See You Next Century...
... "Same bat time, same bat channel!" Or, in LoZ's case, "same old problems, same old faces" ^_^
Seriously though, there's always a princess named Zelda in trouble, there's always an orphan hero named Link to save her, and always an evil bad dude ready to take over the world. You'd think someone would take the hint and quit naming their kids Zelda and Link... obviously those names are cursed. Okay, so that's not really the point of this article... but it's related. What I wanted to throw out was some common theories on why there is always a Princess Zelda, and an orphan Hero Link. You've got to admit you've wondered...
So, prevalent theory number one is that each Zelda and Link is a descendant of the previous Zelda and Link. Hopefully there's some considerable space in between since under this theory Zelda and Link have to hook up every time... and have to be the ancestors of both the new Zelda and the new Link. If they both have the same ancestors I'm hoping there's been enough time for some genetic distance. Otherwise they should be getting dumber as time goes on. That's probably most realistic considering how most European monarchies used to work, but then how would Link become an orphan every time?
A popular theory that began when time travel was introduced in Ocarina of Time is that Zelda and Link are always the same Zelda and Link, traveling through time. A variation on this is that one or the other of them (usually Link, but occasionally someone claims Zelda) is the same and the other is not. In this theory some people speculate that as "the Hero of Time" Link travels around saving Zelda throughout the ages. Zelda is always Zelda because it's the name always passed down to the princess of Hyrule. This theory makes the whole name thing less ominous, but it lacks the romance factor because, obviously, Link and Zelda can never get together. he doesn't have time, and since he ain't sticking around she'd have to settle for someone else.
The third theory, which is probably most likely considering these are the Japanese we're talking about here, is that each Zelda and Link is a reincarnation of the past Princess and Hero. Now, whether they reincarnate every lifetime or just every few centuries is anyone's guess. This theory is the most romantic because it implies that the two are truly destined or soul-mates or something. Not that I believe in reincarnation, but I think this theory is the best. Not only is it most likely considering who created the game, but it makes more sense. After all, Zelda and Link always have a piece of the triforce, and what are the odds that a guy named Link would just happen to always be the Juror of Courage? That's just too much of a coincidence for me.
Of course, it could just be that people keep making the mistake of naming their sons Link and then dying... but that'd be so much less dramatic, don't you think?
Which theory is true? It's unlikely Nintendo will ever be pinned down on an answer. Look how long it took them to admit (read: "make up") where exactly Wind Waker came in. And I'm still convinced that was just a clever cover up so that enraged fans could safely pronounce the game "non-canon" and ignore its existence. The bottom line for Nintendo is that Zelda + Link +Master Sword + evil dude = big money. Then they wait a few years whip together a new, but rather similar (not that I'm complaining) storyline ... wait a few years...
Rinse and repeat ^_^