In the backstory of The Adventure of Link, Impa gives six crystals to Link when the Triforce mark appears on his left hand.[3] These crystals must be placed in the foreheads of statues found in the six palaces scattered throughout Hyrule and, once all crystals are in place, the barrier protecting the entrance to the Great Palace will disappear, allowing Link to retrieve the Triforce of Courage and awake the slumbering Princess Zelda.[4]
A Link to the Past
Descriptionshide ▲
A Link to the Past instruction booklet
Crystal
Finding seven Crystals is your goal in the Dark World.
In A Link to the Past, Crystals are magical prisons that hold the seven Maidens (female descendants of the seven Sages). The crystals are separately entrusted to a boss monster in dungeons of the Dark World. The Princess Zelda of this era is contained in the seventh crystal. After defeating one of the seven bosses, a crystal is received, freeing her from the monsters' clutches. All seven crystals are needed to get into Ganon's Tower.
Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask
Crystals are also present in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. After completing a dungeon, a Warp appears that encases Link in a blue crystal and warps him out of the dungeon. Princess Zelda is held captive in a pink crystal in Ganon's Castle at the end of Ocarina of Time.
Oracle of Seasons
Din imprisoned within a blue crystal
In Oracle of Seasons, Link finds Din imprisoned within a blue crystal before he faces General Onox. During the battle, Onox uses the comatose Din to shield himself from Link's attacks. Link can repel the crystal with the Rod of Seasons.
Four Swords
Blue Crystals appear in Four Swords. Link must pick them up from their pedestal and carry them over to another pedestal. Upon doing so, certain devices will activate, such as a door opening to allow access to the next area. If Link drops a crystal and it shatters, he must start over again.[5]
Four Swords Adventures
Crystals also appear in Four Swords Adventures, and the maidens are once again held inside them. When the crystal explodes, the free maiden will take the form of a fairy.
In Twilight Princess, Shadow Crystals are objects created by Zant to blot out the light. When many of them are present together, they create Dark Fog. Touching a shadow crystal causes Link to transform into Wolf Link. Midna exploits this and transforms Link between human and beast forms with the crystal Zant used to curse Link.
Phantom Hourglass
The Square, Round, and Triangle Crystal icons
In Phantom Hourglass, shaped crystals are used as pieces necessary to solve some dungeon puzzles. These crystals come in three varieties: Square Crystals, Triangle Crystals, and Round Crystals. Each kind of jewel can fit into any pedestal with a hole the same shape as the crystal; some puzzles even require moving jewels from one pedestal to another in order to make progress.
A Link Between Worlds
Each Sage in A Link Between Worlds is briefly trapped in a crystal reminiscent of the ones in A Link to the Past once their respective painting is found, although they break free almost immediately.
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Echoes of Wisdom
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Crystals are Objects used to imprison people. Princess Zelda is initially trapped inside one by Ganon, before managing to free herself after Link cracks it with an Arrow. Link is later trapped inside of one by Null after the completion of the Hyrule CastleDungeon. Crystals cannot be Learned as an Echo.
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
Link trapped inside the Crystal
In The Crystal Trap, Ganon traps both the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage inside a crystal by using a spell written in a Magic Scroll. However, since the Triforce of Courage rests within Link's heart, the young hero was encased as well, forcing Princess Zelda to go on a quest to find the three items necessary to free Link within just 24 hours before he is trapped in the crystal forever.[6][7]
Eventually, Princess Zelda finds the Magic Honey, the Handprint, and the Magnifying Glass and uses them to shatter the Crystal, thus freeing Link and allowing them to search for the Spear, the sacred weapon that can defeat Ganon.
Nomenclature
Names in Other Regions
Language
Names
Meanings
Japanese
クリスタル (Kurisutaru)(TAoLThe Adventure of Link | ALttPA Link to the Past)[10][11]
Same as English.
Italian
Cristallo (TAoLThe Adventure of Link | ALttPA Link to the Past)[8][9]
These names, though from official English sources, are not considered Canon by Zelda Wiki as they contradict a name or names from a higher-priority source.
↑From the stand next to the altar where Princess Zelda lay in a deep sleep, Impa took six Crystals and a scroll with the same crest and handed them to Link. (The Adventure of Link manual, pg. 8)
↑When you have defeated the guardians, which I made to prevent enemies from invading the six palaces in Hyrule, set a crystal in the forehead of the statue you find. When you have set crystals in all of the statues in the six palaces, the “binding force” placed on the Valley of Death will be removed and you will be able to enter the great palace. (The Adventure of Link manual, pg. 10)
↑Press R to light the shining blue crystals. Then press it again to place them on another pedestal. Doing so will activate certain devices. If you drop a crystal and it shatters, you must do it all over again. — Stray Fairy (Four Swords)
↑I already have the Triforce of Power, but I need all three parts of the Triforce to complete my hold on Hyrule. Since I cannot get the Triforces of Courage and Wisdom from you, then you shall not be able to use them, either,' he says. 'With this magic scroll, I have cast a spell to encase them in unbreakable crystal. Of course, since the Triforce of Courage is in Link's heart, I'm afraid the poor boy will have to be shut up in the crystal also. Sorry about that. (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 65)
↑Not likely,' says Ganon. 'There's only one way to break the crystal, and I don't think you'll ever figure it out, or find the three things you need. By this time tomorrow, Link will be trapped in the crystal forever! (The Crystal Trap, Simon & Schuster, pg. 65)
↑...sconfiggi i guardiani dei sei palazzi e inserisci i cristalli nelle statue che troverai al loro interno. (The Adventure of Link Italian manual, Virtual Console version, pg. 3)
↑"Magic Crystal The origin of the Magic Crystal is a mystery, but at some point in the early history of Hyrule this legendary relic was shattered into six individual shards. These shards were buried for centuries within six dungeons, ferociously guarded by fearsome creatures. Through an ancient magic, the six Magic Crystals contained the power to open the gate to the Great Palace. To activate this magical reaction, Link placed each shard on spiritual statues housed within the dungeons." — The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia (web archive), Zelda.com (archive), retrieved January 22, 2022.
