Triforce



The Triforce is a sacred relic left behind by the three goddesses Din(power), Farore(courage) and Nayru(wisdom) after they finished creating the land of Hyrule. It was formed at the point where they left the world,but in a different world called the Sacred Realm and consists of three seperate triangles: the Triforce of Power on Top, the Triforce of Courage on the right and the Triforce of Wisdom on the left.

The Triforce has a power to grant the wish of whoever touches it, but it seems it can only grant one wish per person for a period of time, because in A Link to the Past, Ganon makes a wish to turn the Golden Land into the Dark World. It seems that he can't make another wish straight away, or he would have used it to return to the normal world. However, as you are battling Ganon, he says "I shall destroy you, and use my wish to rule both worlds forever!".

The Triforce can be an item that grants power instead of a wish, and in turn that great power will allow the wishes of the holder to become true, but there is evidence in the Wind Waker that you need to make a wish out loud to the gods. Perhaps it could be both, and perhaps the Triforce gives you power to speak to the gods and show them your wish.

There is an argument about whether the Triforce is inanimate. On one hand, it seems that it doesn't know good from evil and merely grants wishes. However, it also speaks to Link at the end of A Link to the Past.

The Triforce in Ocarina of Time
Spoilers follow from this point:

The Triforce is kept in the Temple of Light in a place called the Sacred Realm, or 'Golden Land', where it is kept safe. It is said that the Triforce has the power to grant any wish its beholder desires, and because of this many men have tried to gain access to the Sacred Realm to claim it for themselves. Unfortunately one man suceeded in doing so, an evil man by the name of Ganondorf, a male Gerudo from the desert in the west of Hyrule. However there was another tale told about the Triforce, one that stated that if a person whose Wisdom, Power and Courage were out of synchronisation with each other should lay their hand upon it, the Triforce would shatter into its three seperate pieces. The person would keep the Piece of Triforce that represents the thing one most believes in, and the other two pieces would seek out a hiding place in the body of those chosen by destiny. When Ganondorf layed his hand upon the Triforce this prophecy came true, and the Triforce shattered, sending the three pieces into the bodies of Ganondorf (Power), Princess Zelda (Wisdom) and Link (Courage).

The Six Sages, along with Princess Zelda, managed to trap Ganon and his Triforce of Power in the Golden Land. However, Ganon used the Triforce's power to eventually turn the Golden Land into the Dark World. Some fans believe that the Triforce can be found in Ocarina of Time, but up to this day, there is no real method to obtein it phisicaly in the game (Link gets the Triforce of Courage when shattered but only in storyline).

The Triforce in A Link to the Past
The Triforce makes an appearance in A Link to the Past. This game takes place a long time after Ocarina of Time, and Ganon has used the Triforce of Power to corrupt the Golden Land and sends forth Agahnim in the normal world to take control of Hyrule and make a portal between the worlds. At the end, Link receives the Triforce, and uses it to make a wish to restore order to the world.

The Triforce in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
The Triforce this time is inside a Castle, and it will send Link to the Worlds of Holodrum or Labrynna, telling him "Accept our quest, Hero". Other than that, the Triforce has nothing else to do with the games.

The Triforce in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Triforce of Courage, left in Hyrule after the legendary Hero that appeared in Ocarina of Time left the World, shattered into 8 pieces, and was locked in chests in the sea. 8 special Treasure Charts were drawn and hidden, to stop anyone without a courageous heart to assemble it. Link assembled it, and when showing it before the Gods at the Tower of Gods, the Triforce fused with him, showing the acceptance of the Gods, thus making him the Hero of Winds.

Also, Ganondorf unites all three triforce pieces on top of his tower and tries to make a wish, but he is stopped as the King of Hyrule presses his hands upon the golden symbol, and then asks the gods to cover the land of Hyrule completely.