Golden Goddesses

The Golden Goddesses as shown in Ocarina of Time.
Golden Goddesses
Species	Goddesses
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (mentioned) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (named/depicted)

The Golden Goddesses are Din, Nayru and Farore, the three goddesses who act as the deities of the Zelda series. They are the creators of Hyrule and the Triforce. They were first mentioned in the backstory for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, although they were not depicted until a backstory scene in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which also established their names as well as that they were female. They have slowly received more details in later games without making any direct appearances.

Background

It is said that they descended upon the world when it was nothing but chaos. They used their individual powers to shape the world and create life. The goddesses also granted power equally to all those who lived in the light. The goddesses than departed from the world, but they left behind the Triforce at the place where they ascended, which came to be known as the Sacred Realm. The Triforce contained their powers and was apparently supposed to help govern the world. Ever since then, the goddess's influence has been primarily indirect. The Hylians were originally said to be the people created by the goddesses, and it was said that their long ears could receive messages from the goddesses. However, there has been little demonstration of this in games which actually feature the Hylians, aside from the Sages who try to uphold the will of the Goddeses throughout Hyrule's history (although they are sometimes shown to consist of mixed species). In Twilight Princess, it was suggested that there was another race closer to the Goddesses who created the Hylians and lived in the sky. There are additionally four light spirits in Twilight Princess who were empowered (and named after) the Goddesses, and they seemed to answer directly to the Golden Goddesses, at least during the dark interloper fiasco.

After leaving the earth, the goddesses have only been shown to take indirect action towards Hyrule twice. One unexplained example was in Twilight Princess, when Ganon suddenly gained the Triforce of Power as he was about to be executed. The Sages could only rationalize it as some "divine prank". Their other, larger action was in the backstory for The Wind Waker, in which the prayers of the people reached the goddesses in a time when Ganon was wreaking havoc with the Triforce of Power, and there was no hero to stop him. The goddesses chose to have Hyrule flooded while most of the citizens were told to retreat to the mountaintops to start new island societies there. Hyrule was preserved within a time-frozen bubble at the bottom of what became known as the Great Sea, although Ganon escaped this prison as well.

The Goddesses

The following are the three Goddesses. Each one represents a specific virtue which corresponds with a piece of the Triforce.

• Din - The Goddess of Power. She created the earth itself and shaped the mountains. She is associated with the color purple or red.
• Nayru - The Goddess of Wisdom. She brought knowledge and order to the world by creating science and magic. She is associated with the color blue, and her symbol has also been used by the Zoras.
• Farore - The Goddess of Courage. She created all of the living creatures who would uphold the law. She is associated with the color green.

The Goddesses are referenced throughout the games in the form of objects named after them. Ocarina of Time featured three spells baring their names (Din's Fire, Nayru's Love and Farore's Wind). The Oracle games featured three Oracles who were named after the goddesses: Din, Nayru and Farore. The Wind Waker also had three pearls bearing the goddesses' names which were believed to be treasures of the goddesses and unlocked the Tower of the Gods.

Trivia

• The first two Zelda games actually suggested a Christian motif through the usage of crosses as well as the Bible as a weapon, although most of this was censored in the American release (with the Bible being changed to a Magic Book). It was not until A Link to the Past that the polytheistic religion was established.
• A Goddess of Time was mentioned in Majora's Mask by both Princess Zelda and Tatl, in connection with Link's quest and the Song of Time. It is uncertain whether this refers to a separate goddess (either a fourth goddess or possibly a lower deity) or is another name for one of the Golden Goddesses.