#tetraforce

[superzeldagirl-official]

How Echoes of Wisdom confirmed a classic Zelda fan theory!

[tenshiharmonia]

The Fourth Piece

"Courage that is untempered by kindness risks eating itself forever. Wisdom that is untempered by kindness is no wisdom at all."

I recently played Tunic, and the above quote reminded me of something I wanted to write about for quite some time now, in regards to The Legend of Zelda. You see, I'm a big enjoyer of the "Tetraforce" theory. I guess the name is pretty self-explanatory, but for those who don't know, it's the belief that the Triforce as it is is incomplete, and that there is a fourth, missing piece, taking the shape of an inverted triangle meant to fill the hole in the middle of the sacred relic*.

Now, I'm fully aware that it will likely never be a thing in canon (I even heard that the theory has officially been addressed and refuted, but I never really checked the veracity of that statement, so make of it what you will), but hey, as far as my headcanons are concerned, it's quite a fun and interesting idea to toy with. :3 Of course, if you're a fan of the Zelda franchise, you probably know that a core aspect of its mythology is that each of the existing pieces of the Triforce corresponds to a certain quality. We have Power, Wisdom, and Courage, so the question is : what ideal would this hypothetical fourth fragment stand for ?

I think you see where this is going, but personally, my favourite take on the matter is that the lost piece would represent Kindness. This is definitely not an original idea, of course. As you may know, it initially comes from Majora's Mask, where four of the great fairies who inhabit the world are referred to as the Great Fairies of Power, Wisdom, Courage and - you guessed it - Kindness. So it already has some basis in the series' lore (even if the great fairies have technically nothing to do with the Triforce XD ), but most of all, I really like how well it complements the other three pieces. Kindness fosters harmony. It helps bring balance. For Courage and Wisdom don’t amount to anything without Kindness, as explained by the line I quoted earlier from Tunic. And Power will just set the world on fire without it. They need Kindness to temper them, but Kindness also needs them to help guide its efforts. Really, I love the dynamic it creates, if that makes any sense.

Alas, Kindness and its champion are missing from the world. But what would happen if they were to awaken ? Who knows, they might hold the key to putting an end to Demise’s curse, the curse that was born from wrath and hatred… On the other hand, the events and context that led the fourth fragment to be "missing" in the first place also make for an interesting topic. First of all, the existence of a fourth Triforce piece naturally implies the existence of a fourth deity, a deity who would be on a par with the Golden Goddesses and who would have also partaken in the creation of the world. But once again, what could have led to their contribution being erased from the legend ? I mean, considering the level of almightiness we are dealing with, it can reasonably be assumed that it could only have been the doing of the other three creators - or at least one of them -, but even then, it doesn’t tell us much. XD

Really, there are so many directions this story could take. I’m almost afraid of picking one ! So here is a bunch of mostly inconsequential details I was musing about instead. :p

First thing first, I should probably mention that I like to imagine this fourth deity as a god rather than a goddess. Don’t take it as a statement of any kind, I just like the immediate contrast it creates. XD (Also, I love the idea of Kindness being represented by a buff and burly - yet gentle and caring - man. :p )

I was also toying with the idea that he could be related somehow to the "Fierce Deity" whose power imbues the eponymous mask. Maybe it could be an incarnation of the rage he felt after getting erased from the world’s history. I don’t know, but it could be interesting…

Since Din, Nayru and Farore are respectively associated with Fire, Water and Wind, it’d be fitting for their "brother" to have an elemental attribute as well. And it just so happens that we are missing one of the four classical elements to have the complete set : Earth.

Which, based on the iconography of Minish Cap and the Four Swords games, means that his dedicated colour would likely be purple. (I was going to say yellow**, to match the aforementioned Great Fairy of Kindness (and because I kind of feel like it complements the other three better), but the colour is already associated with the Triforce as a whole, so it’d probably be redundant…)

As for his name, I’d like to base myself on Twilight Princess. Since three of the game’s four provinces are named after the golden goddesses, it’d make sence for the last one (which is apparently not considered a part of Hyrule) to reference the fourth deity, one of the few hints of his existence left in the world. That’s where it becomes a bit difficult, considering how vastly different the English name (Ordona) is from all the other versions (that are mostly variations of the Japanese name, Latoan). Naturally, the version I’m personally used to is the French one, Latouane, so you can guess which one I’d base myself on. :p (I was thinking, maybe something along the lines of "Latoun", but there is obviously nothing definitive about it.)

