Trident

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 (Greek) or Neptune (Roman), the god of the sea in classical mythology. Other sea deities such as Amphitrite or Triton were also often depicted with a trident in classical art. Later, tridents were used in medieval heraldry, sometimes held by a merman or triton. In Hinduism, it is the weapon of Shiva and is known as a trishula (Sanskrit for "triple-spear"). The word "trident" comes from the Latin word or : tri meaning "three" and dentes meaning "teeth", referring specifically to the three prongs, or "teeth", of the weapon. The Greek equivalent is (tríaina), 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 also means "trident". The Sanskrit name for the trident, trishula, is a compound of tri त्रि for "three" and śūla शूल for "thorn", calling the trident's three prongs "thorns" rather than "teeth" or dant in Sanskrit, making the word "Tridant" for trident. Trident of Poseidon The trident is associated with the sea god Poseidon. This divine instrument is said to have been forged by the cyclopes. Poseidon struck a rock with his trident, causing a sea (or a saltwater spring, called the Erechtheis) to appear nearby on the Acropolis in Athens. And according to Roman sources, Neptune struck the earth with the trident to produce the first warhorse. Poseidon, as well as being the god of the sea, was also known as the "Earth Shaker", believed to cause earthquakes; some commentators have extrapolated that the god would have used the trident to cause them, possibly by striking the earth. In the Renaissance artist Gian Bernini's sculpture Neptune and Triton (1622–23), Neptune is posed holding a trident turned downwards, and is thought to reenact a scene from Aeneid or Ovid's Metamorphoses where he is calming the waves to aid Aeneas's ships.