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The Three Golden Goddesses are the creators of Hyrule and all of the realms and counterparts of it. They are rarely mentioned in The Legend of Zelda series, but they do play an important part of the lore and legends of the franchise.
Creation and Departure to the Heavens Myth[]
The symbols of the goddesses on their triforces
When all was chaos and nothing yet existed, it is said that Three Goddesses appeared from the void and created the world. Din, the goddess of power, created the land. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, created order. And Farore, the goddess of courage, created all life. When the creators departed the world, they left behind three golden triangles that represented, and had the power of their gifts. These triangles came to be known as the Triforce. Which, when all together, grants the wish of whoever touches it. Upon their departure, the goddesses entrusted the Triforce unto a lesser, yet still powerful, goddess. The name of this goddess was Hylia. And, as the goddesses wished, Hylia, and many spirits and fairies protected the world that the goddesses had created from the monsters and demons that found their way into creation.
Appearances in games[]
The Goddesses departing
Although the Goddesses have never physically appeared to this date, they are sometimes implied to be influencing the events that take place throughout the series. The three deities of power, wisdom, and courage were first mentioned in the manual of A Link to the Past, but they were not yet given names. They were first called by their individual names and titles in Ocarina of Time and appeared in a flashback as flaming golden feminine humanoid figures as they created the world from chaos. Their symbols make an appearance in Oracle of Ages representing three tunes of the Harp of Ages, as do the Oracles that are named after them. They were mentioned in The Wind Waker as putting the young Hero of Winds through trials to test his worthiness as a successor of Hero of Time, and three colored statues (red, blue and green) depicting each one of them appears with their associated symbols. The goddesses also play an indirectly important role in Skyward Sword, where it is revealed that they personally placed the Triforce in the care of the goddess Hylia in the ancient past.
Interventions in Hyrule[]
Although the Goddesses' morals and standards are never specifically stated anywhere in the games, they have intervened in affairs numerous times after the creation of the world but always for a good cause.
The Light Spirits and Sealing Away the Interlopers[]
The Golden Goddesses appointed four Light Spirits, Ordona, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru, to protect each of the four regions in Hyrule, Ordon Province, Faron Province, Eldin Province, and Lanayru Province, respectively.
An ordinary Twili
When word of the Sacred Realm and the Triforce spread, a great war ensued between those seeking to wield the ultimate power. During this war, the tribe skilled in dark magic known only as the Dark Interlopers attempted to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm and establish their power using the Fused Shadow. As this war dragged on, three Light Spirits intervened at the behest of the Golden Goddesses. They sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered, and splintered it to prevent its future misuse. The goddesses chased the interlopers across Hyrule and banished them to the Twilight Realm. Because they lived in that realm they were called the Twili.
Although the Goddesses forbade the Interlopers from returning to the world of light, they left a single link between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. This link, known as the Mirror of Twilight, was entrusted to the Sages of Hyrule by the Goddesses, who commanded them to guard it and protect it.
The Rise of a Hero[]
In most of the history of Hyrule, whenever Ganondorf comes to power and plans to take over the kingdom, the Goddesses appoint a hero, usually Link, to rise and defeat the King of Thieves. Link the hero is trusted with the Triforce of Courage, while Princess Zelda is given the Triforce of Wisdom to protect it.
The Great Flood[]
The people parying for safety
In The Wind Waker, it is revealed that, after the Hero of Time was sent back to his original time, Hyrule in the Adult Timeline was left without a hero when the curse on Ganon broke. Faced by Ganondorf's unstoppable power and with no hero to aid them, the people of Hyrule prayed to the Goddesses to come in their aid. Since the Goddesses knew that to seal the people away along in Hyrule would grant Ganon's wish of destroying the land, the Goddesses instructed the Hylians to flee to Hyrule's mountaintops in order to escape the coming flood. Once the people were safely away, the Goddesses caused a torrential downpour, covering the land and turning the mountaintops into islands.
Legacy[]
Various items, people and deities found throughout the series are named after the Golden Goddesses. Each of the goddesses also have a crest that represents them, which can be found in places and items related to them.
The Goddess statues in the Wind Waker
The first of the items are the three magic abilities obtained in Ocarina of Time: Din's Fire, Farore's Wind, and Nayru's Love, granted to Link by the Great Fairies. In The Wind Waker, it is said that Din's Pearl, Farore's Pearl, and Nayru's Pearl were handed down to the Ritos, Koroks, and Jabun by the goddesses themselves, respectively. These three pearls, known as the Goddess Pearls, are each placed on the three statues resembling the Golden Goddesses located in each of the Triangle Islands found across the Great Sea to rise the Tower of the Gods from beneath the waves. Atop the Hyrule Castle from Twilight Princess is a statue depicting the Goddesses surrounding the Triforce. Three songs, "Din's Power", "Farore's Courage", and "Nayru's Wisdom" in Skyward Sword are learned in the Isle of Songs, which are necessary to obtain the three Sacred Flames, each also named after the Goddesses, that will upgrade the Goddess Sword.
Din, Nayru, and Farore from Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, who are the Oracle of Seasons, Ages, and Secrets respectively, share the names of the goddesses and also share physical similarities to the statues depicted in The Wind Waker. It is also implied that both the dragons from Skyward Sword and the Light Spirits from Twilight Princess, Eldin, Faron, and Lanayru, are references to the goddesses, with two of the dragons bearing the symbol of the goddess they are associated with on their forehead. Because of this, the Silent Realms of the three regions in the former game feature the names of the goddesses, each of them testing one of the goddess' attributes depending on the realm. Farore's Silent Realm tests the limits of Link's courage, Nayru's Silent Realm tests the limits of his wisdom, and Din's Silent Realm tests the limits of his power. Likewise, each of the Sacred Tears bear their name. Three Sacred Flames sharing their names and bearing their associated symbols, characteristics and colors are used to forge the Goddess Sword into the legendary Master Sword and activate the Gate of Time that also bears their symbols in the Temple of Hylia.
Physical Appearance[]
In their first appearance, in Ocarina of Time, the Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore are depicted as a golden figures surrounded by a red, blue, and green auras, respectively. However, in later titles, monuments representing the Goddesses (such as the statues of the Golden Goddesses in the throne room of Hyrule Castle in Twilight Princess) give a more detailed appearance. The Goddess Statues in The Wind Waker appear similar to the Oracles Din, Nayru, and Farore who are all named after the Goddesses.