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Drekaban — Gerudo Link pt. 7 North Star Symbol, read below

#night #northstar #star #constellation #culture #desert #emblem #fanfiction #fantasy #gerudo #icon #legendofzelda #mask #mythology #nightsky #polaris #religion #symbol #vega #gerudolink
Published: 2023-05-24 06:32:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 610; Favourites: 1; Downloads: 3
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Description This is one of two pieces I forgot to upload along with Gerudo Link/Nezukane's designs. If you look closely on the Gerudo Mask, you'll notice a mark similar to this on the forehead. Originally that wasn't there. I insisted on including a design akin to this based off the markings and accessories commonly seen across many Gerudo's foreheads. 

In truth, we don't know diddly-squat about what these forehead bearings mean, but based off the fact that they're included so often one can presume they hold great significance amongst Gerudo culture. I believe the most common explanation in the fandom for what they could represent is a symbol of insight akin to a bindi/pottu from Greater Indian culture or a retroactive reference to Demise and the scar on his forehead presumably from Hylia's original seal. So maybe Ganondorf started wearing it instinctively and all the others just did it to follow the trend. I decided to just come up with a wholly original explanation so I didn't have to feel bad about being wrong down the line.

I worked off what little culture and iconography Gerudo had displayed up to Skyward Sword to inject the bonkers idea that the ancient Gerudo had their own pantheon of worship and we saw bits and pieces of that religion scattered around a subset of the tribe whom are less religious than their ancestors. So the Gerudo seen in the games still carry pieces of that culture with them but their lack of connection to said faith is why none of them info dump their beliefs on Link during the story; they're not well versed in the subject.

That original pantheon of the Gerudo's was akin to ancient Mesopotamian mythology. Though they had only 3 distinct deities, represented in the physical realm as the Sun, Moon, and North Star. While the Sun and Moon are obviously represented in Gerudo iconography, it is the North Star specifically that is represented on their foreheads. And the reason for this heightened merit is the significance of the North Star deity. In their most important myth, the one serving as the explanation for their lack of male members, the harsh environment around them and the reason for the male Gerudo gaining automatic leadership, the North Star deity is the instigator of said myth. He is a controversial figure as this myth can be viewed from two key perspectives: the opinion that he brought the wrath of the other gods upon himself and mortals through his selfish actions, and the opinion that he selflessly leveled the playing field for mortals against the apathetic gods by gifting them the arts. Most subsets of the Gerudo Tribe can be sorted into two underlining factions of whether they originally sided with or against this deity's actions. The Gerudo seen in Ocarina of Time embrace their freedom so even though presently they have little reverence of this story, their ancestors likely held the North Star deity in high regard.

It is the paramount momentousness of the North Star deity's actions that is the cause for why Gerudo mark their foreheads to bear remembrance to his tale. And in fact both factions of Gerudo do this, but whereas one side does it out of admiration for the North Star, the does it as an act of humility and an appraisal for forgiveness from Mother Sun and Aunt Moon by acknowledging their sinful existence.

The design of the North Star seal on the mask is based off of Gerudo symbol from the original Ocarina of Time. But in its simplicity it aptly represents the nature of the North Star quite well. One bright star in the center that all other stars trail around. 
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