Ganondorf's Connection To Birds

What's with all the birds?!

It is no secret that Ganondorf is fond of his avian followers. One of his closest minions being the Helmaroc King, it is obvious the Gerudo King has some connection with these birds.

ORIGIN:

We don’t know much about the Gerudo culture but from what we are able to gather from Hylian culture birds are used for various purposes. For example, during the Sky era, Loftwings were not only ceremonial but a gift from the gods so that they can enter adulthood and travel. These birds were even used by the Goddess Hylia when battling Demise. They are considered guardians and eventually, along with the Triforce, became the symbol of the Hylian people.

Even in a time when the tale of Skyloft has become nothing more than a fairytale, the Hylian’s use birds such as hawks to scout and retrieve items, training hawks to answer calls.

But how would the Gerudo be connected with these birds? The Hylian’s seem to be more aware of their feathered friends and there is little a bird can survive on in a barren desert, as seen in Ocarina of Time.

GERUDO CULTURE:

The Hylian’s are very religious, their creation story or at the very least the mention of their goddesses can be seen in almost every Zelda title. It is a safe assumption to think that when the people finally came down from the sky to establish Hyrule that each race would then derive their own religion based on Hylia.

The Gerudo worship the sand goddess and hold high respect for the dead and their ancestors. It is very likely that in some way Loftwings could be found somewhere inside the Gerudo religion. The Gerudo worship the earth, the sand, and sun, and it is also suggested that they worship spirits as well (explaining why Nabooru would be chosen to awaken as the Sage of Spirit). Furthermore, we almost always see the sand goddess holding or wearing a snake, perhaps suggesting that the Gerudo connect themselves with living creatures, viewing them as allies or guardian spirits. Perhaps they even used birds in the Civil War and we just never see them in-game. There is so little known about Gerudo culture in the past versus what modern Gerudo culture is like (via. Breath Of The Wild) the possibilities of how birds and Gerudo could be connected are endless. What is known, however, is that they are important enough for Ganondorf to wear them symbolically on his clothes.

GANONDORF AND HIS BIRDS:

Ganondorf is no stranger to using birds to his advantage. As seen in Wind Waker, Ganondorf even had spent the effort to create his bird a metal mask for protection. The only other enemies with armor are a variety of blins, stals, and reptilian enemies who are capable enough to forge their own armor. The fact that a bird would be armored under Ganondorf’s supervision points to more than just an average enemy. It is theorized that Ganondorf raised the Helmaroc King, and I, for this sake, will agree with that. I think there is enough proof that Ganondorf would have done so, such as the way he cares for the bird and its loyalty to its master.

Besides the Helmaroc King, Ganondorf also utilizes Kargarok. These avian creatures are used to carry bokoblins and moblins into battle. Ganondorf has trained them to do his bidding like the Helmaroc King, just not as close with the relationship. There is a distinct difference with the treatment between the two species of birds and Ganondorf. Military isn’t the only thing Ganondorf sees birds for either, they are also a distinct part of his fashion.

In Wind Waker Ganondorf is clothed in a robe that has bird designs along his back, claws resting on his shoulders, but this isn’t the only time birds can be seen in Ganondorf’s clothing. In Twilight Princess HD, the details of Ganondorf’s armor became defined to reveal what seems to be Link attacking a large bird. Odd, considering in this timeline there is no bird directly connected with Ganondorf as there is in Wind Waker. It could have simply been added (and most likely added) as a reference to Wind Waker, an easter egg if you will. However, it could possibly mean something a little bit more… dark.

AN INTERESTING PAST:

As mentioned earlier, birds could be a part of Gerudo culture that we don’t and probably never will know much about. The Gerudo by nature a secretive and manipulative, for an outsider to join their religion is probably as forbidden as a voe entering their city! Why would Ganondorf choose to put a bird as a prominent part of his clothing?

It’s my theory that Ganondorf chose these as a symbol of himself. If the Gerudo did see birds as part of their religion, especially with spirit guides, Ganondorf could have designed his clothing to show the embodiment of this belief. Link seemingly slaying the bird could be symbolic to when Link had slain Ganon in Ocarina Of Time, or, if we go farther into his past, perhaps Hyrule slaying his people during the Civil War. It is clear it is important to Ganondorf that this design is engraved in his armor and it might not entirely be voluntary. It could have been used to shame him after leading the Gerudo to despair, flushing them farther into the desert in Twilight Princess, leading to his execution.

In the Adult Timeline (Wind Waker’s timeline), we find Ganondorf proudly wearing bird-inspired clothing once more. This time, Ganondorf seems almost nostalgic in these clothes. The robes are similar in design to what Kotake and Koume wear, suggesting that they could be affiliated with the Gerudo religion.

Why would Ganondorf choose this attire? He’s alone. In Wind Waker he is isolated, we do not see any other Gerudo (though they are present, just not seen, staying hidden from the world). He could have fashioned his robes to look like a beacon of hope to right what he had wronged his people of. Quite opposite to Twilight Princess, Ganondorf is not entirely maddened by power, and instead tries to fight against total corruption.

CONCLUSION:

Regardless of why Ganondorf is connected to birds, whether it be religion, culture, war or symbolism, birds are an interesting part of his character yet to be explored.

Ganondorf reveals very little about himself as a person before his total corruption due to power. The only exception is Wind Waker, where he tells us why he originally craved power in the first place. This being said, a lot about his character is revealed through subtext, change of speech, actions, and even down to the clothes he wears.

In conclusion, Ganondorf’s connection with birds is probably never going to be canonized. We will never have a for sure answer to his strange obsession and care for these creatures or why he chooses them to symbolize things about himself. We can, however, choose to speculate in hopes of getting an answer.

Cheers! ~L.D.Mire