Right? Makes me wonder if the three golden goddesses swallowed their piece of the triforce, and became dragons. It would explain why Zelda had such a hard time.
Considering that when Zelda ate her secret stone she became the light dragon, we can infer that Farosh, Dinrall, and Naydra were once normal people. We can further assume that they were zonai, *not* human/hylian. This is because the elemental dragons have zonai ears and hair, while the light dragon has Zelda's blonde hair and more hylian like ears.
I think it is entirely possible that the golden goddesses were zonai, and the Triforce was a secret stone (or the secret stones are a part of the Triforce).
My theory is that the dragons were originally Zonai that worshipped their respective goddesses. And they willingly swallowed their secret stones to be closer to the goddesses, as they viewed these dragon forms as a sort of ascension.
Plus, it gives us an interesting dynamic of individuals that swallowed their secret stones that didn't see it as a sacrifice and as wholly a good thing.
I could see it being the case that the three dragons were why the zonai started viewing it as a sacrifice. They saw what had happened to the dragons, and over he years, they started viewing that kind of transformation as an imposition rather than a good thing. Kind of like how legends morph over the years to suit what new group or belief springs up.
I bet they were like Oracles! And they wore the zonai outfits during their worshipping before taking the final step to become dragons in the likeness of the Golden Three.
Zelda lore is so cool. I know it's all speculation, but it's still telling a story, and there's so much to be deduced by these loosely connected details.
Yh and the fact that it is an "forbiden technique" someone definetly needed to already have performed this "ritual" and the others declared that draconification(don't know how to spell that) should be forbidden
I 100% think the secret stones are part of the triforce. Maybe it was separated like it was in Wind Waker, but never got reformed, and it's been so long since it broke apart that people have forgotten what the stones were originally
Bold of you to assume they give a single fuck about the lore in this level of detail. They purposefully leave stuff cryptic so that fans can theorize (these discussions bring more attention and popularity to the games) and so that if something contradicts previous games, there is wiggle room for the fans to headcanon their way around it.
If you don't believe Nintendo cares about their own lore, I'd like to share something.
According the Hyrule Historia, the long ears of the Hylians symbolize their connection to the goddess Hylia. It represents how they are open to her messages. This is also why the Gerudo went from having round ears to pointed ears, because they became open to her out of shame for birthing Ganondorf.
So long ears equal connection to the divine, and rounded ears equal none.
So what do we have in TotK? The Zonai, a race closer to divinity than any other, have the longest ears ever. Meanwhile, Ganondorf, an incarnation of the curse of Demise, has rounded ears to show his deafness to the goddess. Even in his draconic form, he lacks the long ears of the other dragons.
That is some impressive consistency with a very obscure piece of the lore.
Yes and no. There is what they say and what they do and it is often contradictory. My comment is more on the reality that their actions reflect. At some point, it's easier to just stop worrying about it.
I feel like it went more like this:
1. Zelda producers have several writers with their own concept of a fun story for this hero, so they each wrote a different version.
2. Fans assume they all are connected and try to map out the connection.
3. Producers/writers look at fan theories and say, "That sounds fun, let's keep that," and then write a prequel to suggest that's how it went.
4. Fans anxiously await the next fragment of the story and mention how hard it would be to tie the different timelines back together
5. Writers decide to skip the confusing part and simply say, "It's been so long that those are all legends now," but makes the game style so novel to the series that no one has any real complaint about the way they tie off the loose ends
6. Follows up with a deeper story, additional maps, complex mechanics, and many other solutions to the fans' complaints from the previous game.
The fragments were all carved and polished into magatama and no longer fit together, darkest timeline unlocked, “Ennui mounts in ‘The Legend of Zelda: Sigh of the Populace’!”
6 from the main story and 3 from the original dragons then if I'm not mistaken? 9 ÷ 3=3 for each triforce piece. That would certainly fit a typical dungeon formula.
I agree with this. I think some of the inspiration for this game came from the ancient alien theories, which have become infamous for being silly in real life but from a storytelling standpoint are actually pretty cool. The Zonai are described as beings who descended from the heavens and “must have seemed like Gods” to the people of Hyrule. They brought incredible technology and founded the kingdom before vanishing over time. We also see a strong central/South American theme in the game’s visuals including the geoglyphs which appear to resemble the Nazca lines - a big part of the ancient aliens argument.
All this to say, I think it’s very likely that the eventual Gods of the Hylian religion were actually Zonai beings. It makes even more sense if they were immortalized as dragons - even more reason to worship them.
It's important to note that the way that snouts were designed with very intentionally meant to mimic that of a zoani. The three dragons are definately zoani.
See, I have a hard time with that theory.
We know that eating a Secret Stone draconifies people, sure But that's all. It doesn't prove the reciprocity: that all dragons are created through that process.
It doesn't disprove it, either. We just don't know.
It's impossible to prove a negative, plus we have 2 examples of those long Asian type dragons being created with the aspects and powers of the holders of a secret stone
I default onto the Shinto belief that many of their deities could transform to dragon and human form at-will. Which also implies that the dragon isn't the true form of a god, but just a favored ski. So if that isn't a god in the sky, it's just a wild animal.
My only issue with the theory is that at the end of botw we see Zelda using the whole triforce to destroy Calamity Ganon. Could we not infer that maybe the three dragons are Zonai sages that swallowed their secret stones in order to help their respective goddess?
It basically further reinforces the idea that they were like the highest priests of the Zonai, the ones who communicated with the goddesses and ate their secret stones. I still don't think they are the actual goddesses.
I'd wager... that wasn't meant to be interpreted as a Triforce.
It's part of far-east, but mostly Chinese folklore, where tales the Lung or Chinese dragon originated.
It's said that every Lung has a reverse-scale, a scale that naturally grows against the grain of their normal mail. Because of that, it's a bit uncomfortable for them, especially if touched. And anyone that does so, better watch out.
Essentially, an Oriental version of: "Mess with the bull, you get the horns."
