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 divinities such as Tritons in classical art, and trident maybe depicted in medieval heraldry as well, sometimes held by a merman-Triton. In Hinduism, it is the weapon of Shiva, known as trishula.
The word trident comes from the French word trident, which in turn comes from the Latin word tridens or tridentis: tri meaning three and dentes meaning teeth, referring specifically to the three prongs, or teeth, of the weapon. The Greek equivalent is, 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 fuscina also means trident. The Sanskrit name for the trident, trishula, is a compound of tri त्रि for three and ṣula शूल for thorn, calling the trident's three prongs thorns rather than teeth. Further information: Poseidon's trident The trident is associated with the sea-god Poseidon and his Roman counterpart Neptune. This divine instrument is said to have been forged by the cyclopes. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident, causing a sea to appear nearby on the Acropolis
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 divinities such as Tritons in classical art, and trident maybe depicted in medieval heraldry as well, sometimes held by a merman-Triton. In Hinduism, it is the weapon of Shiva, known as trishula.
The word trident comes from the French word trident, which in turn comes from the Latin word tridens or tridentis: tri meaning three and dentes meaning teeth, referring specifically to the three prongs, or teeth, of the weapon. The Greek equivalent is, 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 fuscina also means trident. The Sanskrit name for the trident, trishula, is a compound of tri त्रि for three and ṣula शूल for thorn, calling the trident's three prongs thorns rather than teeth. Further information: Poseidon's trident The trident is associated with the sea-god Poseidon and his Roman counterpart Neptune. This divine instrument is said to have been forged by the cyclopes. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident, causing a sea to appear nearby on the Acropolis
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