Ocarina of Time Are the Gerudo Tribe Really Evil?

[Ganondork]

In Ocarina of Time, you meet a group of women that live in the desert by the name of the Gerudo. As you try to save carpenters from their clutches, you have to escape being seen. By why exactly is that? Is it because the Gerudos are a cruel people and wish to imprison people such as Link and the carpenters? I don’t think so, and I don’t think you should either.

The Gerudo tribe is a tribe filled with women and a single male King; the Gerudo King is born once every 100 years. The Gerudos are as practice in battle as the Hero of Time himself and some can actually give him quite a challenge in a battle. But who exactly is the villain in such a case? It’s well known that the Gerudos live in the Gerudo Valley – which is noticeably out of largely populated areas like Kakariko Village and Castle Town. This means that anyone who comes into their home – the valley – is actually intruding upon them, and therefore they actually have very good reason to attack.

If you think about it, what do they do that is so terrible? They protect their homes and therefore are dubbed evil? That doesn’t make real sense, Gerudos are showing a basic trait of all living organism; being territorial. They aren’t gathering an army together and invading the Kokiri Forest, they’re protecting their children and their livelihoods.

When you are caught by the Gerudos, what do they do to you? Do they kill you? Do they have you hung? No, they put you in jail and that’s the end of it. Sure, it’s not the most pleasant place to be, but Gerudos are just protecting their children and homes like I said in the last paragraph.

Then of course you have to think, once you have gained their trust, do they really treat you like they would when you were a prisoner? No, they actually allow you to go into their training grounds and they will reward you for completing it. That sounds absolutely dreadful, right?

So in conclusion, are the Gerudo people really the bad guys in Ocarina of Time? Yes, Ganondorf is a Gerudo, but that’s only one person. One person cannot account for an entire group. So the next time you’re there in the prison, about to escape, think about what they could have done to you instead of just stinking you in a jail cell. They’re really not that bad of a group when you think about it.

 

[insanity76]

Ganondorf is Evil, the rest of the Gerudo aren't. Even Nabooru mentions that she is against Ganondorf's stealing from women & children ("weaker" or "more defenseless" people) and killing. Granted the Gerudo are a race of thieves which isn't the most noble profession, but it could be a survival tactic for them, sort of like how in Africa hyenas will try and steal a fresh kill from another predator if the opportunity presents itself. Even if the Gerudo do derive some sort of personal satisfaction from thievery, there's no malicious or evil intent like there is with Ganondorf.

Regarding them being hostile toward Link (and the carpenters), you pretty much share my view on it .. the desert is their territory and they're defending it from outsiders. They admittedly don't like men, and that's what the carpenters claim is the only reason for getting locked up, but would they lock up a female Hylian who was trespassing? I think they would.

 

[thefourthsword]

there girls who dont like boys and well there theifs

 

[Ventus]

Like you said, Ganondorf is one man. For the King of Hyrule to banish all the Gerudo...well, that's just wrong. I understand that Nabooru is a thief as well (so, she most likely stole from Hylian citizens on more than one occasion), but perhaps with a little disipline she could have became something 'better', such as a treasure hunter (a la Indiana Jones)? The Gerudo race as a whole is not evil, but select people within the race clearly are.

It certainly would be interesting to see their views on Hylian women. As we can see, yes they are hostile to men (except Ganondorf in *most* cases). I know some women are especially violent and/or hateful towards most men but when a female passes by (with no male in the vicinity), they treat them pretty much like welcome guests. I don't know if it would be the same with the Gerudo, but it would be nice to find out.

 

[Zorth]

As I remember it they HATE Men..
And they are thiefs.. But you are correct they only want to protect themselves.


How they reproduce however I'd like to know..

 

[Abbey]

I dunno, hate is evil, stealing is pretty shady, but they have reasons for the hate, so that just leaves shady. I guess you could just call them renegades.

 

[zeldahuman]

I don't think the Gerudo are bad at all. Link isn't bad either, he's being the hero and saving The Carpenters, but the Gerudo have every right to imprison Link. I mean, as you said, they were being territorial. But they were very hostile toward Link, maybe too hostile. All i'm saying is that they aren't evil, but they could have acting a little more... i guess i'll say, friendly.

But then again, Link diliberately shot them all with arrows and his LongShot... so... yeah. Kind of on the fence about this.

 

[Luigidude64]

In FSA, the Red Maiden said that the Gerudo Tribe that lived in the Desert of Doubt were peacefull, and didn't cause chaos or steal things. The only actual "Evil" Gerudo was Ganon(dorf). In most of the game, the gerudo are considered theives, and women who don't take "No" for an answer. FSA gives that a different twist.

How they reproduce however I'd like to know...

( that's halarious, but they supposedly capture men from villages and mostly Castle Town (when present) )

 

[Maikeru]

I don't think so. I think commonly conflict is caused by a misunderstanding or an exaggeration, perhaps manipulation. I don't think the Gerudo tribe is any different that that.

 

[425]

I wouldn't say the Gerudos are EVIL, but I also wouldn't say that they are virtuous by any means either.

True, few of them are evil on a level of Ganondorf. Ganondorf wasn't content to be the King of Thieves, he wanted to rule the people of Hyrule, and did, at all costs. He created an era of 7 years of pure evil and darkness ruling Hyrule. Along with his adopted mothers, Twinrova, he was a truly evil person who also happened to be a Gerudo. It is also easily possible for someone to reach a similar level of evil as a Hylian, though perhaps not the same level of power.

As for the rest of the Gerudo tribe, they were definitely not evil. Though at first they acted to defend their territory, they soon warmed up to Link, and, upon seeing his skills, invited him to join their band of thieves. They then aided him on his quest. Thus, they showed some interest in honoring goodness.

However, as thieves, they really could not be considered moral people. Regardless of what good deeds one does such as aiding a hero on his journey, it does not erase moral wrongs done, and stealing is very obviously a moral wrong. Thus, the Gerudo cannot be considered a moral people, but they are certainly not purely evil.

 

[Linknerd09]

I don't think they are. They look pretty harmless once you gain their trust. Ganondorf on the other hand, is just pure to every single person in Hyrule.

The Gerudo Tribe don't seem harmless on OoT. But on MM, they are mean, stealing Zora eggs from LuLu and getting some treasure at some temple or something. Ganondorf is the only Gerudo Tribe member being evil.