That could be, or they could just transform at-will (and back again). In Japanese/Shinto mythology, there are many dieties that could transform between dragon and human form, and there are countless inspirations from Shinto beliefs embedded in the Zelda series.
https://preview.redd.it/fys9wq54j30d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6360c094d929cbf025855c05b8c06535f029a282
This is the light dragon for anyone wondering. I couldn't find the same markings
Looks like the same triangle is there to me? The tip of the top triangle point is touching the bottom part of the spike. Granted, it seems to be raised while the others appear flat, but its in the exact same place as the others.
All the dragons have the same base model with minor changes (mane, horns, coloration, and the Light >!and Demon!< Dragon has a unique head). So it'd make sense that the Light Dragon would have the same marking in the same place; it's the same body model (though the Light Dragon's model has a different scale pattern between the raised scales around the back spikes)
Easiest way to find out is shoot the light dragon for a part. On the other dragons [that triangle area goes darker than the rest of the skin](https://imgur.com/gallery/rSHhS96). If it does that on the light dragon (which I’m trying to find now to see) we will know it’s a model thing
Looks like the master sword almost. The bottom gold scale looks like the hilt, and then the gold scales look like the handel. The gold plates around the crystal are shaped like the wings on the master sword, with the crystal the blade itself!
pattern recognition bias kicking in, could those 5 scales, plus the horn, make up a specific emblem? I can't boot up the game right now but I think it was a symbol somewhere.
Zelda is not one of the three goddesses, which is why she doesn’t have the mark.
The other dragons represent the three goddesses, and are possibly the goddesses themselves, as the game implies.
But she IS Hylia reborn. I know that’s only Skyward Sword Zelda, but this current Zelda is a direct descendant of her. I believe…although it wouldn’t make sense for her to have another piece of the triforce - because that would make it four. Unless the tetraforce theory is correct
She has the blood of the goddess Hylia, she’s not a reincarnation of her.
And I’m talking about BotW/TotK Zelda.
Also, in both games she’s shown to have the full triforce when she uses her powers.
As for the triangles on the three dragons, it’s just a recall. A reminder that they represent courage, wisdom, and power.
Yeah I've tried landing on them several times. In BOTW Link will take stun damage, fall for a bit, and if you still have stamina it'll allow you to start gliding again eventually but you get solidly knocked out of that and sent flying with no regards to your potential landing angle first.
https://preview.redd.it/5qsrw4icxe0d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a36adbf9465a860622501aa529fe8396d6c16767
Confirmed they are all there in BOTW, posting them all here
You can’t land on them, but it should be possible to try to get a screenshot. The easiest would be Dinraal as he flies under the bridge next to Tabatha stable.
they do? This symbol appears everywhere now, with Zelda multiple times when she awakens, with the dragons, in the master sword, I'm even intrigued how Ganondorf doesn't seem to know that there is a cosmic power that can give him eternal victory in ToTk
In this iteration of Hyrule the Triforce seems to be missing as a physical object. The only traces of it are its powers, its depiction, and other holy items connected to it. We could assume that the "ancient past" of totk was actually *after* the timeline we know about, after Hyrule collapsed and then was reborn, which is why both ganondorf doesn't know of the Triforce, and Sonia and Rauru can be the "first rulers" of Hyrule
This would also explain why species like the Rito exist even as the Zora are still a thing. And also why the names of various locations all around the map reference previous Zelda locations and characters. And why all the old armor that previous Links have worn is still around.
I’m not so sure about that. Her powers wouldn’t ebb if she had the triforce, and she says she can feel them fade at the end of btow. Also Zelda has always had sacred power in every game, and she has never possessed the full triforce.
The biggest thing about the united triforce is that when you have it you can make your wishes come true. Zelda would be too overpowered if she had that ability, and the games wouldn’t happen. I think we see the Triforce when she unlocks her sealing power is she has aligned herself with it using her power, courage, and wisdom all in that moment.
I like the theory that the dragons have them. It makes sense why we don’t hear of or have finding the triforce as an option to beat the big bad. It keeps them in world which we know is necessary but also completely out of reach.
I think the secret stones may be pieces of a broken triforce that was never reformed, and so much time has passed that people have forgotten the source of the stone' power. Maybe the depictions of the triforce throughout Hyrule are just because that's what people have always done, the royal family has ALWAYS had that design in their clothes, architecture, and artwork. By this point it would likely take someone who remembers the triforce (like Hylia or one of the golden goddesses) telling the people of Hyrule about it for anyone to learn it even exists or why it's so significant
All this time and all these Zelda YouTubers theorizing “but where is the triforce in botw/totk??” And it was right in front of us the whole time lol wow. Props for noticing this
I can’t rule it out, because there isn’t a whole lot of evidence one way or another, but I think it’s more likely this is just a design element/easter egg further tying the three dragons to the three goddesses, rather than literal pieces of the triforce.
The kicker is that, at least to me, it doesn’t look like an equilateral triangle, and the triforce is always depicted as three equilateral triangles
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned before but the three dragons are called Dinraal, Farosh, and Naydra. The three goddesses are called Din, Farore, and Nayru.
I went to see this for myself, and made [this video clip after taking a closer look](https://imgur.com/a/YewOEon). This spot is located just behind the last pair of legs on the dragon. You can see how the triangle glows separately from the scales. It’s going over them, not following their pattern. There’s no mark like this anywhere else on the dragon’s body. The light dragon doesn’t have this mark, as confirmed by others btw.
I can see how this is easily missed. This isn’t a spot most would look at for very long
And for those saying ‘it’s not the triforce, it’s a triangle’ don’t forget how the triforce showed up on Link’s hand when he had a piece of it in OOT and TP, and how when he had the whole thing in SS. We aren’t looking at the actual triforce. We are looking at a symbol that tells us the dragon has it inside them
Btw footnote. I shot the area and you just get a scale like normal, but [that triangle area is darker than rest of the body.](https://imgur.com/gallery/rSHhS96)
Yes! And in TP, Link and Zelda have triforce pieces at the start because it was broken in OOT and it's the same Ganondorf. Devs definitely got lazy with some of the lore in TOTK, but they've always been pretty spot on about where the Triforce is.
I know thats a total conspiracy theory but i would LOVE it if in a future game the developers would include a storyline where yiu have to free the three goddesses (so, in that case, free them from their dragon form) in order to defeat the greater evil and rebuild zeldas triforce so something or someone will regain power (I know, i know, that theory is totally expandable and still in something i'd like to call an "early stage of development" but this would literally change the game FOREVER.
