The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time may be one of the most revered and cherished games in the entirety of Nintendo's catalog, but repeat playthroughs through the Nintendo 64 classic will find players plagued with obnoxious roadblocks, such as the oft-derided Water Temple or the walls of text from Navi and Kaepora Gaebora. While Navi the fairy partners up with Link in his quest to defeat Ganondorf and is difficult to forget, Kaepora Gaebora is an owl who only occasionally halts the hero to offer him his wisdom. However, fans developed a theory over time that this rather annoying owl is actually none other than Rauru, the Sage of Light, based off of multiple pieces of evidence found in and out of Ocarina of Time's text.
After pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal, Link enters a magically-induced seven-year coma because he isn't old enough to become the Hero of Time and wield the blade of evil's bane. After his lengthy slumber, Rauru greets Link in the sacred realm and explains to him that Ganondorf managed to steal the Triforce and take over the kingdom of Hyrule. At first glance, Rauru seems to have no correlation with the aforementioned obnoxious owl, but it turns out that these characters are actually one and the same.
Throughout Hyrule, Link comes across the Gossip Stones, small rocks with the symbol of the Mask of Truth carved into them, that reveal rumors about the kingdom's history and citizens. In the forest, there are stones that claim Kaepora Gaebora is a "reincarnation of an ancient sage" and that the same bird "is rather lighthearted." The first quote is an obvious connection to the sages, since it's stating how Kaebora Gaebora used to be a sage at one point, but the second quote is implicative that he was a light sage, just like Rauru.
How Nintendo Confirmed Zelda's Sage of Light Theory
This theory was also confirmed to be true in Nintendo's Hyrule Historia book, which is a compilation of official lore for the Zelda series, but fans can also connect Kaepora Gaebora to Zelda's father from Skyward Sword, Gaebora. While the two characters obviously share a very similar name, the two are aesthetically close as well, since they both possess massive and elegant eyebrows. Gaebora also appears to be a slightly younger version of Rauru, and both share the same build and wear similar attire. It's speculated that Gaebora became the Sage of Light and his spirit remained in the sacred realm, while his body was reincarnated into Kaepora Gaebora to assist the Hero of Time centuries later.
Both Rauru and Kaepora Gaebora are depicted to be extremely wise, and it's clear throughout Skyward Sword that Gaebora has a similar level of knowledge and intelligence to these other characters. He's aware of the ancient history of life before Skyloft, which most other Hylians at the time are completely unaware of, and his office is decked out with a plethora of books. For example, when Link asks Gaebora about the location of the Triforce, he's baffled that Link even heard the word before. While there is no official confirmation linking Gaebora back to Kaebora Gaebora or Rauru, it's quite possible that these three popular Legend of Zelda characters are more interconnected that one might assume.