Gerudo

The Gerudo (ゲルド Gerudo) are a race of humans introduced in Ocarina of Time. Their most prominent trait is that, through some odd quirk of biology, the race consists almost solely of females, with one male born every hundred years. They are warriors of reputation, feared and respected in the countries they inhabit.

The Gerudo as a race/tribe currently have been featured in three games, but since the main villain of the series, Ganondorf, is a Gerudo, it is arguably correct to say they appeared in nearly every game. Twinrova also made an appearance outside Gerudo context in the Oracle games.

Physiology
The Gerudo as they've thus far appeared held the following looks: round ears, a prominent nose, tanned skin, yellow eyes and red hair. Which of these are actually unmistakable Gerudo traits is unknown due to their small established role throughout the series. A few characters have appeared in otherwise Gerudo-less games who at minimum seem to reference the race, but who lack various elements shown on established Gerudo. As such, any variations to their appearance can not be considered of value to pinpointing the Gerudo race.

The tanned skin has been shown to come in two variants: a common light brown and an olive-greenish version seen on Twinrova and Ganondorf. Though the latter are special cases, their specific skin color was never remarked on, suggesting it is not something out of the ordinary among the Gerudo. Additionally, Twinrova had white hair rather than red, which seems to be the result of old age. Recent games have made some adjustments to Ganondorf's look, changing his nose from "long" to "big" while his ears have become slightly pointy - far from Hylian-like, but still less round than what they have once been. Whether this has any significance for the Gerudo race as a whole is unknown.

The most known aspect of Gerudo physiology is that the race consists of almost solely women, with a male being born only once every hundred years. The exact nature of this phenomenon is never explained, leaving many questions unfortunately unanswered. For instance, there exist at least two tribes of Gerudo: is a male born in each tribe, or does each tribe have to wait their turn before it gets to bear the male child? Regardless, at least during the Ocarina of Time era the lack of males among the Gerudo is countered by them taking boyfriends from other human races.

Some members of the race have been shown to possess magical skills. Given the focus the Gerudo put on physical training, this seems to be either a rare or otherwise unused ability. Furthermore, Gerudo might be able to reach a very high age, though the only suggestion to this was related to Twinrova, not exactly a most standard example of a Gerudo.

Culture
The Gerudo have an Arabic theme to them and seem to be based on the Amazons, a "real world" tribe of warrior women. Being a warrior race, they have been shown to use weapons such as glaives, dual scimitar swords and bow and arrows. In Ocarina of Time, they are capable equestrians, while they prefer the use of boats in Majora's Mask due to their role as pirates.

Generally, they have been shown to be a somewhat reclusive race that does not take well to outsiders on their territory, which in Hyrule constitutes the whole desert area. Though not without nobility, they've mostly been depicted as thieves to the other races. The Gerudo appreciate talent when they see it and do accept non-Gerudo among their ranks if they manage to prove themselves.

Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo live in the Gerudo Desert, specifically Gerudo Valley, which is located in the northwest of Hyrule. The Gerudo pay a lot of attention to the security of their domain. In order to reach the valley, one first has to cross a bridge over a deep canyon and stream flowing to Lake Hylia. In the past, it is heavily guarded by several Gerudo and a gate. In the future, those defenses are gone; instead, the Gerudo have decided to simply destroy the bridge to prevent outsiders from reaching their domain. Presumably they themselves use horses to cross the gap, like Link did.

After the bridge comes Gerudo's Fortress, in which the Gerudo supposedly live. Guards are everywhere throughout the large stone structure, which contains a lot of cells used for imprisoning anyone who dares to enter Gerudo territory without permission. Gerudo Valley ends with a huge gate that the Gerudo use to make sure no one enters Gerudo Desert without their approval. As it is home to a warrior race, they've also created themselves two training courses, one for horseback and archery training and one for an all-around test of skill. Despite this hostile outset, they do accept outsiders within their ranks, provided that they first prove themselves worthy.

Ganondorf, being the lone male at that time, is their king and "god". His second-in-command is Nabooru, who is highly respected by the other Gerudo, but rebels against Ganondorf because she does not approve of his ways. Nabooru herself also has an unnamed second-in-command, who keeps watch over Gerudo's Fortress while Ganondorf and Nabooru are gone.

