Triforce is More Than Just Zelda?

[minishwaker]

K So, i've seen the triforce in MORE than just l.o.z.. And whenever i see it, the game is about MAGIC. Is it more than just a fairytale legend?

 

[JuicieJ]

Yeah, it's an ancient Japanese symbol. It's used in a lot of things.

 

[amaterasu]

i've noticed it in the backgrounds of a few games, but what games have you seen them in? i dont remember the names of the games i've played.

 

[Justeazy]

The "triforce" is not an ancient Japanese symbol.

It's actually from Sierpinski's Triangle, discovered by an Italian in 1915, which was a variation of Pascal's Triangle mod 2, discovered by a French mathmatician way back in 1623.
Fun pictures: YAY!

It's a number pattern in which it makes a triangular pattern with odd numbers making triangle borders and even numbers making the centers. You color odds one shade and evens another color and it makes the symbol we all know and love as a "triforce".

Links provided for your convenience.

</mathnerdiness>

 

[Djinn]

I am pretty sure the ancient Japanese statement is referring to the family crest of the Hojo family. They were a very powerful and influential family in the past.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hōjō_clan
http://www.makie-sticker.com/product/227
Their creast was a triangle made up of three smaller triangles, just as the typical triforce look in the games. Only they represented three scales,

The symbol has come up a few times in media, normally depicting the Hojo family in some way. But it does not seem too out of the ordinary for it to appear in unrelated media as well depicting the royal crest of the Hylian royal family. Then it appears as a nod to a previous historic ruling body. That has occurred in media before, historic symbolism being used in a fantasy setting for a very similar purpose.

 

[Justeazy]

Aah, I didn't know that. I had heard the "Japanese Symbol" claim before, but a family crest and a Japanese symbol are two completely different things.

Although it does seem more likely that the Triforce was adopted from a famous Japanese clan's crest rather than a Frenchman's mathmatical concept, but is there any definitive date on when they adopted the crest? Because it's possible that the Zelda took it from the Hojo Clan who took it from Pascal's Triangle... lol.

 

[amaterasu]

I am pretty sure the ancient Japanese statement is referring to the family crest of the Hojo family. They were a very powerful and influential family in the past.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hōjō_clan
http://www.makie-sticker.com/product/227
Their creast was a triangle made up of three smaller triangles, just as the typical triforce look in the games. Only they represented three scales,

The symbol has come up a few times in media, normally depicting the Hojo family in some way. But it does not seem too out of the ordinary for it to appear in unrelated media as well depicting the royal crest of the Hylian royal family. Then it appears as a nod to a previous historic ruling body. That has occurred in media before, historic symbolism being used in a fantasy setting for a very similar purpose.

It seems that games from Japan enjoy letting their culture and mythology influence their games. Just look at Okami. That game's more or less based entirly off mythology. But just because i said that don't go out and study that game for a project. Go to an actual library or use the internet.

 

[Bunny Hood]

well im not sure if this fits since everybody is starting to talk about Japanese crests but in my brothers tron 2.0 there is a triforce on his Frisbee thingy.

 

[minishwaker]

thanks for telling me. i get it now.