10 Things You Never Knew About The Original Legend Of Zelda

The most powerful relic in The Legend of Zelda mythology is The Triforce: an artefact created by the goddesses that can grant its bearer wishes. It resembles three golden triangles stacked into a pyramid with an empty space in the middle shaped like a triangle.

In the original game, there are two pieces of the Triforce, (which is weird since "tri" literally means "three"). Despite the fact the symbol is tied to The Legend of Zelda, the Triforce emblem has been around for nearly 800 years. The artefact is based on the the Japanese symbol, Mitsuuroko, which means "The Three Scales" in Japanese. Westerners assumed the "scales" are a reference to balance. In reality, they are so-called because the Japanese believe that the triangles resembled fish scales.

The insignia originated from a family in the Japanese government called the Hojo clan. For over a century, they were considered the most powerful family in the country.

The Triforce symbol has been used by other companies including Fischer Sports and Delta Machinery. (Interestingly, the name "Zelda" is derived from the Latin word "Zelda". It is unknown if Nintendo meant for that connection to be intentional.)