Who Are The Main Gods/Goddesses?

[Zemen]

after thinking about it a lot, who are the main gods or goddesses? i know we have the main three that we always hear about/see in the zelda series but then there are the 4 giants in MM who are praised as gods in their dimension for creating termina much like the three goddesses created Hyrule. this is a huge question to think about...who created THEM? or more importantly, did the goddesses create the giants or vice versa?

which world is the more important one?

i know that the obvious answer everyone will give is that Hyrule is the MAIN world and the three goddesses are the MAIN powers but how do we know this is true?

just because most games are centered around Hyrule and the goddesses does not mean they are the real powers in the world.

what if there are other gods and goddesses (which we know of some in other games) who are even more important in the zelda world?

what if there are other dimensions besides termina with their own gods who are the ones to actually create the world?

thinking about it is weird, because we want to believe that the three goddesses are all powerful, but it has been made pretty clear that there are others just as powerful as them, so who is the real super power in the world of Zelda?

[Axle the Beast]

The thing about the Four Giants being gods seems a tad more like a legend of sorts to me, rather than them ACTUALLY being gods.

I once saw a "hierarchy" of sorts, pertaining to all of Zelda's deities. It lists many different deities and gods, including patron deities (I think that's the right term) like the Deku Tree and Lord Jabu Jabu. Even Zephos and Cyclos from The Wind Waker. It places the Golden Goddesses at the top.

I believe they are, in fact, the creators.

[Zemen]

The thing about the Four Giants being gods seems a tad more like a legend of sorts to me, rather than them ACTUALLY being gods.

I once saw a "hierarchy" of sorts, pertaining to all of Zelda's deities. It lists many different deities and gods, including patron deities (I think that's the right term) like the Deku Tree and Lord Jabu Jabu. Even Zephos and Cyclos from The Wind Waker. It places the Golden Goddesses at the top.

I believe they are, in fact, the creators.

in MM we do see the 4 giants saving termina by throwing the moon back into the sky. calling them a legend is kind of hypocritical because thats all the three goddesses are...legends.

they are just a legend passed down as are the 4 giants. we SEE the three goddesses in some games just as we have seen the 4 giants in MM. i think its safe to call them gods since the only game they are in calls them gods.

[Welbanks]

The thing about the Four Giants being gods seems a tad more like a legend of sorts to me, rather than them ACTUALLY being gods.

I once saw a "hierarchy" of sorts, pertaining to all of Zelda's deities. It lists many different deities and gods, including patron deities (I think that's the right term) like the Deku Tree and Lord Jabu Jabu. Even Zephos and Cyclos from The Wind Waker. It places the Golden Goddesses at the top.

I believe they are, in fact, the creators.

Dude where can i find that? I must check it out.

And it does say in OoT that the three golden godesses made the earth

[Josh]

Simply concerning something like OoT, I tend to think it's the 3 Goddesses that are the highest up, then another deity governs each area, sort of like what we had in Twilight Princess. Ordona covered Ordon, and so on. And like OoT, Jabu Jabu was in charge of the Zora area, the Deku Tree in charge of the Forest, and some random person in charge of the Mountains.

[Zemen]

Dude where can i find that? I must check it out.

And it does say in OoT that the three golden godesses made the earth

yes, but Termina is a completely different dimension (according to what most people believe) so it would be an alternate earth that the giants made. yes, the goddesses made the earth that Hyrule is in but the 4 giants made the earth that Termina is in. and for all we know there are many other dimensions governed by gods that made that specific world so how do we know for sure that the three goddesses are the MAIN ones?

of course the Hylians are gonna say the three goddesses are because those are the ones that made Hyrule. if you asked someone from termina who the MAIN god/s are they would say the 4 giants. you cant just look at it from the Hyrule point of view. termina technically isnt apart of the same earth as Hyrule, IMO.

