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King Poseidon, also known as the sea king,[1] is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts, with his only appearance, in the fifteenth episode of the fourth season and is portrayed by guest star Ernie Hudson.
Poseidon is based on the character of the same name from Greek mythology, Poseidon from the Disney film Hercules, the sea king from the fairytale "The Little Mermaid" and King Triton from the Disney film, The Little Mermaid and its direct-to-video prequel The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.
History
Poseidon reigns as the sea king. With his wife, he has a daughter, Ursula, who is named after the sea goddess of the same name. His wife and daughter, both renowned for their singing voices, give him much happiness. However, when his wife is killed by a pirate, Poseidon comes to hate humans and has Ursula lure sailors to their deaths with her enchanting voice. During one such excursion, she allows the crew aboard the Jolly Roger to live and incurs her father's disappointment. Longing to instead honor her mother's memory, Ursula doesn't wish to use her singing talent to harm others and insists all humans can't bad, but Poseidon commands her to obey him as long as she lives in his kingdom. Upset at his demands, she steals a magic bracelet from his vault to gain human legs and disappears with plans of going to Glowerhaven to become a singer. Once Poseidon discovers Hook, captain of the Jolly Roger, has agreed to take Ursula there, he offers squid ink, which the pirate can use to give retribution to the Dark One. In return for this much-needed item, the sea king enchants a shell and asks him to trap his daughter's voice within it so she won't leave the kingdom for Glowerhaven. Instead, Hook tells Ursula about the deal, and she procures the ink from her father's vault for him. Poseidon accosts them, and as Ursula sides with Hook, he takes away the ink to prove the pirate only cares about his vengeance. As expected, Hook is furious that his only hope of getting revenge is gone, and he gets back at Poseidon by absorbing Ursula's singing voice so the sea king can never sink another ship again. Under Hook's threats, Poseidon is forced to retreat without regaining the shell. Later, Ursula uses her father's trident to transform her mermaid fin into tentacles to become more powerful than him. ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")
With Ariel's help, Poseidon travels to Storybrooke to meet with Ursula, who is now a grown woman. As the person who originally enchanted the shell, only he can restore Ursula's voice, which she desires to regain. During their reunion, Poseidon apologizes to his daughter for using her gift for horrible deeds and expresses regret for not cherishing her talent as a happy reminder of his late wife. After restoring her voice, he turns to leave, but a moved Ursula wishes to reconnect and decides to go home with him. ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")
Magical Abilities
- Divine Magic - Ability to use huge and nearly infinite magic as a Deity.
- Magical Immobilization - Ability to magically immobilize something or someone.
- Teleportation - Ability to magically teleport oneself and/or others from one location to another.
- World-crossing - Ability to travel between worlds at will.
Trivia
Character Notes
Production Notes
- He is described as, "a king whose crown was hard-won, and the fight to keep it has taken a toll," but also as "handsome, though not refined, and highly protective of his family."[2]
Fairytales and Folklore
- On Once Upon a Time, Poseidon has a daughter, Ursula, who is a mermaid. In Greek mythology, one of Poseidon many children was Triton, a merman;[3] in the Disney film The Little Mermaid, King Triton takes the role of the titular character's father. None of Poseidon's daughters were mermaids; however, two of them, Kymopoleia and Benthesikyme, were sea nymphs,[4] also known as Nereids. ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")
Prop Notes
- Poseidon's trident[5] is the same prop used by Wish Ariel when the later meets the Dark One in "Homecoming."[6] ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")
- The same prop is on display in the Dark Castle in "Skin Deep."[7]
Costume Notes
- Poseidon costume was originally different, and included a big purple feathery boa around his neck. However, it didn't look quite right, and they ended up with a more metallic version of the original costume.[8] ("Poor Unfortunate Soul")
Appearances
| Once Upon a Time: Season Four | ||||||||||
| "A Tale of Two Sisters": |
"White Out": |
"Rocky Road": |
"The Apprentice": |
"Breaking Glass": |
"Family Business": | "The Snow Queen": |
"Smash the Mirror": |
"Fall": | "Shattered Sight": |
"Heroes and Villains": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent |
| "Darkness on the Edge of Town": |
"Unforgiven": | "Enter the Dragon": | "Poor Unfortunate Soul": |
"Best Laid Plans": | "Heart of Gold": | "Sympathy for the De Vil": |
"Lily": | "Mother": | "Operation Mongoose Part 1": |
"Operation Mongoose Part 2": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Once Upon a Time: Season Six | ||||||||||
| "The Savior": | "A Bitter Draught": | "The Other Shoe": | "Strange Case": | "Street Rats": | "Dark Waters": | "Heartless": | "I'll Be Your Mirror": | "Changelings": | "Wish You Were Here": | "Tougher Than the Rest": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| "Murder Most Foul": | "Ill-Boding Patterns": | "Page 23": | "A Wondrous Place": | "Mother's Little Helper": | "Awake": | "Where Bluebirds Fly": | "The Black Fairy": | "The Song in Your Heart": | "The Final Battle Part 1": | "The Final Battle Part 2": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
See also
References
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