The trident of Poseidon is an essential attribute of this ancient Greek god - the ruler of the seas. Whatever his image is, a middle-aged bearded athlete always appears before the viewer, holding a kind of weapon in his hands, consisting of a shaft topped with a tip with three prongs.
Fishing tackle that has become a formidable weapon
His addiction to the trident is understandable, because initially it was intended exclusively for fishing, that is, the favorite pastime of the god of the seas, and much later the inhabitants of the land realized that they could successfully pierce not only gaping catfish, but also their stomachs enemies. To this end, they slightly changed the design of the trident, removing the hooks intended to hold the fish, since in battle after a successful blow, no one was required to be held.
From now on, the previously harmless trident of Poseidon, the photo of which is presented in this article, has become a formidable and versatile weapon. It was used both for close combat, and as a throwing spear, and for capturing enemy weapons.
The inhabitants of ancient Rome, distinguished by their love for bloody spectacles,armed them with gladiators-retiarii. This was a special category of suicide bombers who entered the arena with a trident and a fishing net, thus depicting fishermen whose task was to hit the enemy armed with a sword and shield, who played the role of a "fish" in this scene.
The path of the trident deep into the continents
Researchers do not have a common opinion about where the first appeared, which later became so popular, the trident of Poseidon. Since he began his march around the world as a fishing tackle, it is quite logical to assume that he was born by some kind of civilization associated with expanses of water, and not necessarily the seas - these could be areas of river floods.
It is also generally accepted that in a later period, when peoples began to settle deep into the continents, they began to arm gods with tridents who commanded other elements, but in one way or another connected with water - rains, thunderstorms, floods and so on.
An example is the ancient Iranian god Apam-Napat, due to his geographical position, deprived of the opportunity to rule in the seas, but wholly commanded the rivers. He instilled fear in local fishermen and casual bathers, shaking in the air with the same trident as the one we see in the hands of his Greek colleague.
Tridents of ancient Sumerian gods
The trident of Poseidon, or something very similar to it, the researchers found on the images of the ancient Sumerian goddess Inanna, also known by her Akkadian name Ishtar. Frommythology knows that, having devoted herself exclusively to love and fertility in her youth, she eventually switched to strife, quarrels and, as a result, military conflicts (the female character tends to deteriorate over the years). Since then, a trident has appeared on the images of the goddess, but, so to speak, in its female version, it looks more like a tulip flower than a military weapon.
Poseidon's trident looked quite different in the hands of her close friend, the god Ishkur, also familiar to us from Sumerian-Akkadian mythology. From the moment he was born, he commanded thunder, storm and wind, which is why he acquired a quick-tempered and scandalous temper. Even the intervention of his father, the sky god Anu, did not correct the situation, instructing his son to keep an eye on the water elements, which included rain, so necessary for people in these hot and arid lands. In his hands, the trident looks like a ruthlessly striking weapon.
Terrible weapon of the Hittite god Teshub
Could not do without a trident and the Hittite thunder god Teshub, once revered throughout Asia Minor. Other inhabitants of the local pantheon gave him special honors, as he occupied a dominant position among them. One day, the father of the gods Kumarbi tried to challenge Teshub's primacy by setting one of his sons on him - the giant Ullikumme, made not of living flesh, but of pure jade.
Since the trident could not cope here, Teshub sawed his enemy with a sacred saw, the same one that once separated the earth from the sky, after which he willingly posed forits wreckage, holding in one hand a hammer, with the blows of which he caused thunder, and in the other, his mighty trident. This rod of Poseidon appears in most of his images, one of which can be seen in our article.
Indian deities not indifferent to tridents
However, the trident caused a real stir among the gods and goddesses of ancient India. Several inhabitants of the local Vedic pantheon wished to have him at once, the main of which was the god of the world's waters Varuna. When and where his cult originated, no one knows, but over time, on the Hindustan peninsula, he became so strong that all other deities respectfully parted before him.
Universal worship and streams of flattery so dulled Varuna's vigilance that he did not even notice how he was overthrown by the insidious Shiva, the many-armed god of cattle-breeding tribes, not associated with the water element, but also hastening to acquire a trident. His admirers still wear a sign on their forehead called treshula and made in the form of three sharp teeth.
The example of Shiva was also followed by his wife, the warrior goddess Durga. But she adorned herself with this weapon not out of empty vanity, but out of, so to speak, “professional necessity”. The ancient Indian god of fire Agni was also seen with a trident in his hands. Marine paraphernalia in the hands of this arsonist was, according to scientists, the transformation of symbols associated with showers, thunderstorms and lightning.
This attribute of the ancient gods received even deeper understanding from the Buddhists, who gaveto him a philosophical and mystical meaning, denoting it with the word "triratna", which means "three jewels" of the Buddha. Without delving into the essence of their intricate teachings, we only note that the image of a trident is still used by them in tantric yoga - a system of Buddhist and Hindu methods of human self-improvement.
Images of a trident that have become state symbols
In the ancient world, the image of a trident was often associated not only with individual mythical figures, but also with the cultures of entire peoples that actually existed on earth. For example, his images were found during excavations in the ancient cities of Crete - Knossos, Phaistos and Zakros.
