Legend of Zelda The Triforce

[Spire]

There's much more to the Triforce than most give it credit for. Place it in league with the Cross, the Star of David, the Crescent, the Wheel, and every other religious symbol along with (=), the equal sign. Ultimately, that's what all of these symbols mean, and we have an incredible series of legends based around this ultimate stabilizer.

I will quote myself from the GZD thread:

What is truly beautiful about The Legend of Zelda is that the entire scheme of it all is based not on the number two - which so many things in our real world are - but rather one more than two; three. The simple number 3 has become so much, as it pervades the very fabrics of which Hyrule is woven. The Triforce is simply an archetype - a triangle, built of three triangles. What is significant in the triangle is that it is the most basic shape when connecting straight lines. One is simply a line. Two defines every angle imaginable, but three. Three, now you have a tangible, visual shape. In a certain light, it is the most basic geometric shape. Yet, this whole, beautiful, magical world is crafted around the idea of the triangle, and all that it entails. But the Triforce itself says so much more. Bringing three triangles together to form one triangle is as powerful as the number 11. So much of our world is based around the number and idea of ten; 10. But, you add one more; just one more number to ten, and you surpass it. Ten is composed of ten whole numbers, but that one more beats it. That's all it requires; a simply push over the edge. The Triforce, I feel, is that much more important than a single triangle. On the surface, it is just two more triangles than the basic one triangle, but more so, a new triangle could not be formed without those two more. Not just one more, but two more.

So in a nutshell, Shigeru Miyamoto is a sheer genius for developing this immortal symbol.

I've compiled a list of all the games the Triforce plays a role in and have written what happens to it in said games:

LoZ/AoL: Starts split, ends together
ALttP: Starts together, ends together
OoT: Starts together, ends split
MM: Starts split, ends split
OoX/LA: Starts together, ends together
WW: Starts split, ends together
TP: Starts split, probably ends together

Those who have beared a piece of the Triforce:
- Link (Courage)
- Zelda (Wisdom)
- Ganon (Power)
- Midna (Wisdom)

Gathering that Zelda was able to pass the Triforce of Wisdom on to Midna, we know that it is not bound eternally to just the main three. The only infinite in Zelda is the Triforce itself; everything else is subject to change - even Link.

 

[urdailywater]

Wait, when did the triforce ever play a role in MM? I don't think anything about it was mentioned. It had no value in Termina -- it was basically replaced by God like masks of some sort.

 

[Scott!]

It didn't play a visible role in the main plot, but it can be found on building, especially the Stone Tower Temple. That doesn't really relate to the story, but it does to the history of Termina. Also, Termina used the symbology of 4 as a counter to Hyrule's 3.

 

[Clownbot]

Did Zant ever have any relation to the Triforce of Power?

 

[TheBuzzSaw]

I made this thing back in 2004. I always have it with me. In this picture, it is posted on the door to my office (where it resides at this very moment).

The Zelda games come and go, but the Triforce will forever be a part of my life.

 

[Spire]

I made this thing back in 2004. I always have it with me. In this picture, it is posted on the door to my office (where it resides at this very moment).

The Zelda games come and go, but the Triforce will forever be a part of my life.

You are so cool.

"In this picture, [the Triforce] is posted on the door to my office."

10buzzsaws

 

[Scott!]

Gotta love the Triforce. On April Fool's Day, I listed my religion on Facebook as Orthodox Hylian, which I made up, but it sounded good, as part of my annual AFD joke overhaul for a day. On April 2nd, I changed everything back except for that. I'm cool. The Triforce is my favorite fictional religious symbol. It's perfect in its simplicity; it's incredibly iconic and fairly versatile, like the Christian cross.

Also, I remember reading people's made-up convoluted ways of getting the Triforce in OoT. One that stands out was incredibly long and bothersome. I remember something about fighting a second Dark Link, except outside Link's house. Though, the more I think, it might have been to unfreeze Zora's Domain for that one. That was many, many years ago.