Another thing to consider is what his contribution to the world’s creation could have been. We know that Din modelled the earth and everything material, Nayru defined the laws of nature, and Farore was the one who created life, so what does that leave us with ? My first idea was that it was him who gave living beings a heart (metaphorically speaking, of course), bestowing them with free will and a sense of self, as well as the power to defy destiny. Which, naturally, could have contributed to his ultimate erasure. But once again, I’m just brainstorming out loud…

By the way, is it just me, or does it start to sound like I’m basically recreating the Diamonds from Steven Universe ? I mean, four impossibly powerful beings, each tied to a particular colour and elements, with the fourth one being strongly associated with Earth and freedom and having disappeared under mysterious circumstances ? I swear it wasn’t intentional, but the similarities are definitely here. XD (Even the Diamonds’ sigil seems to hark back to the Triforce in a way, especially the triangular version used after the shattering…)

Anyway, this is pretty much everything I had to say on the matter. As you can see, it’s quite a mess of ideas. I would have said it’s a work in progress, but let’s be honest, it barely counts as a work to begin with. XD Still, I needed to get it all out of my system. Of course, if you have anything to say about the content of this post, I’ll be more than happy to hear you. As I said earlier, there are so many directions you can take with this concept. But then again, it’s also what makes it so fascinating in the first place. ^_^ (Also, go play Tunic if you haven't already ; this game is an absolute gem. :p )

* Note that while "Tetraforce" is an useful term, the object itself would probably still be called "Triforce", as the fact it was already named as such when there were only two pieces seems to indicate that it likely got its name from its shape, and not from the number of components… ** Which is actually purple’s complementary colour, funnily enough.

[tokiro07]

Perhaps I was not paying enough attention when playing Majora's Mask, but I have only just learned that the Great Fairies of the four regions are the Great Fairy of Courage, Widsom, Power and Kindness

I've heard the theory that there was a fourth Goddess of the Triforce (the Tetraforce Theory), but I always kind of dismissed it specifically because there wasn't a clear quality for her to embody

Now that I've been made aware that Nintendo purposely or offhandedly added a fourth member to a group that otherwise represents the Triforce, I'm going to be at least mildly obsessed with the concept for the rest of my goddamn life

(Also I'm aware that there's the Great Fairy of Magic, but that feels more like a generic concept contextually)

[silver-tongues-blog]

[hyrulethehealer]

Four believes in the Tetraforce

[pokeblader3]

Me explaining that the Tetraforce/Cult of Masks theory is still valid even after it’s been “deconfirmed” by Nintendo as there are way too many odd details hinting towards something like the recurrence of the number 4/shadow as a 4th element/4 goddesses/upside down Triforce imagery/dark worlds reflecting Hyrule and that Zelda lore is literally more interesting if there is a Tetraforce than if there isn’t one

[circuits-unending]

The Force of Balance

cannot be obtained by someone who is not an incarnation of the Balance.

Unless the being is descended of Hylia, Fayra or Delilah, they cannot gain any piece of the Balance.

There can be, however, beings who are bound to it in different ways.

Every Dark is Chaotically-bound. But not every Light is Orderly-bound.

The Princesses all have a right to the Force of Order, but there has yet to be one who has been born with it.

Those who are Courageously-bound or Wielders of Courage all have a tendency to lean towards being Chaotically-bound, as Chaos is next to Courage in the Tetraforce. Examples are: The Hero of the Wild and The Hero of Winds.

Those who are Wisely-bound or Wielders of Wisdom all have a tendency to lean towards being Orderly-bound, as Order is next to Wisdom in the Tetraforce. Examples are: the Hyrulean Royal Family and the Twilight Princess, Bri Zavrina.

Those who are Power-bound or Wielders of Power will lean towards either or even both.

Ganondorf is an example of an evenly-Balanced Power wielder. Luca is an example of a Orderly-bound Power wielder (despite her corruption). Cia is an example of a Chaotically-bound Power wielder.

The only way a being with no blood/spirit connection to the Balance can gain it, is if they are equally blessed by someone bound to each part. They would need a blessing from a wielder of Chaos and/or Order, and a blessing from someone directly descended from the Silver Goddess/her incarnation.

If they can gain the blessing of those individuals, they will gain a power even stronger than the Triforce itself, becoming akin to a god of Creation.

What would happen if someone held the full Tetraforce?

Well, dear....

That just simply isn’t possible.

The Triforce is repulsed by the Balance. This is someone the Silver Goddess did to keep the Tetraforce from ever being reformed after it was separated from the Triforce. She knew of the inevitability of evil plaguing the world, and the pure destruction the Tetraforce could cause if someone managed to get their hands on it.

If someone managed to obtain a blessing of Balance, they will never be able to touch the Triforce. It will be forced from their body.

It isn’t possible. So no more questions about that.

[brownkamm]

The Forgotten Goddess || TetraForce

| Linktober | Day 30 | Companion is A Goddess |

Everyone is pretty indifferent when it comes to the theory of a Tetraforce Piece being in the Legend of Zelda. Yes, Nintendo themselves have debunked this theory, but there are still plenty of clues that make others, like myself, wonder if their just pulling our legs. So in that honor, and my story, I decided that for my OC, Mimi, should have a goddess that connects to her like the 3 other Triforce Wielders. This goddess was “Forgotten” and basically shunned, erasing her from the history books after her power was only used twice in the entire timeline... 

(PS: Is it canon? Is it not canon yet for the story? I’ll never tell )