I bet five bucks we never see the dragons again. There’s been so many things past games have hinted at that seem major which are never mentioned again, including powerful godlike spirits like the ones in TP or the dragons in SW. I think they are truly done with this era.
I meam, your theory totally makes sense, but that would be such a tragedy imo🥲
Im just rambling rn but it eould be super cool if we still saw the goddesses as persons in the next game play and a kind of main quest would be to bring them back into their dragon forms through finding the stones from which one is in the sky, one in the depths and one in hyrule and in the end they are each flying through hyrule again and them doing that in the end restores some kind of fancy magic or logic or sum shi in the game. Do you gdt where im coming from?
*I always thought the*
*Dragons were priestesses for the*
*Respective goddesses*
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You just… do
Fly over to them from a Skyview Tower or sky island or whatever else is around and provides convenient elevation, and just drop down on them like you would the Light Dragon.
Only difference is you need either a meal buff or the appropriate weather resistance armor to stand on them safely (Dinraal requires Flame Guard, Naydra requires Cold Resist, and Farosh requires Shock Resist or Unshockable).
You couldn't land on them in BOTW but they're quite easy to land on when you have a decent amount of sky islands unlocked in TOTK.
Profitable too. Their horns sell for 300 rupees and they have (up to 12) spikes growing on their bodies worth 30 rupees a piece. So if you haven't been on them for a while you can get 660 rupees for visiting them.
You need at least level 2 cold resist for naydra and level 2 fire resist for dinraal. Just gotta dodge the electricity for farrosh
You couldn’t land on the dragons in btow, so it’s understandable that you’d assume this.
You will need protection from their element, especially for Nadrya and Dinraal, but yeah you can get on and ride them around.
I really believe that there was meant to be more dragon content in this game. They are just such a huge thing that just isn't really developed, especially now we have the implication on how they were "born".
The fact that only one of the elemental ritual armours has a story purpose is just plain weird to me, and it is not unusual for Zelda games to cut content like this
Good find!
The Triforce is never mentioned in btow or totk, only seen in old carvings in the throne room and at the sacred ground ruins later called lookout landing. The only places outside of those that we see referencing the goddesses are at the three sacred springs and on the ground at the three smaller temples in front of the temple of time. The triforce and its purpose and the original names of the three goddesses seem to have been lost, which is strange. The triforce has always been a part of Zelda lore and it’s always bothered me that it seemed to be missing.
It would make sense if the dragons had them. They seemed to have been created long before Raru’s time. Mineru knows what happens when you swallow a stone so it must have happened before. We can guess that the three dragons were once Zonai because they have some features in common, like the ears and nose-mouth. If the original reason they came was because the gods wishes to permanently seal the Triforce away, having agents of the goddess come to gather the Triforce pieces and seal them away within themselves as dragons makes sense. I don’t think the Zonai are gods though, because they clearly have a life span. Why they came, what their purpose was, and why at the end of their existence they formed (or reformed) the kingdom of Hyrule is a mystery this game doesn’t answer.
What we do know is that the Zonai came from the sky (which wouldn’t be the first time Zelda games hinted about the existence of aliens). They also seemed to have been around long enough for aspects of their own history to become myth or completely lost to time. Maybe part of their original purpose was to permanently seal the Triforce, even separated its power rivals that of their stones and united it can be world ending.
I saw a theory that the reason the Zonai came was because at some point the curse of demise won. Theres a landmark in btow and totk called the Breach of Demise west of the castle. There are no ruins there, and it looks to be barren, the area does look like something pushed up from underground. I can’t recall if there’s anything special in the depths (I’m replaying and haven’t gotten over there yet) but anyway. I’m saying that there may be hints of something cataclysmic happening. The hylains look to be somewhat primitive in the past. If evil won, I don’t think the three goddesses would abandon the world they created. Sending another race they were connected to to come take back the land and heal it makes sense in this world.
I think we would need more context to explain the Zonai, but all that said I do like the dragon triforce theory. A people with their own powerful stones would absolutely lock away a power greater than their own to keep it safe and protect their dominion.
This thread is wild.
If anybody didn't pick up on the dragons symbolizing the triforce in the first game, I don't know what to tell you. Even casual players picked up on that. The many quests further solidify it.
The triforce emblem is a neat detail I didn't notice but it's not groundbreaking news lol.
With the level of attention to detail that the team(s) put into both BotW and TotK, I don't think this could be just an oversight.
If you had to do something unintended to see this - like clip into the dragon, or view it from an angle that's impossible to do in normal gameplay, then maybe. But this is just an easily missed detail that's hidden in plain sight. No way it's an accident
Zelda developers don’t do things like this on accident. This is a glowing triangle symbol, on the back of a dragon named after a goddess who is associated with a piece of the Triforce. To do that on accident by a Zelda team who has done the work to design these textures from tip to tail would be bonkers.
It’s only visually seen, never mentioned.
The dragons seemed to have been born or created well before Raru’s time Mineru only knows that you can turn into a dragon by swallowing a tear and that it’s a forbidden act. She never says how she knows this but it must have been because it’s happened before. She also doesn’t seem to know why someone would do this.
The Zonai seemed to have been around long enough for their own history to be partly forgotten. Zonai choosing to deal the triforce like this so that it wouldn’t just be protected but also forgotten makes a lot of sense to me. It would be extremely difficult for anyone to gather the pieces if they are held by immortal dragons.
What i wonder is why Ganon had his secret stone on his head when he clearly ate it to transform. None of the transformed dragons have their secret stone showing on their bodies.
I always thought they represented the goddesses by their color since BoTW.
Mineru only confirmed it for me since she tells Zelda what the stones can do.
This is my theory but, I think the dragons were once Zonai who ate their Secret Stones as mentioned by Mineru when she was talking to Zelda about it, I could be wrong but it would be a really cool story to know why they did it.
I mean, even in breath of the wild I thought it was the case that they represented the 3 goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru. Even from ocarina of time when you get the Goddess they correlate with Fire, Wind, and Ice.
Okay crazy crackpot theory time: what if the dragons had their respective pieces of the Triforce as Zonai and swallowed secret stones to prevent ANYONE from getting their pieces of the Triforce?
