Triforce of Courage

The Triforce of Courage is one of the three pieces of the Triforce. It embodies the essence of the Goddess of Courage, Farore, the source of all life. The Triforce of Courage is more than just a mere symbol of Link's exemplary courage, who is almost always its bearer. Although Link himself is not as skilled at using magic like Ganon or Princess Zelda (who bear the Triforce of Power and Wisdom, respectively), as he on contrast focuses on swordplay, the Triforce of Courage still grants him untold mystical abilities due to the essence of Farore - one of them being protection against evil magic. It is likely it also increases Link's courage even further. Often, in games where the Triforce had split into its three component parts, when Link must face Ganon or another potentially dangerous antagonist, the hero obtains this piece of the Triforce first to make himself powerful enough to defeat them and save the land. It represents the lower-right piece of the Triforce.
==Location and uses==
Although the Triforce of Courage seemingly did not exist in the original The Legend of Zelda despite official artwork actually showing it as part of the whole Triforce, this piece was introduced in . Here, it is revealed that a previous King of Hyrule, fearing the misuse of the Triforce, sealed the Triforce of Courage away in the Great Palace, where only a hero worthy of its power would be able to obtain it after proving himself. Link endured the trials of the Great Palace, including defeating his own shadow, and recovered the Triforce of Courage. Uniting it with the Triforce of Wisdom and Power he obtained in his previous quest to become the complete Triforce, he was able to break the powerful spell cast on the sleeping Princess Zelda and finally awakens from her deep slumber. Link also uses the Triforce of Courage alongside the other pieces to fully restore Hyrule after ultimately destroying Ganon in A Link to the Past.
Ocarina of Time reveals that after Ganondorf, the human form of Ganon, touched the Triforce in the Sacred Realm shortly after Link pulled the Master Sword, the Triforce itself split into three pieces, with the Triforce of Courage being imparted to Link, while the other two, the Triforce of Power and Triforce of Wisdom, go to Ganondorf and Princess Zelda, respectively. During the course of the game, Link himself does not appear to know he has the blessings of Farore until Sheik explains the Sheikah legends just before the final showdown. It also likely protected him from the blast of Ganondorf's rage via destroying the top of Ganon's Castle upon his apparent defeat. After Ganon himself is truly defeated and sealed inside the Evil Realm, Link, still the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, embarks on another journey and leaves the land of Hyrule, as seen in . This causes the legendary Hero of Time to be separated from "the elements that made him a hero," and the Triforce of Courage itself to be ultimately split into many pieces (and loses its powers bestowed upon him) and be hidden throughout the kingdom, similar to the Triforce of Wisdom in the case of The Legend of Zelda. This leads to the events in The Wind Waker, where a different Link - the Hero of Winds, must retrieve the eight of the Triforce of Courage from the bottom of the ocean, to reassemble this piece to become its new bearer and gain his title.
In Twilight Princess, the Triforce of Courage can be seen on the back of Link's hand from the start (it is unknown how he earned the piece). One of the known effects of the Triforce of Courage in said game is transforming Link into a wolf instead of into a lost soul like every other being from the Light World. The Triforce of Courage also repels the Shadow Beast who attempts to attack him when he is first dragged into the Twilight Realm.
In A Link Between Worlds, after Yuga fuses with Ganon to become Yuga Ganon and steals the Triforce of Power, Princess Hilda, while imprisoning him, instructs Link to awaken the seven Sages, in which he obtains the Triforce of Courage. During the final battle, when Yuga Ganon further fuses with Hilda in portrait form, he takes away the Triforce of Wisdom as well which Hilda herself stolen from Princess Zelda. He also intends to steal Link's piece of the Triforce to make his power complete and take over Lorule, but Link, using the power of the gods and the Master Sword, ultimately destroys the villain before he could do so.
== Trivia ==
* Development-wise, the Triforce of Courage was not initially planned during the making of the original The Legend of Zelda, as the Triforce itself did not start with three pieces and this part was added in its sequel. This implies the name "Triforce" originally referred to the shape of the pieces, instead of the numbers of the triangles as widely believed.
* In the Super Smash Bros. series starting in Brawl, as their Final Smash, Link and his other counterparts uses the Triforce of Courage to perform a special attack of immobilizing their target into its void resembling the whole Triforce, before delivering a series of rapid slashes then hitting them with a powerful blow, shattering it and send the foe flying. This special move is known as the Triforce Slash.
* The Triforce of Courage is the only piece of the Triforce, by itself, never to be stolen by Ganon or any other antagonist anywhere in The Legend of Zelda series, unlike its Power and Wisdom counterparts.
* In the post-credits cutscene of Ocarina of Time, the Triforce of Courage can be seen resonating on Link's hand. Although it has never been stated outright by Nintendo about why it occurred, fans have speculated that the reason for it glowing is because when the Hero of Time returns back to his childhood into the Child Timeline, the other pieces from the Sacred Realm had automatically bestowed upon Princess Zelda and Ganondorf, which is what would eventually led to the failed execution of the latter in Twilight Princess.
* Although it is unknown what inverted piece of the Triforce is shown in the artwork of the scrapped third entry of the Oracle games for the series (similar to as seen in The Legend of Zelda), due to its title being Mystical Seed of Courage, it is suggested to be the Triforce of Courage.
== Gallery ==
File:OoT3D Crest of Courage.png|The Triforce of Courge resonating in Ocarina of Time 3D
File:TLoZ Triforce Artwork 2.png|Despite never being found in-game, the Triforce of Courage exists in The Legend of Zelda's later artwork as part of the whole Triforce
File:OoT Triforce of Courage on Link's hand (ending).png|The Triforce of Courage resonating in the young Hero of Time's hand in the ending Ocarina of Time
File:TWW Scroll of the Hero of Time 3.png|The Hero of Time defeating Ganon with the power of the Triforce of Courage and Master Sword, in the intro of The Wind Waker
File:WW Treasure02.png|Link finding a Triforce Shard in The Wind Waker
File:Triforce Shard 8.png|A shard of the Triforce of Courage (top piece)
File:WWHD Triforce of Courage.png|Link holding the restored Triforce of Courage in The Wind Waker HD (Second Quest)
File:Triforce WW.png|The Triforce of Courage on Link's hand in The Wind Waker
File:OOS Credits 5.png|Triforce of Courage resonating in Oracle of Seasons 
File:Triforce Courage Chamber SagesALBW.png|Link being granted the Triforce of Courage by the seven Sages in A Link Between Worlds
File:ALBW Triforce of Courage Piece.png|Link showing the Triforce of Courage in A Link Between Worlds
File:HW Triforce of Courage.png|The Triforce of Courage on Link's hand in Hyrule Warriors
File:SSBB Toon Link Triforce Slash.jpg|Toon Link performing the Triforce Slash on Ganondorf with the Triforce of Courage as seen in the Super Smash Bros. games
File:Zeldacourage.jpg|The possible Triforce of Courage in the cut Mystical Seed of Courage title artwork
File:OoT manga Triforce of Wisdom and Courage.png|Link's Triforce of Courage resonating alongside Princess Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom in the Ocarina of Time Akira Himekawa manga
==References==
Category:Objects