Summary

• Tri Rod in Echoes of Wisdom has a unique ability to duplicate objects, similar to past Minish weapons.
• The Picori Blade from The Minish Cap and the Four Sword both share similarities with the Tri Rod.
• The origin of the Tri Rod may be connected to the Minish race, known for creating magical items.

Hyrule is home to several fantasy races. Some like the Zora and the Goron have appeared in many installments throughout the franchise. Others, like the Twili, don’t make as frequent appearances and are sometimes even restricted to just one game.

One of Hyrule’s lesser-seen races has been known to create weapons with similar properties to the Tri Rod. As shown in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’s trailer, the Tri Rod has the ability to create duplicates of objects. This ability seems key to solving the game’s puzzles by allowing Zelda to climb over walls and block dangerous obstacles. There aren’t many objects in Hyrule that have the ability to make copies of things, but there is one very notable example that could point toward the origin of the Tri Rod.

The Minish May Have Made The Tri Rod

The Minish Have Been Shown To Create Powerful Weapons With Similar Abilities

In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, players are tasked with helping repair a sword created by the Minish known as the Picori Blade. The most obvious parallel during the game to the Picori Blade is the Master Sword. Not only do the two blades look similar, but they also both repel evil. Though the Picori Blade doesn’t share too many similarities with the Tri Rod at first glance, it does eventually gain a new ability that is very similar to the Tri Rod’s item duplication.

Once the Picori Blade is reforged in The Minish Cap, it becomes known as the White Sword. After that, players must take it to the Elemental Sanctuary and imbue it with the Four Elements. Once the sword gains the power of the Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind elements, it transforms from the White Sword into the Four Sword. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because this is the sword featured in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.

The Four Sword Also Has The Ability To Duplicate Things

Like The Tri Rod, The Four Sword Can Make Copies

Once the White Sword has become the Four Sword, it gains the ability to split its wielder into four copies. This is how Link is able to duplicate himself in Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures. There aren’t actually multiple Links, instead the Four Sword simply makes copies of him. While the Four Sword isn’t shown to be able to make copies of other objects, it is still a very similar ability to the Tri Rod’s item duplication. This could imply some sort of connection between the two objects.

Making copies of other objects is not a common ability in the Zelda franchise. So far, the only items that make true copies of something are the Four Sword and the Tri Rod. The closest any other object has come to doing something similar is the Ocarina of Time’s ability to make statues of the player, as seen in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. It could very well be that the Minish are the only people in Hyrule who fully understand how to create magical objects with the ability to replicate other items.

The Minish Could Have Given The Rod To Tri

They Previously Gave Link The Picori Blade

One hole in this theory is that Zelda is seen getting the Tri Rod from a tiny fairy-like creature named Tri in the trailer for Echoes of Wisdom. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Tri is the creator of the rod. It is possible that Tri was given the Rod by the Minish to help with some task. Alternatively, Tri could have just come across the Tri Rod somewhere and taken it. Just because the Minish aren’t seen giving the Rod to Zelda, doesn’t mean they aren’t the original creators of it.

It would be neat to see the Minish return to the Zelda franchise after being absent for nearly 20 years at this point. However, their extended absence does make it seem somewhat unlikely that they will be referenced in a new game. That said, the Minish could be due for a reimagining in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, like how the children of Kokiri Forest were reimagined as Koroks in later installments. Maybe Tri’s people are some continuation of the Minish or are related in some way, which is how she is able to access similar magic.