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From the very beginning, the Triforce has been a symbol ofThe Legend Of Zeldaseries, as iconic as the Master Sword and Link themselves. Made of the Triforce of Power, Courage, and Wisdom, each piece represents the trifecta of characters that make up the series.
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Yet for such prevalence as an icon, it only appears in a major role in a limited few entries, with it being almost entirely absent from both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Why, exactly, is that?
What Is The Triforce?
To understand why the Triforce isn’t present in Tears of the Kingdom, it’s important to know what it is. As established in Skyward Sword,the Triforce was made by the Golden Goddesses- Din, Nayru, and Farore. Each represents a piece of the Triforce, and it is through it that their power remains in the world of Hyrule.
Being that itis made of three pieces, the Triforce typically has champions of each piece to hold the world in balance. As such,when one of great ambition rises, the Triforce of Power comes into their possessions. In most cases, this falls into the hands of Ganondorf.The Triforce of Wisdom is kept within the royal family, and thusly is always represented by Zelda.For the Triforce of Courage, it appears when needed, always finding its way into someone with sufficient means to support it. In most cases, this is a regular boy called Link.
The Triforce brings balance to the world. Each piece needs to exist in tandem. Too long a period of Wisdom, and Power must rise to challenge it. Yet great Power brings with it the need to be quelled, and so Courage rises to subdue it. Yet unguided Courage is recklessness, and so Wisdom must appear. It is cyclical, and necessary tradition to keep the world in order.
When unified,the Triforce will also grant a wishbefore each piece disappears, reawakening when the world is again in need of its power.
The Lack Of The Triforce In Tears Of The Kingdom
With the Triforce established and the means by which it appears, we can adequately explain why, exactly, it doesn’t appear in Tears of the Kingdom. In Breath of the Wild,the Triforce itself is never mentioned.It is shown in iconography across the Kingdom of Hyrule, yet never shown, not even in writing. By the end of the game, when Zelda is rescued, we see her awaken to her latent powers to hold back Calamity Ganon,the Triforce appearing on her wrist.
However,we never see the individual pieces of the Triforce, nor others using it. And in Tears of the Kingdom,even less of the Triforce is seen,never again shown on Zelda’s wrist. In this sense, Zelda is again left in a world without guidance as she was in Breath of the Wild, forced to rely on other means to survive.
However, a core aspect of the Triforce is how it grants wishes before disappearing. With this in mind, it’s very possible that the reason the Triforce is no longer seen is thatZelda’s usage of it at the end of Breath of the Wild was her wish, causing it to disappear. As we also see when she travels to the past,the Secret Stone enhances her Time powersrather than her Light powers, further implying it was the Trifroce that helped her defeat Ganon.
This is further supported by the fact that Ganondorf’s immense power, and the power of those who opposed him,came instead from the Secret Stones, rather than the respective pieces of the Triforce.
