Triforce
In a Realm beyond sight, The sky shines gold not blue. There, the Triforce's might Makes mortal dreams come true.
--Legend of the Triforce, as written in the Book of Mudora
Variously known as the Golden Power, Light Force, the Sacred Triangles, and many other names in many cultures, the Triforce is the most revered, sacred object in the old Hylian religion. It is the single most powerful magical artifact in the Light Dimension, and arguably the most powerful in the entire Web. It has been coveted, feared, and sought after for millenia, and has instigated all manner of wars over its possession.
Origins of the Triforce
Hylian legend states that the Triforce came into being at the dawn of creation. After the Great Goddesses created Hyrule (the cradle of civilization according to Hylian myth), blessing the land and populating it with the various races, they returned to the House of the Gods in another world. But as they left, the Goddesses gave one last gift to their land and their chosen people, the Hylia: three shining golden triangles that each held a part of a Goddess' essence, bound together by incomprehensible magics. Together, they were called the Triforce, and it held unlimited power to grant the desires of one's heart. The land where the Triforce lay was known to the Hylia as the Sacred Realm, and as the Chosen People of the Gods, they alone knew the location.
The reality, of course, was much more prosaic (and less flattering to the Hylians). The Triforce came into being quite by accident. The Goddesses so threw themselves into the creation of the world that they were inexorably tied to it, and left the portions of their essences behind unintentionally. Nayru, wisest of the three, decided that the Matter of the Essences was far too delicate, and enlisted outside assistance. She called upon her great friend and ally, the enigmatic God Aldur, to help her study the essences. Aldur remained in the Sacred Realm for a time, and unlocked their secrets. In the end, Nayru decided it would be best to bind them up inside something, and enlisted the aid of the Knight God Chaldan, also a friend of the Goddess Farore. Together with the Goddess Din, they crafted the golden triangles that would house the essences of the Great Goddesses. Aldur built the Temple of Light to house the Triforce. There it would have lain for all eternity, were it not for the impassioned pleas of Chaldan. A great champion of the mortal races, Chaldan argued that mortals ought to have the power of the Triforce in order to better prosper. Din vehemently disagreed, believing it too great to be left to mortals, but Nayru and Farore agreed with him. As a precautionary measure against abuse, Aldur wove a powerful enchantment into the binding that held together the Triforce. The entrance to the Sacred Realm was then revealed to the first King of the Hylia, Nohansen, by the Goddess Nayru. The Goddesses charged Nohansen and all his descendants with the sacred duty of keeping the Triforce out of evil hands and using it only for good, to ensure the peace and prosperity of the realm.
Magical Attributes
The Triforce is comprised of three pieces; singularly they are also known as a "Triforce": The Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Courage, which carries the essence of Farore. The paramount ability of the Triforce, and the one which has inspired so much lust and greed, is its power to grant wishes. It is believed to be able to grant all of the desires of the wielder's heart, no matter how impossible or far-fetched.
The Triforce is sentient on a certain level, even possessing personality, yet it is resolutely amoral; it makes no distinction between good and evil, and does whatever is wished of it regardless of the one doing the asking. However, it does possess a kind of fail safe against wanton abuse of its seemingly limitless power: one's heart must be in perfect balance in order to wield the full, unbridled power of the Triforce. All three qualities it represents must be in perfect harmony within the one who would use it. If a person's heart is not in balance, upon touching the Triforce, it will shatter into its three component Triforces, and the person will only receive the piece of the Triforce that represents the quality they value most. While each component Triforce is lacking the kind of unlimited power achieved when all three are together, they are nonetheless extremely powerful in their own right. It is believed that upon such a sundering, the remaining two pieces will relocate themselves into the hands of two exceptional individuals, specially selected by their respective Goddesses to bear them. These people are known as Chosen.
- The Triforce of Wisdom
Wisdom carries within it part of the essence of Nayru. In its component state, it is a small green triangle that can be carried in one's hand. The Triforce of Wisdom is perhaps most famous for its ability to give counsel to its bearer in a time of need, generally in the form of rhyming couplets. It has also been known on occasion to offer dry wit or biting sarcasm depending on its mood, reflecting the personality of its Goddess quite well. One of the most famous dirty limericks in Hylian culture is regularly attributed to the Triforce of Wisdom, though no one really knows if it really came up with it or not. Talking is not the only power it holds, though, as it can confer the power to heal almost any injury (and aids in healing magic in general), amplifies any psychic ability within the holder, and can also be used to manipulate reality. It is the one piece of the Triforce that has always remained in the hands of the Royal Family.