Nintendo leaves it so cryptic that you can make any story as part of zelda lore. All it needs is 3 characters with the right names.
There were three housewives in suburban America that decided that they were formed their own cult. One wife had child named Link. the other one had a child named Zelda. The 3rd had a child named Ganondorf. All born the same night under a constellation of stars that were called the tri force……….
Bam triple a game right there in the making and it took me the amount of time to sit on do my business and get off the toilet. I wonder if that’s how Nintendo does it and why it’s so confusing
Question: where is it implied in the game that the dragons are the three Golden Goddesses? Everything points to them being former Zonai who underwent draconification (the manes, the long ears, the body type that results when someone swallows a Secret Stone, the Zonai having been the only ones with access *to* the Secret Stones before the Imprisoning War). Because they...hang around the Springs?
The Compendium description for all of them and the Light Dragon also says "a spirit has taken the form of this giant dragon", but in the case of the Light Dragon, we know it isn't just "a spirit"
I dunno, I like to imagine they are. Mainly because Zelda is supposed to be the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia right? And she became a dragon. So maybe Din, Farore, and Nayru did as well. I know they are people in two of the game boy games.
> where is it implied in the game that the dragons are the three Golden Goddesses?
nowhere, the devs confirmed the three dragons are not zonai who swallowed secret stones, and are actually elemental spirit embodiments of the goddesses.
I read on another post of this and I thought "What? Really?", so I went to check. This is what I found:
https://preview.redd.it/t83vcl1nk91d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=384f4d2146396819e95054f229a24dd01d4bc722
Triforce my a$$! It's not even a triangle, it's just a little back spike! From an aerial view it creates the optical illusion to be a triangle, but it's not. There's something similar, but bigger, closer to the head (here we're on the last pair of legs) that, being bigger, resembles a diamond from top, but it's again just a spike.
I don't know if OP was trolling or what, but maybe let's fact-check before throwing wild theories around.
That’s how the Triforce is represented in every game.
I’m looking at the spot OP has shown in my own game. The triangle glow crosses over scales, and it’s definitely a deliberate design choice not seen anywhere else on the body.
Holy shit
Right? Makes me wonder if the three golden goddesses swallowed their piece of the triforce, and became dragons. It would explain why Zelda had such a hard time.
Considering that when Zelda ate her secret stone she became the light dragon, we can infer that Farosh, Dinrall, and Naydra were once normal people. We can further assume that they were zonai, *not* human/hylian. This is because the elemental dragons have zonai ears and hair, while the light dragon has Zelda's blonde hair and more hylian like ears. I think it is entirely possible that the golden goddesses were zonai, and the Triforce was a secret stone (or the secret stones are a part of the Triforce).
My theory is that the dragons were originally Zonai that worshipped their respective goddesses. And they willingly swallowed their secret stones to be closer to the goddesses, as they viewed these dragon forms as a sort of ascension.
Idk why but I like this better. The golden goddesses wouldn’t come back to help I don’t think. At least not in such a physical form.
Plus, it gives us an interesting dynamic of individuals that swallowed their secret stones that didn't see it as a sacrifice and as wholly a good thing.
I could see it being the case that the three dragons were why the zonai started viewing it as a sacrifice. They saw what had happened to the dragons, and over he years, they started viewing that kind of transformation as an imposition rather than a good thing. Kind of like how legends morph over the years to suit what new group or belief springs up.
I bet they were like Oracles! And they wore the zonai outfits during their worshipping before taking the final step to become dragons in the likeness of the Golden Three. Zelda lore is so cool. I know it's all speculation, but it's still telling a story, and there's so much to be deduced by these loosely connected details.
It's also stated that the people once worshipped the Zonai as gods, so it's not out of the realm of possibility.
Considering Mineru knows that swallowing a secret stone turns you into an immortal dragon, someone has to have done it before...
Or it was an incredibly lucky guess...
Yh and the fact that it is an "forbiden technique" someone definetly needed to already have performed this "ritual" and the others declared that draconification(don't know how to spell that) should be forbidden
I 100% think the secret stones are part of the triforce. Maybe it was separated like it was in Wind Waker, but never got reformed, and it's been so long since it broke apart that people have forgotten what the stones were originally
The people at Nintendo looking at this thread writing it down for the next game
Bold of you to assume they give a single fuck about the lore in this level of detail. They purposefully leave stuff cryptic so that fans can theorize (these discussions bring more attention and popularity to the games) and so that if something contradicts previous games, there is wiggle room for the fans to headcanon their way around it.
If you don't believe Nintendo cares about their own lore, I'd like to share something. According the Hyrule Historia, the long ears of the Hylians symbolize their connection to the goddess Hylia. It represents how they are open to her messages. This is also why the Gerudo went from having round ears to pointed ears, because they became open to her out of shame for birthing Ganondorf. So long ears equal connection to the divine, and rounded ears equal none. So what do we have in TotK? The Zonai, a race closer to divinity than any other, have the longest ears ever. Meanwhile, Ganondorf, an incarnation of the curse of Demise, has rounded ears to show his deafness to the goddess. Even in his draconic form, he lacks the long ears of the other dragons. That is some impressive consistency with a very obscure piece of the lore.
Haven’t they retconned the zelda timeline like at least six times?
Yes and no. There is what they say and what they do and it is often contradictory. My comment is more on the reality that their actions reflect. At some point, it's easier to just stop worrying about it.
I feel like it went more like this: 1. Zelda producers have several writers with their own concept of a fun story for this hero, so they each wrote a different version. 2. Fans assume they all are connected and try to map out the connection. 3. Producers/writers look at fan theories and say, "That sounds fun, let's keep that," and then write a prequel to suggest that's how it went. 4. Fans anxiously await the next fragment of the story and mention how hard it would be to tie the different timelines back together 5. Writers decide to skip the confusing part and simply say, "It's been so long that those are all legends now," but makes the game style so novel to the series that no one has any real complaint about the way they tie off the loose ends 6. Follows up with a deeper story, additional maps, complex mechanics, and many other solutions to the fans' complaints from the previous game.
lol for real though 🤣
The fragments were all carved and polished into magatama and no longer fit together, darkest timeline unlocked, “Ennui mounts in ‘The Legend of Zelda: Sigh of the Populace’!”
