Rauru


 * This article is about the character from Ocarina of Time. For the town in The Adventure of Link that goes by the same name, see Rauru (Town).

Rauru, also known as Kaepora Gaebora when in his owl form, is an ancient Hylian and the Sage of Light in Ocarina of Time. Many ages before the events of Ocarina of Time, he constructed a new, second Temple of Time over the former location of the Sealed Temple during the Era of Chaos, a chaotic period that followed some years after the events of Skyward Sword. He did so to protect the Triforce from the onslaught of greed being fought over it, with the Temple of Light, situated at the center of the Sacred Realm, becoming its resting place and the Temple of Time acting as its only, locked entrance. Rauru then isolated himself within the Temple of Light to continue the protection of the sacred relic for many years to come.

During the events of Ocarina of Time, Rauru is not seen outside of the Sacred Realm except in his owl form as Kaepora Gaebora. He helps and watches over the Hero of Time many times throughout his quest, anonymously in his owl from when the hero is a child and in his Hylian from when the hero is an adult. The connection between his Hylian and owl form remains ambiguous to the public, being a mere rumour from a Gossip Stone.

The Era of Chaos
Long ago, during the Era of Chaos and shortly before the Kingdom of Hyrule was established by the royal descendants of the goddess Hylia's mortal incarnation, Rauru built the Temple of Time over the remains of the Sealed Temple that was located deep within the Faron Woods in the Faron Province. In doing this, he protected the sacred relic of the Golden Goddesses, the Triforce, from the lustful and chaotic wars being fought over its ownership at the time. He chose to remain within the Temple of Light, situated in centre of the Sacred Realm, only leaving it in the form of the wise and watchful owl known as Kaepora Gaebora.

Ocarina of Time
After a young Link defeats Queen Gohma in a failed attempt to save the Great Deku Tree, he leaves the Kokiri Forest and has his first encounter with Rauru, who awaits him in his owl form as Kaepora Gaebora at the edge of the woods. The owl gives him encouragement on the adventure the Great Deku Tree has tasked him with and advises him to visit Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle, then leaving with a promise that they will meet again.

True to his word, Kaepora Gaebora often appears to tell Link about a new area whenever the young hero comes upon it, and he picks Link up and carries him twice when Link could not progress on his own. Once Link reaches the Spirit Temple, after navigating between the eras of his childhood and adulthood, Kaepora Gaebora compliments him on his growth and bids farewell, after giving one final piece of advice on how to defeat the witches, Twinrova.

When Link drew the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm and obtained the Triforce of Power from the Temple of Light. The Sacred Realm, transformed into the Dark World, with the exception of the Chamber of the Sages, where Rauru's powers were strong enough to keep it intact. Rauru kept Link in the safety of this chamber so that the boy could grow old enough to truly assume the role of the hero. Rauru speaks with Link for the first time after a period of seven years, informing him of what has happened and what he is supposed to do as the hero. After instructing him to awaken the other Sages, Rauru gives him the Light Medallion. Afterwards, he only reappears as Kaepora Gaebora once more, to watch from afar while Sheik teaches Link the Requiem of Spirit at the Spirit Temple in the Haunted Wasteland.

Rauru contacts Link again when he has freed the other five Sages. He tells Link to meet "someone" waiting at the Temple of Time before facing Ganondorf. This person turns out to be none other than the seventh Sage, Princess Zelda. Unfortunately, by revealing herself to Link, Ganondorf also was finally able to find her. Rauru then instructs Link to save Zelda and informs him that he and the other Sages would aid him by providing entrance to Ganon's Castle. When Link defeats Ganon, Rauru leads the other Sages when they use their powers to seal away Ganondorf.

The Wind Waker
Rauru, like the other Sages who helped seal Ganondorf within the Sacred Realm, is memorialized within one of the stained glass windows in Hyrule Castle's basement, where the Master Sword is now enshrined. The Royal Crest is depicted directly above him. His appearance in the stained glass window is one of several examples of how famous the events of Ocarina of Time became in the history of Hyrule.

Trivia

 * The exact connection between Rauru and the owl Kaepora Gaebora was left up for interpretation and debate by fans from Ocarina of Time's release in 1999 until the release of The Legend of Zelda encyclopaedia Hyrule Historia in 2011, which confirmed that they are indeed one and the same.
 * Rauru, like several other characters from Ocarina of Time, inspired a town featured in The Adventure of Link to be named after him from a chronological and in-universe perspective. From a development and out-of-universe perspective, they were named after the towns.
 * In Skyward Sword, the character Gaepora bears a great deal of resemblance and personality to both Rauru and his owl incarnation.
 * Another character, Auru from Twilight Princess, also seems to be a reference to Rauru.