Intro
When I first started liking Ganondorf/Malon, my view on romantic relationships was almost completely based on those that I had read about in romance novels. And the romance novels I was reading were relatively old; I got all of them in used book stores or yard sales or the ilk. The relationships in these books were generally based on "old" understand of gender roles and sexual expectations: the woman is sexually naive and pure and therefore submissive to the experienced and aggressive man. Because I was so ignorant in the workings of romance and sex, I took these novels as the ultimate authority and truth.

The two were forced into these stereotypical roles: Ganondorf is sexually aggressive, dominant, experienced, while Malon is innocent and passive, and completely ignorant. My early stories reflect this: Ganondorf whisks Malon to the castle to make her a queen or his mistress (Malon is defined purely by her sexual relationship), or Malon is able to"cure" Ganondorf through her innate goodness, or Malon falls with Ganondorf, doomed by their affair.

This principle, that women's identity is completely defined by their sexual experiences, is innately sexist. Making Malon into a whore because she succumbs and falls to the darkness (by having sex) is absurd. Similalry, giving her the power to redeem Ganondorf through the healing power of sex is equally silly. I denounce my early essay - for shame, Jae. Forty whacks with a wet lasagna noodle!

In my defense, I didn't really know any better. Now that I'm more aware of feminism and its views on sexuality, I've tried to change Ganondorf and Malon's relationship. This is not to say that this couple should be accepted as the posterchild for healthy relationships - obviously there have to be power and control issues, but I think I'm getting a better idea of how they would realistically interact. Hopefully I am, anyway.

Ganondorf
Let's start with the psyche of Ganondorf, because he's an interesting, multi-faceted character. OoT leaves much to the imagination, so my interpretation might (and probably is) vastly different than another fan's opinion, but, for sake of the essay, I'm going to accept my fanon views as canon.

Ganondorf is the single man in a society of female warriors. The Gerudo worship him as an avatar to a god, if not as a god himself. Because he is the only male child born ever hundred years, his worth is innate; that is, with no effort involved, Ganondorf becomes the single most important person in his society. Many would be content with this blessing, but Ganondorf's curse (which indeed it is, as we see later) is his ambition. Ganondorf cannot remain captive in the wasteland.

The desert is, admittedly, a poor court for a king. The Gerudo were banished from the lush lands of Hyrule to eke out a living in the sands. The women became thieves, and any wealth they pocess was stolen from Hyrule. So, how does that affect Ganondorf?

Combine these aspects: Ganondorf is accustomed to power, he is highly ambitious, he has been taught that he has the right to steal what he has not been given.

Rather than stay hidden away with the Gerudos, Ganondorf worms his way into Hyrule proper and makes a position for himself in the royal court. He can't be contained by the Gerudo; and here is another interesting way to view the Gerudo society. Perhaps Ganondorf, as the lone male, is protected to the point of imprisonment. (In ancient Greece, women were enclosed within the house for their protection as well as for the protection of the rest of the society [women could be terrible destructive forces when not properly restrained, see Medea and Clytemnestra for examples].)

So why, if Ganondorf is like a deity to the Gerudo, do the warriors abandon him? There are no Gerudo in Hyrule with him, and Link and Nabooru easily convince the Gerudo to side with them. Ganondorf fails the Gerudo, leaving them to the desert while he moves into the splendor of Hyrule. Instead of leading them as their king, or, at least, as a figure head, Ganondorf uses his position to allow him entrance into the ruling class of Hyrule and then promptly cuts any ties he has to his people. The Gerudo have no choice but to denounce him. They retreat back to the desert, leaving Ganondorf to meet his fate alone.

So, who is Ganondorf? He's deeply flawed, but it isn't until he has the Triforce that he truly becomes doomed. And I think this is one of the most interesting things about him and about the game: there's a cycle that catches him; his flaws are magnified by the Triforce and as he corrupts it, it corrupts him in return.

Malon
On the surface, Malon seems much less complicated. She's the daughter of a rancher and lives secluded from the rest of Hyrule; on the ranch she helps raise the horses. According to the Gossip stones (if they are to be trusted), she dreams of a knight on a white horse to take her away. And that's about all canon tells us.

What can we glean from this scanty information? Malon must be a talented horse rider and trainer if she's able to maintain the ranch after her father is banished. She also set the racing record. She's clearly dedicated to her duty; she stays on the ranch when Talon leaves, even though she's unhappy with Ingo and her situation.

Working on a ranch makes her strong and accustomed to work. While she does love horses and probably is happy with her lot, Malon has an imaginative streak in her. She must have at least been inside Hyrule castle, perhaps even attended royal functions. As the sole ranch in Hyrule, as well as the suppliers of the royal family's milk, she and her father have some modicum of respectability and status. So Malon is a farm girl who is capable of greater things, but who has to stay on the ranch because of filial duty and her love of the horses. However, given an opportunity, she would escape to bigger and better things.

*Smooches*
But why ship Ganondorf/Malon? Let's start with the last point I made about Malon. She has a responsibility to the ranch and won't leave it, but does fantasize about leaving it. Conversely, Ganondorf ignores his responsibility to his home and is able to leave it behind. Also, this is important to note, Malon doesn't daydream about actively leaving the ranch, rather, she wants someone to take her away. To word this a bit differently, Malon is willing to give up her identity so long as another person (a man) is willing to give her a new one. I admit, I'm looking very deeply into what the Gossip Stones say, but for the sake of this argument, please forgive me. Malon is used to fulfilling a very specific place in the world, and if she's going to move on, she needs to have her new job/home/persona be just as certain. Malon isn't the type to run away on a wild search to find herself, but she might be willing to shed her old identity to replace it with something new, something better. Malon would be tempted to change from a farm girl to a queen, even if it means allying with the King of Thieves.

However, like I said earlier, I don't think that Ganondorf is evil from the start. Instead, he eventually becomes tainted with darkness and then succumbs, perhaps willingly, to his doom. It's not worth fighting against, particularly when it offers such grand rewards. My point here is that Ganondorf, at the time that he's with Malon, is not yet pure evil. His intentions are not pure, but they're not completely malicious, either.

Malon, a generally naive person, chooses to ignore (or doesn't realize) the negative aspects of such a relationship. Having lived a thoroughly unfanciful life marked by horse and cow dung, doing chores at dawn, and living with only two old men for company, Malon accepts a chance to experience the wonder of magic and wealth. Like Ganondorf, she is willing to abandon part of herself. They can reinvent themselves at Hyrule's court, and deny the very core of their identities.

I also think that Malon might have a bit of some sort of Electra complex (as interpreted by me, an English major who got a B in Psych 101). Her mother died young, leaving her father to blunder his way through child-rearing. Talon's intentions were good and he's done a good job raising Malon, but he's a notorious sloth, which means that Malon or Ingo are left to do most of the work on the farm. Malon becomes the "mother" (not in a sexual sense, of course!) in that she has to act like an adult rather than a child and is her father's equal. As an adult, she might search for an older man who won't try to restrain her independence. In my interpretation of Ganondorf, he fulfills both these requirements. Yay for Ganondorf!

So, there you have it. Some more of my delusional thoughts on a crazy subject.