Gerudo Valley

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The Gerudo Valley appears in the Nintendo 64 video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Nestled near the valley is the Gerudo Fortress, the stronghold of the Gerudo, a race of amazonian women thieves. In Majora's Mask, the Gerudo live in a fortress along the coast of the Great Bay as a band of pirates. The main villain of the series, Ganondorf, is introduced in Ocarina of Time as a descendant of this race's bloodline.

1 Description
2 Demographics
3 Fighting
4 External links

[edit] Description

Gerudo Valley separates the arid lands of the desert from the rest of Hyrule. It is located to the west of Hyrule Field, and beyond it, separated by a sweltering expanse of desert known as the Haunted Wasteland, the Spirit Temple sits within the Desert Colossus. A single wooden bridge crosses the abysmal ravine, at the base of which Zora's River flows from Hyrule Castle to Lake Hylia in a series of cataracts. (It is debatable whether the river is still called "Zora's" at this location.) As a child, the valley's entrance is blocked by a gate, which can be circumvented with a nearby cucco. As an adult, the bridge has been broken by the Gerudo, and will remain so until Link rescues Mutoh's four carpenters from imprisonment in the fortress. Until then, Link can use his longshot to cross the expanse, or jump across with Epona.

The Gerudo Fortress is the main feature of the region. Within the adobe buildings piled on the face of the cliff is the housing for the tribe, prison cells, and a training center. Atop the hill behind the fortress is a horseback archery training center. At the western end of the fortress is a gate which leads to the desert. Link must infiltrate the fortress and defeat several guards before he is able to access any of these features freely with a Gerudo Membership Card. If caught before this, Link is thrown into a special prison hole beneath an observation balcony in the adjacent cliffside.

Though not near the valley in proximity, the Desert Colossus is often associated with it. It refers to an immense idol statue of a Gerudo woman carved into a butte, or the area around the idol including an oasis and a hidden Great Fairy's Fountain. The idol is perhaps ten or more stories high, featuring the woman in an Indian-style seated position with both palms open and raised upwards, as if offering gifts. A cobra has wrapped itself around her body and cloaked her head with its hood, its own head resting atop hers, perhaps to shade her from the sun. The idol is an example of the hard work, religious adherence and rich heritage of the Gerudo culture, and also suggests that the woman is a heroine of sorts in the history of the Gerudo, or perhaps a leader of their nomadic ancestors in the desert. Within the rock structure is the Spirit Temple, which contains its own replica of the Gerudo heroine in the same pose in the main chamber. The structure of the temple suggests that one progresses through the idol, from her feet to her head, as they traverse it from the entrance. In the game it is necessary to explore roughly one-half of the temple as a child, and the second half as an adult. The two treasures of the temple, the Silver Gauntlets and the Mirror Shield, are each found in an outstreched hand of the larger, rock-hewn idol, and where one must be accessed only as a child, the other can be only as an adult. The temple is home to a pair of evil witches, Koume & Kotake, who also go by the name Twinrova when spoken of together, or when referencing their combined form. It is said that these witches were Ganondorf's surrogate mother(s), and if so, it could help explain his evil origins. As a child the Spirit Temple is used as a base for Ganondorf's evil operations.

[edit] Demographics

The Gerudo are a people consisting almost entirely of women. A male is born only once a century, and their law states that he become King of the Gerudo. In the time frame of Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf is this king, and his second-in-command is the lone wolf thief Nabooru, who is to become the Sage of the Spirit Temple. All men other than the king are considered inferior, and Gerudo women only look to Hylian men occasionally as a means to propagate their race. The entire race is very angular, tall, and dark, and trained to be superior fighters and master thieves. All of the Gerudo women are similar in appearance, and they dress according to their position in their community. Guards all carry pole weapons similar to naginata and wear a purple outfit and veil. The women in charge of social functions like the training centers wear white lipstick and pants and carry no weaponry. Prison guards are the most capable fighters. They wear red and have faces hidden behind their veils, and carry twin scimitars which double as a shield. Ganondorf and Nabooru are not bound to the caste's colors.

[edit] Fighting

Fighting is a part of everyday life. Guards are stationed throughout the fortress and around its walls. All the women are dressed identically clad in purple, and carry similar weapons. Veils hide the face, leaving it impossible to identify a particular member of the tribe, to all but a critical eye. This veil of mystery adds to the terror surrounding the Gerudo name. The top fighters are promoted to the rank of Prison Guards. They get to wear the red uniform and also wear veils. They are more highly decorated in gold and other precious metals than the sentry. The prison guards are fast and have mastered acrobatics. They fight with massive dual scimitars which make them highly offensive, aggression leaves little need for defense. All Gerudo are trained to perfection, and wear no armour. Although they are more vulnerable, these women are not exactly unable to protect themselves. Instead the lack of extra weight from armour allows them to use techniques which are of an acrobatic and agility nature. Also making up for the lack of defense is their ability to recover quickly. When dealt damage, even of an intense nature, they are able to quickly recover without missing a step.