What’s in a Wish?

This is a guest article written by Abraham Blain and edited by Colin McIsaac. “What’s in a Wish?” is one of two runner-ups in Zelda Informer’s guest article contest.

You know what’s fun? Reading theories on the internet delving into the hidden meanings of your favorite video games. I’m sure many of you have read articles talking about the risks of power in Twilight Princess, the importance of faith and the cycle of life in Majora’s Mask, and path of growing up to adulthood in Ocarina of Time. Every Zelda game has a story to tell and a hidden moral lying just beneath the surface. But have you ever wondered if the series in its whole had a lesson for us? What if the Zelda games were connected not just by its characters, lore, and gameplay, but by a central theme underlying every aspect of our beloved series? I’m here to tell you that yes, there is something tying it all together.

The Legend of Zelda revolves around, with some variations, a Hero, a Maiden, and a Manifestation of Evil. This completes the all-important Triforce, which, once formed, can be used to grant the wish of the one who completes it. Each of the three characters represent a specific piece of the Triforce—Courage, Wisdom, and Power, respectively.

Obviously, this is all old hat to any Zelda fan worth his salt. Who isn’t familiar with Ganon’s quest to use the Triforce to grant his desires and Link’s corresponding quest to stop him? But have you ever wondered why Ganon has his plans foiled every single time? How, after time and time again, Ganon has never had his wish granted even once? That is the question underlying the series’ very roots.

Desire itself drives every villain in the games, and even many of the good characters. Very rarely, however, do we witness someone’s wishes actually granted. In Ocarina of Time, Zelda desired to stop Ganon before he could pull Hyrule into chaos, but she inadvertently becomes his catalyst. In Majora’s Mask, Skull Kid only wants his friends to stand forever by his side, but they abandon him at every turn. The Happy Mask Salesman, as some theorize, wants Majora’s Mask to harness its power for himself, but ends up disappointed with a mask drained of power. The infamous Tingle desperately wishes to be a fairy, only to be ostracized by the characters and, to an even greater degree, the entire Zelda fanbase. In The Wind Waker, the ancient Hylians beg the gods to save them from Ganon, only for the gods to drown Hyrule in response. In Twilight Princess, Zant wishes for the power to rule the Twilight Realm, and Midna ends up destroying him in retribution. These are just a small fraction of the wishes of the characters, all of them backfiring.

To understand the consequences of these desires, we must reexamine the legend of the Triforce. Do you remember what must be brought together to form the Triforce? The three bearers of the Triforce, each representing either Courage, Wisdom, or Power. Once all three pieces are assembled, the one who controls the Triforce has their greatest desire fulfilled. Seems like an oddly specific method to grant a wish, doesn’t it? Look at the big picture, however, and we can see how that applies to any desire in the whole series. The legend of the Triforce is, in fact, a metaphor illustrating the path to fulfill any goal. It states that to achieve one’s goal, one must have three things: the Courage to pursue that goal, the Power to achieve it, and the Wisdom to foresee the possible consequences of their actions. If one lacks any of these three attributes, the wish will either not be fulfilled, or horribly backfire. Once we understand this metaphor, we can understand the various downfalls of the characters and what led to them.

Regarding Ocarina of Time, anyone can see the folly in Zelda’s decision to open the Door of Time, but the Triforce Effect, as I will refer to it from now on, shows us a better understanding of what exactly she did wrong. Zelda had the courage to defy her father’s trust in Ganondorf, and wielded the power through Link to acquire the Master Sword. However, she lacked the wisdom to see that opening the Door of Time would only benefit the very man she was trying to thwart. Missing the crucial element of Wisdom may have enabled Link to wield the Master Sword, but it plunged all of Hyrule into seven long years of tyranny and chaos. In the final scene between Link and Zelda, we see that she has realized her mistake, and deeply regrets opening the Door of Time. What’s significant in this realization is that it was made after Zelda received the Triforce of Wisdom, completing the crucial pillar Zelda needed to fulfill her wish of purging Hyrule of the evil Ganondorf.

The Triforce Effect can be applied to every character mentioned earlier. Skull Kid lacked the wisdom to understand why his friends abandoned him. The Happy Mask Salesman lacked the wisdom to realize his folly in seeking Majora’s Mask. Tingle lacked the power to become a fairy. The ancient Hylians lacked the courage to fight back against Ganondorf. Zant lacked the courage to find his own power. Even Ganon fell victim to this effect, relying only on power to conquer the land. All of these characters, as have countless others, lacked a crucial element in fulfilling a wish. Thus, their desires became their downfalls.

At first glance, the Triforce Effect can be a disheartening thing. After all, what’s the point in achieving one’s goals if they are only going to blow up in their face? However, the Triforce Effect is also a path to enlightenment. Remember, many characters do end up achieving their goals. The Zelda games show us stories of character progression, culminating in the fulfillment of their desires. Link himself is the embodiment of that progression. He is gifted with the Courage to face evil, allies himself with a Maiden of Wisdom to guide his journey, and overcomes a Power­hungry Villain with his own discovered power. All of this culminates with Link purifying the land, often times using the Triforce itself. He gathered each of the three pillars and his wish was granted. Link shows us the path to both material satisfaction and spiritual completion.

Each Zelda game tells a different story, often with different morals. All of them, however, tell us the same thing: we can achieve anything as long as we have the Courage to pursue it, the Power to achieve it, and the Wisdom to guide us toward it. Once we have all three, our own personal Triforce will awaken within us.