This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
“ | Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves. | „ |
~ Poseidon's motto, and his most famous quote. |
“ | I've got a reputation. I've got a name to uphold. So I can't let you walk, or else the world forgets I'm cold. | „ |
~ Poseidon expressing his true motivation and fury in "Get in the Water" |
Poseidon is the main antagonist of the 2022 ongoing musical/concept album, EPIC: The Musical, by Jorge Rivera-Herrans that serves as an adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey.
He is the god of Tides and brother of Zeus, father of Polympheus, and an Olympian god who takes pride in being cold and ruthless. When Odysseus decides to spare Polymmpheus and simply left him wounded, Poseidon becomes the biggest threat he faces on his journey back to Ithaca as he strives to take revenge, outraged at the disrespect given to him. Thus, he is Odysseus' archenemy.
He is voiced by Steven Rodriguez.
Personality[]
Poseidon prides himself in being a cold and ruthless god. He considers ruthlessness as mercy upon one selves, believing that a real man is a killer because the world is dark and ruthlessness is what a man needs to survive. Most of his disgust at Odysseus doesn't come from attacking his son, as he actually would've been fine had Odysseus killed him. Instead, he was disgusted at Odysseus' self-righteousness and decision to spare him even after wounding Polympheus, thus indicating to Poseidon that his property is not worth finishing, which is what incurs his wrath. Odysseus does see the extent of Poseidon's words where his other enemies were ruthless to others to protect or avenge the people he cared about and even he himself had to do so to ensure the Trojans no longer threaten Ithaca by sacking their city.
But there are certain flaws to his ideology, in which having to mix it up with his own pride than merely swallow it as he had been trying to force to Odysseus is what causes him his issues, in which his desire to simply let Odysseus live and watch nearly all his fleet (except for the boat he is on) drown gives Odysseus the opportunity to use Aeolus' bag to escape Poseidon when he attempts to finally kill Odysseus, and is even how Odysseus finally outsmarts Poseidon, in which he immediately reduces the gloating Poseidon to begging for mercy upon beating him and taking advantage of his immortality to torture him into letting him to finally return to Ithaca and leave him alone. And even for a god, even he has beings to fear, being afraid to roam around Scylla's domain.
Biography[]
Poseidon is the brother of Zeus and one of the Gods of Olympus. Charged with maintaining the tides, he eventually fathered the cyclops such as Polympheus. Eventually King Odysseus of Ithaca ended up stumbling onto Polympheus' cave and killed his favourite sheep, having assumed the cave was uninhabited and the flock was wild than domesticated. This eventually led to a fierce battle that saw many of Odyssues' men such as his best friend Polites and then him blinding Polympheus and leaving him behind.
The Ocean Saga[]
Disgusted at Odysseus' decision to leave Polympheus alive but blinded than daring to finish the job, Poseidon sends a storm in the fleet's path. After a long series of events involving the wind god Aeolus offering to help Odysseus for her own amusement by trapping the winds of the storm in a bag, and that bag getting opened, Poseidon confronts them at the land of the giants.
Voicing his disgust at his self-righteousness and stupid decision and how Polympheus was Poseidon's son, he surrounds the fleet, preventing them from escaping, and then rants about how he hates how he claims to fight for lives but doesn't kill or get the job done and he would've bene fine had Polympheus simply died. Intending to teach Odysseus the value of ruthlessness, he gives Odysseus a final chance to apologize. While Odysseus tries to reason with Poseidon and how he only harmed Polympheus to disarm him and took no pleasure, just wanting to escape, Poseidon is not amused on Odysseus naively not getting the idea.
He then promptly talks about how the world is dark and the line between naivety and hopefulness is invisible and then forces Odysseus to watch while he drowns all but one boat in his entire fleet, and then tauntingly inform him how from 600 men he now only has 43 men left under his comment. Deciding to throw Odysseus' words on being his darkest moment against him, he attempts to kill Odysseus, but he then notices Aeolus' bag of winds and opens it to provide a gust to escape Poseidon, much to his surprise. Poseidon then leaves the scene, wanting Odysseus to remember him for the rest of his life.
The Vengeance Saga[]
Ten years later, when Odysseus is freed from his exile at Calypso's Island, Poseidon calls in another storm to block Odysseus' way to Ithaca, which was eventually captured and sealed in a bag by Hermes. Undeterred, he still allows Odysseus to reach the shores of Ithaca for one final confrontation. Emerging from the water, Poseidon talks about he has waited for the moment when he rips Odysseus' hope from his face, demanding him to get in the water and drown as retribution for Odysseus' crimes against Poseidon, musing about how he has a reputation as a ruthless god to keep and does not want the world to forget he's cold. If he doesn't, Poseidon will unleash a great flood that will kill everybody in Ithaca, making special notice to Odysseus' wife and son and will gouge the latter's eyes out before his death, clarifying such threats are not bluffs if he refuses to die.
Odysseus makes a final plea for forgiveness from Poseidon and how their feud has led them to still hurt from losses inflicted by each other. But Poseidon is offended by this notion and uses his ultimate attack, "Shatter the Ocean", to knock him off of his raft and push him down to the bottom of the ocean. But before Odysseus can lose consciousness, he opens the wind containing Poseidon's storm to escape the clutches of death, attaching it to his back and facing off against Poseidon, eventually breaking the sound barrier and striking the god six hundred times-one for each of his men that died during his journey. Down, but not out, Poseidon then makes a final taunt on how by unleashing the storm blocked his way home. However, Odysseus threatens him to call off the storm, taking advantage of the sea god's immortality by using Poseidon's own trident to torture him, wanting Poseidon to feel how helpless he was and feel how much he suffered.
Poseidon can do nothing but beg Odysseus for mercy; mercy that he shunned all those years ago, but he refuses to stop, tossing all of Poseidon's words back against him, to which the latter finally agrees to call off the storm. Horrified by Odysseus' actions, he asks how Odysseus can sleep at night as he leaves for Ithaca, to which Odysseus responds he will, right next to the wife he loves.
As gods cannot die, it is implied Poseidon will eventually heal from his wounds but will likely never try to harm nor kill Odysseus or anyone associated with him ever again.
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Poseidon was based on Sephiroth as part of the many inspirations Jorge has taken from video games, the most notable being the chorus chanting Poseidon's name repeatedly as he reveals himself to Odysseus and his fleet is what he told was inspired by a similar motif used in Sephiroth's boss battle.
- In accordance to the general pattern of using more electronic instruments the more mystical the situation gets across the musical, Poseidon's motif in EPIC is represented with trumpets and brass that get more electronic and distorted the more angry he gets. Said motif is also used as a representation of 'Ruthlessness' whenever it is utilized by other characters.
- According to Jorge, his canon design is meant to evoke a resemblance to sharks to symbolize himself as a terrifying sea creature.
External Links[]
- Poseidon on the EPIC: The Musical Wiki