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Jackson6612 Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Three pronged stick of devil

Hi

What is that thing called which the person is holding? It's mostly associated with devil. Do you know the reason for this association? Thanks for your help.

  

Top answer

That's a trident. Its association with Satan probably comes via its association with Poseidon, Greek *** of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.

  • That's a trident.
  • Its association with Satan probably comes via its association with Poseidon, Greek *** of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.
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13 Answers
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That's a trident. Its association with Satan probably comes via its association with Poseidon, Greek *** of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.
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Hi,

As a British peron, I'd call it a pitchfork.

Used by farmers to pick up and throw bales of hay, and thus for the Devil to pick up and throw sinners into the flames.

Clive
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CliveAs a British peron, I'd call it a pitchfork.
As an American, I agree. I have never heard the Devil described as carrying a trident, only a pitchfork.
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If it's got barbs it's certainly not a pitchfork. Pitchforks are never barbed.

A pitchfork is an agricultural implement used for moving hay around. It's never barbed and has anywhere from two to six (or so) tines.

A trident is a three-pronged spear used for gigging and as a military weapon. It's almost always barbed and has exactly three prongs.
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Hi,

It's just a stylized version of a pitchfork, probably made in a country where they know nothing of tridents or pitchforks.

The traditional Devil does not wear a red satin hood and plush, fake horns, either. At least, I don't think so. We shall see.

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The M-W might be of some help here.

pitchfork

a long-handled fork that has two or three long somewhat curved prongs and is used especially in pitching hay

[M-W's Col. Dic.]

trident

1 a (1) : a 3-pronged scepter or spear serving in classical mythology as the attribute or symbol of a sea *** (2) : a representation of such a trident serving a
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I'm confident that the common image of the Devil has him wielding a trident, stolen straight from Poseidon, just like he has the goat legs and horns of Pan. The "pitchfork used to toss sinners into the flames" seems like a folk etymology to me. Why? Because early Christianity was very uncreative and just lifted attributes from other mythologies to create these weird amalgamations.
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CliveHi,

It's just a stylized version of a pitchfork, probably made in a country where they know nothing of tridents or pitchforks.

The traditional Devil does not wear a red satin hood and plush, fake horns, either. At least, I don't think so. We shall see.

Clive
Hi Clive
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Hi,

The word 'satin' is loosely used to refer to material that is shiny on one side.

The word 'plush' suggests 'soft and fuzzy'.

Clive
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[6]
CSnyderI am weirdly personally invested in this.
Emotion: thinking

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