Triforce Shard

"Well done, Link! With the shards you have collected, the Triforce of Courage is now complete at last! We must make for Hyrule, quickly!"

— King of Red Lions

Triforce Shards are recurring items in the Legend of Zelda series. They are pieces of the Triforce that have been broken down to prevent it from falling into evil hands.

Appearances[]

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The Legend of Zelda[]

Prior to the game's events, Ganon invaded the land of Hyrule and stole the Triforce of Power. Fearing he would also obtain the Triforce of Wisdom, Princess Zelda shattered the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and hid them in the Levels throughout Hyrule. Link sets off on a quest to reassemble the Triforce of Wisdom and defeat Ganon.

Link obtains a Triforce Shard at the end of every level of the game. After Link obtains a Triforce Shard, his Hearts will be fully restored and he will be cured of any Jinx placed on him. He will also be returned to the Level's entrance. After collecting all eight shards the Old Man in Spectacle Rock will allow him to enter Level 9 and face Ganon.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker[]

Prior to the events of the game, both the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage were split into shards in order to prevent Ganondorf from obtaining them when he returned to power. The Triforce of Wisdom was split into two shards; one was held by the King of Hyrule, Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, while the other was held by Tetra and her ancestors. Link and Tetra encounter the King of Hyrule in the submerged Hyrule Castle after escaping Ganondorf. He tells them how the Golden Goddesses flooded Hyrule, creating the Great Sea, in order to stop Ganondorf. He then reunites the two pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, revealing Tetra's identity as Princess Zelda.

Link is then told to revive the Sages of the Master Sword in order to return the power to the Master Sword so that it can be used to defeat Ganondorf. After doing so, Link is unable to return to Hyrule. He is instructed by the King of Red Lions to obtain the eight shards of the Triforce of Courage. To do so, Link must search Hyrule to find the eight Triforce Charts, which must be deciphered by Tingle. Using the Triforce Charts, Link can find the location on the Great Sea, where he must use his Grappling Hook to retrieve the Treasure Chest that contains the Triforce Shard from the ocean's floor. Once Link assembles all eight shards, the Triforce of Courage is reassembled and accepts Link as its owner, allowing him to return to Hyrule and confront Ganondorf.

In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, five of the charts are replaced with the shards themselves. The shards at the Greatfish and Stone Watcher Islands and the Cliff Plateau Isles still require the charts.

Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.

Non-canonical appearances[]

Non-canon warning: This article or section contains non-canonical information that is not considered to be an official part of the Legend of Zelda series and should not be considered part of the overall storyline.

Game & Watch: Zelda[]

According to the manual for this game, Princess Zelda has been kidnapped by Eight Dragons that have placed her in a seal that can be unlocked only by having all eight pieces of the Triforce. A Triforce Shard is found at the end of every level, guarded by one of the eight dragons. It is not revealed which part of the Triforce has been split to create these shards.

The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage[]

Pre-release info for this game revealed that the Triforce of Power was intended to be split into a certain number of shards, this time by Ganon, in order to prevent Link from obtaining it. Presumably, the Triforce Shards would have served as quest items similar in appearance to those in The Legend of Zelda.

Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.