The Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved game franchises ever. Those who have never played through a Zelda title have probably still encountered the elf-like characters elsewhere – be it the six Zelda characters featured in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the life size Link statue that greets you in Nintendo New York, or the hundreds of Princess Zelda cosplayers that pop up at conventions around the world.
Safe to say, Zelda is pop culture hall of fame material.
What isn’t as widely known, however, is just how much of the game’s worldbuilding and character lore borrows from Arab cultures.
The Legend of Zelda was created in 1986 as a collaboration between Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and published by Nintendo. The game’s story takes place in a medieval fantasy world, home to over 11 unique races of varying story significance.
Of the many original races and species that exist in the world of Zelda, one of the more prominent ones is the Gerudo, appearing in 9 of the game’s 19 original titles. The Gerudo are a desert-dwelling race, indigenous to the Gerudo Valley, widley believed to be inspired by Arab cultures and peoples. They are depicted as having darker complexions and strong, bird-like noses. Although their attire is more Aladdin than it is particularly culturally accurate, the Middle Eastern inspiration is clear as day.
The peculiar aspect of the Gerudo’s in-game lore is the role that gender plays in it, and its subversion of common gender stereotypes often associated with the Middle East.
The Gerudo race consists almost entirely of women, with a man being born once every hundred years. As such, the Gerudo stands as a matriarchy, lead by a chief whose role gets passed down from mother to daughter. The women of Gerudo are the leaders, warriors, and protectors of their land and people. When the once-in-a-blue-moon male Gerudo is born, tradition holds that he is to be King.
Perhaps in response to their unexplained genetic quirk, the Gerudo women are fiercely protective of their desert territory. Male outsiders are banned from entering the Gerudo towns and young Gerudo girls are not allowed to associate with men other than their King, under the ancient legend that suggests that interacting with men will bring disaster to the Gerudo.
Gerudo religious practices also reflect that of their Middle Eastern influence, particularly in their belief in an afterlife and the idea that their ancestors watch over them from the heavens. In The Legend of Zelda, the Gerudo often face religious segregation from the Hylians, whose god the Gerudo do not worship.
Described as embodying the virtues of skill, fortitude, wisdom, and compassion, the Gerudo are a curious amalgamation of direct and subverted Middle Eastern influences and tropes, with thin veils covering the faces of strong female warriors.