Trident

{{short description|Three-prong spear}} {{Other uses}} [[File:Poseidon sculpture Copenhagen 2005 hand.jpg|thumb|300px|Trident of Poseidon]]

A '''trident''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|r|aɪ|d|ən|t}}) is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will be able to dislodge itself if struck badly. On the other hand, they are not so many as to overly reduce the spear's concentration of force for piercing.

The trident is the tool of Poseidon (Greek) or Neptune (Roman) used for the protection of the sea realms by the god of the sea in classical mythology. Other sea deities such as Amphitrite or Triton were also often depicted with a trident in classical art. Later, tridents were used in medieval heraldry, sometimes held by a merman or triton. In Hinduism, it is the weapon of Shiva and is known as a ''trishula'' (Sanskrit for "triple-spear"). It is also associated with the superhero Aquaman. The trident is an important military (especially naval) symbol as an element for forces such as the Hellenic Navy, United States Navy SEALs, United States Naval Academy, Cyprus Navy, and the Nepali Army. It is included in many logos including the corporate logos of Maserati and Club Med and the athletic logos of Manchester United F.C. and Arizona State University.

==Etymology== [[File:武備志茅元儀明朝六 48.jpg|thumb|Illustration of a trident user from the ''Wubei Zhi'', late 16th to early 17th century]]

The word "trident" comes from the Latin word ''{{linktext|tridens}}'' or ''{{linktext|tridentis}}'': ''tri'' meaning "three" and ''dentes'' meaning "teeth", referring specifically to the three prongs, or "teeth", of the weapon.<ref>[https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=trident "Trident"] at the Online Etymology Dictionary. Accessed on 23 March 2024.</ref>

The Greek equivalent is {{lang|grc|{{linktext|τρίαινα}}}} (''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.<ref name=walters/>

Latin ''{{linktext|fuscina}}'' also means "trident".<ref>{{citation|editor-last1=Lewis |editor-first1=Charlton T. |editor-link1=Charlton T. Lewis |editor-last2=Short |editor-first2=Charles |editor-link2= |title=fuscina |work=A Latin Dictionary |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1879 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3Dfuscina }}</ref>

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.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

== Mythology and art == [[File:Diafáni – Fountain of Neptune - 1.jpg|thumb|''Fountain of Neptune'' in Diafáni, Karpathos island]]

=== Poseidon === {{Main|Trident of Poseidon}} The trident is associated with the sea god Poseidon. This divine instrument is said to have been forged by the cyclopes.<ref>Pseudo-Apollodorus, ''Bibliotheke'' 1.2. {{harvp|Frazer tr.|1921}}, '''1''':11; {{URL|1=http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:1.2|2=text version}} via Perseus Project.</ref>

Poseidon struck a rock with his trident, causing a sea (or a saltwater spring, called the Erechtheis) to appear nearby on the Acropolis in Athens.<ref>Pseudo-Apollodorus, ''Bibliotheke'' 3.14. {{harvp|Frazer tr.|1921}}, '''2''':79 and note 2; {{URL|1=http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-eng1:3.14|2=text version}} via Perseus Project.</ref><ref name=hurwit/> And according to Roman sources, Neptune struck the earth with the trident to produce the first warhorse.<ref>Virgil, {{URL|1=http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi002.perseus-eng1:1.1-1.42|2=''Georgics'' 1.12ff}}, ''apud'' {{harvp|Frazer tr.|1921}}, '''2''':79 and note 2</ref>

Poseidon, as well as being the god of the sea, was also known as the "Earth Shaker",<ref>Hesiod, ''Theogony'' 930.</ref> believed to cause earthquakes;<ref name=mackay/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Mackay catalogs instances in classical literature where Poseidon is connected with the earthquake, but does not cite use of the trident in any, only mentioning its use in creating the horse.<ref name=mackay/>}} some commentators{{Who|date=November 2022}} have extrapolated that the god would have used the trident to cause them,<ref name=cambridge-anc-hist2/> possibly by striking the earth.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

In the Renaissance artist Gian Bernini's sculpture ''Neptune and Triton'' (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.<ref name=wiklins/>

=== 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.<ref name=collignon/>{{Refn|The helmeted goddess bearing a trident has been identified as Amphitrite by Montfaucon in a carved carnelian in the collection of Maréchal d'Estrées.<ref name=montfaucon/>}}

Turning to the retinue or a train of beings which follow the sea deities (the marine thiasos) the Tritons (mermen) may be seen bearing tridents.{{sfnp|Mylonopoulos|2009|pp=188–189}} Likewise, the Old Man of the Sea (''halios geron'') and the god Nereus are seen holding tridents.{{sfnp|Mylonopoulos|2009|pp=188–189}} Tritons, other mermen, and the Nereides can also carry rudders, oars, fish, or dolphins.{{sfnp|Mylonopoulos|2009|pp=188–189}}