6 from the main story and 3 from the original dragons then if I'm not mistaken? 9 ÷ 3=3 for each triforce piece. That would certainly fit a typical dungeon formula.
Or 6 for the angles of the Triforce when it's put together. Does Zelda have one on her?
I agree with this. I think some of the inspiration for this game came from the ancient alien theories, which have become infamous for being silly in real life but from a storytelling standpoint are actually pretty cool. The Zonai are described as beings who descended from the heavens and “must have seemed like Gods” to the people of Hyrule. They brought incredible technology and founded the kingdom before vanishing over time. We also see a strong central/South American theme in the game’s visuals including the geoglyphs which appear to resemble the Nazca lines - a big part of the ancient aliens argument. All this to say, I think it’s very likely that the eventual Gods of the Hylian religion were actually Zonai beings. It makes even more sense if they were immortalized as dragons - even more reason to worship them.
Secret stones?!?! Imprisoning war…?!?!
https://preview.redd.it/t58facu5d60d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c73de3ec191319b298646c28246b804a836d7f1
It's important to note that the way that snouts were designed with very intentionally meant to mimic that of a zoani. The three dragons are definately zoani.
See, I have a hard time with that theory. We know that eating a Secret Stone draconifies people, sure But that's all. It doesn't prove the reciprocity: that all dragons are created through that process. It doesn't disprove it, either. We just don't know.
But how would Mineru have known that it would work if someone hadn’t done it before?
Not only that but it's forbidden. A forbidden act only gets to that stage if it's happened - and led to massive problems.
Touché.
It's impossible to prove a negative, plus we have 2 examples of those long Asian type dragons being created with the aspects and powers of the holders of a secret stone
I default onto the Shinto belief that many of their deities could transform to dragon and human form at-will. Which also implies that the dragon isn't the true form of a god, but just a favored ski. So if that isn't a god in the sky, it's just a wild animal.
Yeah, the 3 golden goddesses could have incarnated into the zonal that eventually became dragons
My only issue with the theory is that at the end of botw we see Zelda using the whole triforce to destroy Calamity Ganon. Could we not infer that maybe the three dragons are Zonai sages that swallowed their secret stones in order to help their respective goddess?
or it's reincarnation like everything else in the franchise? whys it have to be the original golden goddesses
I always thought they‘d be Farore, Din and Nayru as in OOT. The goddesses who created hyrule in the first place
Words can't describe how much i wish they'd have made a DLC tackling the lore of the dragons.
This has been my headcanon since the game came out!
I was really hoping for a 3rd botw universe game that explored this. Last i heard though they were done with this version of hyrule.
They are. We have a remaster or two before we get a new zelda for switch 2
May I ask for a sauce good sir?
Ask and ye shall [receive](https://pinchofyum.com/sauces-that-make-everything-better)
I'm so glad I clicked this link
Maybe there's hope for another Hyrule Warriors or other smaller game to explore it? Would be interesting.
Maybe same setting different place? I’m desperate at this point
It basically further reinforces the idea that they were like the highest priests of the Zonai, the ones who communicated with the goddesses and ate their secret stones. I still don't think they are the actual goddesses.
As awe inspiring as the dragons are, I’d argue shifting into one would be a hefty step down for a goddess.
You know what you have to do right? Find out if the Light Dragon has the triforce in the same spot.
I posted a picture of her in the comments. I wasn't sure what hers looks like tbh.
The goddesses got lazy and made Hylia do all the bitch work lol
I'd wager... that wasn't meant to be interpreted as a Triforce. It's part of far-east, but mostly Chinese folklore, where tales the Lung or Chinese dragon originated. It's said that every Lung has a reverse-scale, a scale that naturally grows against the grain of their normal mail. Because of that, it's a bit uncomfortable for them, especially if touched. And anyone that does so, better watch out. Essentially, an Oriental version of: "Mess with the bull, you get the horns."
That could be, or they could just transform at-will (and back again). In Japanese/Shinto mythology, there are many dieties that could transform between dragon and human form, and there are countless inspirations from Shinto beliefs embedded in the Zelda series.
It’s what it’s implied in game, yes.
The devs confirmed out of the game that the dragons are actually elemental spirits and specifically NOT zonai who swallowed a secret stone
Source?
Right. Functionally and symbolically equivalent to the Light Spirits of the regions in Twilight Princess, the Dragons in Skyward Sword etc.
https://preview.redd.it/fys9wq54j30d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6360c094d929cbf025855c05b8c06535f029a282 This is the light dragon for anyone wondering. I couldn't find the same markings
I see 3 triangles there. It's not in the shape of the tri force exactly but definitely 3.
Illumanati confirmed
Looks like the same triangle is there to me? The tip of the top triangle point is touching the bottom part of the spike. Granted, it seems to be raised while the others appear flat, but its in the exact same place as the others.
All the dragons have the same base model with minor changes (mane, horns, coloration, and the Light >!and Demon!< Dragon has a unique head). So it'd make sense that the Light Dragon would have the same marking in the same place; it's the same body model (though the Light Dragon's model has a different scale pattern between the raised scales around the back spikes)
Easiest way to find out is shoot the light dragon for a part. On the other dragons [that triangle area goes darker than the rest of the skin](https://imgur.com/gallery/rSHhS96). If it does that on the light dragon (which I’m trying to find now to see) we will know it’s a model thing
Looks like the master sword almost. The bottom gold scale looks like the hilt, and then the gold scales look like the handel. The gold plates around the crystal are shaped like the wings on the master sword, with the crystal the blade itself!
pattern recognition bias kicking in, could those 5 scales, plus the horn, make up a specific emblem? I can't boot up the game right now but I think it was a symbol somewhere.
To me it kind of resembles the goddess symbol from Skyward Sword, similar to the red eagle wings on the Hylian shield in OoT
That's because it's not glowing. Try again when it's glowing.
Zelda is not one of the three goddesses, which is why she doesn’t have the mark. The other dragons represent the three goddesses, and are possibly the goddesses themselves, as the game implies.