- The Triforce of Power
Power carries within it part of the essence of Din. In its component state, it is a small red triangle that can be carried in one's hand. The Triforce of Power grants its wielder abilities that are largely physical in nature: immortality, invulnerability, and inhuman physical strength and destructive magical power. Though it cannot speak the way the Triforce of Wisdom does, it does have its own distinct personality. It joys in having its powers used, and wielders almost always feel a euphoric rush when using it (something that has probably contributed more than a little to the seemingly inevitable madness of those who bear it). For many reasons, it is felt to be the most dangerous piece of the Triforce. Sadly, the Triforce of Power has spent the longest time out of the possession of the Royal Family, spending most of its time in other, usually malevolent hands, and to this day is currently missing.
- The Triforce of Courage
Courage carries within it part of the essence of Farore. In its component state, it is a small blue triangle that can be carried in one's hand. The Triforce of Courage tends to be more subtle than its relatively flashy siblings, but nonetheless also confers great power on its bearer. Its main gift is absolute protection against evil magic, and it also grants its wielder heightened, supernatural senses--the better to detect danger. It was an ancient bearer of the Triforce of Courage that founded the Knights of Hyrule and used its power to save the land, inspiring the legendary prophecy that has lived down through the ages among the Hylians and their allies. Almost every Hylian prophetic text of note includes a passage regarding a mysterious hero who will emerge in Hyrule's darkest hour bearing the Triforce of Courage, to save the land from evil and suffering. It is often believed that the current King of Hyrule, Alexander, was the fulfillment of this prophecy, though many knights of his bloodline have also been thought to be this hero as well.
The Chosen
Hylian legend states that in every generation, there are three individuals blessed by the Goddesses to be chosen bearers of the Triforce, should it be sundered (or, if it is already sundered upon their birth, they receive it with the Mark). Upon their sixteenth birthday, they receive the Mark of the Chosen on their dominant hand, which is the symbol of the Triforce. Chosen are believed to be inexorably linked to their piece of the Triforce, generally exhibiting its qualities from birth, and enjoy some measure of its power even if by some means it is wrested from them. Strangely enough, it seems to be hereditary. Every Chosen of Nayru has been a member of the Hyrulean Royal Family, directly descended from the legendary God-King Nohansen, and nearly every Chosen of Farore has been a descendant of the Knights of Hyrule, generally of the same bloodline that birthed the current King of Hyland, Alexander. The Chosen of Din has had a far more convoluted history. While generally being a male Gerudo of the Dragmire bloodline, the blessing has changed hands on occasion.
It is widely held that while any individual can use the piece of the Triforce that represents that which they value most, only the Chosen can unlock their full potential.
History
Using the Triforce, the Hylian Emperors and Kings of ancient times were able to achieve levels of prosperity, peace and abundance that have arguably never been achieved since. With it, they were stewards of the land, using its power to ensure abundant rain and bountiful harvests, for just one example. Oddly enough, the Triforce has spent more time over the eons severed rather than joined. Very few people, even Royals, have possessed the inner harmony required to successfully wield the Golden Power.
The last time the Triforce was joined together was very briefly during the Great War; before that, it had gone several thousand years being apart. It was finally made whole again, when Shana Dragmire, repentant traitor Princess of Hyrule, reclaimed the Triforce of Power from her evil master, Ganon, upon his defeat. At some point following the war, the Hyrulean Royal Family believed the Triforce too dangerous to be left in its joined state as the True Sacred Power. Cynics say that the fledgling GACA, not wanting a repeat of the bloody, savage war it'd just endured, was wary of any one nation possessing an object of such power and exhibited pressure. However it came about, it was decided that the Triforce be intentionally severed back into its component pieces, with each one held by a different Chosen bearing the mark of the Goddesses. Princess Zelda of House Goldmoon continued her rightful position as keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom. Link Sylinas, the Paladin savior of Hyrule, would keep the Triforce of Courage as Chosen of Farore, and in a somewhat controversial move to outsiders, the Triforce of Power would be left in the hands of Shana Cole, who nonetheless exhibited the mark of Din. However, this last never came to pass, as the Triforce of Power mysteriously vanished in the commotion following the end of the war. To this day no one knows who has it, but nearly every Hyrulian has his pet theory.
Despite acquiescing to Hyrulian public sentiment and allowing the monarchy to be stripped any real authority it once had, the Royal Family have steadfastly refused to give up the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom. Interestingly enough, in a far cry from thousands of years of history to the contrary, the ruling party and government officials have not challenged this refusal (even if certain MPs privately wish the Queen in particular would not be quite so stubborn on this point). The Triforce is largely symbolic, they argue, and as such still belongs to the Royal Family. (Cynical anti-monarchists would charge that they belong together, both being unneeded, quaint relics of a less democratic era.)
This, more than anything, is proof that the Triforce is little more than a legend in modern times. It is the most colorful legacy of a fantastical past that is often sought after by thieves treasure seeking adventurers seduced by tales of its great power. However, it is unlikely to ever again play the crucial role it once did in shaping nations and societies--and that is precisely how its bearers prefer it.