Oceanus normally should not carry a trident, allowing him to be clearly distinguished from Poseidon. However, there is conflation of the deities in Romano-British iconography, and examples exist where the crab-claw headed Oceanus also bears a trident.{{Refn|Oceanus Mosaic from Withington;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=661249001&objectid=827698 |title=The Oceanus Mosaic |work=The British Museum}}</ref> The "pavement from Ashcroft Villas, Cirencester" is also mentioned.}}<ref name=wilson/> Oceanus holding a trident has been found on Romano-British coinage as well.{{efn|The reverse side on the denarius of Carausius, acquired by the British Museum in 1998.}}<ref name=williams-numismatic/>

Some ''amorini'' have been depicted carrying tiny tridents.{{efn|Porta Capena mosaics, Rome. In the center is a square with geometric design (star inscribed in circle), and there are four diagonal spokes from it in the shape of a trident.}}{{sfnp|Blake|1936|p=149}}

The trident is even seen suspended like a pendant on a dolphin in Roman mosaic art.{{efn|Villa della Pisanella, Boscoreale, Italy.}}{{sfnp|Blake|1936|p=139}}

=== Hindu religion === In Hindu legends and stories Shiva, the Hindu 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.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} The goddess Kali is sometimes portrayed with a trident as well.<ref>[https://www.templepurohit.com/mantras-slokas-stotras/powerful-kali-mantra/ Powerful Kali Mantra for Protection - In Sanskrit, English with Meaning]</ref>

A weapon of South-East Asian (particularly Thai) depiction of Hanuman, a character of Ramayana.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

=== Miscellaneous === In religious Taoism, the trident represents the Taoist Trinity, the Three Pure Ones. 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.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

[[File:Riistavesi.vaakuna.svg|thumb|upright=0.6|A trident in the coat of arms of Riistavesi.]] In heraldry within the UK, the trident is often held by the figure identified as either a Neptune or a triton,{{Efn|Burke assigns trident to Neptune and Eve to Triton. Eve states the Triton is "sometimes called Neptune", while Burke cross-references "merman" to "Neptune".}}<ref name=burke/><ref name=eve/> or a merman.{{Efn|Thomas Moule, among others write "triton, or merman" implying interchangeability of these terms.}}<ref name=moule/>

The trident held up by an arm is depicted on some coats-of-arms.<ref name=fox-davies/>

==Use== thumb|Dutch fishermen using tridents in the 17th century.

===Fishing=== In Ancient Greece, the trident was employed as a harpoon for spearing large fish, especially tuna fishing.<ref name=burkert/>

Tridents used in modern spear-fishing usually have barbed tines, which trap the speared fish firmly. In the Southern and Midwestern United States, ''gigging'' is used for harvesting suckers, bullfrogs, flounder and many species of rough fish.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Turner |first1=Andy |title=Fish Gigging: An Ozark Tradition |url=http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2014/09/fish-gigging-ozark-tradition |publisher=Missouri Department of Conservation |access-date=2015-02-12 |archive-date=2019-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811234836/https://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2014/09/fish-gigging-ozark-tradition |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Agriculture === It has been used by farmers as a decorticator to remove leaves, seeds and buds from the stalks of plants such as flax and hemp.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} A form of trident is used by the gardians in the Camargue of southern France for herding cattle.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

===Combat=== In Ancient Rome tridents ({{langx|la|{{linktext|tridens}}}} or {{lang|la|{{linktext|fuscina}}|italics=yes}}) were used by a type of gladiator called a ''retiarius'' 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.<ref>{{Cite DGRA|title=Gladiatores|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7h1XAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA918}}</ref><ref>Auguet, Roland [1970] (2012). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=A-3BfuPqIeUC&56 Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games]''. London: Routledge. pp. 56–57, 72–74. {{ISBN|0-415-10452-1}}.</ref>

Tridents were also used in medieval heraldry.

The trident, known as dangpa, is used as a weapon in the 17th- to 18th-century systems of Korean martial arts.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Modern symbolism== {{More citations needed section|date=February 2021}} The glyph or sigil of the planet Neptune (♆), which alludes to the trident, is used in astronomy and astrology.