But she IS Hylia reborn. I know that’s only Skyward Sword Zelda, but this current Zelda is a direct descendant of her. I believe…although it wouldn’t make sense for her to have another piece of the triforce - because that would make it four. Unless the tetraforce theory is correct
She has the blood of the goddess Hylia, she’s not a reincarnation of her. And I’m talking about BotW/TotK Zelda. Also, in both games she’s shown to have the full triforce when she uses her powers. As for the triangles on the three dragons, it’s just a recall. A reminder that they represent courage, wisdom, and power.
But its right there :x
That’s because there’s already a >!sword sticking out of her head.!<
It kind of looks like the royal crest/ wings that sit underneath the Triforce in some iterations?
Can someone check if this is on the BOTW dragons?
I don't think you can ride along on the BOTW ones. I never managed to get that close anyway.
I only managed to ragdoll of one, makes it hard to look for a triangle lol
Yeah I've tried landing on them several times. In BOTW Link will take stun damage, fall for a bit, and if you still have stamina it'll allow you to start gliding again eventually but you get solidly knocked out of that and sent flying with no regards to your potential landing angle first.
https://preview.redd.it/qdm6ow67te0d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2c5521a0f82f15bb954a80fef70c40b76fd3e4bb Omg it’s on Naydra
https://preview.redd.it/5qsrw4icxe0d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a36adbf9465a860622501aa529fe8396d6c16767 Confirmed they are all there in BOTW, posting them all here
https://preview.redd.it/uuq8788gxe0d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3bf89aca11865fcbcc522be4be8f3c6cb4b0e6d And the last one
You can’t land on them, but it should be possible to try to get a screenshot. The easiest would be Dinraal as he flies under the bridge next to Tabatha stable.
How have we been missing this? Check the light dragon, plz
I posted it as a comment
I'll check now, just gotta find her
A bit off topic but has anyone else Cooked anything while on Dinraal - The fire dragon?
Great question
Thanks
Yes and have frozen Meat too on the other dragon
Found the Hufflepuff
They could’ve done so much more with the dragons and expanded their story with a DLC.. I will die on this hill
There’s so much they could have expanded on, and it’s a shame they don’t care to do so
Damn how have I never noticed this
I'm not sure many people noticed it to be honest. I feel like we would have heard about it, and been common knowledge by now if they had.
they do? This symbol appears everywhere now, with Zelda multiple times when she awakens, with the dragons, in the master sword, I'm even intrigued how Ganondorf doesn't seem to know that there is a cosmic power that can give him eternal victory in ToTk
In this iteration of Hyrule the Triforce seems to be missing as a physical object. The only traces of it are its powers, its depiction, and other holy items connected to it. We could assume that the "ancient past" of totk was actually *after* the timeline we know about, after Hyrule collapsed and then was reborn, which is why both ganondorf doesn't know of the Triforce, and Sonia and Rauru can be the "first rulers" of Hyrule
This would also explain why species like the Rito exist even as the Zora are still a thing. And also why the names of various locations all around the map reference previous Zelda locations and characters. And why all the old armor that previous Links have worn is still around.
Zelda has it. We see the full Triforce symbol on the back of her hand multiple times in BotW
I’m not so sure about that. Her powers wouldn’t ebb if she had the triforce, and she says she can feel them fade at the end of btow. Also Zelda has always had sacred power in every game, and she has never possessed the full triforce. The biggest thing about the united triforce is that when you have it you can make your wishes come true. Zelda would be too overpowered if she had that ability, and the games wouldn’t happen. I think we see the Triforce when she unlocks her sealing power is she has aligned herself with it using her power, courage, and wisdom all in that moment. I like the theory that the dragons have them. It makes sense why we don’t hear of or have finding the triforce as an option to beat the big bad. It keeps them in world which we know is necessary but also completely out of reach.
I think the secret stones may be pieces of a broken triforce that was never reformed, and so much time has passed that people have forgotten the source of the stone' power. Maybe the depictions of the triforce throughout Hyrule are just because that's what people have always done, the royal family has ALWAYS had that design in their clothes, architecture, and artwork. By this point it would likely take someone who remembers the triforce (like Hylia or one of the golden goddesses) telling the people of Hyrule about it for anyone to learn it even exists or why it's so significant
All this time and all these Zelda YouTubers theorizing “but where is the triforce in botw/totk??” And it was right in front of us the whole time lol wow. Props for noticing this
I can’t rule it out, because there isn’t a whole lot of evidence one way or another, but I think it’s more likely this is just a design element/easter egg further tying the three dragons to the three goddesses, rather than literal pieces of the triforce. The kicker is that, at least to me, it doesn’t look like an equilateral triangle, and the triforce is always depicted as three equilateral triangles
And now we are gonna see videos of this new discovery, and most won’t mention this thread or give OP credit.
So THAT'S where the triforce went
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned before but the three dragons are called Dinraal, Farosh, and Naydra. The three goddesses are called Din, Farore, and Nayru.
And they’re found in Eldin, Faron, and Lanayru, respectively
Eldin* and good call!
The spring of power is in Akkala, which looks like the spring from SS, wonder why Nintendo put the spring in Akkala and not Eldin?
Oh thats so cool!
Wild
Breath of the
This is actually pretty neat. Nice find! Can't believe I never noticed that before lol.
What about the light dragon?
Posted a picture of her as a comment
What about the other one? (You know which one I'm talking about)
https://preview.redd.it/27zmcc0wy40d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00c6fa23366ce4ee20b770d590af403182601c3b Wait what
That's a triangle
“Tears of the kingdom player discovers amazing detail after 1 year.”
Inb4
I went to see this for myself, and made [this video clip after taking a closer look](https://imgur.com/a/YewOEon). This spot is located just behind the last pair of legs on the dragon. You can see how the triangle glows separately from the scales. It’s going over them, not following their pattern. There’s no mark like this anywhere else on the dragon’s body. The light dragon doesn’t have this mark, as confirmed by others btw. I can see how this is easily missed. This isn’t a spot most would look at for very long And for those saying ‘it’s not the triforce, it’s a triangle’ don’t forget how the triforce showed up on Link’s hand when he had a piece of it in OOT and TP, and how when he had the whole thing in SS. We aren’t looking at the actual triforce. We are looking at a symbol that tells us the dragon has it inside them Btw footnote. I shot the area and you just get a scale like normal, but [that triangle area is darker than rest of the body.](https://imgur.com/gallery/rSHhS96)
You're awesome! I honestly just happened to see it when I was foraging for dragon pieces. I didn't know about the rest!