[Axle the Beast]

in MM we do see the 4 giants saving termina by throwing the moon back into the sky. calling them a legend is kind of hypocritical because thats all the three goddesses are...legends.

they are just a legend passed down as are the 4 giants. we SEE the three goddesses in some games just as we have seen the 4 giants in MM. i think its safe to call them gods since the only game they are in calls them gods.
In the other games, the Golden Goddesses are referred to having done specific, godlike acts, such as creating Hyrule from chaos. The giants are NEVER credited with doing any such act, they are only referred to as gods. This makes it less likely, at least in my mind, that they actually are gods. Not to mention, if they were gods, don't you think it would have been harder (or impossible) for Majora's Mask to imprison them? Not to mention the fact that in the end, they couldn't handle Majora's power.


Dude where can i find that? I must check it out.
Zelda Series Character FAQ (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/n64/file/197771/45744) on Gamefaqs. If you search for Zephos or Cyclos, you should find, under their information, the hierarchy I mentioned. Not necessarily 100% accurate, but it seems to work pretty well.

[Zemen]

In the other games, the Golden Goddesses are referred to having done specific, godlike acts, such as creating Hyrule from chaos. The giants are NEVER credited with doing any such act, they are only referred to as gods. This makes it less likely, at least in my mind, that they actually are gods.

the 4 giants are credited with creating Termina, just as the goddesses are credited for creating Hyrule. i already stated that earlier. according to legend, the 4 giants CREATED Termina.

at least the giants were able to save their world (throwing the moon back in the sky) whereas the goddesses had to essentially destroy it (flooding it) to stop ganondorf and that obviously fails because he still lives in WW. in a similar note, the light spirits (who are named after the goddesses with the exception of the fourth spirit) TRY to kill ganondorf but cannot do so, so the argument that the 4 giants were so easily beaten is not a very strong one seeing as how the 3 goddesses cant beat ganon/dorf either.

if they cant defeat ganondorf, and if the 4 giants couldnt defeat majora, but link could, does that make link a god? (rhetorical)

according to Hyrules legend, the 3 Goddesses are credited with CREATING Hyrule.

they both are given credit for creating seperate lands and i stated this earlier so i dont know why you are telling me they are not credited with anything like that.

as for what you said about them being captured so easily by Majora, why does it matter if they were captured so easily? no where in the game does it say they are NOT gods. the only thing mentioned is that they were captured, they are gods, they created Termina.

if the goddesses are so great, why does ganon/dorf keep coming back? obviously they are not strong enough to get rid of him permanantly just as the giants were not strong enough to fend off Majora.

[Axle the Beast]

the 4 giants are credited with creating Termina, just as the goddesses are credited for creating Hyrule. i already stated that earlier. according to legend, the 4 giants CREATED Termina.

at least the giants were able to save their world whereas the goddesses had to essentially destroy it (flooding it) to stop ganondorf and that obviously fails because he still lives in WW. in a similar note, the light spirits (who are named after the goddesses with the exception of the fourth spirit) TRY to kill ganondorf but cannot do so, so the argument that the 4 giants were so easily beaten is not a very strong one seeing as how the 3 goddesses cant beat ganon/dorf either.

if they cant defeat ganondorf, and if the 4 giants couldnt defeat majora, but link could, does that make link a god? (rhetorical)

according to Hyrules legend, the 3 Goddesses are credited with CREATING Hyrule.

they both are given credit for creating seperate lands and i stated this earlier so i dont know why you are telling me they are not credited with anything like that.

as for what you said about them being captured so easily by Majora, why does it matter if they were captured so easily? no where in the game does it say they are NOT gods. the only thing mentioned is that they were captured, they are gods, they created Termina.

if the goddesses are so great, why does ganon/dorf keep coming back? obviously they are not strong enough to get rid of him permanantly just as the giants were not strong enough to fend off Majora.
I didn't realize. Though I don't remember them saying that... do you remember where they say it? I'll have to pay attention while I'm playing (I'm currently replaying the game.)

I just consider it a little odd. If they were real, full gods, why would this being, not a god, be able to overpower them so easily? They also befriend the Skull Kid, which is another thing that doesn't strike me as godly. Maybe they're just not stuck up gods. XD

The Goddesses can't kill Ganondorf because he's one of the gods' chosen ones, I think. Either that or it's because he has the Triforce of Power. I think it was one of those two things.

[Zemen]

The Goddesses can't kill Ganondorf because he's one of the gods' chosen ones, I think. Either that or it's because he has the Triforce of Power. I think it was one of those two things.


