Gaepora

Gaepora as seen in Skyward Sword.
Gaepora
Species	Hylian
Hair color	Gray
Eye color	Green
Relatives	Zelda (daughter)
Voiced by	Kenji Utsumi
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Gaepora is a supporting character from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. He is notable for his knowledge of Skyloft's mythology and is also important as the father of the first known incarnation of Zelda.

Background

Gaepora was the wise and gentle old man who was headmaster of Skyloft's Knight Academy. He also seemed to serve as a general figure of authority on the island and was well-versed in Skyloft's legends and traditions. He even knew of some secret legends, such as one pertaining to the Chamber of the Sword which was hidden within the Isle of the Goddess's Statue of the Goddess, and he had read some texts referring to the Triforce, but he knew only minimal details pertaining to it. Gaepora had a daughter named Zelda and raised her with care, while remaining unaware that she was actually reincarnated from the goddess Hylia herself. He was also very supportive of Zelda's childhood friend, Link, and he felt that Link was meant for great things ever since he was able to bond with the rare Crimson Loftwing. He also had a pet Remlit named Mia that he was very found of, although he often forced Instructor Horwell to take care of it. Gaepora often behaved in an easygoing manner, which caused him to frequently give in to Zelda's assertiveness. At the same time, Gaepora remained wary of the legends associated with Skyloft. He looked after the Goddess Sword that was enshrined within the Chamber of the Sword and noticed that it was glowing, which was a sign that the time would soon be coming for the chosen youth to draw the sword. He initially passed this off as him seeing things, and he also tried to gloss over Link and Zelda's accounts of strange dreams and phenomena which seemed to match the prophecy.

When Link's Loftwing disappeared just as his Wing Ceremony was approaching, Gaepora agreed to pull his weight to delay the race so that Link had time to find it, as he was sure that it was missing due to Groose's trickery. Once Link found his Loftwing, Gaepora watched as he won the race and participated in the ceremony with Zelda. Link and Zelda went off on Link's Loftwing, but only Link returned, unconscious. When Link woke up, Gaepora found out that Zelda had been taken by a mysterious storm. He was able to remain calm and believed that she was safe as long as she had her Loftwing with her. Gaepora left Link to rest, but he later found Link in the Chamber of the Sword. He saw that Link had successfully drawn the Goddess Sword and overcome with surprise despite the suspicions he had. He briefly met Fi, who corrected his oral history regarding the goddess's chosen youth. Gaepora was uncertain of what was going on, but he still offered to help Link in any way he could and hoped he could be successful in finding Zelda by following this path. Before Link left, Gaepora gave him the knighthood clothes that he earned from completing the Wing Ceremony. He noted that he was apprehensive about the green color for the uniform and admitted that the color was fitting for Link. Afterwards, Gaepora remained at the school, where he examined his ancient texts in search of clues while also praying often for Link and Zelda's safety. He also kept these events secret from the rest of the village in order to keep Skyloft's citizens content, although a few locals were aware of Zelda's disappearance.

Link came to Gaepora for help later on regarding the location of the Triforce. Gaepora had heard about it in some of his texts, but its location was lost to history. He suggested that Link meet with the sky spirit Levias for a better idea of the Triforce's location. Gaepora had heard rumors that Levias had been trapped within the local thunderhead and had sent Owlan to investigate, but he forgot to check his findings following Zelda's disappearance and suggested that Link go in his place. In future meetings, Gaepora became impressed with Link's growth and felt like he was a different person each time. Link's actions later caused the Isle of the Goddess to drop back down to the surface. Gaepora remained outside the academy looking towards where the Isle used to be. If Link met him at this time, Gaepora would refuse to hear any explanation and instead quoted his last oral legend, which equated the falling of the island with the end of catastrophe. He took that as a sign that Zelda was safe and that Link would triumph, unaware that Zelda was actually endangered within the past at the time. Gaepora simply let Link know that he preferred Zelda's safety to any type of explanation. He came to the surface with some other members of Skyloft in the ending, once the catastrophe was truly over. He was finally reunited with Zelda, but it is unknown if he ultimately chose to remain on the surface.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• He was depicted in a five-page official Skyward Sword comic by the team of Penny Arcade webcomic. Gaepora was featured as a narrator for most of the comic. His musings about his own vaguely remembered childhood, his parents and his hopes that Link would save Zelda were interspersed with scenes of Link facing early challenges within the Faron Province.

Trivia

• His name is based on the mysterious owl Kaepora Gaebora, and he also notably has a physical resemblance to the sage Rauru, who has been connected to Kaepora Gaebora through theories. However, Eiji Aonuma has stated that Gaepora was named after the owl only in reference to his owl-like facial features, making it unlikely that there is an intended canon connection between the characters. These physical features reflect the theme of Skyloft's inhabitants having names and sometimes physical appearances that refer to birds.
• Gaepora still does occasionally make the "Hoo hoo" sound which was previously used by Kaepora Gaebora.
• His official artwork depicts him with a book resembling the Book of Mudora, but it this is never elaborated upon within the game.
• At night, Gaepora will spend time in the bath with the door (as well as his office) locked. He can only be seen there through the rafters when entering the school through the chimney using the Clawshots.
• A trophy of Gaepora appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The trophy description talks about his owl-like features in a teasing way.