Trident
- For other uses, see Trident (disambiguation).
A trident is a three pronged staff. The word's origin is from Latin tridens or tridentis, from tri "three" and dentes "teeth". It was used by fishermen to catch fish. As a weapon, it was also used by the retiarii, Roman gladiators, who used a net to wrap their adversary and a trident to kill him.
Symbolic use
From the fishing origins, the trident is often associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. By hitting the earth with his trident, Poseidon created the horse and some water sources in Greece.
As a symbol, the trident is the central figure of the flag of Barbados. A highly stylised trident, the tryzub, constitutes the Ukrainian coat of arms.
The trident is also the missile weapon of the Hindu god Shiva, and it often includes a crossed stabiliser to facilitate its flight when thrown.
In Christian tradition, the trident is associated with the Devil. Depictions of the Devil commonly indicate a trident as his sceptre.
It was King Triton's weapon of choice in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989) and the weapon of choice of Diana from the PAX network's made for TV movie, Mermaids (2003).
See also
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