Gerudo Desert: Difference between revisions

:''This article refers to the location in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]''. For the desert containing [[Gerudo]]s in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'', see [[Haunted Wasteland]] and [[Desert Colossus]].''

{{Place

|name = Gerudo Desert

|image = [[File:Gerudo Desert.jpg|300px|The Gerudo Desert in Twilight Princess]]

|caption = The Gerudo Desert in ''Twilight Princess''

|game = ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]''<br>''[[Link's Crossbow Training]]''

|items = [[Heart Container#Piece of Heart|Piece of Heart]], [[Poe Soul]] ×8, pair of [[Golden Bug|dayflies]]

|related = [[Gerudo Mesa]]<br>[[Cave of Ordeals]]<br>[[Arbiter's Grounds]]<br>[[Mirror Chamber]]

|theme music = <nowiki></nowiki>

{{(!}}

{{!}}[[File:TP Gerudo Desert.ogg|noicon]]

==Appearances and Features==

===''Twilight Princess''===

The Gerudo Desert is found in the [[Desert Province]], located in the {{exp|GCN version; southeast in the Wii version|southwest}} corner of Hyrule. The Gerudo Desert is completely cut off from the rest of Hyrule after being abandoned years ago. It can first only be reached by being shot out of [[Fyer|Fyer's]] cannon, and can only be left by [[warping]] out of it. Even though the game takes place after ''Ocarina of Time'', the Gerudo tribe is nowhere to be seen in this desert. The Gerudo Desert is uninhabited by people and has instead been overrun by [[Bulblin]]s.

According to [[Auru]], the desert once held a "prison to hold the worst criminals" of Hyrule.<ref>{{cite|The Gerudo Desert once held a prison built to hold the worst criminals this land has ever known... The criminals who were sentenced to death were sent directly to the underworld by a cursed mirror that was kept in the prison...Now that prison is condemned, and even the road leading to the desert is impassable.|Auru|Twilight Princess}}</ref> The desert covers a vast territory, but most of its surface is a barren wasteland with no signs of life other than some monsters like [[Moldorm]]s, [[Shadow Beast]]s, [[Bulblin]]s and [[Leever]]s. It also has long endless holes within its surface which makes it harder to move faster through the desert. The Gerudo Desert has only two significant locations: [[Gerudo Mesa]] and [[Arbiter's Grounds]]. On the top of Arbiter's Grounds lies the [[Mirror Chamber]], which houses the [[Mirror of Twilight]]- the only way to access the [[Twilight Realm]].  The Mirror of Twilight can create a portal inside a gigantic rock to the [[Palace of Twilight]]. The mirror was shattered into 4 pieces by [[Zant]] but later was recovered by Link and Midna. After the defeat of [[Ganon|Ganondorf]], Midna (in her true form) departs to the Twilight Palace and completely shatters the mirror.

===''Link's Crossbow Training''===

{{Ambig|start}}

The Gerudo Desert serves as the backdrop for two fixed stance, enemy slaughtering scenarios (defender mode) in ''[[Link's Crossbow Training]]''. Bonus point items are much less common in this barren setting. The first appearance, during [[Link's Crossbow Training#Stage 1|Stage 1]], Link faces a constant onslaught of [[Stalfos]] rising from the sand. The skeletal warriors approach slowly and several ''Automatic'' Crossbow upgrades can be obtained by killing enemies glowing green.  

{{Ambig|end}}

==Theory==

{{Theory|start}}

There is a strong possibility that the Arbiter's Grounds and the Spirit Temple are the one and same due to their identical locations, the presence of the Gerudo Goddess of the Sand, and the presence of a large round mirror in ''Ocarina of Time'' that greatly resembles the Mirror of Twilight (the main mirror that reflects the light Link needs to shatter the statue's face and enter Twinrova's chamber). The presence of this mirror, along with the Spirit Temple's general theme of mirrors seems to indicate a possible connection since the Arbiter's Grounds was most famous for the Mirror of Twilight. It should be noted, however, that in the Gerudo Desert from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|Twilight Princess]]'', a mesa can be seen far to the south of the "playable" desert area. This mesa resembles the Spirit Temple as seen from the Gerudo Fortress in ''Ocarina of Time''.

It is probable that the Gerudo Desert, and particularly the [[Haunted wasteland]], is the "modern day" version of [[Lanayru Desert]] and [[Lanayru Sand Sea]].

{{Theory|end}}

*The [[Hylian Language|Hylian Typography]] on the map of [[Hyrule]] lists the Gerudo Desert under the name '''Great Desert'''.

*In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures|Four Swords Adventures]]'', the Gerudo tribe makes another appearance, but instead of being in the Gerudo Desert, they appear in the [[Desert of Doubt (Stage)|Desert of Doubt]].

*[[Gerudo Dragonfly|Gerudo Dragonflies]] can be found in [[Lanayru Desert]], referencing Gerudo Desert and the [[Gerudo]] people. It should be noted that the term {{Japanese|ゲルド|Gerudo}} has also been translated as "Geld" when referring to sand-based creatures such as the [[Geldarm]], and has such been in use ever since ''[[Zelda II: The Adventure of Link|The Adventure of Link]]'', long before the Gerudo people appeared in the series.

{{refbar}}