Template:Featured Template:Deity The Golden Goddesses are Din, the Goddess of Power, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the Goddess of Courage, the chief gods and creators of Hyrule. It is understood that the Golden Goddesses have always existed, and that they are omnipotent and eternal. Though the Golden Goddesses are the most important gods of Hyrule, they are rarely mentioned by characters in the games, and most races worship their own patron deities.
Creation of Hyrule
The Golden Goddesses shown leaving Hyrule following its creation
The three deities of Power, Wisdom, and Courage are first mentioned in the manual of A Link to the Past, though in that instance they were not yet given names. The Golden Goddesses would first be called by name in Ocarina of Time, wherein the Great Deku Tree reveals to Link the cosmogony of the realm. Before time began and before the spirits and life existed, the universe was in chaos. The three Goddesses descended upon the chaos and began the creation of Hyrule, each of them creating a different facet of the realm. Din created the material realm, Nayru gave the realm order, and Farore created all life forms who would follow said order.[1]
With their labors completed, the Goddesses departed for the heavens, but not before leaving the Triforce, a sacred golden triangle representing a small portion of the essence of the goddesses.[2][3][4] Because the power of the Triforce was so great, they trusted the sacred relic to the hands of the goddess Hylia so that she could protect it.[5]
The land where the goddesses descended eventually became to be known as the Sacred Realm, the eventual resting place of the Triforce.[6][7]
The Three Goddesses
Din, The Goddess of Power
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Din... With her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth. | 
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| — Ocarina of Time | ||
Din, as seen in Ocarina of Time
Din created the bare earth and shaped the featureless land, forming its topography. Her labors produced the towering mountains, profound chasms, and great expanses of Hyrule's topography. With her work completed, Din formed the Triforce of Power, the embodiment of her supremacy. When the Gerudo King Ganondorf sought to abstract the Golden Power from its resting place, he failed to procure the sacred Triforce in its entirety and it split into its three elements. Believing in his heart that power was the most important aspect of the Triforce, he was left with the Triforce of Power, and the blessing of Din.
Nayru, The Goddess of Wisdom
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Nayru... Poured out her wisdom onto the land, and gave it the spirit of law. |
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| — Ocarina of Time | ||
Nayru, as seen in Ocarina of Time
Nayru is the source of the laws that govern the realm in which Hyrule exists. Once her sister Din had completed the creation of the physical realm, Nayru began establishing order within the realm. Nayru illuminated the firmament of the sphere with her divine wisdom, and founded the fundamental laws of the realm. Once she had finished, Nayru formed the Triforce of Wisdom, the embodiment of her omniscience. Whomever would possess the Triforce of Wisdom would be instilled with the essence of Nayru, and her blessing, granting them wisdom unparalleled. When the sacred Triforce was split into its three virtues, the Triforce of Wisdom eluded Ganon, and sought a worthy holder, namely, the Princess of Destiny, Princess Zelda.
Farore, The Goddess of Courage
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Farore... With her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law. |
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| — Ocarina of Time | ||
Farore, as seen in Ocarina of Time
Farore is the source of all life that exists within the Hyrulean realm. Once her sisters had finished creating a realm suitable for sustaining life, Farore created the life forms that would inhabit it. Farore breathed life onto the barren earth and into the seas, creating grasses, trees, vines, and all other manner of vegetation, transforming the barren plains into verdant fields, and flourishing woodlands abound with animal life. Farore then formed all of the diverse people of Hyrule. With her works completed, Farore drew a portion of her divine spirit, and produced the Triforce of Courage. The holder of the Triforce of Courage would be imbued with the blessings of Farore, and valor unrivaled by any other. When the Triforce divided into its three aspects, the Triforce of Courage was bestowed upon the Hero, Link, in merit of his great courage.
Interventions in Hyrule
Although the Goddesses' morals and standards are never specifically stated anywhere in the games, the Goddesses have intervened numerous times after the creation of Hyrule.
The Great Flood
The people pray to the Goddesses to come to their aid
In The Wind Waker, it is revealed that, after the Hero of Time was sent back to his original time, Hyrule in the Adult Timeline was left without a hero when the curse on Ganon broke.[8] Faced by Ganondorf's unstoppable power and with no hero to aid them, the people of Hyrule prayed to the Goddesses to come in their aid.[9] Since the Goddesses knew that to seal the people away along in Hyrule would grant Ganon's wish of destroying the land,[10] the Goddesses instructed the Hylians to flee to Hyrule's mountaintops in order to escape the coming flood.[11] Once the people were safely away, the Goddesses caused a torrential downpour, covering the land and turning the mountaintops into islands.[12]
Sealing Away the Interlopers
The Interlopers try to take over the Sacred Realm
When word of the Sacred Realm and the Triforce spread, a great war ensued between those seeking to wield the ultimate power.[13] During this war, the tribe skilled in dark magic known only as the Dark Interlopers attempted to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm and establish their power using the Fused Shadow. As this war dragged on, the four Light Spirits intervened at the behest of the Golden Goddesses, chasing the Dark Interlopers across Hyrule and into the twilight, locking them away in the Twilight Realm.[14] [15] They also sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered,[15] and splintered it to prevent its future misuse.