=== Political === [[File:Lesser Coat of Arms of Ukraine.svg|thumb|right|Coat of arms of Ukraine.]] [[File:Flag of Barbados.svg|thumb|right|The flag of Barbados incorporates a Trident.]] * 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. * The national 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 (see *Washington and Lee Generals) * King Triton, the mascot of the University of California, San Diego, holds a trident, and the trident is omnipresent in UCSD’s athletic gear (See UC San Diego Tritons) * The symbol (since June 2008) for the athletic teams (Tritons) at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL Tritons). * Sparky the Sun Devil, the mascot of Arizona State University, holds a trident. ASU recently{{When|date=October 2018}} redesigned its trident as a stand-alone symbol (See Arizona State Sun Devils) * The trident was used as the original cap insignia and original logo for the Seattle Mariners. Although the Mariners changed their cap insignia & logo away from a trident theme in 1993, the club allows players to use a trident as a prop after hitting home runs during games. The trident prop used by the team is a replica from the 2018 film ''Aquaman''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kramer|first=Daniel|title=Mariners embrace Aquaman trident as home run prop|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mariners-introduce-aquaman-trident-as-home-run-prop|publisher=MLB Advanced Media|website=MLB.com|date=April 25, 2023|access-date=August 28, 2023}}</ref> * An element on the flag of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. * The Maserati 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". *Manchester United F.C. *Crawley Town F.C. *Fredonia Blue Devils *Tampa Bay Tritons *White Rock Tritons *Nkana F.C.

=== Military insignia === [[Image:Hellenic Navy Seal.svg|thumb|right|Emblem of the Hellenic Navy]] * The emblem of the Hellenic Navy * 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 trident is a recurring element in the colours of certain units of the Finnish Navy. * 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 of the United States Naval Academy, which depicts a trident running vertically in its background. In addition, the Naval Academy’s motto, ''Ex scientia tridens'', literally translates from Latin as "From knowledge, a trident", though the official translation is "From knowledge, seapower" (i.e. using the association of the trident with Poseidon/Neptune and other sea gods as a metaphor for naval might). * The ship's crests of 13 of the 18 Ohio-class 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 missiles. * The rating badge of the United States Coast Guard Marine Science Technician. * The Tug Banner 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.<ref>John Lindley and Thomas Moore (1964) ''The Treasury of Botany: A Popular Dictionary of the Vegetable Kingdom with which is Incorporated a Glossary of Botanical Terms'', Published by Longmans Green, pt.1</ref> Furthermore, in current botanical literature, certain bracts are stated to have a trident-shape (e.g. Douglas-fir).<ref>C. Michael Hogan (2008) [http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=44736 ''Douglas-fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii'', globalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Strõmberg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604021155/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=44736 |date=2009-06-04 }}</ref>

== Gallery == <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, Himachal Pradesh, India<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/wtc_steel_artifact_tells_its_own_nm4XpulDud9dzoAFwcPYxJ|title=Iron-willed 'hero' images|date=9 April 2010|work=nypost.com}}</ref> File:Mas de l'Amarée 15.JPG|Camargue trident in France </gallery>

==See also== {{Commons category|Tridents}} * Bident * Eighteen Arms of Wushu * Leister * Military fork * Pitchfork * Sai * Trishula * Symbols of the Rurikids * Trident (UK nuclear programme) * Tug (banner)

==Explanatory notes== {{Notelist}}

==References== ;Citations {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=burke>{{cite book|last=Burke |first=Bernard |author-link=Bernard Burke |title=merman, Neptune, trident |work=The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales: Comprising a Registry of Armorial Bearings from the Earliest to the Present Time |publisher=Harrison & sons |edition=2nd |year=1864 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WmpmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PR42 |pages=xlii, xlvi}}</ref>

<ref name=burkert>{{cite book|last=Burkert|first=Walter |author-link=Walter Burkert |translator-last=Raffan |translator-first=John |translator-link= |title=The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1985 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sxurBtx6shoC&pg=PA137 |page=137|isbn=978-0-674-36281-9}}</ref>

<ref name=cambridge-anc-hist2>{{cite book|last=Bury |first=John Bagnell |author-link=John Bagnell Bury |chapter=XXII.vi Zeus, Hera, Poseidon |title=The Cambridge Ancient History |publisher=University Press |year=1940 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ijTAAAAMAAJ |page=631 |quotation=Poseidon,..the earth-shaker, whose trident roused the earthquake, and the god of horses.}}</ref>

<ref name=collignon>{{cite book|last=Collignon |first=Maxime |author-link=Maxime Collignon |translator=Jane E. Harrison |translator-link= |title=Manual of Mythology: In Relation to Greek Art |publisher=H. Grevel & Co. |year=1890 |url=https://archive.org/details/manualmythology00collgoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/manualmythology00collgoog/page/n218 197]–199}}</ref>

<ref name=eve>{{cite book|last=Eve |first=George W. |author-link=George W. Eve |chapter=Heraldic birds and other figures |title=Heraldry as Art: An Account of Its Development and Practice, Chiefly in England |publisher=Batsford |year=1907 |url=https://archive.org/details/heraldryasartan00evegoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/heraldryasartan00evegoog/page/n119 95]}}</ref>

