Gerudo
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Hyrule |
The Gerudo (ゲルド) are a fictional race of people in The Legend of Zelda series. The race was first established in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 1998, though a member of its race, Ganondorf, was conceived in the original The Legend of Zelda in 1986. The Gerudo are an isolationist race, consisting almost entirely of women, with the exception of a male said to be born every 100 years, who is to become king. One of these men is the aforementioned Ganondorf, who serves as the main antagonist in multiple games in The Legend of Zelda series.
Since appearing in Ocarina of Time, Gerudo have been received generally poorly, criticized as a negative depiction of Middle Eastern and South Asian people. Multiple writers have described how the Gerudo are depicted as violent and representing the "Oriental other." Writer Hussain Almahr felt that, despite having identifiable elements from Middle Eastern culture, it comes off as "window dressing."
Concept and creation
The Gerudo were created for the
In various depictions, the Gerudo are shown to worship different gods than the Hylians. In Ocarina of Time, instead of worshiping the Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore, they worship the Goddess of the Sand.
Appearances
The Gerudo first appeared as an established race of people in the series' world in 1998's
The Gerudo also appear in the sequel to Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. In this game, they are pirates and do not have a prophecy of a male king.[3] In this game, Link is tasked with rescuing the eggs of the character Lulu from the Gerudo after they were stolen.[9] Gerudo appear in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, where they were exiled due to Ganondorf's deeds; they took up refuge in a desert to the east of Hyrule while also renouncing Ganondorf and attempting to forge stronger ties to the people of Hyrule.[3] They also appear in Cadence of Hyrule. The people are ruled by a woman called Barriara due to Ganondorf being too young to rule, though he eventually becomes king.[3]
They later appear in
Reception
Since their appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo have generally been received poorly, particularly as a depiction of non-white people. They have been the subject of analysis and criticism under a racial lens, particularly under a Muslim and the
Writer Laurence Herfs discussed how the Gerudo people represent the "oriental other" in Ocarina of Time, noting how they were introduced as the "principal enemy race," describing their depiction as "savage." He noted that while the Gerudo were no longer hostile, they still contained aesthetic similarities to their Ocarina of Time depiction, notably their similarity to Ganondorf and imagery from Orientalist paintings such as "Byzantine-like architecture with small windows, large entry halls littered with carpets and patterned cloth hung in the small alleyways to provide shade." He also noted their tendency to sit on the ground, either as a merchant or merely lounging, which he noted was common in Orientalist paintings and is understood to be "sitting around languorously." He also discussed Arabian stereotypes being present in the Gerudo, such as hooked noses and "scantily-cladded belly dancer outfits [with] golden jewelry." He added that, where Sheikah have an entire language, the Gerudo has only "token words," He also noted that the Gerudo were particularly sexualized, finding the sexuality of the child-character Riju troublesome. He felt that it represented the "über-Other," being an amalgamation of Orientalism through the Western and Japanese gaze at the same time.[17] Writer Johnathan Sanders also felt the Gerudo represented Orientalism, citing the eventually cut symbol referencing the Islamic crescent and star and other elements that persisted beyond the symbol's removal. He regarded the depiction as Islamophobic, particularly the fact that Gerudo in Ocarina of Time were bandits, the only human-like characters Link could attack, and ruled over by the game's antagonist.[18] Yahoo! writer Jessica Ramos noted that, while the "dark-skinned" Gerudo tended to be the villains, the Gerudo's depiction had "room to celebrate," feeling that the Gerudo elucidates players to other cultures and discussing how the Gerudo evoke Middle Eastern and Arabic concepts, such as their garb.[19]
Writer Alicia Fox-Lenz drew comparisons between the Gerudo's structures, built into cliff sides, with the cliff dwellings of Native Americans in
References
- ^ ISBN 9781506710181. Archivedfrom the original on 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- ^ Farca, Gerald; Lehner, Alexander; Navarro-Remesal, Victor. "Regenerative Play and the Experience of the Sublime in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" (PDF). University of Ausburg. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Webster, Hilton (July 6, 2023). "The Legend Of Zelda: A Complete History Of The Gerudo". The Gamer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Seymour (March 27, 2017). "Exploring Hyrule and gender identity". Destructoid. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ ISBN 9780367437985. Archivedfrom the original on 2023-06-02. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
- ^ Mallory, Jordan (January 8, 2012). "Zelda lexicon expands, Gerudo language translated and fontified". Engadget. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Stewart, Sam (November 21, 2018). "10 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Secrets You've Probably Never Heard Of". IGN. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (June 15, 2010). "Big Boss of the Day: Ganondorf". IGN. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Stone, Sam (November 9, 2021). "Legend of Zelda's Majora's Mask May Be Darker (and Deadlier) Than You Thought". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Diaz, Ana (May 12, 2023). "Where Breath of the Wild left off with Impa, Purah, Robbie, Paya, and Master Kohga". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Tach, Dave (March 16, 2017). "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 'Divine Beast Vah Naboris' main quest guide and walkthrough". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Pritchard, Marie (June 14, 2023). "Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Riju of Gerudo Town walkthrough". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Wright, Autumn (October 19, 2023). "How queerness became calamity in Tears of the Kingdom". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- Mic. Archivedfrom the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- Waypoint. Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Kimball, Byron (November 26, 2018). "The Gerudo Problem: The Ideology of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time". Western Oregon University. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ Herfs, Laurence. "Dreams of the Japanese Self in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" (PDF). Replaying Japan. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Sanders, Johnathan (2021). "Holy Ocarina!Exploring Religion in/of/through The Legend of Zelda Series". Gamevironments. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- ^ Ramos, Jessica (February 24, 2021). "Multiculturalism Is the Heart of the ZELDA Franchise". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2024.