Spoiler Ganondorf - Rumors and Possibilities (Potential Spoilers)

[Nayru Jikan]

This will be a bit of a long one. To help, I included a table of contents.

1: Are you my mommy?
2: Rumors and hearsay.
2.1: Heard, not Seen
2.2: Fools Errant
3: Mind Control
3.1: Sage Under Control
3.2: Back at the Farm
4: Curses for Nothing
4.1: Rock Collecting
4.2: Troubles Ahead
4.2a: Haunted Forest
4.2b: A Dragon
4.2c: Frozen wasteland
4.2d: Burning towns
4.2e: Witches
4.2f: Castle in Ruins
5: Reflections on the Sea.
6: Hail to the King

1: Are you my mommy?

Twinrova Koume: Ganondorf's surrogate mother. Sorceress of Flame. She seems vulnerable to low temperature.
Twinrova Kotake: Ganondorf's surrogate mother. Sorceress of Ice. She seems vulnerable to high temperature.
-Navi

So we're fighting Ganondorf's mother(s)? Witches, similar skin, dark magic. Seems legit. But what is a surrogate mother?

Surrogate Mother, Noun
1. a woman who agrees to become pregnant in order to give the baby to someone who cannot have children
2. a woman who becomes pregnant usually by artificial insemination or surgical implantation of a fertilized egg for the purpose of carrying the fetus to term for another woman
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary

You can not be raised in two wombs at the same time! They are able to merge into one being but why would they both carry him at the same time? The only place I can recall them being called specifically a "surrogate mother" is through Navi's enemy information.

Let's assume that Navi's information works like the Gossip Stones: she overheard someone say it and is regurgitating the information for your use. So we have two evil witches pretending (or one is pretending) to be the Gerudo King's mother. The obvious reason for this is power. After all, they get to shape the views and education of the future King!


2: Rumors and Hearsay
2.1: Heard, not Seen

We don't see a lot of Gerudos in these parts... Something fishy is going on!
- Guy on ledge, Hyrule Castle Town.

That's kind of funny. If Gerudo rarely come, why are they there now?

That is Ganondorf, the leader of the Gerudos. They hail from the desert far to
the west. Though he swears allegiance to my father, I am sure he is not sincere.
- Princess Zelda, Castle Garden

They are swearing allegiance now, after being who knows where for how long in the past. It's a good idea as they would be able to offer safe passage through the desert or foreign goods from distant lands. And considering the reactions people have, it would improve their relations with the locals. I mean, look at this:

AAAAAAAAAAAH! A GERUDO!!!! Wha-? A mask? Why do you have a mask like that?!
-Hyrulian, when Link wears a Gerudo Mask.

Outright screaming at a wooden mask, of a person he's probably never seen before or only for a brief instant that same week. Rumors are a witch.

They say that Gerudos sometimes come to Hyrule Castle Town to look for boyfriends.
-Gossip Stone

2.2: Fools Errant

Did you come here to save me? Oh, that's just swell! I'm Ichiro the carpenter. We were really interested in joining their all-female group, but they locked us up like this just because we're men! We don't care about the Gerudo anymore! They're so rude!
- Carpenter, Gerudo Fortress

They - men - barged into a fortress of Gerudo - all but one of whom are women. And expected to be welcomed with open arms? What are they, idiots?

Those Gerudo thieves...they broke the bridge. I want to fix it, but all of my workers are gone! They said that working as carpenters isn't cool, and they went to the Gerudo's fortress to become thieves...
-Carpenter Boss, Gerudo Valley

And they are idiots. They wanted to have a cool job so they could impress people (or at least work with exotic people). This is in spite of the fact that thievery is against the law and thieves are looked down upon by Hyrulian society. Idiots.