Although the Goddesses forbade the Interlopers from returning to the world of light, they left a single link between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm.[16] This link, known as the Mirror of Twilight, was entrusted to the Sages of Hyrule by the Goddesses, who commanded them to guard it and protect it.[17]
The Rise of a Hero
In most of the history of Hyrule, whenever Ganondorf comes to power and plans to take over the kingdom, the Goddesses appoint a hero, usually Link, to rise and defeat the King of Thieves.[18][19][20][21][22][23] Link the hero is trusted with the Triforce of Courage,[23][21] while Princess Zelda is given the Triforce of Wisdom to protect it.[24][25]
Template:Refbar
- ↑ "Before time began, before spirits and life existed... Three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule... Din, the Goddess of Power... Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom... Farore, the Goddess of Courage... Din... With her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru... Poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore... With her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law." — Great Deku Tree (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ Hyrule Historia, page 70.
- ↑ "After the gods had finished their work, they left the world, but not before creating a symbol of their strength, a golden triangle known as the Triforce. A small but powerful portion of the essence of the gods was held in this mighty artifact, which was to guide the intelligent life on the world of Hyrule." (A Link to the Past manual, pg. 3)
- ↑ "Aeons ago, the Deities of Power, Courage, and Wisdom descended to the world of chaos. They created the world that we know and left behind a symbol of their strength, the golden emblem known as the Triforce, which they hid in the Golden Land." (A Link to the Past/Four Swords manual, pg. 14)
- ↑ "Handed down by the gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality. Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess." — Introduction (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "When all was chaos, the goddesses descended and gave order and life to the world. They granted power equally to all who dwelt in the light, and then returned to the heavens. The lands where the goddesses descended came to be known as the Sacred Realm." — Lanayru (Skyward Sword)
- ↑ "And, the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm." — Great Deku Tree (Ocarina of Time)
- ↑ "The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them. ...But the hero did not appear." — Introduction (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate." — Introduction (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "Yet all was not lost. For the gods knew that to seal the people away with the kingdom would be to grant Ganon's wish for the destruction of the land." — Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "So, before the sealing of the kingdom, the gods chose those who would build a new country and commanded them to take refuge on the mountaintops." — Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "When the gods heard our pleas, they chose to seal away not only Ganon, but Hyrule itself...and so, with a torrential downpour of rains from the heavens... Our fair kingdom was soon buried beneath the waves, forgotten at the bottom of the ocean." — Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "But soon, word of the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, and a great battle ensued..." — Lanayru (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "What do you think happened to the magic wielders who tried to rule the Sacred Realm? They were banished. They were chased across the sacred lands of Hyrule and driven into another realm by the goddesses. It was another world entirely... The antithesis of Hyrule, where the sun shines bright. Its denizens became shadows that could not mingle with the light. Eventually, most came to call it the Twilight Realm, and from it, none could return to the world of light..." — Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared. Wielding powerful sorcery, they tried to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm. It was then that the goddesses ordered us three light spirits to intervene. We sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered. You know this magic...It is the dark power you seek...the Fused Shadow." — Lanayru (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) ()
- ↑ "Though the goddesses forbade us to return to the world of light, they left one link between the light and the darkness." — Princess Midna (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "At the command of the goddesses, we sages have guarded the Mirror of Twilight since ancient times." — Sage (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "[Link], hero chosen by the goddesses..." — Lanayru (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "If a person who has an evil heart gets the Triforce, a Hero is destined to appear...and he alone must face the person who began the Great Cataclysm." — Maiden (A Link to the Past)
- ↑ "You who have been sent by the goddesses... You should be able to gather the three pieces..." — Sage (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Oh! What is this? There, on your hand, the Triforce piece now dwells within you! It is the Triforce of Courage, proof that you are indeed the true hero. You have controlled the wind and crossed the seas, and here, near the end of your quest, the power of the gods has been bestowed upon you... Surely, from this moment on, you shall be known as the Hero of Winds..." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ "Oh, chosen one... Accept this final challenge..." — Gohdan (The Wind Waker)
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 "It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you...and that they are awakening. Look at your awakened form... The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods..." — Faron (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "Like you, I have been granted special powers by the goddesses..." — Princess Zelda (Twilight Princess)
- ↑ "And the other, who holds the Triforce of Wisdom... is the seventh Sage, who is destined to be the leader of them all... It is I, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda." — Princess Zelda (Ocarina of Time)