LoZ: LEMME TELL YA BOUT GORONS, BROTHER

Up next in the LoZ headcanon posts: the Gorons! owo Of all the races they probably got the most physical changes since I'm not terribly crazy about the canon designs. Like they certainly aren't bad and I like them well enough, but I wanted a little more to them? So that's what I did! owo

Link is once again present for height purposes. Other than that, here's the headcanon for our rocky lizard friends!

-----------------------

The Characters:

-Yunobo is the grandchild of Buldo (not pictured here), the Boss of the Gorons. That in turn makes Yunobo the next in line to be Boss due to the absence of his sire, something that admittingly unsettles the young goron. Yunobo greatly admires Daruk and wishes he could be more like him or his grandfather, but he doesn't have a single combative bone in his body; for all of his strength, Yunobo doesn't have the mindset of a warrior and instead enjoys the simpler things in life, and has shown a particular interest in cooking and medicinal herbs. He's a rather clever lad and has managed to combine his wonderful cooking with healing practices, the combination resulting in a delicious way to take potions and medicine.

His grandfather is hard on him due to his lack of interest in battle and disapproves of him wanting to pursue something outside of being future Boss, something Yunobo finds greatly discouraging.

-Daruk is one of the Gorons’ finest warriors and named Champion of the Gorons. In addition, he is Yunobo's mentor, tasked with giving the young goron more drive for combat in hopes of "knocking some sense into the rockling", as were the words of the Boss. Daruk however sees how much Yunobo dislikes the idea of fighting, and has instead taken on a completely different approach in mentoring the youngster; defense. Daruk specializes in protective magic, something Yunobo greatly appreciates, and it works as something of a compromise. Outside that, Daruk is actively encouraging to Yunobo in pursuing the passions he wants from life:
"You were born to live a life to its fullest! Do not let your destiny take that away from you!"

-Darunia is the mortal form of Eldin, the Patron Deity of the Gorons. Like Daruk he is renowned for his prowess in combat, though he's far more ferocious in comparison to Daruk, who fights with enthusiasm. His fiery disposition is only matched by his rather short temper, but he is protective of those under his care. When he isn't tending to his duties as a deity, Darunia spends most of his time as a storyteller, finding a lot of excitement and joy in exchanging legends and stories from his own experiences and those from all over Hyrule. Much like every other race, the Gorons are unaware of his true identity.

-----------------------

The Race:

-Gorons are a race of giant humanoid-like reptiles that often reside on the high peaks of mountains, almost always near active volcanoes. They’re turtle-like in appearance, with a cluster of literally rock-hard scales along their backs that act almost like shells, with short sturdy and rather heavy tails they use to help with balancing. All Gorons have rather large yet round-point fangs, and blunt, powerful claws tipping their fingers, which are utilized when digging into rock and hard dirt.

-They’re entirely immune and impervious to lava; in fact Gorons often use lava in their culturally unique cuisine, and even take lava baths. A Goron usually doesn’t feel entirely clean until they’ve taken their weekly soak in lava. This is made possible by their hide being the toughest in Hyrule and their near impenetrable, rock-like scales; a normal sword can and often does simply break when it clashes against the skin of a Goron. Their most vulnerable side is their bellies, but even the softer scales of their belly and chests are still strong and thick enough to withstand most weaponry and attacks. To kill a Goron, magic-infused weaponry is often required

-The Gorons are often rumored to eat nothing but rocks as their sole supplement of the diet, but while it’s true they normally consume hard minerals, it isn’t necessarily regular rocks, nor is it the primary source of their food. Given their environment commonly being close to volcanoes, while domesticated animals are common crops aren’t typically grown; much of their fruits and vegetables come from foraging. Mushrooms and roots are particularly popular given their abundance among their mountains. The staple meat for Gorons is typically from mountainous big-horned sheep and goats. Given their powerful digestive systems and hardiness, Gorons can and do serve their meat raw for meals. A unique dish they make is crushed gemstones mixed with a variety of ingredients (commonly venison, mushrooms, and a select fruit for added sweetness), before they’re mixed in a controlled amount of lava. The crushed gemstones are usually enough to keep the meal from just outright disintegrating and adds a unique flavor of “heat” to their food. Only the Gorons are able to eat this dish given their immunity to burning and active lava, but I’d imagine other races scramble to try and replicate it.

-Given their heavy-set stature and huge, long arms in comparison to their legs, while a Goron can run bipedal most of them prefer to run on all fours, almost in a similar gait to a sprinting gorilla. Another method of locomotion unique to the Gorons is their ability to curl up into a ball and roll forward. This method is typically used when the Goron is being more defensive than they are offensive, bringing the bulk of their hard rock-like scales to bare and tucking their heads close to chest to protect themselves. The Goron is probably at its safest in this position and still pose quite a threat when balled up, able to steamroll over threats if they continue their momentum or able to spring up and out of their defensive ball at the drop of a dime with surprising agility

-Being reptilian, the Gorons are an egg-laying race and can lay a clutch of up to four eggs, though two is the most common number seen. Their eggs are hard-shelled, almost rock-like, the shell so protective the parents often don’t worry about their eggs being crushed or damaged. In about a year and a half, the eggs will hatch, with the babies fully developed enough to begin walking and running within the first few days after their birth. While their scales aren’t nearly as hard as an adult’s they are still immune to lava and extreme heat, and they are still more durable than what’s typical of a child, and so they aren’t born completely helpless.

I’d like to think the Gorons, since their babs are born already walking and running mere days from hatching, would be completely in awe of a baby from the other races, who are born entirely helpless and soft in comparison

-Goron sex and gender is pretty unique in comparison to the other races in Hyrule. There are no distinct defining traits in them that could be labeled the traditional “male” and “female”; every Goron has the capacity to either lay eggs or sire the eggs, and gender as a whole is either a non-concern for them or they use pronouns that are entirely different from what would be common among, say, the Gerudo or Hylians

-Gorons being thought an all male race was a misunderstanding between the cultures due to olden times: Gorons originally thought “He/Him” was a gender neutral term upon first contact with the other races and used it to describe themselves before they fully understood what it meant. Gorons as a culture do accept common genders (she/her, he/him, they/them) since many of their own gender pronouns aren’t defined in the languages of the other races, with “they/them” being the most preferred

-----------

And there ya have it! owo Next up on the roster for posting is the Zora, my favorite race outside of the Gerudo! They'll be posted next week, same time. uwu Until then, please feel free to ask any questions you have and thank you so much for taking a peek! owo

More LoZ content:

   

---

Enjoy my content? Consider supporting me through Patreon! It features WIPs, exclusive doodles/sketches, and merch rewards! 

And with every goal met, YOU have a say in what comic/headcanon piece I do next!

Support on Patreon 

OR consider commissioning me! :3

Commission Prices 

Alternatively, you can follow me and find more of my headcanons, artwork, and content on my other social media linked below!

 Tumblr  Picarto   My Youtube    Brother's Youtube    Twitter