I've seen your fine work. To get past the guards here, you must have good thieving skills. I used to think that all men, besides the great Ganondorf, were useless...but now that I've seen you, I don't think so anymore!
- Head Gerudo

And straight from the Gerudo herself, we have an explaination why the carpenters were imprisoned. Gerudo prize thieving, archery, and horsemanship which Link has in spades while the inept carpenters are barely good at woodworking.

The leader of the gang of thieves is Nabooru. She is experimenting with
brainwashing many people at the ruins in the desert.
- Carpenters, Gerudo Valley
When Nabooru was a lone wolf thief, she never stole from the weak, but...
Now, Nabooru's gang of thieves stands for cruelty and brutality. She claims to
be a chivalrous robber, but...no way!
- Carpenters, Gerudo Valley

But when you encounter Nabooru at the Spirit Temple in the past and the future , she's still a "lone wolf thief". So who is leading the band of thieves? Rumor has it as Nabooru herself, whom according to Koume is highly respected by the Gerudo. This explains the misunderstanding but proves that gossip in Hyrule are not necessarily factual. Kotake and Koume's crimes are being blamed on the Gerudo woman most well-known by the Hyrulians!

She's just a little girl, but she commands a lot of respect among the Gerudo, Kotake...
-Koume, Spirit Temple

3: Mind Control
3.1: Sage Under Control
Now, remember earlier when we talked about Nabooru? Let's look at the Spirit Temple again.

She's just a little girl, but she commands a lot of respect among the Gerudo, Kotake...
Maybe we should make her work for the great Ganondorf for a little while longer! Ho ho ho!
Then we should brainwash her again! Hee hee hee!
- Kotake and Koume, after Iron Knuckle battle, Spirit Temple.

Kotake and Koume can brainwash an unawakened Sage? Seeing as Nabooru was dazed and fighting in Iron Knuckle armor, and the fact that the twins are witches, it is most likely that this was done through magic.

These witches! They're using black magic on me!
-Nabooru, being kidnapped.
I was brainwashed by those old witches and used by Ganondorf to do his evil will...
-Nabooru, post Twinrova.

Yup, magic.

3.2: Back at the Farm

But...since Ganondorf appeared, Mr. Ingo has changed completely.
- Malon, Before Epona, Future Hyrule.

Oh, I have to tell you about Mr. Ingo... He was afraid that the Evil King might find out that Epona had been taken away... It really upset him! But one day, all of a sudden, he went back to being a normal, nice person!
- Malon, After Epona, Future Hyrule.

That's odd. It could be a ploy to keep his head down, but I wonder. Let's hear from the man himself.

There are some people in Kakariko spreading rumors that I cheated Talon out of the ranch, but... Don't be ridiculous! That guy Talon was weak! I, the hard-working Ingo, poured so much energy into this place! I don't want any strangers like you saying anything bad about me! Listen, the great Ganondorf recognized my obvious talents and gave the ranch to
me! I will raise a fine horse and win recognition from the great Ganondorf!
-Ingo, Before Epona, Future Hyrule.

Mind you that Ingo was rather resentful of Talon sleeping during deliveries while he was pretty much doing everything on the ranch. But why would a powerhungry king do that?

S-shoot! If the great Ganondorf found out about this humiliation...
I was going to present that horse to the great Ganondorf... But I bet it on the race and lost! Shooot! Hah ha hah! As I promised, I'll give the horse to you... However... I'll never let you leave this ranch!
-Ingo, Defeat, Future Hyrule.

Hi there, how are you? I am Ingo. I feel so honored to be allowed to work here.
-Ingo, Post Epona, Future Hyrule.

That really is a big turnaround in attitude. But we might have found the reason why Ganondorf gave Ingo the ranch: he gives Ganondorf horses, possibly a tribute (and thus free).

4: Curses for Nothing
4.1: Rock Collecting
Ganondorf is a busy man. Before and during the game. And you, wonderful hero, get to hear about his misdeeds.

