Triforce Shard

Triforce Shards, originally known as Triforce fragments, are fragments broken off from a piece of the Triforce. They appear in two main series titles, The Legend of Zelda and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and a spinoff title, Game & Watch: Zelda. In every game, Triforce Shards are the result of a piece of the Triforce being broken into eight pieces and scattered in various locations away to hide it from Ganon.

The Legend of Zelda
Prior to the events of The Legend of Zelda, Ganon had stolen the Triforce of Power. Princess Zelda feared he would also steal the Triforce of Wisdom, so she split it into eight pieces and hid one in each level. During the game, Link goes on a journey to recover the eight Triforce Shards to reassemble the Triforce of Wisdom.

Each Triforce Shard is located at the end of a labyrinth, and Link can obtain it after he defeats the level's boss. Upon obtaining a Triforce Shard, all of Link's Hearts are restored, and he is returned back to the level entrance.

After obtaining all eight Triforce Shards, the old man in Spectacle Rock allows Link to enter Death Mountain in a final battle against Ganon.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Long ago, prior to the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, both the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage were separated. Unlike the first game, the Triforce of Wisdom was only divided into two shards, one of which is held by Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule and the other is held by Tetra (Princess Zelda), and was passed from generation to the next in her family.

The King of Red Lions first mentions the Triforce Shards to Link after he completes the Tower of the Gods. He explains that the Triforce of Courage was divided into eight pieces when the Hero of Time left Hyrule. This caused the Triforce of Courage to split into eight fragments, which were scattered across the land.

After Link completes the Wind Temple, which is when the Master Sword regains its power, the King of Red Lions instructs Link to recover the Triforce Shards. He must do so in order to re-enter Hyrule Castle. To find the location of each Triforce Shard, Link must first obtain the respective Triforce Chart and have Tingle decipher its location; this is done on both the Triforce Chart and the IN-credible Chart. When the chart is deciphered, Link can find a gold beam of light in the Great Sea where the Triforce Shard is located. From there, Link can use the Grappling Hook to salvage a Treasure Chest containing the Triforce Shard.

When Link recovers all eight shards, the pieces combine and form the Triforce of Courage. He can then return down into Hyrule Castle.

Locations
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, all of the Triforce Shards can be found in the Great Sea, near an island. In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, five of the Triforce Charts were replaced with the locations of the Triforce Shards themselves. The shards at Greatfish Isle, Stone Watcher Island, and Cliff Plateau Isles still require the use of the Triforce Charts. Like the Triforce Charts, the Triforce Shards can be obtained in any order.