Summary

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomcontinues the story ofBOTWas a direct sequel, but it also comes with plenty of its own lore to add to the franchise. Zelda’s adventure through time in particular reveals information about Hyrule and Ganondorf that would otherwise be lost to history and left only as drawings beneath Hyrule Castle that Link and Zelda are unable to fully interpret. But in both the past and present, the Triforce seems to be absent, not even receiving a mention.

The Triforce tends to be a central item inZeldagames, but it’s not mentioned inBOTWandTOTK. It’s still part of the Hylian Crest, and an image of it appears when Zelda uses her powers against Calamity Ganon, but it’s not a central part of the story. Since the physical relic typically resides in theSacred Realm, it might’ve even been forgotten there over time. However, subtle details provide clues about the Triforce in this new section of the timeline, and it might not be as absent as it seems.

Composite image of Zelda from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom opposite an image of the Triforce, with a smaller Triforce held in her hands.

TOTK’s Three Elemental Dragons Could Be Linked To The Triforce

Each May Carry A Piece Of It

TheMathNuton Reddit discovered an interesting detail about thethree elemental dragons inTOTKwhile farming parts. About halfway down the back of these dragons, there’s a little triangle that’s awfully reminiscent of the pieces of the Triforce. Throughout the game, not a lot of information is given about dragons, aside from the fact thateating a Sacred Stone can turn a person into a dragon. But there’s nothing saying that it’s the only way to become a dragon, or that the Sacred Stones seen in the Sages' possession are the only type that exists.

Ifpieces of the Triforcecould be considered Sacred Stones, or another type of object with the ability to turn people into immortal dragons, thenit’spossible that Farosh, Dinraal, and Naydra haven’t always been the dragonswho travel above Hyrule and into the Depths. However, it’s also possible that the people who turned into these dragons consumed the Sacred Stones while holding onto the pieces of the Triforce, like Zelda transformed while holding the Master Sword. There’s also a trio of women invested enough in the safety of the Triforce to turn themselves into dragons: the Golden Goddesses.

Link and Zelda looking frightened with a backdrop of the Master Sword in screenshots from Tears of the Kingdom.

The True Identities Of The Dragons

Before Consuming The Sacred Stones

Aside from the Triforce pieces appearing on the backs of the dragons, their names are incredibly similar to the names of the goddesses. It wouldn’t be a stretch to believe thatDinraal is Din, Naydra is Nayru, and Farosh is Farore. At various points in Hyrule’s history, the goddesses have entrusted pieces of the Triforce to Link and Zelda, with Ganondorf having a habit of stealing the last piece for himself. However, the goddesses might’ve decided to use more extreme methods to protect the Triforce, hiding the pieces within themselves as dragons.

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According to the bookCreating a Champion, which is about the development ofBOTW, bothBOTWandTOTKare set in the distant future, far enough that the events of other games in the franchise are nothing more than legends. It’s possible that something happened during this time period that led to the goddesses making the decision to protect the Triforce as dragons, but the events haven’t been included in the games because they haven’t been necessary to reveal. Alternatively, the details could’ve been lost to time like the events of other games have.

Artwork from The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons depicting Link with a harp on one side and a sword on the other.

To further support the possibility of the dragons being goddesses are theelements and abilities of the dragons. Dinraal is associated with fire and guards the Spring of Power inBOTW, and Din is the Goddess of Power. Naydra is associated with ice and guards the Spring of Wisdom, and Nayru is the Goddess of Wisdom. Finally, Farosh is associated with lightning and part of the Spring of Courage quest, and Farore is the Goddess of Courage. If they aren’t meant to be the goddesses in a new form, then they were certainly inspired by them at least.

Possible Reasons The Goddesses Became TOTK’s Dragons

If It Was The Goddesses At All

Another option is thatthe people who turned into the dragons weren’t the goddesses themselves, but oracles of the goddesses. There are two games that show that the goddesses can have oracles living in the normal world:Oracle of AgesandOracle of Seasons. The oracles have the names of the goddesses, and they have unique abilities related to the goddess they represent. Using this information, it’s entirely possible that the dragons were formerly oracles, and they had to make the decision to protect the Triforce in a new way if there was a unique threat to it.

If it was the real goddesses who took the form of dragons, it could’ve been due to the long period of time when the hero’s actions were fading into nothing more than legends. Without information about this time period, it’s difficult to know what was happening and how Hyrule might’ve been threatened.There might’ve been situations similar to the Fallen Hero timeline, where Link was defeated, and extreme measures had to be taken to handle Ganondorf without Link there, which also opens up a lot of potential for future games to explore this period of time.

Ghirahim, Ganondorf, and Gohma from The Legend of Zelda.

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Given the time period and how Rauru knows about the Sacred Stones turning people who consume them into dragons,the goddesses could’ve become dragons before he was the king of Hyrule. As a Zonai, he could have more access to information about the past, and possibly records about the birth of Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh. The people who became the dragons might’ve even been Zonai as well, since there’s no reason that the goddesses or their oracles couldn’t be part of that race.

zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-cover.jpg

Zeldaas a franchise is always brimming with potential stories to be told and adventures for Link to have, and this detail about the dragons only fuels that. If the goddesses or their oracles turned into dragons, then that could become a future game that reveals the situation at that time, and why this decision was made. If nothing else, Triforce symbols appearing on Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh makes for a fun Easter egg and an interesting fan theory inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Source:TheMathNut/Reddit

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. A rare occurrence in Zelda titles, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel instead of loosely connected. In Tears of the Kingdom, Link will take to the skies and learn about a mysterious kingdom in the clouds.