 

[SinkingHigher]

I've had a theory going for quite some time about the ancient hero that slays the dragon beast thing in the tales Anju's mom tells you and it might have something to do with the triforce.

When I first saw the Moon children at the end of MM and realized who the Happy Mask Salesman was, it just occured to me that the moon had almost crashed before, and that's how the happy mask salesman was able to come to earth, or, Termina.

As a result of the moon almost crashing, that would mean there would have to have been someone to stop it. Again, it suddenly clicked with me that perhaps that ancient hero from the story of majoras mask, might have been a Link. It made me wonder if there might have been a Ganondorf and Zelda too, or at least their Terminian counterparts.

Basically my theory was that a lonnggg time ago, the three people destined to have the triforce pieces were at Termina, and perhaps Stone Tower Temple was meant to be a shrine to them, which is why the triforce appears so infrequently.

I'm sure there are a lot of facts to disprove this method, but I still hope there is some truth in it somewhere.

Another possibility is that one of their prophecies (perhaps Kaepora Gaebora had something to do with it) told of Link coming to save the town, and so they marked the important places with triforces. I believe there is one in clock town somewhere hanging on a wall.

 

[Ochobobo]

Bringing three triangles together to form one triangle is as powerful as the number 11. So much of our world is based around the number and idea of ten; 10. But, you add one more; just one more number to ten, and you surpass it.

*makes a Spinal Tap reference*

Also, why do you think the Triforce ends together in Twilight Princess? Ganon lost his Triforce of Power. I am not entirely sure what happened to Triforce of Wisdom in the end. Link never lost his Triforce of Courage (I think).

 

[etecoon]

does anyone know if the triforce has any kind of real life origin? I've seen this symbol or something similar before in several places where I doubt zelda would have been the influence, and even in other games(somewhere in chrono cross it's been too long since I played it...)

 

[Spire]

*makes a Spinal Tap reference*

Also, why do you think the Triforce ends together in Twilight Princess? Ganon lost his Triforce of Power. I am not entirely sure what happened to Triforce of Wisdom in the end. Link never lost his Triforce of Courage (I think).

Hahahaha I didn't even realized that I had done that. Truly and honestly, but wow.. I guess Spinal Tap subconsciously influenced that.

Oh, and I really don't know what happens to it at the end of TP. It might reassemble, it might not. I'm actually thinking now that it doesn't.

does anyone know if the triforce has any kind of real life origin? I've seen this symbol or something similar before in several places where I doubt zelda would have been the influence, and even in other games(somewhere in chrono cross it's been too long since I played it...)

The Triforce (not named as such) is probably based on an old Japanese symbol that looks identical. I can't remember what it is, but it must be the influence.

 

[zaneebaslave]

I saw the Triforce in a math book I once had... I drew link and Ganon fighting over it in my book and left it there for the next few generations to see and enjoy

 

[Phantom7]

I saw the Triforce in a math book I once had... I drew link and Ganon fighting over it in my book and left it there for the next few generations to see and enjoy

Hahaha, this reminds me years back in Kindergarten when we were supposed to draw ourselves, but I drew Link instead. Yeah, I've been a Zelda fan all of my life.

Spire, your quoted description of the Triforce just made my day.

 

[Scott!]

Yeah, there's a Japanese symbol that is the same design as the Triforce. My friend just got back from Japan, where he spent the spring semester and some summer, and he had pictures of temples over there that had Triforces on them. Awesome stuff, though I don't know the specifics of what it means to them.

 

[etecoon]

Yeah, there's a Japanese symbol that is the same design as the Triforce. My friend just got back from Japan, where he spent the spring semester and some summer, and he had pictures of temples over there that had Triforces on them. Awesome stuff, though I don't know the specifics of what it means to them.

any chance of those being uploaded somewhere? I'm very curious...

 

[DrPain]

Shigeru Miyamoto didn't "Create" it, I know it's in Greek mathematics, and can safely assume it can be traced earlier than that.

