Trident

Trident, Burmese, 18th century

File:Tridenttactics.png

Trident combat as depicted in the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

A statue of Shiva near Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi

Poseidon sculpture holding a trident

File:Maserati logo.png

Present Maserati logo

For other uses, see Trident (disambiguation).

A trident is a three pronged staff or spear. The French word's origin is from Latin tridens or tridentis, from tri "three" and dentes "teeth" and from Sanskrit "thri" + "danta". It was used by fishermen to catch fish. As a weapon, it was also used by the retiarii, Roman gladiators who used a net to wrap their adversary and a trident to kill him. In the southern United States, this type of spear, called a gig, is used for catching bullfrogs, flounder, and sometimes carp. This kind of fishing is referred to as gigging.

Information on real forked spears can be found in the article on the military fork.

Symbolic use

From the fishing origins, the trident is often associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythologyas well as Shiva the Hindu super god of destruction. By hitting the earth with his trident, Poseidon created the horse and some water sources in Greece. The Roman Gods, such as Neptune (parallel to Poseidon) also used a trident as a staff, and created earthquakes and new bodies of water. A good example can be seen in Gian Bernini's Neptune and Triton.

A trident has also references as:

• Britannia's Trident, as the symbol of British naval might, able to hit any place on the globe with devastating power.

• The United States Navy Special Warfare Badge, worn by members of the United States Navy SEALs, is officially known as a Trident, while jokingly called a Budweiser by some SEALs.

• The Trident is the symbol of the Swedish Coastal Rangers, Kustjägarna.

• As a symbol, the trident in the centrer of the flag of Barbados - Symbolic of the country's independence from the United Kingdom. It was also adopted by the Russian anti-Soviet revolutionary organization NTS as the "forks of the people's anger". A highly stylised trident, known as the tryzub, constitutes a part of the Ukrainian coat of arms.

• The trident or Trishula is also 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.

In Popular Culture

• In DC Comics, the superhero Blue Devil carries a trident.

• In Reboot, AI AndrAIa uses a trident

• 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.

• 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).

• 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.

• 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.

• Trident is a three-girl pop band from Romania.

• Hawker-Siddeley HS121 Trident was a British jet airliner produced by Hawker Siddley at Hatfield in the 1960's; various version were produced from the Trident 1 to the Trident 3B.

• 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.

• 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.

• In the video game 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 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 one of the Bill Brasky sketches on Saturday Night Live, Bill Brasky is said to have killed Wolfman Jack with a trident.

• In the computer game Age of Mythology much of the story line involves getting the Poseidon statue's trident in Atlantis.

• In the video game Vagrant Story, it is described as "A forked pole are with three tines."

• In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the trident is one of the more powerful spear weapons.

• In the videogame Halo 2, it is possible to select a stylized trident as the main logo feature of your profile.

• 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.

• Triceraranger/Blue Ranger from Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger/Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is armed with a pair of tridents which the circular ends that can connect together.

• The trident is used as a throwback symbol during the Seattle Mariners 1977 season.

See also

• Eighteen Arms of Wushu
• Trisula
• Sai (weapon)

The trident is used as a throwback symbol during the Seattle Mariners 1977 season.