in his small boat, and he got caught in a storm, destroying his boat and washing him ashore. He was found by a maiden named Marin, who looked like Zelda and was a beautiful singer. She brought Link home and told him that he was on the island of Koholint. After finding his sword on the beach, and Owl told him that the only way off the isle was to find the eight instruments of the sirens and wake the Wind Fish, a huge whale-like creature that slept in an egg on the top of a mountain. However, as Link would soon discover, the isle of Koholint was but a dream of the Wind Fish, and if he awoke him, all of the people would disappear. Link awoke the Wind Fish, but then himself awoke floating a piece of world in the ocean. He looked up in the sky and saw the Wind Fish, flying away. It is not known if Link returned to Hyrule.

MARIN: Marin found Link on the beach on Koholint Isle. Marin resembled Zelda and was a beautiful signer. Her song, Ballad of the Wind Fish, awoke the Fish when played on the eight instruments. She fell in love with Link, but she was only a dream of the Wind Fish and disappeared after the Wind Fish awoke.

TARIN: Tarin was Marin�s father, who loved to collect Mushrooms. He found one and ate it, turning into a raccoon. Link turned him back into a human, and when Link awoke the Wind Fish, Tarin disappeared.

PRINCE RICHARD: Prince Richard was the ruler of Koholint Island when his servants and soldiers kicked him out. He ran away to a small villa, and plotted to take back a treasure the revolters stole: Five golden leaves. Link regained the leaves for Richard, but the servants still controlled the castle until Richard disappeared forever when the Wind Fish awoke.

GRANDPA ULRIRA: Grandpa Ulrira was a shy elderly fellow who ran the telephone booths around the island. He knew much about the Island and disappeared when the Wind Fish awoke.

GRANDMA ULRIRA: Grandma Ulrira loved to sweep. She disappeared when the Wind Fish awoke.

PAPAHL: Father of quadruplets, Papahl loved to climb the mountains. He disappeared like everyone else.

MADAME MEOWMEOW: Madame MeowMeow owned several chain chomps. She disappeared when the Wind Fish awoke.

MISTER WRITE: Mister Write wrote letters to Christine the goat. He also disappeared when the Wind Fish awoke.

CRAZY TRACY: Crazy Tracy owned a health spa. She disappeared when the Wind Fish awoke.