A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse upon me... This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile, sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule... For it is in that Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods...
...
Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce... Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend... That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power... Because of that curse, my end is nigh... Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started...
...
Go now to Hyrule Castle... There, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny... Take this stone with you. The stone that man wanted so much, that he cast the curse on me...
-Deku Tree, post Gohma.

It began with a curse and ended a spider infestation. And for what? A pretty rock.

I am one of the Gorons, the stone-eating people who live on Death Mountain. Look at that huge boulder over there! It blocks the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern, which was once a very important place for us Gorons... But one day, many Dodongos suddenly appeared inside the cavern. It became a very dangerous place! On top of that, a Gerudo in black armor used his magic to seal the entrance with that boulder!
-Goron, in front of Dodongo Cavern.

And why would Ganondorf try to starve an entire race? Actually, why didn't they just eat the boulder? They eat stone! Boulder is stone!

All this trouble must have been caused by that Gerudo thief, Ganondorf! He said, "Give me the Spiritual Stone! Only then will I open the cave for you!" You, on the other hand, risked your life for us...
-Darunia, post King Dodongo.

And there's the reason why Ganondorf did it. Another stone! Let's see if we can get three for three.

Ho, this letter! It's from Princess Ruto!! Hmmm...Let's see... She's inside Lord Jabu-Jabu? That's not possible! Our guardian god, Lord Jabu-Jabu, would never eat my dear Princess Ruto! But since that stranger, Ganondorf, came here, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been a little green around the gills... The evidence seems clear.
-King Zora, Pre-Jabu-Jabu.

And indeed it does. Ganondorf cursed yet another guardian over a stone. But there's something funny. How did the Princess get a letter sent out? She was eaten. Did Jabu- ... um, I'm not going to go there. But if the letter got... out... then wouldn't it be too late for the fish-kid?

Are you saying my father asked you to come her to save me? I'd never ask anyone to do such a thing! "Letter in a Bottle?" I have no idea what you're talking about!
-Princess Ruto, Jabu-Jabu.

Okay, who sent the freaking letter?

4.2: Troubles Ahead
4.2a: Haunted Forest
The forest spirits were calling for help, so I went to check it out... But it's full of evil monsters! Help me, Link!
-Saria, Future.

The Forest Temple isn't exactly Ganondorf's fault, but it's infested by undead. Nature being perverted. Plus apparently Ganondorf himself. Now, what exactly is a poe? Someone has an answer.

The ghosts, called Poes, are spirits of concentrated hatred that appear in the
field and graveyard. They hate the world!
-One-Eyed Ghost, Castle Town, Future.

Considering that people hate Ganondorf, I really hope that the poes are not innocent civilians... So. The temple is infested with ressurected bodies, pure hatred, feral wolves, and deadly plants. Plus Ganondorf. Which turns out to be a ghostly fake that Ganondorf created.

Hey kid, you did quite well... It looks like you may be gaining some slight skill... But you have defeated only my phantom... When you fight the real me, it won't be so easy! What a worthless creation that ghost was! I will banish it to the gap between dimensions!!
Ganondorf, post Phantom Ganon.

Ganondorf's influence: ghost infestation.

4.2b: A Dragon

While my dad was out... Ganondorf's followers came and took them all away! All of them will be eaten by Volvagia! Dad said that Ganondorf has revived Volvagia... As a warning to those who might oppose him, Ganondorf is going to feed them all to Volvagia! Dad went to the Fire Temple all by himself to try to save everyone...
-Link of the Gorons, Goron City, Future.

Poor kid. He might be a bit hysterical. I mean, a freaking dragon is in the area. But that is a logical progression. Ganondorf didn't show any problems with starving the Gorons before. Feeding them to a pet beast would be a good show of force.

