Trident

For other uses, see Trident (disambiguation).

A trident /ˈtraɪdənt/ 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. In Hindu mythology it is the weapon of Shiva, known as trishula (Sanskrit for "triple-spear").

Etymology

The word "trident" comes from the French word trident, which in turn comes from the Latin word tridens or tridentis: tri "three" and dentes "teeth". Sanskrit trishula is compound of tri त्रि "three""".

The Greek equivalent is τρίαινα (tríaina), from Proto-Greek trianja (threefold).

Uses

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

Fountain of Neptune in Diafáni, Karpathos island

In Greek, Roman, and Hindu mythology, the trident is said to have the power of control over the ocean.

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.^[1]

Combat

The trident, known as dangpa, is featured as a weapon in the 17th- to 18th-century systems of Korean martial arts.

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.^[2]

Symbolism/Mythology

In Hindu legends and stories Shiva, a Hindu God who holds a trident in his hand, uses this sacred weapon to fight off negativity in the form of evil villains. The trident represents the deity in his three aspects of creator, preserver and destroyer. The trident is also said to represent three gunas mentioned in Indian vedic philosophy namely sāttvika, rājasika and tāmasika.

In Greek myth, Poseidon used his trident to create water sources in Greece and the horse. Poseidon, as well as being god of the sea, was also known as the "Earth Shaker" because 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. Parallel to its fishing origins, the trident is associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology, the Roman god Neptune.

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.

In religious Taoism, the trident represents the Taoist Trinity, the Three Pure Ones. In Taoist rituals, a trident bell is used to invite the presence of deities and summon spirits, as the trident signifies the highest authority of Heaven.

The trishula of the Hindu god Shiva. A weapon of South-East Asian (particularly Thai) depiction of Hanuman, a character of Ramayana.

A fork Jewish priests (Kohanim) used to take their portions of offerings.^[3]

The glyph or sigil of the planet Neptune in astronomy and astrology.

Political

The Tryzub in the Coat of Arms of Ukraine, adopted 1918 (in a reinterpretation of a medieval emblem which most likely depicted a falcon)
The national emblem on the flag of Barbados.
The "forks of the people's anger", adopted by the Russian anti-Soviet revolutionary organization, National Alliance of Russian Solidarists (NTS).
Britannia, the personification of Great Britain.

Civilian use

The symbol for Washington and Lee University.
The symbol (since June 2008) for the athletic teams (Tritons) at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Sparky the Sun Devil, the mascot of Arizona State University, holds a trident. (ASU recently redesigned its trident as a stand-alone symbol)
The trident was used as the original cap insignia and original logo for the Seattle Mariners.
An element on the flag of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Maserati logo
Malaysian Airlines logo (red/blue inter-locked on tail-fin structure)
Club Méditerranée
Hawker Siddeley Trident, a 1960s British three-engine jet airliner
Tirreno–Adriatico cycle race trophy

Pop culture

A magical weapon that grants its wielder, Aquaman, great power and the divine right to rule the sea.
Triton, the father of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, has a magical trident.
In many Legend of Zelda games Ganon is depicted wielding a large golden trident.
In Suzanne Collin's popular young adult fiction series The Hunger Games, the character Finnick Odair uses a trident as his primary weapon.

Military emblems

With Poseidon in the 31st Brigade.
The symbol of the Swedish Coastal Rangers, Kustjägarna.
The US Naval Special Warfare insignia, worn by members of the US Navy SEALs, and containing a trident representing the three aspects (Sea, Air, and Land) of SEAL special operations.
Part of the golden-colored crest of the United States Naval Academy, which depicts a trident running vertically in its background.
The ship's crests of 13 of the 18 Ohio-class submarines of the U.S. Navy prominently feature tridents, as both a symbol of maritime power, and in reference to their payloads of Trident D-5 missiles.
The rating badge of the United States Coast Guard Marine Science Technician.