Once upon a time they were the centers of the Crete-Minoan civilization that had gone into the centuries, part of the emblem of which was the trident of Poseidon. It was not without reason that the weapon of the sea god became a symbol of the culture that existed on the island from 2700 to 1400 BC, that is, for thirteen centuries. The ancient Cretans, being the undivided masters of the Mediterranean, owed their prosperity to sea trade, thus, the attribute of the sea deity had for them not only a symbolic, but also a purely sacred meaning.
As a state symbol, the trident was also used by the ancient Besporan kingdom, which once had vast lands in the Northern Black Sea region. During excavations, archaeologists discovered coins issued as early as the 3rd century BC, on which the portraits of kings were always accompanied by images of a trident. It turned out that the undisputed monarchs considered themselvesdirect descendants of the god of the seas Poseidon, and their pedigree was from his son, the mythical hero Eumolpus.
Poseidon's weapons in the Slavic lands
And, finally, the fashion for tridents and our Slavic lands did not bypass. For many centuries, it was the dynastic sign of the Rurik family. Despite the fact that each of its representatives tried to make some own changes to it, adding crosses, circles, bends and lines, on the whole, though a stylized, but quite distinct image, reminiscent of the Trident of Poseidon, was preserved. A photo of this dynastic sign of our ancient rulers precedes this paragraph.
As evidenced by the results of archaeological excavations, the princely, and starting from the time of Ivan the Terrible and the royal sign of the trident was placed not only on official letters, but also on a variety of subjects. For example, it can be seen on a brick preserved from the Church of the Tithes, erected in Kyiv in 996, on the slabs that cover the floor of the Assumption Church in Vladimir-Volynsky (XII century), as well as on many bricks and stones from which temples were built, castles and palaces of that ancient era. The museums of the country exhibit many medallions, rings, coins, as well as samples of weapons, dishes, and all household utensils decorated with the image of a trident. Today, the trident has adorned the coat of arms of Ukraine.
Trident on the banner of Genghis Khan
The owner of the distinctive sign, made in the form of a trident, was also the famous Genghis Khan, who led at the beginning of the XIIIcenturies, countless hordes of steppe nomads poured into Russia. His sacred banner - sulde - was a trident raised on a shaft, under which nine brushes made of yak wool hanging down were fixed. Today, in the Delyun-Boldok valley (Mongolia), at the place where, according to historians, the conqueror was born, a memorial stele has been erected, crowned with his family sign - a trident. After the death of Genghis Khan, this symbol passed to his direct heirs. In particular, it is found on coins minted during the reign of Batu Khan.
European symbols that included the trident
In the Middle Ages, the image of a trident was widely used in the symbolism of Western Europe. In particular, it can be found on Frankish, Anglo-Saxon and Czech coins. Even in the pagan period, the ancient Prussians decorated them with memorial stones and cult complexes of tracts.
Nor did the Scandinavians do without tridents. Known, for example, is the Icelandic manuscript of the 18th century, dedicated to the exploits of the hero of the national epic Odin. Symbolic images of a trident are repeatedly found on its pages, and the main character is presented holding this weapon in his hands. By the way, it is two-sided, that is, the teeth that smash the enemy are located at both ends of the shaft, which gives it an even more militant look.
The trident of Poseidon found its place in Christian symbolism, and sometimes in the most opposite meanings to each other. Along with being used as a symbol of the Holy Trinity, on manyin icons it can be seen in the hands of devils tormenting unrepentant sinners. Thus, the trident in Christianity can simultaneously play the role of both a symbol of holiness and a satanic sign.
Uranus, Poseidon, Pluto (planet) - a trident in the starry sky
Mention of the Greek god, the owner of a formidable trident, can also be found on the map of the starry sky. True, here he performs under his middle name - Neptune. In 1905, the American astronomer Percival Lowell, having discovered deviations in the orbit of this planet, as well as its nearest neighbor Uranus, came to the conclusion that they are influenced by some invisible from Earth and hitherto unknown cosmic body. It turned out to be the planet Uranus discovered in 1930. Since then, the weapons of the sea king have fit into space maps, because it is easy to see that Uranus, Poseidon, Pluto (the planet) is a trident. In a word, the Greek and Roman deities in our days have firmly conquered the starry sky. With the development of civilization, many planets received their names - for example, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and so on.
How to make Poseidon's trident with your own hands
The sea god of the ancient Greeks already in the Soviet period of the history of our country became an indispensable character of maritime holidays and related costume performances. For this purpose, it was very easy to make Poseidon's trident with your own hands from paper, cardboard or plywood. Carefully cut out or sawed out its outline, and then pasted over with foil. A thin stick or even a simple mop handle was used as a shaft. Older people who once spent their summer holidays inpioneer camps, probably remember this simple technology.
Trident tattoo fashion
Today, the symbolism, which includes the image of a trident, is used by representatives of a number of youth subcultures. You can often meet young people who have adorned themselves with the “Poseidon's trident” tattoo applied to their bodies. If most of them realize their aesthetic needs in this way, then a certain part of the youth puts a specific meaning into the image. For them, the trident is a symbol of power and strength. He, in their opinion, may be one of the elements of self-assertion.
In recent decades, when millions of Russians have been able to freely travel abroad, symbols depicting the trident of Poseidon have become quite firmly established in everyday life. Greece is among the most frequent routes of Russian tourists, and this largely explains the interest in its history and mythology. Thousands of our compatriots visit it every year.
One of the travel companies even organized an excursion "Poseidon's Trident", the participants of which get the opportunity to see the places where events unfolded, the heroes of which were the immortal inhabitants of Olympus.
