Light Spirits

The light spirits are a group of four deities who were featured in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and watched over the provinces of Hyrule. Each one resembled a different animal and shared their name with the matching province: Faron, Eldin, Lanayru and Ordona.

Information

The exact origin and history of the light spirits are unknown except that they were empowered by the goddesses. It is only known that they intervened during the war against the magic-wielding interlopers. The three light spirits (apparently Ordona had no role) were able to seal their corrupt magic in the form of several Fused Shadows. There was one for each of them, so each Fused Shadow was hidden within a temple in that light spirit's corresponding province. Each light spirit typically resided in a spring located somewhere within the province. It was usually located near the temple so that they could keep an eye out. The light spirits seemed to be known to the public and in some cases were worshiped on some level.

During Twilight Princess, the machinations of Zant and Ganondorf caused the Twilight Realm to begin merging with the light realm. The three provinces of Hyrule completely fell to the twilight, as Faron, Eldin and Lanayru all had their light stolen by the Twilit monsters. Their stolen light took on the form of Tears of Light, and most of these Tears were kept by the Shadow Insects. Ordona was targeted last by a sole Shadow Beast, but Link was able to destroy it in his wolf form before it could steal Ordona's power. Ordona warned Link about the plight facing the other light spirits and asked him to seek them out in their respective provinces in order to revive them and recover his true form. Link made his way through Faron, Eldin and Lanayru. In each province, he received a Vessel of Light from the light spirit's remains for use in collecting the Tears of Light. Once the Vessel was filled with all of the Tears, the twilight would be dispelled from the area, and the light spirit would be restored, at which point Link would be directed towards the temple housing the Fused Shadow. This pattern worked for Faron and Eldin. The only variation was with Lanayru, whose last Tear was held by a giant Twilit Bloat. After Link destroyed the beast, Lanayru was restored as well.

The light spirits played another role near the end of the game when Princess Zelda called upon them to give her the light to banish evil. They responded by forming a special bow for her which fired Light Arrows.

The Spirits

• Ordona - The light spirit of the rural Ordona Province who takes on a goat-like form. Just as the province does not seem to count as part of Hyrule, Ordona seems to be a "lesser" of the light spirits, which is reflecting in Ordona being the last spirit to be targeted. Ordona is still the first light spirit that Link meets and gives him an idea of the trouble posed to the world of light by the Twilight Realm.
• Faron - The light spirit of the Faron Province resembles a type of lemur with a very long tail that stretches around its form. It is Faron who tells Link of his destiny as chosen one, and Link gains his signature clothes after cleansing Faron. Before telling Link about the location of the province's Fused Shadow, he warns Link about its power and admits that the Fused Shadow might be the only power capable of standing up against the "king of shadows".
• Eldin - The light spirit of the Eldin Province which resembles an owl with very long wings. His spring is located near Kakariko Village. Once the province is cleansed, Eldin points Link towards Death Mountain, which held the Fused Shadow, but he warned Link that the land there had been "defiled, draped in shadow and seeded with evil," so Link would need to cleanse those sacred grounds.
• Lanayru - The light spirit of the Lanayru Province resembles a type of serpent. Lanayru's spring is contained with his own shrine in Lake Hylia, and he seemed to be worshiped more than the other light spirits. Once Link restored Lanayru, he told Link about the location of the Fused Shadow, but first he told Link the history of the Fused Shadow's power in order to warn him about its danger. Link and Midna were later abruptly attacked by Zant when returning to the shrine with the last Fused Shadow. Midna was mortally wounded, and Link was trapped in wolf form, so Lanayru teleported them to Hyrule Field. He told Link to go to Hyrule Castle and seek Princess Zelda's aid.

Trivia

• The names of Faron, Eldin and Lanayru are all plays on the names of the Three Goddesses: Farore, Din and Nayru. Ordona is the only one without a clear naming scheme.
• Skyward Sword later established three dragons existing since Hyrule's ancient times which have the same names as the three main light spirits as well as jurisdiction over the same provinces (with a stronger implication that the provinces were named after the dragons). The connection between the two groups are unknown, although the main possibilities are that the dragons eventually develop into the light spirits through some means, the light spirits replace the dragons at some point, or the two groups somehow have always coexisted while sharing the same names.