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 The Legend of Zelda
In the original game, the Triforce of Wisdom and Triforce of Power are described as "Magical Golden Triangles" that grant their holders great power. The game begins with Ganon in possession of the Triforce of Power, and with the Triforce of Wisom split into eight pieces hidden in the dungeons beneath Hyrule. Link must fight his way through the eight dungeons to recover the pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, and then battle his way through Ganon's stronghold to defeat him and recover the Triforce of Power.

The Triforce in The Adventure of Link
The Triforce of Courage is first introduced in the second installment of the Zelda series. In order to safeguard the third part of the Triforce, a former King of Hyrule placed it in the Great Palace, where it could only be obtained by one who could fight his way through six other palaces to break the magical seal left by the king. Guarded by a wizened sage, the Triforce could only be recovered by a hero capable of defeating not only the soldiers and monsters set to guard the Great Palace, but also his very shadow. Link overcame these obstacles to achieve the third Triforce, and used the power of the united relic to wake the slumbering Princess Zelda.

The Triforce in A Link to the Past
The Triforce is first revealed as a divine manifestation of the Goddesses' power in A Link to the Past. Bestowed upon Hyrule upon their departure, it lay hidden in the fabled Golden Land until the evil thief Ganon and his minions broke the seal into the hidden land. Within the Golden Land, the Triforce has the power to change the shape of anyone who enters from the outside. The innocent and pure Link was changed into a pink rabbit, while the cruel and evil Ganon was transformed into a hideous pig-like creature. Upon murdering his companions and claiming the Triforce for his own, Ganon used its power to turn the Golden Land into the Dark World. Raising an army to assault the land of Hyrule, Ganon was nearly successful in spreading his evil over all the land, but was stopped when the Knights of Hyrule and the Seven Wise Men sealed him in the Dark World. Still in possession of the Triforce, Ganon used its power to eventually crack the seal between worlds and enter Hyrule in the guise of the wizard Agahnim, eventually taking control of Hyrule and creating a portal between the worlds. After obtaining Master Sword and rescuing the seven maidens sent to the Dark World by Agahnim, Link defeated Ganon and recovered the Triforce. Instructed by the Triforce to take it with a wish in his heart, Link used its power to cleanse the evil that had been done by Ganon; healing those who had been wounded by his evil, restoring the Dark World to the Golden Land, and restoring peace to Hyrule.

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 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
The Triforce plays an identical role in these games. At the introduction, it calls to link from its place in Hyrule castle, telling him "Accept our quest, Hero." It then sends him to Holodrum (in Ages) or Labrynna (in Seasons).

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.

The Triforce in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The word Triforce is not used anywhere in the game. However the Triforce is obviously well known since markings of it exist on the Hyrulian Shield and on various walls. Its power is also spoken of by the anchient sages of Hyrule who guarded the Mirror of Twilight.