Poseidon sculpture holding a trident

A trident (from Latin 'tridens', 'tridentis', from 'tri', three, 'dens', tooth, 'dentes', teeth) is a three pronged staff.

It was used by fishermen to catch fish.

As a weapon it was also used by the retiarii, Roman gladiators that used a net to wrap their adversary and a trident to kill him.

Symbolic use

From the fish meaning, it 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 it 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, and his depictions commonly include a trident as his sceptre.

Alternate meanings

• Trident is also the codename of the rendering engine in the Windows version of Microsoft Internet Explorer in versions 4-6.
• Trident missile, an ICBM used by the United States and Britain
• Hawker-Siddeley Trident, a British jet airliner
• Trident gum, a sugarless chewing gum manufactured by Cadbury Adams LLC

See also

• Demons and symbols
• Nature and appearance of the demons