NOTE: i looked up the 4 giants on the web and it doesnt say anywhere that they created termina, so i am not 100% sure on that so i apologize but i could swear that somewhere in the game it says they made termina. also, they are called GUARDIAN GODS of termina, so they most certainly are gods.


even if Ganondorf is one of the God's chosen ones, after commiting evil acts im pretty sure the Gods would take his power away. since this doesnt happen, im lead to believe that there is something greater controlling Ganondorf. maybe he, himself, is a God or a deity. also, whether or not he has the tirforce of power should not matter.

the triforce is seperated into 3 pieces and is not fully powerful unless all 3 are together. the people who created the triforce (the goddesses) should be stronger than their own creation, therefor, they should have no problem beating it since they made it. also, since the triforce of power is only 1/3 of the triforce and the goddesses all working together should have more strength than the whole triforce, why cant they beat him? it makes no sense that the beings who made it cant beat it, especially godly beings.

[Onilink89]

NOTE: i looked up the 4 giants on the web and it doesnt say anywhere that they created termina, so i am not 100% sure on that so i apologize but i could swear that somewhere in the game it says they made termina. also, they are called GUARDIAN GODS of termina, so they most certainly are gods.

according to the story that the granny tells you in the game.
Well, There was already land before termina was created. there was the 4 giants and the skull kid was also there. They did not create the land, they have created the 4 directions.
But they also did not create the realm. and its unknown that they have created life.

Just because they have created the 4 directions and they are guardians of it, i would not concider that as gods.

Its up to you what you concider as gods in the game.
But the people in Termina conciders them as gods.

About the 3 goddesses, well we all know the story of that.

"Din... With her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth."
"Nayru... Poured out her wisdom onto the land, and gave it the spirit of law."
"Farore... With her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law."

They actually created the land, the law and life. so yeah i would concider that as gods.

There is also one other thing, in MM the Goddess of Time is being mentioned.
Thats most likely Nayru.

[Axle the Beast]

NOTE: i looked up the 4 giants on the web and it doesnt say anywhere that they created termina, so i am not 100% sure on that so i apologize but i could swear that somewhere in the game it says they made termina. also, they are called GUARDIAN GODS of termina, so they most certainly are gods.


even if Ganondorf is one of the God's chosen ones, after commiting evil acts im pretty sure the Gods would take his power away. since this doesnt happen, im lead to believe that there is something greater controlling Ganondorf. maybe he, himself, is a God or a deity. also, whether or not he has the tirforce of power should not matter.

the triforce is seperated into 3 pieces and is not fully powerful unless all 3 are together. the people who created the triforce (the goddesses) should be stronger than their own creation, therefor, they should have no problem beating it since they made it. also, since the triforce of power is only 1/3 of the triforce and the goddesses all working together should have more strength than the whole triforce, why cant they beat him? it makes no sense that the beings who made it cant beat it, especially godly beings.
Oh, okay then. Just keep in mind, just because they are called gods doesn't mean they really are gods, or at least it doesn't mean they're the main gods, which is what the topic was originally about.

The Goddesses did attempt to kill him be flooding Hyrule (prior to Wind Waker,) but he still survived. Somehow they seem to be unable to take his power away. That or they refuse to just reach in and really kill him, as that would be too direct of an action for a god to do.

Also, just because he's a "chosen one of the gods" doesn't mean he was intended to do good deeds. He could have been chosen to carry out a set destiny, perhaps an evil one which would eventually lead to some intended outcome.

There have been cases in fiction where a god created something (usually a set of rules or laws) which the god itself was unable to remove or violate. This is because of how powerful it was to begin with.

Oh, and thanks for the recap, Oni. Now things are a little clearer, because I couldn't remember everything they said in Granny's stories. ^_^

[Durion]

I am going to have to say that Din, Farore and Nayru are the main godesses

[MrMosley]

I don't think Termina has much to do with anything about Hyrule. In OoT, and some of the other games, it talks about Din, Nayru, and Farore creating the land, the law of the land, and life. But it generally speaks about Hyrule, even though it is widely believed that they created the entire world.

