Changes: Poseidon

Revision as of 22:05, 19 March 2013

“	Zeus should have kept you where you belong. No matter how many gods fall, there will always be another to stand against you!	”
–Poseidon.

Template:Infobox godsPoseidon is second only in eminence to his brother, Zeus. He is God of the Seas and ruler of Atlantis and an antagonist in God of War III.

Greek Mythology

Poseidon was the God of the seas and (widely known as the "Earth-Shaker") of earthquakes. In Roman mythology, he was known as Neptune. Linear B tablets show that Poseidon was venerated at Pylos and Thebes in pre-Olympian Greece, but he was integrated into the Olympian gods as the brother of Zeus and Hades, generally considered the second most powerful God after Zeus. Poseidon and Amphitrite, a nymph and ancient sea-goddess and daughter of Oceanus, had many children including Triton, messenger of the sea and herald to Amphitrite, Theseus, the cyclops Polyphemus, and Orion the giant master hunter. There is a Homeric hymn to Poseidon, who was the protector of many Hellenic cities, although he lost the contest for Athens to Athena. He was the patron god of many important seafaring cities, and was widely prayed for safe voyages, for he could quickly send a tempest to destroy those who disrespected him.

Like his brother Zeus, Poseidon was known for having many human lovers. He once had sex with Medusa on the floor of one of Athena's temples. Angered by the blasphemy, the goddess Athena then changed Medusa into a Gorgon. When she was later beheaded by the hero Perseus, Chryasor and Pegasus emerged from the blood spilling from her neck.

In the God of War Series

Great War

Like the rest of his siblings, Poseidon was swallowed by the mighty Titan Cronos. When he was released, he

Poseidon's attack — Poseidon during the Great War.

fought alongside his brother, Zeus, in the Great War. During a great battle between the Gods and the Titans, Poseidon aided his brother Hades in defeating the Titan leader Atlas. Atlas was electrocuted by Poseidon’s storm, bringing him to his knees. With his fiery chains Hades grasped onto Atlas and captured his soul. After the Blade of Olympus was created and the Titans were banished to Tartarus, Poseidon was given dominion over all seas. He took Amphitrite as his wife and watched over the waters of Greece, being worshiped by sailors to grant safe passage.

Wager of the Gods

Poseidon briefly appeared as a contender in the wager of the gods, a contest in which they would each choose one mortal to represent them. The ultimate goal was to capture the healing elixir, Ambrosia. At first, Poseidon kept his champion a secret from the others until finally revealing the Theran warlord Herodius as his champion. Herodius forcefully entered said contest to save his people from a plague secretly created by Poseidon, but never returned, as Kratos and his Spartans killed both Heriodius and his army. After the Spartans took Herodius' ship, Poseidon, enraged with Kratos' actions of late, unleashed his Hippocampi upon the ship. Although the Spartans survived, Poseidon created a massive whirlpool which dragged the Spartans closer and closer to the bottom of the sea. He then sent the Sea Snake to kill the Spartans, but saw the vile beast get killed. The Spartans then made their way to land, only infuriating Poseidon even more.

Aiding Kratos

For a period of time, the vicious beast known as the Hydra terrorized the Aegean Sea, until Kratos, guided by Athena, was called upon. Arriving upon a mess of shipwrecks, Kratos battled the various heads of the Hydra. During this feat, he was met by the great God Poseidon, who granted Kratos the gift of Poseidon's Rage. With this magical ability Kratos was able to cast a stream of lightning through his body into his enemies, destroying them or weakening them enough so that he may finish them off. This ability would also be of important use while battling against the Hydra King, the strongest and largest of the Hydra’s heads. After destroying the beast, the nightmare the Hydra had caused for many sailors in the Aegean Sea came to an end.Poseidon was also given a section devoted to him in Pandora's Temple. In this section, Kratos obtained Poseidon's Trident, granting him the ability to breathe underwater and dive.

Atlantis' Destruction

While Poseidon does not appear physically, the god manifests himself through one of his statues. Infuriated with Kratos for Atlantis' destruction, he vows he will never forget Kratos' actions, promising he would one day answer for them. Also, his personal army, his "children", the Tritons, appear as enemies.

The Second Titanomachy

“	You challenge me, mortal?! A God of Olympus?!	”
–Poseidon, standing before Kratos

After sharing looks with his brother Zeus, Poseidon dives off Mount Olympus, right into Epimetheus' chest, knocking him off the mountain, killing him almost instantly. Poseidon then dives into a large body of water at the base of the mountain, summoning a tendril from below that grabs Gaia's arm and begins pulling her. After Kratos defeats his minions, Poseidon then emerges within a watery construct in his image, projecting Hippocampi from his chariot. Poseidon sends his steeds to attack and restrain Gaia while he himself struggles with both the Titan and Kratos. After a vicious battle, Gaia punches his chest, sending Kratos on a collision course with Poseidon's human form, which Kratos rips out of the watery construct and onto a platform. There he closes in on the weakened Poseidon, who warns Kratos that the destruction of Olympus would destroy the entire world. Kratos is unfazed by this, and proceeds to beat Poseidon uncontrollably; slamming his face repeatedly against a wall, and hitting him with his own head, before throwing him to a nearby wall, Poseidon then made a desperate attempt to escape and survive, but is unable to reach the edge and is captured by Kratos, who then proceeds to crush his eyes and finally break his neck, killing the god once and for all. This last struggle is seen through Poseidon's own perspective. As Poseidon falls to the water below, his death causes a tidal wave that floods most of the world. This would probably confirm why the Desert of Lost Souls does not exist anymore. It is interesting to note that Poseidon could have almost single-handedly bested the Titans, had Kratos not intervened, as he had already defeated two titans using his Hippocampi, and could easily have taken more. In Poseidon's Chamber, Kratos finds a note Poseidon left where it is indicated he became interested in Pandora's power over Olympus and suspicious of Zeus' intentions, expressing fear his brother has changed for the worst.