<ref name=fox-davies>{{cite book|last=Fox-Davies |first= Arthur Charles |author-link= Arthur Charles Fox-Davies |title=The Art of Heraldry: An Encyclopaedia of Armory |publisher=T.C. & E.C. Jack |year=1985 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rfhYAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA195}}, p. 195 and Fig. 488, p. 396 Fig. 778 (p. 285)</ref>

<ref name=hurwit>{{cite book|last=Hurwit |first=Jeffrey M. |author-link= |title=The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0pQ4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA32 |page=32 |isbn=978-0-521-41786-0}}</ref>

<ref name=mackay>{{citation|last=Mackay |first=L. A. |author-link= |title=The Earthquake-Horse |journal=Classical Philology |volume=41 |number=3 |year=1946 |pages=150–154|doi=10.1086/362950 |s2cid=162926974 }} {{JSTOR|267107}}</ref>

<ref name=montfaucon>{{cite book|last=Montfaucon|first=Bernard de |author-link=Bernard de Montfaucon|title=Les Dieux Des Grecs Et Des Romains: Suppl. |publisher=Delaulne |year=1724 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4FxJAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA77-IA17 |page=70}}; Pl. XXV</ref>

<ref name=moule>{{cite book|last=Moule |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Moule |title=Heraldry of Fish: Notices of the Principal Families Bearing Fish in Their Arms |publisher=J. Van Voorst |year=1842 |url=https://archive.org/details/heraldryfishnot00moulgoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/heraldryfishnot00moulgoog/page/n238 218]}}</ref>

<ref name=walters>{{citation|last=Walters |first=H. B. |author-link= |title=Poseidon's Trident |journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies |volume=13 |issue=37 |year=1892–1893 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2YkrAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA13 |pages=454, 459, 45}}</ref>

<ref name=wiklins>{{citation|last=Wilkins |first=Ann Thomas |author-link= |title=Bernini and Ovid: Expanding the Concept of Metamorphosis |journal=International Journal of the Classical Tradition |volume=6 |number=3 |year=2000 |pages=403–404}} {{JSTOR|30222585}}</ref>

<ref name=wilson>{{citation|last=Wilson |first=R. J. A. |author-link= |title=Aspects of Iconography in Romano-British Mosaics: The Rudston 'Aquatic' Scene and the Brading Astronomer Revisited |journal=Britannia |volume=37 |publisher=Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies |year=2006 |pages=297–299|doi=10.3815/000000006784016693 |s2cid=190728064 }} {{JSTOR|30030523}}</ref>

<ref name=williams-numismatic>{{citation|last=Williams |first=J. H. C. |author-link= |title=Septimius Severus and Sol, Carausius and Oceanus: two new Roman acquisitions at the British Museum |journal=The Numismatic Chronicle |volume=159 |year=1999 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u2oaAAAAYAAJ&q=Oceanus+trident |pages=310–311}} {{JSTOR|42668508}}</ref>

}}

;Bibliography {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last=Blake |first=Marion Elizabeth |author-link=Marion Elizabeth Blake |title=Roman Mosaics of the Second Century in Italy |work= Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome |volume=13 |place=New York |publisher=University of Michigan Press for the American Academy in Rome |year=1936 |series=Loeb classical library |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ydxLLwCbN98C&q=dolphin+trident |pages=67–214}} {{JSTOR|4238589}} * {{cite book|ref={{SfnRef|Frazer tr.|1921}}|author=Pseudo-Apollodorus |author-link=Pseudo-Apollodorus |translator=J. G. Frazer |translator-link=J. G. Frazer |title=Apollodorus: The Library |volume=1 |place=New York |publisher=G. P. Putnam's Sons |year=1921 |series=Loeb classical library |isbn=9780674991354 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GKcNAAAAIAAJ }}; {{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=PqQNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA79|2=Vol. '''2'''}} * {{cite book|last=Mylonopoulos |first=Joannis |author-link= |title=Odysseus with a trident? The Use of Attributes in Ancient Greek Imagery |work=Divine Images and Human Imaginations in Ancient Greece and Rome |publisher=BRILL |year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v7q9CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA171 |pages=171–204 |isbn=978-9-047-44165-6}}

{{Greek religion|state=collapsed}} {{Fishing tackle|expanded=techniques}} {{Fisheries and fishing}} {{Pole weapons}} {{Seattle Mariners}}

Category:Tridents Category:3 (number) Category:Spears Category:Ancient weapons Category:Fishing equipment Category:Greek sea gods Category:Mythological objects Category:Heraldic charges Category:Poseidon Category:Harpoons