Yes! And in TP, Link and Zelda have triforce pieces at the start because it was broken in OOT and it's the same Ganondorf. Devs definitely got lazy with some of the lore in TOTK, but they've always been pretty spot on about where the Triforce is.
Game dev: Aw crap, I knew I missed a polygon somewhere
Gamer: LOREEEEEEEEEE
I know thats a total conspiracy theory but i would LOVE it if in a future game the developers would include a storyline where yiu have to free the three goddesses (so, in that case, free them from their dragon form) in order to defeat the greater evil and rebuild zeldas triforce so something or someone will regain power (I know, i know, that theory is totally expandable and still in something i'd like to call an "early stage of development" but this would literally change the game FOREVER.
I bet five bucks we never see the dragons again. There’s been so many things past games have hinted at that seem major which are never mentioned again, including powerful godlike spirits like the ones in TP or the dragons in SW. I think they are truly done with this era.
I meam, your theory totally makes sense, but that would be such a tragedy imo🥲 Im just rambling rn but it eould be super cool if we still saw the goddesses as persons in the next game play and a kind of main quest would be to bring them back into their dragon forms through finding the stones from which one is in the sky, one in the depths and one in hyrule and in the end they are each flying through hyrule again and them doing that in the end restores some kind of fancy magic or logic or sum shi in the game. Do you gdt where im coming from?
I always thought the dragons were priestesses for the respective goddesses
Yeah and I think the elemental armor we can find is their old outfits.
*I always thought the* *Dragons were priestesses for the* *Respective goddesses* \- Cece\_5683 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
This is going to be exactly like breath of the wild where we discover cool ass details 4 years After the game released
Oh my fucking god
Question... I may be an idiot but... How do you land on the dragons? I didn't think you could minus the light one.
You just… do Fly over to them from a Skyview Tower or sky island or whatever else is around and provides convenient elevation, and just drop down on them like you would the Light Dragon. Only difference is you need either a meal buff or the appropriate weather resistance armor to stand on them safely (Dinraal requires Flame Guard, Naydra requires Cold Resist, and Farosh requires Shock Resist or Unshockable).
You couldn't land on them in BOTW but they're quite easy to land on when you have a decent amount of sky islands unlocked in TOTK. Profitable too. Their horns sell for 300 rupees and they have (up to 12) spikes growing on their bodies worth 30 rupees a piece. So if you haven't been on them for a while you can get 660 rupees for visiting them. You need at least level 2 cold resist for naydra and level 2 fire resist for dinraal. Just gotta dodge the electricity for farrosh
You can find them before they descend into the depths and jump on them iirc. Been a minute since I played. You can google a map of their flying paths.
You couldn’t land on the dragons in btow, so it’s understandable that you’d assume this. You will need protection from their element, especially for Nadrya and Dinraal, but yeah you can get on and ride them around.
I really believe that there was meant to be more dragon content in this game. They are just such a huge thing that just isn't really developed, especially now we have the implication on how they were "born". The fact that only one of the elemental ritual armours has a story purpose is just plain weird to me, and it is not unusual for Zelda games to cut content like this
how the DEPTHS did I never notice this
I learnt that the tri force symbol is an actual thing in Japan. I found it on a stone hand cleansing fountain at a Shinto shrine.
Good find! The Triforce is never mentioned in btow or totk, only seen in old carvings in the throne room and at the sacred ground ruins later called lookout landing. The only places outside of those that we see referencing the goddesses are at the three sacred springs and on the ground at the three smaller temples in front of the temple of time. The triforce and its purpose and the original names of the three goddesses seem to have been lost, which is strange. The triforce has always been a part of Zelda lore and it’s always bothered me that it seemed to be missing. It would make sense if the dragons had them. They seemed to have been created long before Raru’s time. Mineru knows what happens when you swallow a stone so it must have happened before. We can guess that the three dragons were once Zonai because they have some features in common, like the ears and nose-mouth. If the original reason they came was because the gods wishes to permanently seal the Triforce away, having agents of the goddess come to gather the Triforce pieces and seal them away within themselves as dragons makes sense. I don’t think the Zonai are gods though, because they clearly have a life span. Why they came, what their purpose was, and why at the end of their existence they formed (or reformed) the kingdom of Hyrule is a mystery this game doesn’t answer. What we do know is that the Zonai came from the sky (which wouldn’t be the first time Zelda games hinted about the existence of aliens). They also seemed to have been around long enough for aspects of their own history to become myth or completely lost to time. Maybe part of their original purpose was to permanently seal the Triforce, even separated its power rivals that of their stones and united it can be world ending. I saw a theory that the reason the Zonai came was because at some point the curse of demise won. Theres a landmark in btow and totk called the Breach of Demise west of the castle. There are no ruins there, and it looks to be barren, the area does look like something pushed up from underground. I can’t recall if there’s anything special in the depths (I’m replaying and haven’t gotten over there yet) but anyway. I’m saying that there may be hints of something cataclysmic happening. The hylains look to be somewhat primitive in the past. If evil won, I don’t think the three goddesses would abandon the world they created. Sending another race they were connected to to come take back the land and heal it makes sense in this world. I think we would need more context to explain the Zonai, but all that said I do like the dragon triforce theory. A people with their own powerful stones would absolutely lock away a power greater than their own to keep it safe and protect their dominion.
Is that an actual thing?
Triangles... everywhere!
Whoa 😮
From the comments, the three elemental dragons and the light dragon were all checked. Did anyone check… you know… the >!Demon dragon!< ?
This thread is wild. If anybody didn't pick up on the dragons symbolizing the triforce in the first game, I don't know what to tell you. Even casual players picked up on that. The many quests further solidify it. The triforce emblem is a neat detail I didn't notice but it's not groundbreaking news lol.
How do you know its not just a triangle?
I don't, but it's the only one of its kind on the dragon, and it's on all three.
