Kaepora Gaebora

Kaepora Gaebora (Pronounced, ) is an owl that appears in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Four Swords Adventures. The Ocarina of Time incarnation of the character, at least, is a form of Rauru. Kaepora Gaebora serves as one of Link's main allies; with his profound depth of knowledge, he advises Link on where to go, while his physical strength allows him to actually carry Link when necessary.

Ocarina of Time
In ancient times, Rauru built the Temple of Time. Afterward, he seems to have remained within the Temple of Light, only leaving the Sacred Realm as Kaepora Gaebora, his owl form. Among the populace, it is widely rumored that Kaepora Gaebora is the reincarnation of an ancient sage, although they do not seem to know that he is Rauru in particular.

After Link defeated Queen Gohma and left the Kokiri Forest, Kaepora Gaebora awaited him at the edge of the woods, giving him encouragement on the adventure the Great Deku Tree had tasked him with and directing him to Hyrule Castle, then leaving with a promise that they'd meet again.

True to his word, Kaepora Gaebora often appeared to tell Link about a new area whenever the boy came upon it, and he picked Link up and carried him twice, when the boy could not progress on his own. Once Link reached the Spirit Temple, after navigating between the eras of his childhood and adulthood, Kaepora Gaebora complimented him on his growth and bid farewell, after giving one final piece of advice on how to defeat the witches, Twinrova.

When Link opened the Door of Time and drew the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, Rauru kept Link with him in the Sacred Realm so that, in the safety of the Light Temple, the boy could grow old enough to truly assume the role of the hero. Rauru spoke with Link for the first time after those seven years, informing him of what had happened and what he was supposed to do as the hero. After instructing him to awaken the other Sages, Rauru gave him the Light Medallion. Afterward, he only reappeared as Kaepora Gaebora once, to watch from afar while Sheik taught Link the Requiem of Spirit.

Rauru contacted Link again when he had freed the other five Sages. He told Link to meet "someone" waiting at the Temple of Time before facing Ganondorf. This person turned 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 instructed Link to save Zelda and told him that he and the other Sages would aid him by providing entrance to Ganon's Castle. When Link defeated Ganon, Rauru led the other Sages when they used their powers to seal away Ganondorf.

Encounters

 * Initial Appearance: At the entrance of Hyrule Field from Kokiri Forest.
 * Introduces himself and directs Link towards Hyrule Castle.


 * Second Appearance: At the entrance of Kakariko Village.
 * Introduces Link to Kakariko Village and redirects Link to Hyrule Castle if he has not spoken to Princess Zelda yet.


 * Third Appearance: At the crossroads of Lake Hylia and Gerudo Valley.
 * Gives Link information on the Lake Hylia and Gerudo Valley regions.


 * Fourth Appearance: On the road to Lake Hylia.
 * Provides Link information on the Zora race as well as an insight into the Lake itself. Kaepora helps Link locate the Lake on his map subscreen as well.


 * Fifth Appearance: Near Hyrule Castle.
 * Encourages Link to infiltrate Hyrule Castle and chats about the passing of time in the overworld as compared to civilization.


 * Sixth Appearance: Over Lon Lon Ranch.
 * Kaepora Gaebora flies above Link as Malon teaches him Epona's Song.


 * Seventh Appearance: Before the Lost Woods in the Kokiri Forest.
 * Informs Link on Saria's location deep in the Sacred Forest Meadow.


 * Eighth Appearance: Deep in the Lost Woods.
 * Divulges information on ocarina song usage.


 * Ninth Appearance: At the top of Death Mountain.
 * Gives information on Death Mountain, the Great Fairies, and a shortcut to Kakariko Village.


 * Tenth Appearance: At the entrance to Zora's River.
 * Reports more information about the Zoras and how to enter their domain.


 * Eleventh Appearance: At Lake Hylia.
 * Gives insight on the Water Temple, its protection by the Zoras, and offers a ride back to Hyrule Castle Town.


 * Twelfth Appearance: Nearby the Spirit Temple in the Desert Colossus in the era of Adult Link.
 * Kaepora Gaebora observes Link learn the Requiem of Spirit then flies off.


 * Final Appearance: At the entrance of the Spirit Temple in the Desert Colossus.
 * Reports its final bit of knowledge on defeating Twinrova and bids Link goodbye.

Majora's Mask
In the alternate dimension of Termina, Kaepora Gaebora's counterpart makes two appearances. The wise owl teaches Link the Song of Soaring, which allows Link to warp between the various Owl Statues, in the Southern Swamp beside the entrance to Woodfall. He says that the act of playing the song binds them as eternal friends.

He later reappears in the Goron Village of Snowhead, where he guides Link to the Lens of Truth by dropping his feathers on each of the invisible platforms that form the path to the relic's location, Lone Peak Shrine.

Four Swords Adventures
Kaepora Gaebora first appears after Link draws the Four Sword, then reappears throughout Hyrule to give the Links advice on how to proceed.

Trivia

 * Kaepora Gaebora draws much inspiration from the Owl in Link's Awakening. Both characters have basically the same role, with the main difference being that the Owl is part of the Wind Fish, while Kaepora Gaebora is the Hyrulean sage, Rauru. The Light Spirit Eldin in Twilight Princess is also an owl-like being, although his role is much smaller and confined to the Eldin Province.
 * As an owl, Kaepora Gaebora can rotate his head at least 180°; when he does so, his eyebrows and markings resemble a caricature of Rauru's face.
 * Most of Kaepora Gaebora's lengthy speeches end with a question of whether he should repeat his story. The default response is yes, which can lead to a player having to repeat the dialogue if they speed through it carelessly.
 * In Skyward Sword, Zelda's father Gaepora is an old Hylian who shares the same personality and a similar name to Kaepora Geabora and shares some of his physical traits; such as his eyebrows and triangular beard correlate with some of Kaepora Gaebora's characteristics, suggesting that Kaepora Gaebora is a reincarnation of Gaepora.
 * He also bears a great deal of resemblance to Kaepora Gaebora's true form, Rauru.