While gods and goddesses are generally beings from which there was no creator (them just being there first), there can't be any real answer to "who created them", because then one would want to know who created that diety as well, and the question would go on and on. So no one created Din, Nayru, and Farore. They, like God in Christianity, are the original beings. They created all of everything else.

As for Termina, not much can be confirmed about that place. I don't believe the Four Giants are gods; more like protectors of the land in times of extreme crisis. Termina apparently takes place in an alternate universe or dimension, at least thats what I believe. Some think it takes place in another land. But that would mean it would be easily travelled to from Hyrule and probably be well known by other lands.

The way Link stumbles upon Termina makes me believe that it is some parallel, strange world instead of another land that technically, if Din, Nayru, and Farore created everything, then they obviously had to have created Termina, whether it be by mistake or on purpose. Or Termina could simply be a counter weight for the real world which the goddesses created. Like the balance of good and evil, there could also be a balance in the universe by having another universe similar, but vastly different in design.

[blackice_cc]

Like Dark_link01 said, I don't really think Termina has anything much to do with Hyrule. I don't think Termina has anything to do with the three Goddesses either, but I wouldn't call the Giants gods. They are more like the Deku Tree and Jabu Jabu, guardians of specific areas.

And you ask why the Goddesses can't destroy Ganondorf? Well, either they can't directly help out Hyrule, or they are unable to just kill Ganondorf, like that. I'd say they can't act directly, so they give Link and Zelda the power to overcome Ganondorf, and they just have succeed.

And what were these four light spirits named after the Goddesses that tried to kill Ganondorf?

[Axle the Beast]

As for Termina, not much can be confirmed about that place. I don't believe the Four Giants are gods; more like protectors of the land in times of extreme crisis. Termina apparently takes place in an alternate universe or dimension, at least thats what I believe. Some think it takes place in another land. But that would mean it would be easily travelled to from Hyrule and probably be well known by other lands.
Apparently at some point they're referred to as "guardian gods," but what I think that may imply is like what you're saying; they're not really actual gods, but some kind of lesser deity. That's just how I see it, anyway.


Like Dark_link01 said, I don't really think Termina has anything much to do with Hyrule. I don't think Termina has anything to do with the three Goddesses either, but I wouldn't call the Giants gods. They are more like the Deku Tree and Jabu Jabu, guardians of specific areas.
The Deku Tree and Jabu Jabu were referred to as "patron gods" or "patron deities" or something like that. So it seems that they are some kind of lesser deity or at least some kind of spirit.


And what were these four light spirits named after the Goddesses that tried to kill Ganondorf?
I'm not sure, but that might be referring to the four Light Spirits in Twilight Princess, but I don't think they're necessarily named after the Goddesses (though I will admit, the names are a little similar.) They four Light Spirits are: Eldin, Ordona, Faron, and Lanayru. The provinces of Hyrule in TP are also named after these Light Spirits.

[Onilink89]

Like Dark_link01 said, I don't really think Termina has anything much to do with Hyrule. I don't think Termina has anything to do with the three Goddesses either, but I wouldn't call the Giants gods. They are more like the Deku Tree and Jabu Jabu, guardians of specific areas.

And you ask why the Goddesses can't destroy Ganondorf? Well, either they can't directly help out Hyrule, or they are unable to just kill Ganondorf, like that. I'd say they can't act directly, so they give Link and Zelda the power to overcome Ganondorf, and they just have succeed.

And what were these four light spirits named after the Goddesses that tried to kill Ganondorf?

About ganondorf, the goddesses didn 't do nothing in OOT and TP.
He was taken care of by the sages.
But what strange is, that in TWW, it was the goddesses that decided to flood and seal hyrule. Maybe they had not choice but to seal it away when hyrule fell in ganondorfs control. because the sages where gone.

[Josh]

I like to bring "God" into situations like these.

If God is real, why didn't he come and kill Hitler?

It's like the exact same situation. Dude comes, takes power, kills a bunch of people, and eventually dies. But not by the people who created the world. It's more, here's a freaking world for you, you guys have your conflicts, and we'll only intervene if you guys really destroy yourselfs. It's up to the people in the world itself to kill the problem.

[Axle the Beast]

I like to bring "God" into situations like these.

