Gerudo

Overview

The Gerudo are a violent, cunning and crafty tribe of thieves that lives in the desert areas of The Legend of Zelda series. They have tanned skin, golden eyes, red hair, and most of them also have sharp and thin noses which gives them a bird-like appearance. The tribe is primarily composed of women, but only one male Gerudo is born every century and this man is supposed to be the leader of the tribe during that time. Ganondorf is a male Gerudo. Besides Ganondorf, there are other notable members of the tribe including Twinrova (which are believed to be Ganondorf’s surrogate mothers) and Nabooru, the second-in-command.

They first appeared in Ocarina of Time as Link advanced through the desert land to find the Gerudo Fortress where a bunch of carpenters were being held captive. Link sneaked in to rescue the carpenters. He had to be careful or else he would be thrown into a jail cell if he were to be spotted or defeated in a fight with one of the guards.

The Gerudo in Majora’s Mask were portrayed as pirates. They control a massive fortress where some precious, stolen Zora eggs were hidden. The pirates mortally injured Mikau when he attempted to rescue the eggs.

In Wind Waker, only Ganondorf is seen as there isn’t a single female member of the group present, which leads many to believe that the Gerudo and their evil desires were completely drowned by the flood that sunk Hyrule.

The Gerudo in Four Swords Adventures are shown as honorable and pure, completely opposite of how they are normally portrayed.

In Twilight Princess, once again the tribe members do not appear besides Ganondorf, although Link explored the Gerudo Desert during the course of his adventure. All he found there is the Arbiter’s Grounds which is supposed to be a prison where Hyrule’s most dangerous criminals were kept, including many Gerudo. Telma – a woman that owns a bar in Hyrule Castle Town – has the appearance of a Gerudo with her dark skin and red hair, but the rumors that she is descendant of the tribe have never been confirmed.

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Gerudo Town is in the Gerudo Desert. Link is initially not allowed in due to the Gerudo only allowing women in to the town.