Goddess of Time

The Goddess of Time is a character first mentioned in Majora’s Mask as being the one responsible for assisting in the quest of the Hero of Time, Link, by allowing him to relive his three days in the land of Termina many times over on his quest to stop the Moon from crashing into Termina. This apocalyptic situation is due to the evil power of the demon Majora, whose evil essence overtakes the Skull Kid when he puts on the powerful Majora’s Mask, which he had previously stolen from the Happy Mask Salesman, and is possessed by the demonic presence residing within the mask, causing him to attempt to destroy Termina by means of pulling the Moon from its orbit. Link is first told of the Goddess of Time by Princess Zelda shortly before leaving Hyrule on his quest to find his fairy companion Navi. Zelda tells Link that if he should play the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time (which she gave to him as a parting gift) in a time of great need, the Goddess of Time would come to his aid. This is proven true whenever Link plays the mystical song on the ocarina, where he is sent back through time and finds himself right back where he began on his first day in Termina. With the aid of the Goddess of Time, Link is able to manipulate time and traverse Termina in search of the mythical Four Giants, who are capable of stopping Termina's coming doom.

Majora's Mask
The Goddess of Time is officially mentioned in only one game of the series to date, that game being Majora's Mask. While she is never physically seen, her presence is very apparent as the force behind Link's time-travel abilities. She can be called upon by playing the mysterious Song of Time upon the sacred Ocarina of Time, and she will answer the one holding the Ocarina of Time by sending them back through time. She is only ever mentioned by Princess Zelda when Link leaves on his adventure to locate Navi following the end of Ocarina of Time. This encounter is reflected upon by Link when he reclaims the Ocarina of Time from the Skull Kid's possession atop the Clock Tower in South Clock Town on the night of the Final Day, the eve of the Carnival of Time. Zelda speaks of the Goddess's great power and that, with the Ocarina of Time in hand and knowledge of the Song of Time, she will come to Link's aid should he need her. When Tatl remarks upon the impending doom of the Moon's descent upon Clock Town and exclaims that they need more time, she calls out for the help of the Goddess of Time after Link remembers his encounter with Zelda. Using the power of the Ocarina of Time, Link plays the Song of Time and is surprised to find himself speeding back through time, landing in front of the Clock Tower at the dawn of the First Day. Link makes use of this power granted to him by the Goddess of Time countless times throughout his adventure to save Termina and eventually succeeds in his efforts of freeing the Four Giants, something he could not have possibly hoped to accomplish without the time-travel power granted him by the Goddess of Time.

Nayru
Of all characters throughout the entire Zelda series, the one character that many gamers consider one of the best candidates to be the Goddess of Time is none other than the very goddess that created the laws of science and wizardry including those that govern time, the Goddess of Wisdom Nayru. There are many reasons for this association, first and foremost being Nayru's responsibility for creating the laws of time as stated previously. Another piece of evidence supporting this theory is the association of her respective counterpart oracle, Nayru the Oracle of Ages, with time as she possesses the power to manipulate and control time. The Oracle of Ages possesses the power to travel through time as well as manipulate it to her will, and she wields a magical harp, the Harp of Ages, which also harnesses this power of time-travel when the right songs are played using it. Another highly cited piece of evidence supporting this theory is the fact that Link acquires the Ocarina of Time as well as learns the Song of Time from Princess Zelda, the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom (Nayru's contribution to the Triforce). Zelda is also the first to ever mention the Goddess of Time, and Zelda's association with Nayru further supports the theory's plausibility. Zelda is also closely associated with the ancient Temple of Time, which is the place she very first teaches Link the Song of Time in a vision in Ocarina of Time as well as being the place which she reveals herself as the Leader of the Sages near the end of that game. As such, Nayru is also thought to be closely associated with the Temple of Time as well.

Associations
The Goddess of Time is thought by many gamers to be closely associated with various important people, places and items found throughout the series, many of which include:

Princess Zelda
The Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, is considered to be one of the people associated with the Goddess of Time largely because she is the first to display knowledge of the Goddess's existence as well as her own relations to the element of time. Zelda is the one that teaches Link the Song of Time, the song necessary to call for the Goddess's aid, as well as the one that gives him the Ocarina of Time, the instrument necessary to call upon her. Zelda possesses the Triforce of Wisdom, the piece of the Triforce left behind by Nayru, the one most closely associated with the laws of time out of the three Golden Goddesses. Zelda also exhibits some power over time as well when she displays the ability to send the Hero of Time back to his original time using the Ocarina of Time. It is unknown if this power was granted her by the Goddess of Time in a similar fashion to how Link used the Ocarina of Time to relive his three days in Termina, but it remains a possibility nonetheless. This all remains pure speculation at the present time, but it is very worth noting the many links that can be drawn between Zelda and the Goddess of Time herself.