Crystal

are recurring in .
==Appearances and Quest Purpose==
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In the backstory of , Impa gives six crystals to Link when the Triforce mark appears on his left hand. These crystals must be placed in the foreheads of statues found in the six palaces scattered throughout Hyrule and, once all crystals are in place, the barrier protecting the entrance to the Great Palace will disappear, allowing Link to retrieve the Triforce of Courage and awake the slumbering Princess Zelda.
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In , Crystals are magical prisons that hold the seven Maidens (female descendants of the seven Sages). The crystals are separately entrusted to a boss monster in dungeons of the Dark World. The Princess Zelda of this era is contained in the seventh crystal. After defeating one of the seven bosses, a crystal is received, freeing her from the monsters' clutches. All seven crystals are needed to get into Ganon's Tower.
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Crystals are also present in and . After completing a dungeon, a Warp appears that encases Link in a blue crystal and warps him out of the dungeon. Princess Zelda is held captive in a pink crystal in Ganon's Castle at the end of .
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In , Link finds Din imprisoned within a blue crystal before he faces General Onox. During the battle, Onox uses the comatose Din to shield himself from Link's attacks. Link can repel the crystal with the Rod of Seasons.
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 Blue Crystals appear in . Link must pick them up from their pedestal and carry them over to another pedestal. Upon doing so, certain devices will activate, such as a door opening to allow access to the next area. If Link drops a crystal and it shatters, he must start over again.
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Crystals also appear in , and the maidens are once again held inside them. When the crystal explodes, the free maiden will take the form of a fairy.
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In , Shadow Crystals are objects created by Zant to blot out the light. When many of them are present together, they create Dark Fog. Touching a shadow crystal causes Link to transform into Wolf Link. Midna exploits this and transforms Link between human and beast forms with the crystal Zant used to curse Link.
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In , shaped crystals are used as pieces necessary to solve some dungeon puzzles. These crystals come in three varieties: Square Crystals, Triangle Crystals, and Round Crystals. Each kind of jewel can fit into any pedestal with a hole the same shape as the crystal; some puzzles even require moving jewels from one pedestal to another in order to make progress.
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Each Sage in is briefly trapped in a crystal reminiscent of the ones in once their respective painting is found, although they break free almost immediately.
==Non-canon Appearances==
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In , Ganon traps both the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage inside a crystal by using a spell written in a Magic Scroll. However, since the Triforce of Courage rests within Link's heart, the young hero was encased as well, forcing Princess Zelda to go on a quest to find the three items necessary to free Link within just 24 hours before he is trapped in the crystal forever.
Eventually, Princess Zelda finds the Magic Honey, the Handprint, and the Magnifying Glass and uses them to shatter the Crystal, thus freeing Link and allowing them to search for the Spear, the sacred weapon that can defeat Ganon.
==Nomenclature==
==Gallery==
File:CrystalMaiden.gif|A trapped inside a from 
File:LinkInCrystalOoT3D.jpg| in the -warping in 
File:PH Square Crystal Model.png|A in 
File:PH Triangle Crystal Model.png|A in 
==See Also==
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