The Triforce and Aristotelian Virtues

The Legend of Zelda is a video game series about a courageous hero named Link, a wise princess named Zelda, and their quest to save the land of Hyrule from the powerful wizard, Ganon. Central to the story of a typical Zelda game is a magical artifact called the Triforce; three golden triangles that together grant the wish of whoever possesses it. Each piece of the Triforce corresponds to a particular virtue; the Triforce of Courage, the Triforce of Wisdom, and the Triforce of Power, and only one person with all three virtues can use its powers.

This conception of harmonious balance amongst virtues is similar to Aristotle’s conception of virtue. In his work titled Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle begins his discussion by noting that all human activity has some goal, or end, that it is supposed to accomplish. You turn on the game in order to play it, you pick up the controller, or sit down to the keyboard in order to interact with the game. Some goals are just steps to achieving a more important goal, and some goals exist for their own sake, existing as an end within itself. Aristotle proposes that if there were some goal that everybody wanted to achieve, and it was an end in itself, then that thing is called “The Good.”

Aristotle believed most people agreed on what “The Good” was, and that was called eudaimonia; a Greek word translated as “happiness,” “well-being,” or “flourishing.” For Aristotle, ethics was the means for people to properly achieve eudaimonia. In his ethics, Aristotle was more concerned with the characters of people, their nature, and then their actions. Good people would necessarily possess good character and exemplify the virtues.

Just as with achieving eudaimonia, only a person pure of heart can wield the Triforce. In Ocarina of Time, Ganon is literally unable to possess the whole Triforce as he has an excess of the virtue Power, and is instead only given the Triforce of Power. The remaining two pieces go to Link and Zelda. In A Link To the Past, Ganon is shown to possess the entire Triforce, however it is said that only someone of pure heart can use the Triforce as intended; if someone with evil thoughts and intentions were to use it, the results would be disastrous. Since the Triforce was placed in the heavens by the Goddesses to act as a symbol meant to inspire and guide the people of Hyrule, we can assume that the Goddesses intend for every Hylian to find a harmonious balance between the three virtues personified in the Triforce. Only through a harmonious balance between the three can the world be kept safe and prosper. Unfortunately, the Triforce also acts as a temptation to those who lack the necessary virtues or who have an excess of them.

Aristotle believed that humans have a primary function, a fundamental nature that sets us apart from the other animals. He believed that this was our ability to reason, to act according to rational principles. To be virtuous meant not allowing our emotions or passions to cloud our judgement and interfere with our reasoning. Aristotle argued that a virtuous person was one who kept their passions under control, who didn’t lack virtue or indulge in it to the point of excess. If you felt too little fear you were reckless, if you felt too much fear you were a coward. A good balance made you courageous.

Courage is Link’s virtue. As the “Juror of Courage”, Link is brave enough to venture into even the most dangerous situations, but never reckless enough to needlessly endanger his own life or the lives of others. Wisdom is Princess Zelda’s virtue. Often she is shown to be the sole ruler of Hyrule Kingdom, as is always portrayed as a wise and benevolent ruler. As the “Keeper of Knowledge,” she not only rules over an entire kingdom, but provides Link with the necessary information for him to complete his quest. Power is Ganon’s virtue, and he certainly has an excess of it! Able to curse people, raise an army of monsters, and destroy an entire kingdom—as the “Forger of Strength,” Ganon will do whatever it takes to obtain the Triforce and satisfy his craving for more power.

The wish granting Triforce can be seen as a symbol for eudaimonia, but also as a literal projection of a good person’s heart. You need the wisdom to know how to act (which is what philosophy, particularly the study of ethics, is all about), the power to act with authority, and the courage to always do what is right.