The trident of Poseidon is an integral attribute of this ancient Greek god - the ruler of the seas. Whatever his image may be, a middle-aged bearded athlete always appears in front of the viewer, holding in his hands a kind of weapon consisting of a pole crowned with a tip with three teeth.
Fishing gear that has become a formidable weapon
His addiction to the trident is quite understandable, because initially it was intended exclusively for fishing, that is, the beloved occupation 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 the stomachs of their enemies. To this end, they slightly changed the design of the trident, removing the hooks designed to hold the fish, because in battle after a successful strike, no one was required to hold.
Since then, the previously harmless enough trident of Poseidon, whose photos are presented in this article, has become a formidable and universal weapon. It was used 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 and retiaries. This was a special category of suicide bombers who entered the arena with a trident and a fishing net, thus portraying fishermen whose task was to hit the enemy armed with a sword and shield, playing the role of a "fish" in this scene.
Trident path deep into the continents
Researchers do not have a common opinion about where the Poseidon trident first appeared, which later became so popular. Since he began his march around the world as fishing tackle, it is logical to assume that some kind of civilization related to water expanses, and not necessarily the seas, gave birth to it - these could be sections of river floods.
It is also believed that in a later period, when the peoples began to settle deep into the continents, they began to arm the tridents of the gods who commanded other elements, but somehow connected with water - rains, thunderstorms, floods, and so on.
An example is the ancient Iranian god Apam-Napat, because of his geographical position, deprived of the opportunity to manage in the seas, but he completely commanded the rivers. He inspired fear among local fishermen and casual bathers, shaking in the air with the same trident as the one that we see in the hands of his Greek colleague.
Tridents of the ancient Sumerian gods
The trident of Poseidon or something very similar to him, the researchers found on the images of the ancient Sumerian goddess Inanna, also known by her Akkadian name Ishtar. From mythology it is known that, devoting herself in her youth exclusively to love and fertility, she eventually switched to feuds, quarrels and, as a result, military conflicts (female character tends to deteriorate over the years). Since then, a trident appeared on the images of the goddess, but, so to speak, in its ladies' version - more like a tulip flower than a military weapon.
In a completely different way, the trident of Poseidon looked 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 disposition. Even the intervention of his father, the god of heaven, Anu, instructed his son to look after the water elements, which included the rains so needed by people in these hot and dry lands, did not correct the situation. In his hands, the trident looks like a mercilessly smashing weapon.
Terrible weapon of the Hittite god Teshub
The Hittite thunder god Teshub, once revered once in all of Asia Minor, could not do without a trident. Other inhabitants of the local pantheon gave him special honors, since he held a dominant position among them. Once the championship of Teshub was tried to challenge the father of the gods Kumarbi, having set against him one of his sons - the giant Ullikumme, made not of living flesh, but of pure jade.
Since the trident could not be dealt with here, Teshub sawed his enemy with a sacred saw, the same one that had once separated the earth from the sky, then eagerly posed on its fragments, holding a hammer in one hand, with the blows of which he caused thunder, and in the other , your mighty trident. This rod of Poseidon appears in most of his images, one of which can be seen in our article.
Indian deities who are 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 world waters Varuna. When and where his cult was born, no one knows, but over time, on the Hindustan Peninsula, he strengthened so much that all other deities respectfully parted before him.
Universal worship and torrents 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 connected with the water element, but also hastened to acquire a trident. His admirers still today 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 it was she who adorned herself with this weapon not out of empty vanity, but because of, so to speak, “professional necessity”. With a trident in his hands, the ancient Indian god of fire Agni was also noticed. Maritime paraphernalia in the hands of this arsonist was, according to scientists, a transformation of symbols associated with showers, thunderstorms and lightning.
This attribute of the ancient gods received even deeper understanding from the Buddhists, who gave it a philosophical and mystical meaning, designating it with the word "triratna", which means - "three jewels" of the Buddha. Without delving into the essence of their sophisticated teaching, we only note that they still use the image of the trident 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 the trident was often associated not only with individual mythical personalities, but also with the cultures of entire peoples that actually existed on earth. For example, his images were found during excavations conducted on the territories of the most ancient cities of Crete - Knossos, Festus and Zakros.
Once they were the centers of the Cretan-Minoan civilization that had gone into the centuries, part of the emblem of which was the trident of Poseidon. The weapon of the sea god for a reason has become a symbol of 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 maritime trade, thus, the attribute of the sea deity was not only symbolic, but also purely sacred to them.
