Spiritual Stone



In Hyrule during the era of Ocarina of Time in order to open the Door of Time which sealed away the Master Sword in the Temple of Time, one needed three Spiritual Stones.

The three stones in the game were known as: The Kokiri's Emerald, the "Spiritual Stone of Forest", held by the Great Deku Tree; The Goron's Ruby, the "Spiritual Stone of Fire", a treasure held by Darunia and The Zora's Sapphire, the "Spiritual Stone of Water", held by Princess Ruto.

During his quest to unlock the Sacred Realm and steal the Triforce, Ganondorf, the evil king of thieves, was refused the Spiritual Stones by each of their respective guardians. In response, he cursed them all with various blights using dark magic. In order to obtain the stones to prevent the Triforce from falling into Ganondorf's hands, Link was required to free the guardians from Ganondorf's malevolence.



Kokiri's Emerald
The Spiritual Stone of Forest, Kokiri's Emerald, was first of the three Spiritual Stones Link had to acquire in order to open the Door of Time during his adventures in Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf sends a parasite to retrieve the Kokiri Emerald from the Deku Tree. By relieving the Great Deku Tree of the evil parasite which had infested it, Link proved his courage, leading to the Great Deku Tree entrusting Link with this stone and the fate of Hyrule. However, it was too late for the Great Deku Tree, who dies shortly after giving Link the stone.

Goron's Ruby
The Spiritual Stone of Fire/Goron's Ruby was the second of the three Spiritual Stones that Link had to collect in Ocarina of Time. It was a dearly held treasure of the Goron race. When Link managed to defeat the evil creatures inside Dodongo's Cavern, the Goron's source of food, he was given this stone by Darunia, the "Big Brother" or patriarch of the Gorons. Oddly, even though it is worshiped, some Gorons wish to eat the Ruby, probably because the Gorons love to eat rocks.

Zora's Sapphire
The Zora's Sapphire is the Spiritual Stone of Water which was passed down to Link by Princess Ruto after he had saved her from the insides of the giant whale-like deity Lord Jabu Jabu. Ruto fell in love with Link and gave him this stone as a symbol of their "engagement". An heirloom of Zora royalty, the stone was given to Ruto by her mother who said to entrust it to the man she would one day marry. However, when Ruto became a sage seven years later, she was forced to break this promise due to her new responsibilities as a sage. While some believe that Link was relieved, others think he may have been dissapointed.

Trivia

 * The Zora's Sapphire is also known as the Zora's Engagement Ring. This is why Ruto gives Link the Zora's Sapphire: as an engagement ring.
 * The emblems of the Kokiri's Emerald, Goron's Ruby, and Zora's Sapphire appear as recurring designs within the Forest Temple, Goron Mines, and Lakebed Temple dungeons of Twilight Princess. Symbols of a similar nature appear within the Arbiter's Grounds, City in the Sky, and Palace of Twilight dungeons, indicating that these are in fact the symbols of these tribes. In addition to this, supporting details can be found in The Wind Waker when Link obtains the Master Sword. If the stained glass windows of the Ocarina of Time sages are observed closely there is a small orb above each sages head. In the center of this orb contains a a symbol different for each sage or race (namely the Kokiri Emerald for Saria, Goron Ruby for Darunia, Zora Sapphire for Ruto, and the eagle on Link's shield in Ocarina of Time for Rauru). This also indicates that the eagle is the symbol of the Hylian race, with the symbol appearing on the Hylian shield, Hyrule Castle, and the Temple of Time, also hinting that Rauru is a member of the Hylian Race.
 * Queen Rutela wears a pendant similar in shape to the Zora Sapphire in Twilight Princess.

Theory
Some have noted the similarities shared by the Pendants of Virtue, the Goddess Pearls, and the Spiritual Stones. This could indicate a direct link between these artifacts, or equally, it could simply be an example of the designers' desire to create a feeling of familiarity or a sense of a "shared legend" within the series.