Triforce

The Triforce is a sacred relic that reappears throughout the Legend of Zelda series. These golden sacred triangles were left behind by the three Golden Goddesses — Din, the Goddess of Power; Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom; and Farore, the Goddess of Courage — after the creation of the land of Hyrule. It was formed at the point where they ascended to the heavens, in a different dimension connected to Hyrule called the Sacred Realm, which would later be referred to as the "Golden Land." The Triforce consists of three separate sacred golden triangles: the Triforce of Power (top), the Triforce of Wisdom (left), and the Triforce of Courage (right).

The Triforce has the power to grant the wish of whomever touches it, and molds the Sacred Realm to reflect that person's heart. The Triforce does not discriminate against "good" or "evil". However, if a person without an equal balance of power, wisdom, and courage makes a wish, the Triforce will split into its three separate parts: the piece that best personifies the one who made the wish will be the only piece to remain in hand, while the other two take residence in whosoever most personifies them. Reassembly is then required for such a person's wish to be granted, but does not exclude another from making the attempt.

The Legend of Zelda
The Triforce of Wisdom and Triforce of Power are described as "Magical Golden Triangles" that grant their holders great power. Prior to the events of the game, the evil Gannon stole the Triforce of Power and captured Princess Zelda, who split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and hid them in the dungeons of Hyrule. Link fights his way through the eight dungeons to recover the pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. When this has been done, he must battle his way through Ganon's stronghold to defeat him and recover the Triforce of Power, as well as rescue Princess Zelda.

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, the 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 the elderly Triforce Keeper, 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 their own shadow. Link overcomes these obstacles to complete the Triforce, and uses the power of the united relic to wake the slumbering Princess Zelda.

A Link to the Past
Triforce, also referred to as the "Golden Power", is for the first time spoken of as physical manifestation of the Goddesses' power. Bestowed upon Hyrule at the moment of their departure, it lay hidden in the fabled Golden Land until the evil thief Ganondorf and his minions broke the seal and entered the hidden land. Upon murdering his companions and claiming the Triforce for his own, Ganon used its power to turn the Golden Land into the Dark World. Within the Dark World, the Triforce has the power to change the shape of anyone who enters from the outside into something that reflects his or her nature. Later in the game, the innocent and pure Link is changed into a pink rabbit. Raising an army of monsters to assault the land of Hyrule, Ganon is nearly successful in spreading his evil over all the land. However, he 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 the body of Agahnim to crack the seal between worlds by teleporting the Seven Maidens, descendants of the Wise Men, one by one into the Dark World, sealing them in crystals and creating a portal between the worlds.

After retrieving the Pendants of Virtue and the Master Sword, Link rescues the Seven Maidens. He eventually defeats Agahnim once more, and ultimately, Ganon is defeated as well. Instructed by the Triforce to take it with a wish in his heart, Link uses 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.

Ocarina of Time
The true nature of the Triforce is explained for the first time in minute detail. After its creation, the Triforce was kept in the Temple of Light in a place called the Sacred Realm, or the "Golden Land." Due to the fact that the Triforce will grant any wish of the one who finds it, many men tried and failed to enter the realm and touch the sacred triangles. Unfortunately, one man succeeded in doing so; an evil man by the name of Ganondorf, the Gerudo king from the desert in the west of Hyrule. Using the young boy Link, he was able to enter the Sacred Realm. Once Link has opened the portal by releasing the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, Ganondorf was able to seize the opportunity and made his wish to the Triforce.

However, there was another tale told about the Triforce, one that stated that if a person whose power, wisdom, and courage were not in perfect harmony were to lay his hands on it, the Triforce would shatter into its three separate pieces. This person would keep the piece of the Triforce that represents their most developed quality, and the other two pieces would seek out a hiding place in the bodies of those chosen by destiny. When Ganondorf laid his hand upon the Triforce this prophecy came true, and the Triforce shattered, sending the three pieces, the Triforces of Power, Wisdom, and Courage, into the bodies of Ganondorf, Princess Zelda, and Link, respectively. The Six Sages, along with Princess Zelda, managed to seal Ganondorf and his Triforce of Power in the Void of the Realm.

The Triforce in this game appears as a decorative element on a variety of objects such as pictures, clothing, shields and saddles.

Majora's Mask
The Triforce is never referred to by name and is only seen occasionally. The Triforce appears on the Hero's Shield and on the clothes of several people; however, this could be unintentional, as the game re-uses 3D models from Ocarina of Time. The Triforce makes a notable appearance on the carvings on the tongues of the statues leading to Ikana from Termina Field and on the blocks outside the entrance of the inverted Stone Tower Temple. It is believed it was meant to blaspheme the Goddesses.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons
The Triforce plays an identical role in both Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. At the beginning of the game, Link has been called by the Triforce and rides to the place it is kept. The Triforce tells Link of troubles in the lands of Labrynna and Holodrum, the lands in which Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons are set, respectively. In order to aid them, Link is transported to these lands by the power of the Triforce.