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
Tridents (Trishula) brought as offerings to Guna Devi, near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India^[1]

^ http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/wtc_steel_artifact_tells_its_own_nm4XpulDud9dzoAFwcPYxJ

Botanical nomenclature

A number of structures in the biological world are described as trident in appearance. Since at least the late 19th century the trident shape was applied to certain botanical shapes; for example, certain orchid flora were described as having trident-tipped lips in early botanical works.^[4] Furthermore, in current botanical literature, certain bracts are stated to have a trident-shape (e.g. Douglas-fir).^[5]

Notes

↑ Turner, Andy. "Fish Gigging: An Ozark Tradition". Missouri Department of Conservation.
↑ Roland Auguet [1970] (1994). Cruelty and Civilization: The Roman Games. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-10452-1.
↑ http://www.mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et08a02.htm
↑ John Lindley and Thomas Moore (1964) The Treasury of Botany: A Popular Dictionary of the Vegetable Kingdom with which is Incorporated a Glossary of Botanical Terms, Published by Longmans Green, pt.1
↑ C. Michael Hogan (2008) Douglas-fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii, globalTwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Strõmberg)

Fishing tackle

Fish hook	Circle hook Gaff Hookset Sniggle

Fishing line	Braided Knots Monofilament Multifilament Power pro Swivel

Fishing sinker	Arlesey Bomb Bombarda Downrigger Sandsinker

Fishing rod	Bamboo fly rod Fishing reel Fishing rod tapers Fly rod building

Fishing bait	Bait fish Boilies Chum Clonk Groundbait Vermicompost Worm charming

Plastic bait	Deadsticking Plastic worm

Fishing lures	Artificial fly Heddon Little Cleo Mormyshka Original Floater Plug Sabiki Spinnerbait Spoon lure Spoonplug Surface lure Swimbait Topwater lure Zara Spook

Bite indicators	Fishing float Pellet waggler Shortfloating Quiver tip

Fishing rig	Carolina rig Chod rig Hair rig Texas rig

Apparel	Creel Diving mask Hip boot Personal flotation device Snorkel Waders Wetsuit

Other	Fish stringer Tackle box

Fishing techniques

Gathering	Abalone Ama divers Clam digging Flounder tramping Gathering seafood by hand Noodling Pearl hunting Scallop aquaculture Trout binning Trout tickling

Spears	Bowfishing Gigging Harpoon Hawaiian sling Polespear Spearfishing Speargun Trident

Fishing lines	Dropline Drum lines Handline fishing Jiggerpole Jigging Jug fishing Longline fishing Spin fishing Trolling Trotline

Fishing nets	Cast net Chinese fishing net Drift net Ghost nets Gill net Glass floats Hand net Ice jigger Lampara net Lampuki net Lave net Seine net Surrounding net Tangle net Trawl net Turtle excluder device

Fish traps	Almadraba Corf Crab trap Double-Heart of Stacked Stones Eel buck Fish wheel Fishing basket Fishing weir Lobster trap Putcher fishing Trabucco

Other	Basnig Blast fishing Cormorant fishing Cyanide fishing Dredging Electrofishing Electric pulse fishing Fish aggregating device Fish toxins Fishfinder Fishing light attractor Flossing Ice fishing Kite fishing Muroami Otter fishing Payaos Shrimp baiting Snagging

Fisheries and fishing topic areas

Fisheries	Aquaculture Diversity of fish Fish diseases and parasites Fish farming Fisheries management Fisheries science Individual fishing quota Sustainable fishery Wild fisheries

Fishing	Artisanal fishing Fisherman Fishing vessel History of fishing

Industry	List of harvested aquatic animals by weight By country Commercial fishing Marketing Markets Processing Products Seafood

Recreation	Angling Big-game fishing Catch and release Fishing tournaments Fly fishing

Techniques	Fish trap Fishfinder Fishing net Gathering seafood by hand Handline fishing Spearfishing Trawling

Tackle	Artificial flies Bait Bite indicators Hook Line Lures Rod Sinker

Locations	Fish ponds Fishing banks Fishing villages Marine habitats

Glossary Index Outline Fishing portal Category

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, May 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.