Dear Eri,

I think there is not one single answer that solves the problem. Not only did ancient Greek's Poseidon carry the trident, but also Hindu God Shiva. Moreover, Roman gladiators (e.g. the "retarius") used it as a weapon in battle. So, it is quite reasonable to assume that Roman Catholic Church brought up the image of the Devil carrying a trident by reversing - in their belief - heathen symbolism and mixing this with some collective memory of brutality (symbolised by the gladiator maybe). Nevertheless keep in mind, that the actual image of the Devil was/is subject to historical and sociocultural change. it is most likely that the image of the Devil you are referring to arose in the Middle Ages.

Hope I could provide at least some ideas for further inquiry!

Best regards,

Florian

Florian is quite correct. It likely stems from Poseidon's Trident. There is a helpful discussion here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2mde25/why_is_the_devil_often_potrayed_with_a_pitchfork/

Have a happy day!

Thank you Florian for you answer, I didn't know about Roman gladiators. The problem is, it is often said that the image of the Devil with a trident may have appeared in the Middle Ages, but the Middle Ages are very long (from 5th to 15th century)! It seems that the image was made up late, maybe at the end of the Middle Ages... but I don't have any evidence like an icon or a literature.

At least, I found an episode about St. Thierry of Leernes (Thierry of St. Hubert) who conjured away the Devil with a trident through prayer. He lived in Belgium from 1007 to 1087, but the story may have been written later.

For reference (French): https://www.academia.edu/4536806/Diables_et_d%C3%A9mons_dans_quelques_Vies_m%C3%A9di%C3%A9vales_de_saints_d_Ardenne_VIe-XIIe_si%C3%A8cles_

Have a nice day!

Thank you Calvin for your answer.

The discussion is very interesting and helpful!

If you are looking for an actual icon, there is one dating from the 10th Century (possibly the 9th Century). It is Muiredach's carving on a high cross in the cemetery on the grounds of a monastery in Ireland. On the crossbeam, the largest segment of the structure, on the left side, it portrays the devil holding a trident driving lost souls away from Christ. The monastery, known as Monasterboice, is now in ruins, but the amazing cross is still standing. Muiredach was an abbot who commissioned the making of the cross. The artisan(s) are not known. He likely designed it , though. The devil also appears elsewhere on the cross without the trident, pulling down on the scales of judgment so that a human will be found unholy.

Have a happy day!

Check out the book, can be really useful.

Attached herein.

Thank you Calvin, I checked some pictures of Muiredach's high cross and read commentaries about it. So, it means that the image of the Devil with a trident already existed in 9th or 10th century. It helps me a lot!

Do you know any any academic article or a book which mentions the high cross and its devil? If I can read it online, it would be very practical for me.

This is another article here.

Attached herein.

Thank you Stephen.

I found this book and now it is good enough for me:)

Early Christian symbolism in Great Britain and Ireland

https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029242330#page/n163/mode/2up/search/trident

Maybe a more complicated question than it seems, if you take it all the way back to what the trident is, where it comes from as an object held by divinity:... "The most ancient Cretan coins show the Phoenician god Tan (translated Poseidon by Philo of Byblos) with a fish-tail, that is as a fish-god, and holding a Neptune's trident. The name of this god is found, too, in composition in the Cretan Itanos, from i-tan, isle of Tan. Now Tan was son of Yam, son of Ba'al, son of II (or Kronos). Did the trident thus descend from Kronos or Saturn to the seagod Poseidon or Neptune? That Kronos was prominent in the worship of Crete is abundantly clear from the fact of human sacrifices having been there, as in Rhodes, offered to him." http://gnosticwarrior.com/trident.html

Look to the Catholics. They are great at combining symbols and icons to reinforce their doctrine. Many positive items have been used to depict evil.

Thank you Bruce and Kimbarli for your remarks.

Actually, I asked the above question for my article about the French movie “Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au Bon Dieu” ? (2014). It is a comedy that portrays “a Catholic couple sees their life upside down when their four daughters get married to men of different religion and origins” (IMDb). At the beginning of the movie, a title logo appears and it shows some religious symbols related to each character, such as a cross, the new moon and a star, the Star of David or a taijitu. And the last symbol seems to be a trident which turns into a candelabrum with candle lights. To explain shortly but properly those symbols, I needed to know about the trident and its origin. In this movie, the trident seems to be used as a symbol of uninvited guests which are daughters’ husbands, although they are neither as powerful nor destructive as the Devil or Poseidon. The trident may be employed as a symbol of a curse that brings misfortune, a kind of “evil” so to say.

In your country or area, is the image of Devil holding a trident used for non-religious matter?

For example, in Japan, especially in advertising, that image is associated with germs or bacteria that are the cause of tooth decay or diseases. Here is an example : TOTO is a Japanese company of ceramic sanitary ware. In its TV commercials, two actors (a man and a boy) in costume of devil (with a red trident) play the role of "germs" that talk about an antibacterial toilet.

http://www.toto.co.jp/tips/cmlibr/tv_cm/