An EPIC Review of the Wisdom Saga

Cover art of EPIC: The Wisdom Saga. By Sarah Jiang, @zwist_ on Instagram, design consultation and logo by liquid density. Posted on Instagram by Jorge Rivera-Herrans

EPIC: The Wisdom Saga is the seventh “saga” of EPIC: The Musical, and was released on August 30 2024 on music streaming services. This was the seventh of nine parts of this musical released by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, and it quickly gained popularity. 

Introduction

EPIC: The Musical is an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey. Taking place in ancient Greece, Odysseus – king of Ithaca – has just won the Trojan War, and tries to make his way back home to his wife and son. In the process, he faces challenges, monsters, and tests to his mortal fortitude.

EPIC: The Musical was written by Jorge Rivera-Herrans– who also voices Odysseus– beginning in 2019, during the pandemic. He documented his writing process on TikTok, creating songs and characters. The musical has two acts and nine parts in total, titled “sagas”. 

Photo of Jorge Rivera-Herrans. Taken from YouTube, released by Jorge Rivera-Herrans

Though it is themed around the Odyssey, EPIC also draws inspiration from video games, which is “especially apparent in The Wisdom Saga”, said Rivera-Herrans. This saga features “boss battles” between gods and many fights between different characters. The music is very upbeat and tense in these parts, reflecting the style of video games. 

The Wisdom Saga is the first one that focuses on and follows other characters, rather than solely Odysseus’s journey. It begins in Ithaca with Telemachus (Miguel Veloso), Odysseus’s son.

“Legendary”

The opening song “Legendary” centers around Telemachus and his thirst for glory in his father’s absence. It’s a very hopeful and lighthearted song, with some undertones of worry and anxiety when the suitors waiting inside the house are mentioned. In the end, the most prominent suitor Antinous (Ayron Alexander) threatens and intimidates Telemachus. 

Telemachus’s eagerness leads to this song having a lighter, happier tone. This is laced with some tension from the suitors, as well as his own worries, but for the most part, it is a very happy song. 

Teacher Choi, an English teacher at Central who listened to The Wisdom Saga, said this was their least favorite song of the album. They said, “It’s very pop-y in terms of genre and style,” which reflects Telemachus’s youthfulness.” 

“Little Wolf”

This leads into the second song of the album, “Little Wolf”. It begins with Antinous and the rest of the suitors goading Telemachus as they fight, making taunts about him being weak. A voice then cuts through, offering aid to Telemachus. This voice belongs to Athena, the goddess of wisdom (Teagan Earley). She helps Telemachus fight Antinous, but ultimately, the former loses. Afterward, he asks Athena why she helped him. 

This song calls back to the theme of video games very heavily as the two battle, and it has a very goading, lively feel. It shows Antinous’s antagonizing nature as he threatens Telemachus. We also get to see Athena’s magic powers displayed when she communicates with Telemachus through his mind and helps him fight back. 

“We’ll Be Fine”

In song three “We’ll Be Fine”, Athena tells Telemachus about a friend she once had, and how she helped him, but they eventually grew apart. She now feels guilty as a result. Unbeknownst to Telemachus, she’s talking about his father, and how they separated after an altercation. He responds, saying he thinks the friend would forgive her, and, “It’s all going to turn out great.”

This song calls back on motifs used when Athena and Odysseus sang together, before they grew apart, as explained by Rivera-Herrans. The reappearance of these motifs shows Athena’s loneliness without Odysseus, and how Telemachus fills that void. The slight difference, though, also showcases Telemachus’s individuality, and how he differs from his father. These slight callbacks go to show the level of thoughtfulness put into the music, and how details can be conveyed through instrumentals and song. 

“Love in Paradise”

Song four, “Love in Paradise”, begins with Athena trying to find Odysseus using her powers. The song briefly flashes through all of his adventures, ending where it was left off in the Thunder Saga when Odysseus chose to kill the rest of the crew to spare his life. It then flashes to where he is now, on the goddess Calypso’s island (Barbara Wangui). She convinces Odysseus to stay with her, singing about how she loves him. Athena reveals that he’s been trapped there for seven years. At the end of the song, there is a glimpse of Odysseus standing on the ledge of a cliff, contemplating jumping off. Calypso tries to draw him back, but he is tormented by the voices of his dead loved ones. In the end, he calls on Athena, who vows to help him.

The vibe of this song varies a lot, as there is a lot going on. The flashbacks are very upbeat and fun, but then get more somber towards the end. When Calypso introduces herself, the music is very enchanting and tropical, adding to the atmosphere of this hidden paradise. In the end, when Odysseus stands on the ledge, the music is very intense and terse as Calypso’s voice and Odysseus’s contrast, creating juxtaposition and urgency. 

“God Games”

This leads to the ultimate song of the Wisdom Saga, “God Games”. Athena approaches Zeus and asks him to free Odysseus from Calypso’s island. Zeus makes this a game, saying if she can convince each of the six gods to release him, he will. These gods are Apollo (Brandon McInnis), Hephestus (Mike Rivera), Aphrodite (Janani K. Jha), Ares (Earle Gresham Jr.), Hera (POESY), and Zeus (Luke Holt) himself. Athena uses her skills in battle and persuasion as well as her magic to convince each of the gods, one by one, to free Odysseus. When she finally gets to Zeus, he is outraged, thinking Athena is out of line. He strikes her down using his lightning bolt, and she falls. There’s a brief interlude, in which the music turns more pensive. It then becomes more strong and bold as she gathers her courage, ending with her asking Zeus to “let her go.” The song ends there, with Athena and Odysseus’s fates unknown. 

Teacher Choi said this song was their favorite, due to the different gods that were introduced. They described it as an “epic scene”, in which many different powers were brought together and showcased. 

Indeed, this song showcases a wide variety of characters and various musical themes that go along with them. Each god has their own distinct musical style, which showcases some of their qualities. For instance, Aphrodite has very breathy and light music and vocals, while Ares’s are more harsh. This adds interest and creates a very diverse song. 

This song also is inspired by the first scene of the Odyssey, where Athena asks Zeus to free Odysseus. Though this moment occurs earlier on in the canon, we don’t see it here until this saga. Teacher Choi said, “I think Jorge-Rivera is making the story his own.” He is taking creative liberties to make the musical flow, while also retaining much of the original story. 

Thoughts

As more and more albums are released, the popularity of the musical continues to grow. When The Wisdom Saga was released, it became the top-selling album on iTunes within less than an hour. The week of its release, many songs on the album appeared on Spotify’s top ten debut songs in the US, UK, and the globe. The fanbase is increasing, due largely to social media. 

Teacher Choi said, “I wouldn’t say it (The Wisdom Saga)’s the best.”

This saga, however, was very rich from a storytelling perspective. Many new characters were introduced, and it was very unique in the sense that it followed different characters for the first time. It had a very different point of view than the other sagas. 

Despite different opinions, fans are eager to see what happens next. There are two more sagas remaining: The Vengeance Saga and The Ithaca Saga. There is no release date for either of these at this time. 

Sources

• Jorge Rivera-Herrans– YouTube
• Jorge Rivera-Herrans– YouTube
• Jorge Rivera-Herrans– YouTube
• Jorge Rivera-Herrans– Instagram
• EPIC: The Wisdom Saga— Spotify