Link's first encounter with a member of the Gerudo tribe was when Princess Zelda asked him to look through one of the windows of Hyrule Castle. It was then he and Ganondorf saw each other for the first time and Link's quest to stop Ganondorf started. The rest of the tribe he met later during his quest, at first during his younger years when the Gerudo's tight security at the bridge took away any chance of proceeding into their domain. In Link's older years however, the broken bridge was an obstacle easily passed with Epona's aid. Oddly on the other side, he met Mutoh, the head of the carpenters, who informed Link that his workers had gone missing after they had taken up the plan to join the ranks of the Gerudo. To that, he added a request that Link would look for them. Accepting Mutoh's request, Link headed into Gerudo territory. He managed to bypass the guards and find the first carpenter, now a prisoner in Gerudo's Fortress. Before he could set him free, a Gerudo guard, armed with dual scimitar swords, challenged Link to a battle. Link managed to defeat her and went on saving the remaining three carpenters, battling another Gerudo guard each time. When he saved all carpenters, he was approached by Nabooru's Second-in-Command, who complimented him on his success and gave him the Gerudo Membership Card.

From then on, Link didn't need to sneak through Gerudo Valley anymore and could participate in the Gerudo training courses. In addition, Link was also allowed entrance to the Gerudo Desert and was finally able to reach the temple of the sixth Sage: the Spirit Temple, guarded by the Desert Colossus. There, he met Sheik again, who taught him the final song and gave him a hint on how to use it. After going back to his younger years, Link used the song to warp - past Gerudo defences - back to the Spirit Temple, where he met Nabooru, the leader of the Gerudo, who revealed that though Ganondorf was King of the Gerudo, she denied him for his cruelty and wanted to put an end to his evil. Her plan was to infiltrate the Spirit Temple, which acted as a hideout for Ganondorf and his minions, and do whatever she could to sabotage their plans. Unfortunately, to do that she needed the treasure, the Silver Gauntlets, kept in a part of the temple that she was too big to reach. Impressed with Link's attitude, she opted to ask him to help her by getting the Silver Gauntlets for her.

While Link managed to get the Silver Gauntlets, he was unable to ever hand them to Nabooru, because she was spotted by Koume and Kotake and taken away. Again, Link traveled through time, as an adult able to enter the Spirit Temple with the Silver Gauntlets from the past. Deep inside the temple, he encountered the two Gerudo witches who had abducted Nabooru seven years ago and an Iron Knuckle. Annoyed by his presence, they sent the Iron Knuckle after him, who Navi noted to be "not an ordinary enemy". Upon defeating the Iron Knuckle, its difference was revealed: beneath the creature's armor was none other than Nabooru, brainwashed into servitude of Ganondorf for the past seven years. Her regained freedom was cut short when Koume and Kotake decided to abduct her again, to which Link followed the two into the heart of the temple for battle. Though strong and utilizing their "Double Dynamite Attack", the Gerudo witches lost to Link. As such, the Sage of Spirit could awaken: Nabooru, who was more than thrilled about the possibility of revenge this position offered.

After Ganondorf's defeat, the Gerudo could be seen celebrating with the rest of Hyrule at Lon Lon Ranch, whereas Nabooru was last spotted on Death Mountain with the other Sages.

Majora's Mask
The Gerudo reappear in Majora's Mask, this time in the role of pirates. Interestingly, they keep the name "Gerudo", even though this tribe does not live in Gerudo Desert or anything with a similar name. Instead, they live in Great Bay, specifically Pirates' Cove, in a fortress called Pirates' Fortress, which they keep heavily guarded. Their leader is named Aveil and seems to be the Terminan counterpart of Nabooru's Second-in-Command.

Compared to their Hyrulean counterparts, the Terminan Gerudo are much more cruel. Prior to Link's arrival in Termina, they stole the eggs of the Zora Lulu. When her friend Mikau came to get the eggs back, they beat him up such that he died of his injuries. During Ocarina of Time, Nabooru spoke in disgust of such acts. In context, it's telling that the Terminan Gerudo have no prison cells within their fortress and instead deal with intruders by throwing them out over the fortress' walls. Security is more tight, with an integrated use of the sea that makes entrance impossible to any non-aquatic creature. Unlike the Hyrulean Gerudo, Link is never able to befriend them, despite hints that they do respect the skills of outsider-warriors.

