Trident of Poseidon
The three-pronged weapon of the sea god, capable of causing earthquakes and summoning storms
The Meaning of Trident of Poseidon
The Trident was the signature weapon and symbol of Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. It was forged by the Cyclopes — Brontes, Steropes, and Arges — during the Titanomachy, the war between the Olympian gods and the Titans. In gratitude for their release from Tartarus, the Cyclopes crafted supreme weapons for each of the three brothers: the thunderbolt for Zeus, the helm of invisibility for Hades, and the trident for Poseidon. With the trident, Poseidon could command the oceans, raising and calming storms at will. He could strike the earth to cause earthquakes — earning him the epithet Ennosigaios, "Earth-Shaker." When he struck a rock with the trident, salt water gushed forth, as in his famous contest with Athena for patronage of Athens. The trident also served to split coastlines, create islands, and calm the seas for favoured sailors. In art, Poseidon is almost never depicted without it, and the weapon became so closely identified with maritime power that Roman mosaics placed it in the hands of Neptune for centuries afterward.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Poseidon
⚡ godGod of the sea, earthquakes, and horses
Poseidon was the god of the sea and earthquakes whose moods determined whether sailors lived or died — and whose grudge against Odysseus drove the Odyssey.
Thunderbolt of Zeus
💭 conceptArtefact
The supreme weapon of Zeus, forged by the Cyclopes, embodying divine authority and cosmic justice
God of the Sea
💭 conceptSea, storms, earthquakes, horses
Poseidon, brother of Zeus, commands the oceans and all waters beneath the sky.
God of Earthquakes
💭 conceptEarthquakes, tectonic upheaval, earth-shaking
Poseidon bears the title Enosichthon, the Earth-Shaker, and every tremor of the ground is his doing.
Voyage of the Argo
💭 conceptNarrative
The legendary sea journey of the Argonauts through uncharted waters to reach the kingdom of Colchis
God of Lightning
💭 conceptLightning, thunder, divine punishment
Zeus wields lightning as both weapon and symbol of supreme authority, striking down those who defy cosmic order.
Poseidon
⚡ godGod of the sea, earthquakes, horses
Lord of the seas and brother of Zeus. Poseidon's moods shaped the oceans — calm seas for those who pleased him, devastating storms for those who did not.
Battle of Salamis
💭 conceptwar, divine intervention
The 480 BC naval battle where the Greek fleet destroyed the Persian armada in the straits of Salamis, attributed to the intervention of Ajax and the Aeacidae heroes.
Bow of Apollo
💭 conceptArtefact
The silver bow of the god Apollo, bringer of both plague and healing through its far-reaching arrows
Laocoön and His Sons
💭 conceptHellenistic sculpture
A monumental marble sculpture depicting the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons being strangled by sea serpents sent by the gods
Aspis
💭 conceptwarfare, art
The elaborately decorated shield of Heracles described in a poem attributed to Hesiod, depicting scenes of gods, war, and daily life in a tradition echoing the Shield of Achilles.
Prophecy of Achilles
💭 conceptprophecy, heroism
The dual fate offered to Achilles: a long peaceful life in obscurity or a short glorious life at Troy, establishing the Greek ideal of heroic choice.