The trident of Poseidon and his Roman equivalent, Neptune, has been their traditional divine attribute in many ancient depictions.

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ...

trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...

was crafted by the

Cyclopes In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

Myths

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

, Poseidon's trident was forged by the cyclopes according to

Pseudo-Apollodorus The ''Bibliotheca'' (Ancient Greek: grc, Βιβλιοθήκη, lit=Library, translit=Bibliothēkē, label=none), also known as the ''Bibliotheca'' of Pseudo-Apollodorus, is a compendium of Greek myths and heroic legends, arranged in three book ...

's '' Bibliotheke''. Poseidon wields his trident on a number of occasions. He used his trident to strike a rock upon the hill of the Acropolis, producing a well of seawater, in what developed into a contest between him and

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded ...

over possession of

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...

. When he lost, Poseidon used the trident to dry out the land so they had no water. The well was later to be called the

Erechtheis Erechtheis ( grc, Ἐρεχθηΐς) was a phyle (tribe) of ancient Athens with fourteen demes. The phyle was created in the reforms of Kleisthenes. Although there is little specific reference to the tribe, an inscription dated to either 460 or ...

. There is further myth that Poseidon (Neptune) produced a horse by striking the earth with the trident, in order to bolster his claim, but there is no attestation for this among Greek writers., 2:79 and note 2. The alleged trident print on a rock and the sea well within the

Erechtheion The Erechtheion (latinized as Erechtheum /ɪˈrɛkθiəm, ˌɛrɪkˈθiːəm/; Ancient Greek: Ἐρέχθειον, Greek: Ερέχθειο) or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple- telesterion on the north side of the Acropoli ...

were witnessed by the geographer

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

while visiting

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. In another myth, Poseidon creates a spring or springs with the strike of his trident to reward

Amymone In Greek mythology, Amymone (;Ancient Greek: Αμυμωνη means the "blameless" one) was a daughter of Danaus, king of Libya and Europe, a queen. As the "blameless" Danaid, her name identifies her as, perhaps, identical to Hypermnestra ("grea ...

for her encounter with him. In a version of another myth Poseidon wields his trident to scare off a

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, σειληνός ), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exa ...

who tries to rape Amymone after she mistakenly hits him with a hunting spear. There is also a myth where Poseidon touches the island of Delos with his trident, affixing it firmly to the sea floor. Another myth tells how Poseidon, enraged by sacrilegious behavior of

Ajax the Lesser Ajax ( grc, Αἴας ''Aias'' means "of the earth".) was a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris. He was called the "lesser" or "Locrian" Ajax, to distinguish him from Ajax the Great, son of Telamon. He was the leader ...

, splits with trident the rock to which Ajax was clinging. The oldest coins of

Poseidonia Poseidonia ( el, Ποσειδωνία, Posidonía, named after Poseidon) is a village and a former municipality on the island of Syros, in the Cyclades, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Syros-Ermoupoli ...

from the 6th century BC depict trident wielded by Poseidon in his right hand, similar to Zeus's thunderbolt. An Attic

red figure Red-figure vase painting is one of the most important styles of figural Greek vase painting. It developed in Athens around 520 BCE and remained in use until the late 3rd century BCE. It replaced the previously dominant style of black-figure va ...

kylix from depicts Poseidon killing the

Giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...

Polybotes with his trident.

Symbolism

According to the second and third Vatican Mythographer, Neptune's trident symbolizes the three properties of water: liquidity, fecundity and drinkability. The trident of Neptune was viewed by Roman scholar

Maurus Servius Honoratus Servius was a late fourth-century and early fifth-century grammarian. He earned a contemporary reputation as the most learned man of his generation in Italy; he authored a set of commentaries on the works of Virgil. These works, ''In tria V ...

as three-pronged because "the sea is said to be a third part of the world, or because there are three kinds of water: seas, streams and rivers".

Modern scholarship

The view shared by Friedrich Wieseler,

E. M. W. Tillyard Eustace Mandeville Wetenhall Tillyard (19 May 1889 – 24 May 1962) was an English classical scholar, classical and literary scholar who was List of Masters of Jesus College, Cambridge, Master of Jesus College, Cambridge from 1945 to 1959. Bio ...

and several other researchers is that Poseidon's trident is a fish spear, typical for coast-dwelling Greeks. According to Robert Graves, however, both Poseidon's trident and

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

were originally a sacred

labrys ''Labrys'' ( gr, , lábrus) is, according to Plutarch (''Quaestiones Graecae'' 2.302a), the Lydian word for the double-bitted axe. In Greek it was called (''pélekus''). The Ancient Greek plural of ''labrys'' is ''labryes'' (). Etymology P ...

, but later distinguished from each other when Poseidon became god of the sea, while Zeus claimed the right to the thunderbolt. According to a competing proposal by H. B. Walters, Poseidon's trident is derived from Zeus' lotus sceptre, with Poseidon being Zeus in his marine aspect.

Modern references

In present times Poseidon's trident is a recurring symbol. It appears on the coat of arms of Liverpool City Council, on the seal of the

Greek Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of vari ...

and on the crest of the

Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel Morgan Breed, and Florence Isabelle Stewart. Tri Delta part ...

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

. It is a recurring motif in the US military, being featured on the crest of the United States Navy SEALs and on the badge of USS ''John S. McCain''. A series of American fleet ballistic missiles

Trident A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...

is named after Neptune's trident, as well as

Operation Neptune Spear On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was shot several times and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, by United States Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Spe ...

. The personification of Great Britain,

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

is depicted with the trident of Poseidon as a symbol of naval power. The broken tip of the trident appears on the

flag of Barbados The flag of Barbados was designed by Grantley W. Prescod and was officially adopted to represent the nation of Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Amer ...

. In this instance, the reference is to its use as Britannia's trident, broken to symbolise the end of Britain's colonial rule. The logo of car manufacturer Maserati is based on the trident from the statue of Neptune in Bologna. The trident also appears multiple times in popular culture. Poseidon's trident is owned by

King Triton This article lists information of animated original characters from Disney's ''The Little Mermaid'' franchise, covering the 1989 film, its prequel , its direct-to-video sequel and prequel films, and the stage musical adaptation. ''The Little ...

(Poseidon’s son) in Disney’s 1989 animated film ''The Little Mermaid'' and its sequels and spinoffs. Poseidon's Trident is a magical artifact with destructive powers in

Michael Livingston Michael Livingston is a historian, a professor of medieval literature, and a historical fantasy novelist. His 2015 debut novel, '' The Shards of Heaven'', was followed by two sequels. Early life, education and career Originally from Colorado, ...

's 2015 historical fantasy novel ''

The Shards of Heaven ''The Shards of Heaven'' is a 2015 historical fantasy debut novel by Michael Livingston. It chronicles Octavian's war against Mark Antony and Cleopatra, seen from the perspective of the minor historical figures who surround them. Plot Years af ...

''. Jack Sparrow, aided by Henry Turner, seeks the Trident of Poseidon in the film '' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales'' (2017).

Myths

Symbolism

Modern scholarship

Modern references

See also

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General and cited references