Next Article
Article List
The history
Agree? Disagree? Tell me using...
The Form
Message Board
The content on this page was written by the Mariner and express his own opinion. You may not use this without his permission
11 - 6 - 00
The only clues we have is a gossip stone. One of the stones in the Sacred Meadow area says "They say the owl, Kaepora Greabora, is a reincarnated sage." Many people took this to mean it is Rauru, in another form. After all, you meet every other sage as a child except Rauru. But this quite simply does not make sense. Reincarnation means to be reborn in a different body after death. The owl appeared before Rauru. Not only that but there is one instance of the owl appearing when Link is an adult. This obviously rules Rauru out.
So Kaepora Greabora is a reincarnated sage. That doesn't help much. For instance, from what time period did he come from? According to my theories, there was only one group of sages before Rauru and the rest. After all, there is no mention of any idea of a sage when Link is a child (besides this gossip stone). Also, none of the sages knew they were a sage earlier; they had to be "wakened." These first sages, of which Kaepora was one, were the originals; the ones who forged the Master Sword, built the Temple of Time, etc. Yet, as far as we know, Kaepora is the only one of the originals to appear in OoT. It is apparent that the Sages built all of these safeguards, such as the stones, the ocarina, and the Master Sword, to the Triforce to insure that no one evil would obtain it. Yet it is possible that they were still worried, and so one of the group was reincarnated over and over as a guardian. This guardian of the Triforce would be, of course, our owl.
The question as to why he is an owl is unimportant. Perhaps he changes who he is in each life so as to not get bored. Anyway, it is important to realize that Kaepora kept his knowledge, speech ability, and possibly wizardry throughout his reincarnations. At least he has some deeper perceptions, for he recognized that Link had been traveling through time. He has waited for a time when one might need the Triforce, the legendary Hero of Time. He recognizes Link's potential as a boy of destiny and watches over him. Besides the countless meetings between the two, we have many glimpses of the owl flying over Link in the cinema sequences in OoT. He leads Link along the way, guiding him closer to the Triforce. This much is evident, but one question remains. Why?
There are two possible reasons. One is obvious, that he wants Link to obtain the Triforce and defeat Ganondorf. He believes Link has the ability to use the Triforce, and is the first one in all of that time to be able to use it. The other is more sinister. Other people have suggested that Kaepora is evil, and has been working with Ganondorf to open up the gate to the Sacred Realm. There is no direct evidence against it. We cannot guess the owl's intentions. However, it does not make as much sense as the other theory. It is true that Sages make mistakes, and it is possible that they could become evil. However, Kaepora, as one of the originals, would certainly have seen the Triforce. If greed could capture his heart, it would have happened there. Also, when Link was first starting out, Ganondorf did not know about him. He was still trying to blackmail the races for the spiritual stones. Thus, Kaepora would have to be acting on his own. He may be annoying, but he's not evil.
So that about wraps it up. Kaepora Greabora is probably one of the original sages. He was a sort of guardian of the Triforce with two duties: protect the Triforce and find one who can wield it. He aided Link in his quest for the Triforce with noble intentions. This leaves only two questions left unanswered. Wouldn't he have known that Link was too young to be the hero, as Rauru said? I suppose not; Rauru could have only learned of it after Link fell asleep. The sages are not omniscient, after all. And why did he not aid Link as an adult? Well, who knows?