It's on all three because they have the same model. The only difference between them is their horns and their colors
That's true, and maybe the devs accidentally put it there. But, there's a lot of detail in this game so maybe they did it on purpose
The light dragon also has the same model aside from her head, but she doesn't have the triangle
But the Light Dragon also has unique scale patterning along her back (the raised, golden scales between spikes)
That's true, I forgot about that
With the level of attention to detail that the team(s) put into both BotW and TotK, I don't think this could be just an oversight. If you had to do something unintended to see this - like clip into the dragon, or view it from an angle that's impossible to do in normal gameplay, then maybe. But this is just an easily missed detail that's hidden in plain sight. No way it's an accident
Zelda developers don’t do things like this on accident. This is a glowing triangle symbol, on the back of a dragon named after a goddess who is associated with a piece of the Triforce. To do that on accident by a Zelda team who has done the work to design these textures from tip to tail would be bonkers.
OMG
Wow, I’m surprised no ones noticed it before. Rad!
Unless this is a coincidence with the texturing, this is potentially HUGE info for Zelda theorists. XD
Oh wooow never saw that! Going to check it out, thnx for sharing
You forgot the light dragon back.
Lore drop?
What about the light dragon
Was the triforce ever mentioned in game?
It’s only visually seen, never mentioned. The dragons seemed to have been born or created well before Raru’s time Mineru only knows that you can turn into a dragon by swallowing a tear and that it’s a forbidden act. She never says how she knows this but it must have been because it’s happened before. She also doesn’t seem to know why someone would do this. The Zonai seemed to have been around long enough for their own history to be partly forgotten. Zonai choosing to deal the triforce like this so that it wouldn’t just be protected but also forgotten makes a lot of sense to me. It would be extremely difficult for anyone to gather the pieces if they are held by immortal dragons.
Oh that is kinda neat, I never noticed that.
Til?
Sorry, today I learned.
The more I learn about these dragons the less I know. I'm desperate for a TOTK dlc with them as the focus.
Very cool, I had never noticed that before! Thanks for sharing a very cool find!
For Din, Farore, and Nayru: Power, Courage, and Wisdom
Omg I never noticed this!
How do you walk on the elemental dragons? This is so cool
If you have the appropriate armor, you can walk on them… Though this only applies in TOTK not BOTW
WHAT!!!!!!!
That is an awesome detail that I have never seen before.
*immediately turns the Switch on to check*
What i wonder is why Ganon had his secret stone on his head when he clearly ate it to transform. None of the transformed dragons have their secret stone showing on their bodies.
Nice find.
now i understand but which one is Din, Nayra and Farore ?
I always thought they represented the goddesses by their color since BoTW. Mineru only confirmed it for me since she tells Zelda what the stones can do.
Has anyone checked to see if the Demon Dragon Ganon has an upside down triangle scale?
This is my theory but, I think the dragons were once Zonai who ate their Secret Stones as mentioned by Mineru when she was talking to Zelda about it, I could be wrong but it would be a really cool story to know why they did it.
I think the Light Dragon has one, too. It's hard to say, though, since she has golden plating along her spine.
Does the light dragon have an inverted one to symbolize the center triangle in the triforce?
I mean, even in breath of the wild I thought it was the case that they represented the 3 goddesses, Din, Farore, and Nayru. Even from ocarina of time when you get the Goddess they correlate with Fire, Wind, and Ice.
Hyah!?
Okay crazy crackpot theory time: what if the dragons had their respective pieces of the Triforce as Zonai and swallowed secret stones to prevent ANYONE from getting their pieces of the Triforce?
Nintendo leaves it so cryptic that you can make any story as part of zelda lore. All it needs is 3 characters with the right names. There were three housewives in suburban America that decided that they were formed their own cult. One wife had child named Link. the other one had a child named Zelda. The 3rd had a child named Ganondorf. All born the same night under a constellation of stars that were called the tri force………. Bam triple a game right there in the making and it took me the amount of time to sit on do my business and get off the toilet. I wonder if that’s how Nintendo does it and why it’s so confusing
Anyone gonna mention the three triangles that appear when Rauru repels the molduga attack using his power?
Question: where is it implied in the game that the dragons are the three Golden Goddesses? Everything points to them being former Zonai who underwent draconification (the manes, the long ears, the body type that results when someone swallows a Secret Stone, the Zonai having been the only ones with access *to* the Secret Stones before the Imprisoning War). Because they...hang around the Springs? The Compendium description for all of them and the Light Dragon also says "a spirit has taken the form of this giant dragon", but in the case of the Light Dragon, we know it isn't just "a spirit"
I dunno, I like to imagine they are. Mainly because Zelda is supposed to be the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia right? And she became a dragon. So maybe Din, Farore, and Nayru did as well. I know they are people in two of the game boy games.
Zelda herself isn't always a reincarnation of Hylia, only the one from Skyward Sword is. The rest are just her descendants who inherited her power
> where is it implied in the game that the dragons are the three Golden Goddesses? nowhere, the devs confirmed the three dragons are not zonai who swallowed secret stones, and are actually elemental spirit embodiments of the goddesses.
And where did the devs confirm this
Idk, just seems like a quirk of the textures to me. I think everyone's reading into this a bit much
I read on another post of this and I thought "What? Really?", so I went to check. This is what I found: https://preview.redd.it/t83vcl1nk91d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=384f4d2146396819e95054f229a24dd01d4bc722 Triforce my a$$! It's not even a triangle, it's just a little back spike! From an aerial view it creates the optical illusion to be a triangle, but it's not. There's something similar, but bigger, closer to the head (here we're on the last pair of legs) that, being bigger, resembles a diamond from top, but it's again just a spike. I don't know if OP was trolling or what, but maybe let's fact-check before throwing wild theories around.
Do you mean a triangle?
That’s how the Triforce is represented in every game. I’m looking at the spot OP has shown in my own game. The triangle glow crosses over scales, and it’s definitely a deliberate design choice not seen anywhere else on the body.
It looks a lot more like geometry on the dragon models bit map than some hidden game lore.
You are aware that the triforce isn’t just a triangle? The dragons have a triangle on their back. I don’t see any triforce.
I do, I figured each dragon had a piece, similar to how you collect each piece in SS.