🔱
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for
spear fishing Spearfishing is a method of fishing that involves impaling the fish with a straight pointed object such as a spear, gig or harpoon. It has been deployed in artisanal fishing throughout the world for millennia. Early civilisations were familia ...
and historically as a polearm. The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine divinities such as Tritons in classical art. Tridents are also depicted in medieval
heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
, sometimes held by a merman-Triton. In Hinduism, it is the weapon of Shiva, known as '' trishula'' (Sanskrit for "triple-spear").


Etymology

The word "trident" comes from the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
word ''trident'', which in turn comes from the Latin word ' or ': ''tri'' meaning "three" and ''dentes'' meaning "teeth", referring specifically to the three prongs, or "teeth", of the weapo

The Greek language, Greek equivalent is (''tríaina''), from Proto-Greek ''trianja'', meaning "threefold". The Greek term does not imply three of anything specific, and is vague about the shape, thus the assumption it was originally of "trident" form has been challenged. Latin ' also means "trident". The Sanskrit name for the trident, '' trishula'', is a compound of ''tri'' त्रि for "three" and ''śūla'' शूल for "thorn", calling the trident's three prongs "thorns" rather than "teeth" or dant in Sanskrit, making the word "Tridant" for trident.


Mythology and art


Poseidon

The trident is associated with the sea god Poseidon. This divine instrument is said to have been forged by the cyclopes. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident, causing a sea (or a saltwater spring, called the Erechtheis) to appear nearby on the
Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...
in Athens. And according to Roman sources, Neptune struck the earth with the trident to produce the first warhorse. Poseidon, as well as being the god of the sea, was also known as the "Earth Shaker", believed to cause
earthquakes An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
; some commentators have extrapolated that the god would have used the trident to cause them, possibly by striking the earth. In the Renaissance artist Gian Bernini's sculpture ''
Neptune and Triton ''Neptune and Triton'' is an early sculpture by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London and was executed c. 1622–1623. Carved from marble, it stands 182.2 cm (71.7 in) in height ...
'' (1622–23), Neptune is posed holding a trident turned downwards, and is thought to reenact a scene from '' Aeneid'' or Ovid's '' Metamorphoses'' where he is calming the waves to aid Aeneas's ships.


Other sea divinities

In later Greek and Roman art and literature, other sea deities and their attendants have been depicted holding the trident. Poseidon's consort Amphitrite is often identified by some marine attribute other than a trident, which she never carries according to some scholars, though other commentators have disagreed. Turning to the retinue or a train of beings which follow the sea deities (the marine thiasos) the
Triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...
s (
mermen Mermen may refer to: * The Mermen, a music group *Merman Mermen, the male counterparts of the mythical female mermaids, are legendary creatures, which are male human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down, but may assume normal hum ...
) may be seen bearing tridents. Likewise, the Old Man of the Sea (''halios geron'') and the god Nereus are seen holding tridents. Tritons, other mermen, and the
Nereides In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; grc, Νηρηΐδες, Nērēḯdes; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the 'Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters ...
can also carry rudders, oars, fish, or dolphins. Oceanus normally should not carry a trident, allowing him to be clearly distinguished from Poseidon. However, there is
conflation Conflation is the merging of two or more sets of information, texts, ideas, opinions, etc., into one, often in error. Conflation is often misunderstood. It originally meant to fuse or blend, but has since come to mean the same as equate, treati ...
of the deities in Romano-British iconography, and examples exist where the crab-claw headed Oceanus also bears a trident. Oceanus holding a trident has been found on Romano-British coinage as well. Some '' amorini'' have been depicted carrying tiny tridents. The trident is even seen suspended like a pendant on a dolphin in Roman mosaic art.