The note reads: A mere girl, somehow she is the key to the labyrinth. I brought this statue here, but so far have learned nothing. That mortal Daedalus, in his madness, has devised a way to shield secrets from even my far reaching view. This does not bode well. I fear Zeus is no longer the brother I once knew- Poseidon

Powers and Abilities

“	All of Olympus unites against you!	”
–Poseidon

Poseidon was among the most powerful of the Olympian gods, second only to his brother, Zeus and (possibly) superior to his brother, Hades.

God of war iii poseidon 02 by andyparkart — Poseidon in his elemental form.

Atmokinesis - As the immortal ruler of the seas, Poseidon possesses the power to manipulate water, storms, and lightning, able to create strong waves and violent storms to bring the rage of the ocean upon those who anger him.
Hydrokinesis - Poseidon is the master of the water element.
Water Breathing - Poseidon can breathe underwater.
Electrokinesis - Poseidon can summon lightning attacks. He used this power to defeat Atlas.

Immortality - As a god, he is immortal.
Flight - Poseidon was able to propel or accelerate himself through the air with great speed and force.

Shapeshifting - He could reform himself into a massive, elemental form resembling a Titan. This form, in his own image, was entirely water-based, with rocks forming details on his chest and head.

Superhuman Strength - His Titanic form also primed his already great strength, allowing him to pound Gaia and Kratos with great force.
Superhuman Durability - Poseidon can withstand great attacks before submitting to defeat.
Superhuman Stamina - Poseidon's energy and vigor in combat is far greater than that of mortal men, enough to fight the Titans, though he can be defeated.
Superhuman Agility - Poseidon has a higher jumping capacity than mortals. It is unknown if his agility was on par with that of Hermes.

Hippocampi Control - Below his waist a large jet of water was maintained, with Hippocampi protruding out of it, which Poseidon used actively in his battle with Gaia and Kratos. He could also control them even without his elemental form, but the creatures are smaller even managing to wrap around his forearm; this is seen when the gods looked down from Mount Olympus to the climbing Titans below.

Trivia

Poseidon was the first boss to battle in God of War III.
His character for God of War III was the most complex for the developers; It had taken them about 6 to 12 months to fully design his monstrous form.
In God of War: Ascension, Poseidon will be one of the 4 mentors for multiplayer.
Also in God of War: Ascension, Poseidon's gigantic one-eyed son Polyphemus will appear as a Titan and the boss of the desert multiplayer map.
It is interesting to note that Poseidon was investigating the recent decisions of Zeus for the manufacture of the Labyrinth, and its mysterious prisoner. He took to view that recently, Zeus was not the brother he knew before, as Zeus was infected with Fear. Unlike his brothers, Poseidon showed more resilience to the evils of Pandora's Box, and although corrupted as well, it was not to the extent of his brothers.
Poseidon appears much older in God of War than in God of War III. His beard, for example, is whiter and bushier than in God of War III. Like Poseidon, many Gods looked different in God of War than they did in following games, because at that time, possible sequels were not yet certain.
- It may also be because Poseidon, like the other gods, could change his appearance.
Poseidon's chambers adorn statues on the wall that look like Poseidon did in God of War.
During his fight with Kratos, Poseidon mentions "Atlantis will be avenged", referencing the events of God of War: Ghost of Sparta.
It's strange that during his fight with Kratos, Poseidon didn't mentioned the death of his own son, Theseus as he did mention the destruction of Atlantis.
Poseidon's chariot is pulled by the Hippocampi, creatures with the bodies of horses and the tails of fish. This may seem strange, as horses are not aquatic creatures, but Poseidon when challenged to create a beautiful land animal in Greek mythology, Poseidon created these horses, and became his signature creatures. In ancient Greek mythology, his chariot was pulled by the Hippocampi as well.
By comparison, it is very clear that the designs for Poseidon's monstrous watery form, were based heavily off the older artwork made for the Titan Oceanus, who was considered for (but cut from) God of War II. It is said by the developers in a God of War III bonus video that Oceanus' concept was partially used in designing Poseidon.
Poseidon was seemingly infected with Anger after Kratos opened Pandora's Box.
After being weakened, the glowing tattoos on Poseidon's body become very faint and slowly glimmer. This suggests the tattoos somehow represent his vital signs.
As a powerful god and having the power to control the seas, Poseidon could have killed the Hydra with ease, however, Athena could have planned leaving this task to Kratos, so that he could acquire the Poseidon's Rage ability, empowering Kratos and helping him to make he defeat Ares in an easier way.
In Homer's Iliad, Poseidon is revealed to have other names. Here is a complete list of said names: Poseidon Earthholder, Poseidon Earthshaker, Poseidon Earthholder Earthshaker, Seabluehair, and Seabluehair Poseidon.
Poseidon appears briefly in Bit of War when the time of the gods comes to an end and Olympus makes a desperate attempt to regain power.
In the Chamber of the Flame in God of War III, there are pictures of Poseidon with tentacles in the background; they could either belong to the Kraken or Scylla, if the tentacles do belong to one of the said monsters then it is highly likely that Poseidon was the one who sent them to attack Kratos in previous installments of the series, which was proven for Scylla as she was the Guardian of Atlantis.