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A trident (pronounced /ˈtrаɪdənt/), also called a leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was formerly also a military weapon. Tridents feature widely in mythical, historical and modern culture.

Note a trident is not a pitchfork. A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with two to six tines (also called prongs) which are shaped in such a way that they can be used to lift and pitch (throw) loose material.

Etymology

"Trident" is from French trident, from Latin tridens or tridentis: tri "three" and dentes "teeth". Several Indian languages use a similar word for "trident", trishula, derived from Sanskrit, meaning "triple spear".

Fishing

Tridents for 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.

Military use

Mosaic, 4th century BC, showing a retiarius or "net fighter", with a trident and cast net, fighting a secutor.

As a weapon, the trident was prized for its long reach and ability to trap other long-weapons between prongs to disarm their wielder. In Ancient Rome, in a parody of fishing, tridents were famously 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 kill him.¹

Symbolic use

Parallel to its fishing origins, the trident is associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology, the Roman god Neptune, and Shiva, a Hindu god. In Greek myth, Poseidon used his trident to create water sources in Greece and the horse (by striking a camel). Poseidon, as well as being god of the sea, was also known as the "Earth Shaker" when he struck the earth in anger he caused mighty earthquakes and he used his trident to stir up tidal waves, tsunamis and sea storms. In Roman myth, Neptune also used a trident to create new bodies of water and cause earthquakes. A good example can be seen in Gian Bernini's Neptune and Triton.

A trident has also references as:

• The Coat of arms of Ukraine (Tryzub) - the symbol of ancient Slavic tribes that once lived in Ukraine.
• The National emblem of the Flag of Barbados
• The US Navy Special Warfare insignia, worn by members of the US Navy SEALs, contains a trident representing the three aspects (Sea, Air, and Land) of SEAL special operations.
• The golden colored crest of the United States Naval Academy depicts a trident running vertically in its background.
• The symbol of the Swedish Coastal Rangers, Kustjägarna
• Adopted by the Russian anti-Soviet revolutionary organization NTS as the "forks of the people's anger".
• The trident or Trishula is the missile weapon of the Hindu god Shiva, and it often includes a crossed stabiliser to facilitate its flight when thrown.

Poseidon sculpture holding a trident

A statue of Hindu God Shiva, holding a trishula, near Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi

Dutch fishermen using tridents in the 17th century

Trident, Burmese, 18th century

See also

• Trident in popular culture
• Eighteen Arms of Wushu
• Military fork
• Trishula
• Sai (weapon)
• Pitchfork
• Coat of arms of Ukraine

Notes

1. ^ * Auguet, Roland [1970] (1994). Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-10452-1.

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