The trident is a three-pronged spear used historically both for spear fishing and as a polearm in war. Compared with an ordinary spear, its three tines increase the chance that a target will be struck while reducing the chance the target can dislodge itself if struck poorly. The weapon carries deep symbolic weight alongside its practical use: it is associated with Poseidon in Greek mythology and Neptune in Roman mythology, and with Shiva's trishula in Hinduism, and it remains a military and naval symbol used in the insignia of forces including the Hellenic Navy and the United States Navy SEALs. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Weapon Class Introduced Year Classification
Service Status Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)Sword / Polearm / Bladed 1 In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Trident
Lead paragraph
The trident is a three-pronged spear used historically both for spear fishing and as a polearm in war.
- Weapon class (sword-polearm-blade) is a pre-industrial/melee weapon type by its own nature per the entity's own sourced description text; not carried in current active military service.
View the Source2. Wikidata: Trident
Wikidata Q1073517, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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