I want to have a man-to-man talk with you, but now's not the time. Ganondorf is causing trouble on Death Mountain again! He has revived the evil, ancient dragon Volvagia! On top of that, he is going to feed my people to that evil dragon as a warning to other races that might resist him...
-Darunia, Fire Temple

Okay, so the kid was right. Ganondorf did bring back Volvagia (according to his father). Although Darunia has a (legitimate) grievance against Ganondorf, he is more likely to have seen some sign of Ganondorf's emblem on the monsters or people who took the Gorons to Volvagia's lair, or the evil king himself was present.

Volvagia: It's the Boss of the Fire Temple, revived by the Evil King. I don't know its weak point...
-Navi, being useless.

So that's Fire Temple.

Ganondorf's direct influence: ressurection of ancient dragon.

4.2c: Frozen wasteland

If you came here to meet the Zoras, you wasted your time... This is all there is... With one exception, the Zoras are all now sealed under this thick ice sheet... I managed to rescue the Zora princess from under the ice, but... she left to head for the Water Temple... This ice is created by an evil curse... The monster in the Water Temple is the source of the curse. Unless you shut off the source, this ice will never melt....
-Sheik, Ice Cavern.

Now it's not necessarily Ganondorf's fault but this falls under his modus operandi: inflict a monster on a location, it makes magical problems happen. Just like with the Gorons, he he had no problem turning everyone into fishsicles.

Ganondorf's potential influence: ice-monster.

4.2d: Burning towns

A terrible thing has happened! The evil shadow spirit has been released! Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well.... But the force of the evil spirit got so strong, the seal of the well broke, and it escaped into the world!! I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple to seal it up again, but...she will be in danger without any help!
-Sheik, Burning Kakariko

Again, we have a problem that is never explicitely stated to be Ganondorf's fault. But giant monster causing problems for a group of people. At the very least, the seal's weakening has been correlated to Ganondorf's reign. With all the monsters and ghosts running around, it's possible that Ganondorf did - directly or not - cause this to happen.

Ganondorf's potential influence: creepy giant ghost.

4.2e: Witches
We've already covered Twinrova and their mind-control operation. First, was it theirs'? It's a Temple so it should be at least Nabooru's hideout.
Let's cut back to the Head Gerudo.

I used to think that all men, besides the great Ganondorf, were useless...but now that I've seen you, I don't think so anymore! The exalted Nabooru, our leader, put me in charge of this fortress. Nabooru is the second-in-command to the great Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo Thieves. Her headquarters are in the Spirit Temple, which is at the end of the desert.
...
You'll find the Shadow Temple, where the exalted Nabooru lives, out there in the desert.
-Head Gerudo, After saving the Carpenter Idiots

So she is the second in command and she does live in the Temple.

Ganondorf and his minions are using the Spirit Temple as a hideout.
-Nabooru, outside Spirit Temple
What an outrageous fellow he is, to intrude so boldly into our Temple... Ho ho ho!
-Kotake, Spirit Temple.

And the evil Gerudo did appropriate the Temple for their use. But if Nabooru is the second in command, why do you have to sneak in?

You have nothing to do? What good timing! Can you do me a favor, kid? Wait a second, I want to ask you first--you wouldn't happen to be one of Ganondorf's... followers...would you?
...
First of all, let me introduce myself. I'm Nabooru of the Gerudo. I'm a lone wolf thief. But don't get me wrong! Though we're both thieves, I'm completely different from Ganondorf. With his followers, he stole from women and children, and even killed people!
...
A kid like you may not know this, but the Gerudo race consists only of women. Only one man is born every hundred years... Even though our laws say that lone male Gerudo must become King of the Gerudo, I'll never bow to such an evil man!
...
I want to ask you a favor... Will you go through this tiny hole and get a treasure that's inside?
No, no, no, kid! Don't even think about taking this treasure for yourself! The Silver Gauntlets won't fit a little kid like you if you try to equip them! I want you to be a good boy and give them to me! Ganondorf and his minions are using the Spirit Temple as a hideout. Only the Silver Gauntlets will allow me to sneak deep into the temple. Once there, I'm going to steal all the treasure inside and mess up their plans!
-Nabooru, outside Spirit Temple

So there it is in full. A bit odd that for a moment she thought that Link was Ganondorf's follower, but she's has evidence we lack. She would had been able to see Ganondorf's followers in person and been able to speak with them. She has a code of honor, which Ganondorf's followers lack. It is possible that as she is supposed to be the second in command, everyone should do the same. And Kotake and Koume are able to make changes to people's minds.