The trident was also used as the state symbol by the ancient Bespora kingdom, which once possessed vast lands in the Northern Black Sea region. During excavations, archaeologists discovered coins issued back in the 3rd century BC, on which portraits of kings were always accompanied by images of a trident. It turned out that the Bespore monarchs considered themselves direct descendants of the god of the seas Poseidon, and their genealogy was from his son - the mythical hero Eumolpus.
The weapons of Poseidon in the Slavic lands
And, finally, the fashion for tridents and our Slavic lands did not pass. For many centuries, it was a dynastic sign of the Rurikovich clan. Despite the fact that each of its representatives tried to make some changes of its own by drawing crosses, circles, bends and lines, on the whole, though a stylized, but quite distinct image resembling the Poseidon Trident was preserved. A photo of this dynastic sign of our ancient rulers precedes this paragraph.
According to the results of archaeological excavations, the princely, and since the time of Ivan the Terrible, the royal trident sign was placed not only on official letters, but also on a variety of objects. For example, it can be seen on the brick, preserved from the Church of the Tithes, built in Kiev in 996, on the plates that cover the floor of the Assumption Church in Vladimir-Volynsky (XII century), as well as on many bricks and stones from which the temples were built , castles and palaces of that old era. In the country's museums, many medallions, rings, coins, as well as samples of weapons, dishes, and any household utensils decorated with the image of a trident are exhibited. Today, the trident adorned the coat of arms of Ukraine.
Trident on the banner of Genghis Khan
The holder of the distinctive sign, made in the form of a trident, was also the famous Genghis Khan, who headed at the beginning of the XIII century untold hordes of steppe nomads who rushed to Russia. His sacred banner - sulde - was a trident ascended onto a shaft, under which nine tassels hanging down from yak wool were strengthened. Today, in the valley of Delyun-Boldok (Mongolia), at the place where, according to historians, the conqueror was born, a memorial stele was installed, crowned with his tribal 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 symbolism, including a trident
In the Middle Ages, the image of the 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, ancient Prussians were decorated with memorial stones and cult complexes of tracts.
Not without tridents and Scandinavians. For example, the Icelandic manuscript of the 18th century is dedicated to the exploits of the hero of the national epic Odin. On its pages symbolic images of the trident are repeatedly found, and the main character is represented holding this weapon in his hands. By the way, he has it bilaterally, that is, the teeth smashing the enemy are located at both ends of the shaft, which gives it an even more warlike appearance.
The trident of Poseidon found its place in Christian symbolism, moreover, sometimes in the meanings opposite to each other. Along with the use of the Holy Trinity as a symbol, on many 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
The mention of the Greek god, the owner of the terrible trident, can be found on the map of the starry sky. True, here he appears under his middle name - Neptune. In 1905, the American astronomer Percival Lowell, having discovered deviations of the orbit of this planet, as well as its nearest neighbor Uranus, came to the conclusion that they are affected by some kind of invisible from the Earth, and hitherto unknown cosmic body. It turned out to be the planet Uranus discovered in 1930 . Since then, the weapon of the sea king has fit into space maps, because it is easy to notice that Uranus, Poseidon, Pluto (the planet) is a trident. In short, the Greek and Roman deities in our day have firmly conquered the starry sky. With the development of civilization, many planets got their names - for example, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and so on.
How to make a do-it-yourself Poseidon trident
The sea god of the ancient Greeks already in the Soviet period of the history of our country became an indispensable character in the sea holidays and related costumed performances. For this purpose, it was not difficult to make Poseidon's trident with his own hands from paper, cardboard or plywood. Carefully cut out or sawed out its contour, 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 summer vacations in pioneer camps probably remember this simple technology.
Tattoo fashion depicting a trident
Today, symbolism, including the image of a trident, is used by representatives of a number of youth subcultures. You can often meet young people who adorned themselves with the Poseidon Trident tattooed on 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, can be one of the elements of self-affirmation.
In recent decades, when millions of Russians have been able to freely travel abroad, symbolism depicting the trident of Poseidon has become fairly well-established. Greece is one of the most frequent routes for Russian tourists, and this largely explains the interest in its history and mythology. Thousands of our compatriots visit it annually.
One of the travel companies even organized a tour “The Trident of Poseidon”, the participants of which get the opportunity to see those places where events unfolded, the heroes of which were the immortal inhabitants of Olympus.