trident

[trahyd-nt]

trident, in Greek mythology, three-pronged fork borne by Poseidon. It was variously represented as a fishing spear, a goad, or forked lightning.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

Trident

A trident 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. The trident is also Satan's weapon.

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 USA, gigging is used for catching bullfrogs, flounder, and sometimes carp.

Military use

As a weapon, the trident was prized for its long reach and ability to trap other long-weapons between prongs to disarm their wielder. Tridents were also famously used by the retiarii, Roman gladiators who cast a net to wrap their adversary and a trident to kill him.

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:

Cadbury Schweppes Trident, a brand of chewing gum. Named after the three plaque-softening enzymes included in the original formula.
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.
The BSD Daemon carries a trident to symbolize the forking of processes in an operating system.

Popular culture

The all inclusive resort company Club Med uses a trident in its company logo.
The Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati uses a trident in its company logo.
Trident is the name of the US Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile program, consisting of Ohio class submarines and Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. It is so named because of its role in the three-pronged SIOP nuclear war plan, based around sea-launched SLBMs first, followed by land-launched ICBMs, and lastly free-fall nuclear bombs delivered by air from strategic bombers.
Trident also refers to the Royal Navy's nuclear Ballistic Missile system, consisting of Vanguard class submarines and Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The name was chosen for the same reason as the US Trident.
Hawker Siddeley Trident was a British jet airliner produced by Hawker Siddley at Hatfield in the 1960s, named after the tri-jet engine configuration.
The Trident was a popular restaurant in the Marin county harbor town of Sausalito, California during the 1960s and 70s. It was owned by the popular folk group The Kingston Trio and operated by their manager Frank Werber. Many famous patrons frequently visited including Janis Joplin, Bill Cosby and David Crosby. The Rolling Stones held a private party at the eatery in 1974.
As a throwback symbol during the baseball team Seattle Mariners' 1977 season

Literature

In Drowned Wednesday, part of the Keys to the Kingdom Series by Garth Nix, Wednesday's Key is a trident.
In the "Percy Jackson & The Olympians" series of novels by Rick Riordan, as in Greek mythology, the trident is a symbol of the Olympian Glory. It appears over a demigod's head when Poseidon claims the individual as his own.

Comics

In DC Comics, the superhero Blue Devil carries a trident.
In DC Comics, the superhero Aquaman sometimes carries a trident.
In Marvel Comics, the superhero Namor the Sub-Mariner sometimes carries a trident.

Television

In the Masters of the Universe toy line and cartoon series, Spikor, an evil henchman of Skeletor, has an extendable trident in place of his left hand. The three points fire lasers.
In seaQuest DSV the logo of the United Earth Oceans Organization is a trident centered over an image of the earth surrounded by a wreath.
In Reboot, AI AndrAIa uses a trident
In one of the Bill Brasky sketches on Saturday Night Live, Bill Brasky is said to have killed Wolfman Jack with a trident.
Triceraranger/Blue Ranger from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is armed with a pair of tridents with circular ends that can join together.
In the cartoon series "Ulysses 31" the Tridents were spacecraft used by the Gods of Olympus to attack Ulysses' ship, The Odyssey.

Films

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).
In the movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Brick Tamland uses a trident to kill a rival, later uttering the famous phrase, "There were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident."
In The Da Vinci Code, there is some discussion about the symbolic use of trident.
In Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the idiot-prince Ruprecht (Steve Martin) insists on holding a trident at the dinner table.

Gaming

In the popular RPG Dungeons and Dragons, the trident is available as a weapon. It is largely similar to the spear, albeit more effective against charging opponents. However, it is lighter and deals less damage on a critical hit.

Video games

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Felix and party collects the three pieces of the Trident of Ankhol, which is the only item able to break through Poseidon's impenetrable shield.
In Age of Mythology, the objective for the second mission involves getting a Poseidon statue's trident back to Atlantis.
In Vagrant Story, it is described as "a forked pole are with three tines."
In The Legend of Zelda franchise, the antagonist Ganon sometimes uses a trident called the Trident of Power. This is seen in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and later in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.
In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the trident is one of the more powerful spear weapons.
Hydron, from Red Earth, carries a huge trident as a weapon.
Jiang Wei, from Dynasty Warriors, uses a trident called "Blink".
In the game Dynasty Wariors 6, both Taishi Ci and Cao Ren use tridents
In Mortal Kombat 3, the harpoon of Smoke is a trident.

Pinball Machine

In March of 1979, Stern Electronics released "Trident" a nautical themed game based on the mythological take on the three pointed spear. A "seagod" like character is depicted in the artwork fighting an octopus like monster of the deep. Stern produced 4019 of these machines.

Anime/Manga

Mukuro Rokudo and Chrome Dokuro of the anime and manga Katekyo Hitman REBORN! use a trident as their weapon. The mosquitoes of Doctor Shamal also pierce their targets with a trident.
In the anime and manga series Bleach, the character Kaien Shiba wields a zanpakuto dubbed Nejibana that turns into a trident when in its initial release form.
In Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, the XXXG-01S2 "Altron" piloted by Chang Wufei uses a beam trident.
In Inuyasha, Naraku forges a trident from his own bones and gives it to Abi-Hime to assist him with.
In Ronin Warriors, Cye of the Torrent uses a trident capable of firing a high-powered beam of water.