Ganondorf's indirect influence: Brainwashing center.

4.2f: Castle in Ruins
And then there's Hyrule's capital. It's in ruins due to Ganondorf's invasion, absolutely filled to the brim with Redeads. The Castle now floats in the sky, twisted beyond recognition and unaccessible to the tortured innocents.

Ganondorf's influence: demolished city.

5: Reflections on the Sea.

My country lay within a vast desert. When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes. No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing... Death. But the winds that blew across the green fields of Hyrule brough something other than suffering and ruin. I coveted that wind, I suppose.
-Ganondorf, rambling before the big end.

He came in arms, casting hex after curse on people and places. Froze the Zoras through Moldora, poisoned the Deku Tree through Gomora, brought the Gorons' legendary foe Volvagia to life, hunted Zelda for seven years.
And he claims it was to give himself/his people a better home?

Do not fear. I will not kill you... I merely have need of the power that dwells within you. Now! Let us put an end to that which binds us together!
-Ganondorf, before King Daphnes lootninjas the Triforce.

This is almost peaceful. Granted, he did attack Link first, but he doesn't seem to want to kill Link. He wants Hyrule, but he didn't kill the not-Zelda Hylian girls he had in his tower. He was looking for Zelda. For Link. For the Triforce. But he didn't kill them. No, the deaths he did cause in this era were centuries past, before the Sky opened up and created a Sea. The King of Red Lions claims Ganondorf has been cursing the land left and right but there's something puzzling me.

By the way, boy... When you drew that sword of yours out of its pedestal... Did you by chance notice how all of the monsters frozen in time down there suddenly began stirring again? Do you understand precisely what that means? ...I highly doubt you do.
Foolish child. While that sword is indeed the blade of evil's bane, at the same time, it has long played another role... You see, it is also a sort of key... a most wretched little key that has kept the seal on me and my magic intact! By withdrawing the blade, you have broken that seal...
- Ganondorf, Forsaken Fortress (with Master Sword).

How much power does it take to split an island? How much power does it take to block out the sun? Both these things happen before the Master Sword. Just how strong was Ganondorf with the seal? How much of that strength comes from the Triforce?

6. Hail to the King
In the end, what do we have? A madman raised by witches running rampant, and centuries later claims he did it all for his people? Something is off about this picture.

Though his actions remain the same, Ganondorf's reasons change completely from mere lust for power to extremist behavior. Why? Well, if Ingo flipped out, Nabooru could be rendered a mindless puppet, and the Gerudo be made to follow a warmonger... why not craft a puppet king? Or better yet, a God? They stuck a key in his back, wound him up, and set him loose. Ganondorf is their legacy through the ages; Kotake's and Koume's greatest student. Rumors become truth, truth becomes legend.

In the end, this is just a possibility.

Your thoughts?

(Wow that took me... 6.5 hours?!)

 

[Beauts]

Um, wow you worked really hard on this! I admire you for that. However, having read through it I have a few things of my own to add:

Koume and Kotake, it is indicated, seem to live independently of the Gerudo tribe. They don't seem to inhabit the fortress or anywhere else that the Gerudo's live. They seem to live further out in the Haunted Wasteland or desert in general, even possibly inhabiting the Spirit Temple. They are also witches with dark magic power, which it appears they teach to Ganondorf as none of the other Gerudo seem to have magical power- barring perhaps Nabooru, but then she seems to only gain those powers after becoming a Sage. Otherwise she surely would have been able to put up a better fight against their brainwashing. So given this, I would say that although they associate with the Gerudos, that Koume and Kotake are just other inhabitants of the desert chosen to teach the Gerudo king. Hence, they are surrogate mothers to Ganondorf. Now considering Gerudo culture in general, only one male is born every century and he is automatically the king. The Gerudos have to mate outside of their own race as a result, or at least only one Gerudo woman would presumably mate with the king every century. They can't all be related, or there wouldn't be this need for them to go searching for boyfriends in Hyrule Castle Town. And the female Gerudos have to get born somehow too, no? So we just have to assume that Gerudo features are just dominant genes or something, as at least 95% of Gerudos have to be half-Gerudo half-something else (I'm guessing Hylian). They are after all just a race apart from the average Hylian so I wouldn't say they were unable to have kids with Hylians. So, back to Koume and Kotake, even if these guys are technically Gerudo, it is possible that they were born from a Gerudo mating with some magical creature rather than a normal Hylian in order to get their powers. Either way, as I said, they are clearly different from the average Gerudos and thus outcasts.

So, we have our king of the century now- Ganondorf has been born. Presumably in the Zelda universe some magical powers are inherent within the line of the leader. As in, Zelda has some prophetic powers, and Darunia also displays some sort of higher power than the average Goron, etc. Who's going to bring him up when he is clearly superior to the normal Gerudo women? I'm guessing something happened to his real mother and chances are his father was some random dude in Hyrule somewhere. (I should say I don't believe there is a royal lineage in the traditional sense, and that any Gerudo could give birth to a male in theory, and doesn't depend on previous male births in their particular family or whatever). Nabooru is second in command but seems younger than Ganondorf, so I can't see her having a part in his upbringing. The thing that probably made most sense was to get someone with magical powers to help hone his own and teach him to be a leader. The obvious answer would've been the two desert witches, no? So, they bring Ganondorf up and basically turn him evil (or awaken the hatred of Demise born within him, however you want to look at it). So I would say everything I've said so far give reasonable coverage to the possible reasons Ganondorf was raised the way he was.

Moving onto the actual events of OoT: as you say, he clearly holds a lot of power as an adult, even if he doesn't particularly want to kill Link... well, we already know the answers to this question. He was always after the Triforce of Power, which resided in the Sacred Realm sealed away by the Master Sword. He was already evil so he couldn't draw the sword from the Pedestal of Time himself- only the predestined Hero of Time could do that. That is pretty much fact put into motion by the events of Skyward Sword. Obviously though, as we also know from SS, only one where all parts of the Triforce are balanced within them can claim the Triforce for themselves. So, when Link opened the door to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf attempted to seal the Triforce. Only of course, he was a) a corrupt and evil leader with dark magic and b) a nut job with no balance of wisdom and courage in his heart, so the Triforce split. The three sections went into the three people in the Sacred Realm at the time (I presume) or those that were destined to hold those forces: Ganondorf got the Triforce of Power as power was what he really sought and already had a lot of, Link got the Triforce of Courage which he'd proven himself worthy of as a child in OoT by collecting the Three Spiritual Stones and opening the Door of Time, and Zelda got the Triforce of Wisdom, an echo of her prophetic powers. While Ganondorf didn't have the full might of the whole Triforce, he did have 1 and that is the power left behind by Din. So, of course he was strong enough to turn the world dark, take over Hyrule, smash things to pieces and ruin a lot of people's lives. He was well-aware of that, however as far as he was concerned, the shards of courage and wisdom were lesser forces. He coveted power the most and knew how best to use it to suit his ends. I think it was only when Link had broken the curses on all the temples and freed all the Sages, i.e. when you go to Ganon's Castle, that he realised Wisdom and Courage were equally powerful in their own ways. Without them, Zelda was just some princess and Link was a random kid from the forest. Why would he waste his time killing them? He just wanted all the power of the goddesses for himself. He was greedy.