Throughout the ages of Hyrule, there is but one holy object that has been the target of all the greed and curiosity of the masses of Hyrule. It was the Triforce that Ganon tried so many times to control, so that he might have the indirect blessing and support of the Divine for his many attempts to lay waste to the land of Hyrule. Only through the actions of the legendary Hero, Link, seemingly called each time the Triforce is threatened to cast down those who threaten it.
The Triforce was forged immediately following the creation of the world by the three Golden Goddesses. Because the Goddesses would be absent and unable to intervene in the affairs of Hyrule, they left behind a relic that could serve the wise and guide the peoples of the world. Unfortunately for the Golden Ones, they underestimated the greed in the hearts of those they gave birth too, which would in time be the world's undoing time and time again. The Triforce was laid in wait in the Sacred Realm, a hidden world within Hyrule that appeared to be a glittering paradise. There the Triangles would wait for their discovery.
As the Triforce waited, rumors of a great Golden Power that rested in an unknown world spread across Hyrule. Men and women of all races dreamed of wealth and glory upon touching the relic. Indeed, worrying that the Triforce would fall into the wrong hands, the most powerful wizards of each race united into the Council of Sages, charged with finding and then protecting the Golden Power from Hyrule. After many years spent searching through ancient scrolls and documents, the Council opened the door to the Sacred Realm and laid eyes upon the Triforce. Rather than returning the Golden Power to Hyrule in triumph, the Sages used it to build a system of locks that would forever keep the relic put of the wrong hands. These locks included three symbols of the three dominant races, the Ocarina of Time, and the Master Sword. Confident that the Triforce was safe, only Rauru of the Hylia stayed behind to watch the goings-on of the Sacred Realm. The other Sages returned to their specific homes to live in vigilant peace.
That peace was not meant to last. In time, the covetous feelings that the peoples of Hyrule harbored would result in war. The armies of the many races met in Hyrule Field, convinced that each side was hiding the Triforce. The war waged on viciously until the King of the Hylia ended it and brought together the races in the Kingdom of Hyrule. This did not mean the absence of conflict, rather under the guise of peace, the King of the Gerudo tribe, Ganondorf Dragmire, continued his relentless search for the Golden Power. It was at this time that the King of Thieves (as he was popularly known) learned the path to the Triforce and set out to capture it. In time, despite the best efforts of the revealed Hero, the young boy Link, Ganondorf forced his way into the Sacred Realm and captured the Triforce. His wish was spoken, granted, and enacted. Hyrule was to fall to the King of Evil.
Ganondorf learned the hard way one of the most important truths regarding the function of the Triforce. The Goddesses intended for it to only be controlled by those of pure heart and judgement. Ganondorf was neither of these. As such, upon making his wife, the Triforce split into three of its main pieces -- the spearate Triforces of Courage, Power, and Wisdom -- and disappeared. Ganondorf would inherit that moment the Triforce of Power, while he contrarily lost the other two pieces. Undaunted Ganondorf followed through in his plans, only to be stopped in the end by the Hero.
The greatest irony in this whole tale was that by taking over Hyrule, Ganondorf gave his advesary the very tool necessary to defeat his evil will: the Triforce of Courage. Princess Zelda, realized in her role as the seventh Sage, inherited the Triforce of Wisdom. With their abilities combined, Link and Zelda managed to cast down Ganon. The King of Evil was then binded by the pwoer of the Sages, both locking away the tyrant, but taking with him the Triforce of Power. This would set a precedent throughout history as the Triforce spent more time apart than naught.
As Hyrulian History would progress, the Triforce would continue to play a major role in the ebb and flow of the events that defined Hyrulian civilization. In the events of The Wind Waker, the Triforce would serve as a source of communication between those that possessed it and the Goddesses themselves. After a protracted struggle with a returned Ganondorf, the King of Hyrule would use the Triforce to compeltely bury away the Kingdom of Hyrule in an effort to forever keep it out of Ganondorf's hands. At the end of this moment, the Triforce would remain united, and serve as an important tool in the founding of New Hyrule. Yet, this union would be broken as the Triforce passed down through the Royal Family to the Crown Prince, who was not worthy to receive the whole Golden Power (also known as the True Force). This enabled Ganon to bring down his wrath upon New Hyrule and kept the Triforce in a divided state until the very end of Adventure of Link when after many hardships, the Triangles were recaptured one by one by a new Hero.
The Triforce appears in its united form as three triangles of gold melded tgether in the shape of a larger triangle, with an inverted triangular shape in the middle. When the Triforce is broken, the individual pieces shrink to the point of being a little bigger than the average fist. When divided, these pieces inhabit their possessor bestowing certain special titles upon them: Keeper of Knowledge? for Wisdom, Juror of Courage? for Courage, and Forger of Strength? for Power.
Every decade there is one particular day when the Triforce's power ceases to work, rendering the special abilities given by the triangles as null and void. This event is detailed in the Legend of Zelda Valiant Comics.