Hindu mythology

In Hindu legends and stories Shiva, the
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
god uses a trishula as his principal weapon. The trident is also said to represent three gunas mentioned in Indian Vedic philosophy namely sāttvika, rājasika, and tāmasika. The goddess Kali is sometimes portrayed with a trident as well. A weapon of South-East Asian (particularly
Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...
) depiction of Hanuman, a character of Ramayana.


Miscellaneous

In religious Taoism, the trident represents the Taoist Trinity, the
Three Pure Ones The Three Pure Ones (), also translated as the Three Pure Pellucid Ones, the Three Pristine Ones, the Three Divine Teachers, the Three Clarities, or the Three Purities, are the three highest gods in the Taoist pantheon. They are regarded as pure ...
. In Taoist rituals, a trident bell is used to invite the presence of deities and summon spirits, as the trident signifies the highest authority of Heaven. A fork Jewish priests (Kohanim) used to take their portions of offerings. In
heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
within the UK, the trident is often held by the figure identified as either a Neptune or a triton, or a merman. The trident held up by an arm is depicted on some coats-of-arms.


Use


Fishing

In Ancient Greece, the trident was employed as a harpoon for spearing large fish, especially tuna fishing. Tridents used in modern
spear-fishing Spearfishing is a method of fishing that involves impaling the fish with a straight pointed object such as a spear, gig or harpoon. It has been deployed in artisanal fishing throughout the world for millennia. Early civilisations were familia ...
usually have barbed tines, which trap the speared fish firmly. In the
Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...
and Midwestern United States, '' gigging'' is used for harvesting suckers, bullfrogs,
flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, thou ...
and many species of rough fish.


Agriculture

It has been used by farmers as a decorticator to remove leaves, seeds and buds from the stalks of plants such as
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
and
hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
. A form of trident is used by the gardians in the Camargue of southern France for herding cattle.


Combat

In Ancient Rome tridents ( la, or ) were used by a type of
gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
called a ''
retiarius A ''retiarius'' (plural ''retiarii''; literally, "net-man" in Latin) was a Roman gladiator who fought with equipment styled on that of a fisherman: a weighted net (''rete'' (3rd decl.), hence the name), a three-pointed trident (''fuscina'' or ...
'' or "net fighter". The ''retiarius'' was traditionally pitted against a '' secutor'', and cast a net to wrap his adversary and then used the trident to fight him. The trident, known as dangpa, is used as a weapon in the 17th- to 18th-century systems of Korean martial arts.


Modern symbolism

The glyph or sigil of the planet
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
(♆), which alludes to the trident, is used in astronomy and astrology.


Political

* The Tryzub in the Coat of Arms of Ukraine, adopted in 1918 (in a reinterpretation of a medieval emblem which is traced to the Volodymyr the Great, but may likely depicted a skydiving falcon, like the Emblem of Staraya Ladoga) * The
national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
and presidential flags of Barbados. * The "forks of the people's anger", adopted by the Russian anti-Soviet revolutionary organization, National Alliance of Russian Solidarists (NTS). * Britannia, the personification of Great Britain usually depicted to hold a trident.


Civilian use

* The symbol for Washington and Lee University. * The symbol (since June 2008) for the athletic teams (Tritons) at the
University of Missouri–St. Louis The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) is a public research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 1963, it is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System and its newest. Located on the former grounds of Bel ...
. *
Sparky the Sun Devil Sparky the Sun Devil is the official mascot of Arizona State University. Originally the ASU athletic teams' mascot was an owl, then became a "Normal" (because ASU was founded as a normal school). It was later changed to a bulldog in an attempt t ...
, the mascot of
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, holds a trident. (ASU recently redesigned its trident as a stand-alone symbol.) * The trident was used as the original cap insignia and original logo for the Seattle Mariners. * An element on the flag of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. * The
Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
logo. * Club Méditerranée. * The Hawker Siddeley Trident, a 1960s British three-engine jet airliner. * The Tirreno–Adriatico cycle race trophy. * The exterior of the World Trade Center used three-pronged decorative and structural elements at its base, commonly referred to as "tridents".