If God is real, why didn't he come and kill Hitler?

It's like the exact same situation. Dude comes, takes power, kills a bunch of people, and eventually dies. But not by the people who created the world. It's more, here's a freaking world for you, you guys have your conflicts, and we'll only intervene if you guys really destroy yourselfs. It's up to the people in the world itself to kill the problem.
I like that description. "DEAL WITH YOUR OWN MESS!" :xd:

[Zemen]

I like to bring "God" into situations like these.

If God is real, why didn't he come and kill Hitler?

It's like the exact same situation. Dude comes, takes power, kills a bunch of people, and eventually dies. But not by the people who created the world. It's more, here's a freaking world for you, you guys have your conflicts, and we'll only intervene if you guys really destroy yourselfs. It's up to the people in the world itself to kill the problem.

first of all thats not at all the same thing.

the three goddesses left proof that they exist...the triforce. everyone in hyrule believes in their existence because there is proof (sages, triforce, etc.), but the God in the real world has absolutely no real proof he exists and thats why there are so many religions, not one of them is proven. therefor, we dont even know if there is a god who would be able to step in and intervene. the people of Hyrule know that there are gods who are not helping them.

[Axle the Beast]

first of all thats not at all the same thing.

the three goddesses left proof that they exist...the triforce. everyone in hyrule believes in their existence because there is proof (sages, triforce, etc.), but the God in the real world has absolutely no real proof he exists and thats why there are so many religions, not one of them is proven. therefor, we dont even know if there is a god who would be able to step in and intervene. the people of Hyrule know that there are gods who are not helping them.
I don't really see how it's proven. For all they know, the Triforce could have been created by some ancient, friggin' powerful sorceror or by someone like the Sages or even some deity, like the Deku Tree or Lord Jabu Jabu.

[Zemen]

I don't really see how it's proven. For all they know, the Triforce could have been created by some ancient, friggin' powerful sorceror or by someone like the Sages or even some deity, like the Deku Tree or Lord Jabu Jabu.

in which case, that still has absolutel no connection to the real worlds God...

[Axle the Beast]

in which case, that still has absolutel no connection to the real worlds God...
He was just saying that probably explains why the Goddesses never mess with Ganondorf. Because it's the responsibility of the people of Hyrule. Not necessarily that they couldn't.

[Zemen]

He was just saying that probably explains why the Goddesses never mess with Ganondorf. Because it's the responsibility of the people of Hyrule. Not necessarily that they couldn't.

but its NOT their responsibility. the gods are the ones who chose ganondorf to protect the triforce of power. if he goes on a rampage with it, thats THEIR fault and THEIR responsibility. anyway, we have gotten off topic so please keep posts from here on out on topic.

[Axle the Beast]

Very well.

Anyway, my point is that it seems as though the Goddesses have far more power than the Giants, so it is my opinion that they would be the main gods. I personally believe the Giants to be more minor gods, if even gods at all, somewhat like Deku Tree or Jabu Jabu.

But, one of my reasons for this is because Majora overpowered the Giants so easily, and it's beginning to seem like he/it was a much more powerful and sinister being than I previously thought (if you want to know what I'm talking about, check out my Ikana thread, you should start getting the idea if you read through all the mess in there.)

[bellum]

Din farore and nayru are probably the 3 main godesses of Loz but the four giants I think are just protectors of termina:S

[EponaOwns]

Hmmm interesting thread. Well as you know there are Zelda games with 3 godesses, Farore, Din, and Nayru. They made the triforce which is used in a lot of Zelda games.
But in MM there are giants but those are gods to the people of Termina. Though the godesses are used more doesn't mean they are the main gods/godesses but in this case i seems like the majority of people do think that they are the main ones, including me. The giants are still awesome though!:)

[Liam]

i think the golden goddesses are at the top of the list, i mean, they created hyrule! but maybe they all created the land,law and life, but then maybe Nayru created the civilisation of Lanybbra, Din created Holodrum, and Farore created Hyrule.

chart of power:
Farore
Nayru
Din
Essense Of The Triforce
giants
seven sages
holders of the triforce(Link,Zelda,Ganon)

i havent played all the games so i probably left a lot out. just say other people that would go on the list in your replies