Spiritual Stones

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The Spiritual Stones are quest items from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Spiritual Stones are three mystical gems consisting of the Kokiri's Emerald, Goron's Ruby and Zora's Sapphire. During his quest, Link must gather these Spiritual Stones in order to open the door to the Sacred Realm. The symbols of the three stones can be found repeatedly in many games.

Origin
The three Spiritual Stones were created to serve as keys to open the way to the Sacred Realm where the Triforce is kept. It was prophesized that one destined to become the Hero of Time would collect the three stones, place them on the altar in the Temple of Time, and play the "Song of Time" on the magical instrument known as the Ocarina of Time. When all of these objectives were achieved, the Door of Time would open, allowing the prophesized one to enter the Chamber of the Master Sword. There, he would pull the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword, out of the Pedestal of Time and become the Hero of Time.

Kokiri's Emerald
The Kokiri's Emerald is held by the Great Deku Tree and the Kokiri in the Kokiri Forest. When Ganondorf comes to steal the Emerald, the tree refuses to hand it over and in return, Ganondorf curses the tree with Queen Gohma and her evil underlings. The Deku Tree asks Link to free him of this curse by destroying the monsters inside of him. Link relieves the Deku Tree of Queen Gohma, breaking the curse, but it is too late. The Deku Tree has been under the evil spell too long, and with the last of his power, he bestows upon Link the Kokiri's Emerald. Before dying, the Deku Tree tells Link to visit Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle. Link sneaks into the castle and converses with Princess Zelda. The two agree to work together to stop Ganondorf's impending conquest of Hyrule. She advises Link to visit the Gorons on Death Mountain and inquire about the Spiritual Stone of Fire.

Goron's Ruby
In Goron City, Link talks to the Goron leader, Darunia. He refuses to give Link the Goron's Ruby, once displayed as part of the the centerpiece of the sprawling city. While reluctant to aid Link, Darunia tells him that in return for Darunia not giving him the Spiritual Stone, Ganondorf summoned a mighty boulder to block access to the Dodongo's Cavern, the Gorons' primary food source. Additionally, he caused the Dodongos residing within to grow with rapid speed, filling it with the evil creatures. Link helps the Gorons by opening up the cavern and clearing it of the monsters and their leader, King Dodongo. Darunia makes Link an honorary "brother" of the tribe and presents him with the Goron's Ruby as a symbol of their new-found connection. With one Spiritual Stone left to gather, Link travels southeast, to the land of the Zora.

Zora's Sapphire
Link enters Zora's Domain to inquire about the Spiritual Stone of Water held by the Zora. However, once inside, it is revealed that the Sapphire is with Princess Ruto whose whereabouts is currently unknown. Link finds a message in a bottle by the waters of Lake Hylia written by Ruto, stating that she is stuck inside Lord Jabu-Jabu, the guardian god of the Zora. Apparently, Ganondorf had also come to Zora's Domain in search of the Sapphire, but King Zora XVI refused to give it to him. Ganondorf in turn, cursed Lord Jabu-Jabu with an army of Bari led by the monster Barinade. Link ventures into Jabu-Jabu and saves Ruto. In thanks, Princess Ruto gives Link the Zora's Sapphire, a Zoran sign of betrothal. In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Prince Ralis is wearing what appears to be the Zora's Sapphire around his neck.

The Great Cataclysm
With all the Spiritual Stones now in hand, Link travels to Hyrule Castle Town. However, as he approaches it, he notices that the skies have darkened and the drawbridge is up. The drawbridge lowers, and Princess Zelda and Impa ride out. Without any time to explain, Princess Zelda throws the Ocarina of Time towards Link, and it lands in the moat before they vanish out of sight. As Link turns around, he encounters Ganondorf. Ganondorf laughs at the notion that this boy could serve as a challenge for him, and knocks him over with a powerful magical ball before riding after Zelda and Impa. Link dives into the moat to retrieve the Ocarina of Time; as he does so, he is given a telepathic vision of Zelda. In the vision, Zelda teaches him the "Song of Time". Link travels north to the Temple of Time and plays the "Song of Time". The Spiritual Stones are summoned towards the altar and set in place, opening the Door of Time.

Inside, Link finds the legendary blade, the Master Sword. He draws the blade from its pedestal and is transported away from the land of Hyrule by a shining light. Seeing his chance, Ganondorf follows after Link and enters the Sacred Realm, where he finds the Triforce. He touches it, hoping that it will fulfill his every dark wish; however, due to the imbalance of courage, wisdom and power within Ganondorf, the Triforce is split into three pieces. Ganondorf is given the Triforce of Power, the virtue he valued most, while Princess Zelda and Link are given the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage, respectively. Despite this unforeseen turn of events, the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy of the Great Cataclysm, Ganondorf uses the power of the Triforce of Power to attack Hyrule Castle and usurp the throne of Hyrule; fashioning himself "King of Evil". Seven years later, Link awakens as an adult. He had been sealed away, as he was too young to become the legendary Hero of Time. Link is told of what has transpired and embarks on a quest to defeat Ganondorf by awakening the Six Sages.

Trivia

 * The Goron's Ruby resembles the Fire Element from The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
 * The Zora's Sapphire is similar to the design on Naryu's Pearl in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.