Look up Fractal Geometry, and how it can explain the conduction of heat in certain solids. Essentially everything is made up of triforces.

 

[Spire]

Shigeru Miyamoto didn't "Create" it, I know it's in Greek mathematics, and can safely assume it can be traced earlier than that.

Look up Fractal Geometry, and how it can explain the conduction of heat in certain solids. Essentially everything is made up of triforces.

Well Christians didn't create the cross, but they popularized it by drawing up the rudimentary ideas behind the archetype and applying it religiously to organize people. Miyamoto did the same with the triple-triangle. Yeah, we've all seen it in math textbooks and what not - he didn't create it, but brought it to another level, creating the "idea" of the Triforce. Not the symbol, but the meaning behind the symbol.

 

[Volkner582]

Are you talking about the Sierpinski Triangle?

 

[Kingdom Come]

No, Shiggy did not create it!

If you have common sense that wouldn't even come to your mind. All he did was give it a story and got ****it he made it one of, if not the best stories of all time. Zelda is all about the Triforce and the balance of Courage, Wisdom, and Power.

Now, with that in mind that doesn't mean with that if there is more of X than Y and Z then the triforce will disassemble. But, my opinion is if there is more X than Y and Z the triforce will be uneasy where if all were equal it would be at rest. Your thoughts?

 

[Spire]

^ Yeah, that's pretty much the concept of the Triforce. If two of the triangles were equilateral, but one was isoceles, then it would be imbalanced. The point of the triforce is that so long as all three are equilateral, they form one large triangle. Conceptually speaking, if one was not equilateral, they would not form one large triangle and thus, would split.

I'd also like to point out something else very, very interesting. The three Great Pyramids of Giza are perfectly aligned with Orion's belt, which is composed of three stars. The Egyptians would entomb their dead Pharaohs in the Pyramids so that their Ka (soul) would be transported to the heavens, with Orion's Belt being the proof of the heavens/the gateway to the heavens. Each side of a pyramid is—a triangle. The pyramids in their heyday were smooth, gleaming, beautiful monuments, designed to reflect the light of the sun (as the Egyptians depicted the sun's rays as triangles). Essentially, just as the pyramids are tied to the heavens, so too is the triforce tied to the Sacred Realm. And since the Triforce was a byproduct of the three Goddesses, Nintendo may have based it on the conspiracy of the pyramids being built by gods/aliens.

 

[MattV1]

ALttP: Starts split, ends together


I must have missed something. There is never a single mention in ALttP of Ganon not claiming the whole Triforce, and considering it was whole after Link defeated him and just kind ch-ch-chillan in that little room, seems to imply it was there the whole time. Just sayin'.

 

[Spire]

ALttP: Starts split, ends together


I must have missed something. There is never a single mention in ALttP of Ganon not claiming the whole Triforce, and considering it was whole after Link defeated him and just kind ch-ch-chillan in that little room, seems to imply it was there the whole time. Just sayin'.

Dude, that's from over half a year ago. Just negate the OP (though I did edit it now that you pointed it out).

 

[MattV1]

Wow, guess I should look at dates next time. My bad.

 

[Kingdom Come]

If Zelda is supposed to be destined to the triforce then how was she able to pass it on to midna? that never made much sense to me.

 

[Tacel]

Does the upside down empty triangle space in the middle mean anything?

 

[Spire]

Does the upside down empty triangle space in the middle mean anything?

As of right now, absolutely nothing. I think it was even confirmed in an interview that there is no fourth piece. I'm not sure, but I have this memory of reading an interview with this confirmation. If so, it was probably Aonuma.

 

[Ganonsburg]

Does the upside down empty triangle space in the middle mean anything?

You could take it to mean something symbolically. Like, it's empty space, yes? But that's also where the center of balance and the center of mass are located. So physically it means that you can not balance the Triforce with only one point. Symbolically, it may mean that there is no one person that represents the three virtues in a perfect balance.