When Link was able to travel to Great Bay, he met a dying Zora named Mikau. The latter told Link that he was on a mission to retrieve the eggs of a Zora named Lulu, which were stolen by the Gerudo. Feeling the embrace of death grow tight, Mikau begged Link to finish what he had started and return the eggs to the Marine Research Laboratory. Link accepted and headed to the Pirates' Fortress. Using his newly acquired Zora Mask, he found an underwater entrance into the fortress and managed to bypass the first group of guards. Travelling through the sewer system, which was unguarded, but filled with traps, he found his way deep into the fortress. After bypassing some more guards, Link managed to overhear a conversation between Aveil and one of her underlings. It was revealed that the Skull Kid had told them that the Zora eggs were a key element in obtaining a treasure that would be lying in the Great Bay Temple. It was also stated that they had lost three of the eggs when they were attacked by Sea Snakes. By shooting a beehive hanging from the ceiling, Link scared Aveil and her underlings away and stole one Zora egg and the Hookshot from them (which they had stolen from the fisherman near the entrance of Great Bay earlier). Making use of his new tool, Link explored the rest of the fortress in search for the remaining three eggs. In doing so, he came face to face with three guards, each of which guarded another Zora egg.

Link was later informed that the Gerudo were looking for a Zora in green clothing During the end of the game, they were also seen heading somewhere (possibly the sea snakes' lair) on a boat, only to be heading the other way immediately thereafter.

Apart from the Gerudo pirates, Koume and Kotake made an appearance as well. They do not seem to be connected to the pirates of Great Bay. They live in Southern Swamp, where they respectively host the boat cruise and have a potions shop.

Four Swords Adventures
Unlike in the other two games, the Gerudo in Four Swords Adventures are not hostile to outsiders. Their domain lies in the Desert of Doubt in the southwest corner of Hyrule. Unlike before, they do not live in a fortress, but in tents, while they do still guard the entrance to the desert. They have a good reputation in Hyrule, not being thieves or pirates this time.

Ganondorf assumes the role of king/guardian of the Gerudo once more. While he is referred to by the Gerudo, he was not seen in his Gerudo form within the game. The leader of the Gerudo is unnamed.

When Link entered the Gerudo village, he was initially denied access to the desert. Ganondorf had entered the desert prior to the events of Four Swords Adventures in search of the fabled pyramid, which is a violation of the laws of the Gerudo. This pyramid, which was located in the desert, was sacred to the Gerudo and rumored to contain enormous power. The Gerudo were aware of Ganondorf's lust for power and realized what his intentions are. However, they assumed that he would not make it that far and eventually perish in the desert. Because of Ganondorf's actions, they had blocked the road to the desert. Upon learning of Link's quest, they reopened the gate so that he could pass.

Others

 * The barmaid Telma from Twilight Princess is speculated to be of Gerudo descent because of her red hair and her dark skin. She appears to be Hylian herself though, due to sporting the characteristic pointy ears and lacking a prominent nose. In addition, her eyes are green rather than yellow, perhaps indicating a hybridization of two races, instead of inhibiting pure Gerudo genes.
 * The pirate Jolene from Phantom Hourglass evokes the Gerudo in the way she dresses, the way she fights and her tanned skin. However, she does not have red hair, has pure black eyes and lacks the arguably more mandatory long nose. Like Telma, she may be of Gerudo descent, but doesn't quite appear one herself. If so, then the same is the case for her sister Joanne.

Trivia

 * In the real world, the Gerudo and Gerudo Desert presumably gained their name from the A Link to the Past-introduced desert enemies Geldman (ゲルドマン, Gerudoman) and Geldarm (ゲルドアーム, Gerudoaamu). Within the Zelda universe, the name-connection should likely be explained the other way around: the Gerudo named the desert after themselves (implied by the Majora's Mask Gerudo who are called "Gerudo" even though they don't live in area with such a name), after which some of the desert's fauna was named after the desert.
 * The name "Gerudo" could also be derived from "Garuda", a Hindu and Buddhist deity that is generally interpreted as part human, part bird, or simply a large bird. As the Gerudo are known for their characteristic large, almost beak-like noses, this may not be coincidence.
 * In featuring only one Gerudo, The Wind Waker did shed an interesting light on the race's life in Hyrule:

"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 brought something other than suffering and ruin. I coveted that wind, I suppose."

- Ganondorf