Military insignia

* The emblem of the
Hellenic 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 ...
* The emblem of the Cyprus Navy * The insignia of Nepal Army * With Poseidon in the 31st Brigade. * The symbol of the Swedish Coastal Rangers,
Kustjägarna The 202nd Coastal Ranger Company ( sv, 202. kustjägarkompaniet, or , KJ) is an amphibious special operations capable ranger unit within the Swedish Amphibious Corps, which is the maritime land force arm of the Swedish Navy. History The embryo ...
. * The United States Naval Special Warfare Command, and the Special Warfare insignia, particularly worn by members of the US Navy SEALs, and containing a trident representing the three aspects (Sea, Air, and Land) of SEAL special operations. * Part of the golden-colored
crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
of the United States Naval Academy, which depicts a trident running vertically in its background. * The ship's crests of 13 of the 18
Ohio-class The ''Ohio'' class of nuclear-powered submarines includes the United States Navy's 14 ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and its four cruise missile submarines (SSGNs). Each displacing 18,750 tons submerged, the ''Ohio''-class boats are the ...
submarines of the U.S. Navy prominently feature tridents, as both a symbol of maritime power, and in reference to their payloads of
Trident D-5 The UGM-133A Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the American and British navies. It was first deployed in March 1990, and rema ...
missiles. * The rating badge of the United States Coast Guard
Marine Science Technician Marine Science Technician (MST) is an enlisted rate in the United States Coast Guard. They are specialists in enforcing Federal Maritime Laws for Marine Safety, Marine Security, and Environmental Protection . Typical Duties * Commercial Vesse ...
. * The
Tug Banner A ''tug'' ( , tr, tuğ, ota, طوغ or , otk, 𐱃𐰆𐰍, tuğ) or sulde ( mn, сүлд, script=Cyrl), () is a pole with circularly arranged horse or yak tail hairs of varying colors arranged at the top. It was historically flown by T ...
used by Mongolian Honor guards. * The insignia of the German commando force, Kampfschwimmer. * The rating badge of the United States Navy Ocean Systems Technician (OT)


Botanical nomenclature

A number of structures in the biological world are described as ''trident'' in appearance. Since at least the late 19th century the trident shape was applied to certain botanical shapes; for example, certain orchid flora were described as having trident-tipped lips in early botanical works. Furthermore, in current botanical literature, certain
bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
s are stated to have a trident-shape (e.g. Douglas-fir).


Gallery

File:statueofshiva.JPG, A statue of Hindu God Shiva, holding a ''trishula'', near Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi File:Stone Doors of an Early Medieval Tomb, Ching-pien County.jpg, Two guardian deities of an ancient Chinese tomb, both holding tridents File:Trident, Burmese, 18th century.JPG, 18th-century trident from Thailand File:Tridents (Trishul) brought as offerings to Guna Devi., near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.jpg, Tridents (''trishula'') brought as offerings to Guna Devi, near
Dharamsala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...
, Himachal Pradesh, India File:Mas de l'Amarée 15.JPG,
Camargue 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 marine ...
in France


See also

*
Bident A bident is a two-pronged implement resembling a pitchfork. In Greek mythology, the bident is a weapon associated with Hades (Pluto), the ruler of the underworld. Likewise, the three-pronged trident is the implement of his brother Poseidon (Nept ...
* Leister * Military fork * Pitchfork * Sai * Trishula * Eighteen Arms of Wushu *
Symbols of the Rurikids Throughout the early Middle Ages, the Rurikid knyazes of the Kievan Rus' used unique symbols to denote property rights over various items. They are depicted on punches, seals, and coins of the Rurikids. In contrast to Western European heraldry, w ...


Explanatory notes


References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * ; * {{Pole weapons 3 (number) Spears Ancient weapons Fishing equipment Greek sea gods Mythological objects Heraldic charges Poseidon Harpoons