Afterwards, the Mark of a Hero appears on Link's left hand. At one point in Oracle of Ages, Link alone has the power to move a special stone emblazoned with the Mark of the Triforce, which Impa, who is under the possession of Veran, cannot touch.

The Wind Waker
After the legendary Hero of Time left the world of Hyrule, his Triforce of Courage shattered into 8 pieces, and these pieces were sealed away in in chests which were placed at the bottom of the Great Sea. Eight special Triforce Charts were drawn and hidden to stop anyone without a courageous heart from assembling it. Link eventually assembles it, and when showing it before the Gods at the Tower of the Gods, the Triforce merges with him, showing the acceptance of the Gods and thus making him the Hero of Winds.

Later, Ganondorf unites all three Triforce pieces on top of his tower at long last and tries to make a wish, but he is stopped as Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the former King of Hyrule, presses his hand upon the golden symbol, and then asks the gods to cover the land of Hyrule completely in water. The Triforce then ascends from sight as water begins to fall from the sky. It is unknown what happens to the Triforce afterwards.

Many of the Fishmen in the game humorously believe the Triforce is called the "Triumph Forks", as does Old Man Ho Ho and the Salvage Corp. It may very well be that all of the people living in and around the Great Sea that know of the treasure believe this is the treasure's name, likely through some odd misinterpretation of the Hylian language. Triumph forks has part of the word "Triforce" in it, and the two terms are pronounced somewhat similarly.

Usually, the Triforce of Power is shown on Ganondorf's right hand. Strangely, when Ganondorf reunites the three pieces, his piece emerges from his left hand.

The Minish Cap
The Triforce symbol appears on Zelda's Dress, Link's shield, and in various locations in Hyrule Castle, the Royal Valley, and the Royal Crypt. Another similar power called the Light Force also appears in this game but its exact relation to the Triforce, if any, is unknown.

Twilight Princess
The representation of the Golden Power of the Sacred Realm as seen in a vision from Lanayru by Link

"Triforce" is not used anywhere in the game. However, the Triforce is obviously well known since markings of it exist on the Hylian Shield and as carvings on walls. Its power is also spoken of by the Ancient Sages of Hyrule who guard the Mirror of Twilight. In the game, it is said that Ganondorf, Zelda, and Link have been blessed with the power of the Goddesses, which is strongly implied to be the Triforce by the Triforce symbols on each of their hands. Also, in a vision Lanayru shows to Link, the Triforce's creation is seen, as well as the Interlopers' attempt to take control of it. It is also shown in the vision that the Light Spirits protect the Triforce, and that once, many knew of the Triforce, and the knowledge turned them against each other, until the Interlopers eventually tried to actively take control of the Triforce with their Fused Shadows.

The Ancient Sages also state that it was by some "divine prank" that Ganondorf was blessed with the power of the gods, which allowed him to survive his attempted execution. When Link and Midna confront Ganondorf at the end of the game, Ganondorf claims that the magic of the Twili is nothing compared to his own power. Ganondorf then demonstrates the glowing Triforce symbol on his hand, proclaiming that he has been chosen by the gods to wield their power.

Some believe the marks on their hands are merely marks of being "chosen by the Goddesses", though the behavior of the marks seems to indicate that the actual Triforce pieces were present. The marks almost always indicate a chosen holder of the Triforce. However, one has been known to appear on the hand of a Link who did not posses a Triforce piece at the time it showed, and is not confirmed to have had a piece in the past or receive one in the future.

Phantom Hourglass
The Triforce symbol is seen on the wall of the hut of the blacksmith Zauz. The symbol is used to access the Sacred Crest Chamber and the final six floors of the Temple of the Ocean King. Though the actual Triforce isn't mentioned, this symbol could mean that the Temple and Zauz could have something to do with the Triforce even though they come from the World of the Ocean King. This has not been verified by Nintendo. The Triforce symbol also appears above a sea lobster on a wooden shield bought in the game. In the Temple of the Ocean King, Link must reunite the three Force Gems to their pedestals, which are in the shape of Triforce pieces.

Spirit Tracks
The Triforce has been replaced with the symbol of the Spirits of Good as the mark of New Hyrule. Despite this, the Triforce design appears on Princess Zelda's dress and on the Ancient Gold Piece. Like in The Minish Cap, a force similar to the Triforce known as the Sacred Power of the Spirits, which like the Triforce was passed down through the generations of Hyrule's Royal Family, and eventually came to be stored within Zelda. Its exact origins, and relations to the Triforce, if any, remain unknown. Additionally, the symbol of the Spirits is actually almost the same as the Triforce symbol, except that it fills the inner empty triangle and removes the outer triangles. During the last scene in the prologue, when the symbol of the Spirits is shown at the top of the Tower of the Spirits, it actually forms the Triforce sign because of the tower's triangular top in its depiction.