Ukrainian Trident

The Trident is an heraldic symbol that is most commonly associated with peoples who live near large bodies of water. Forms of the Trident were used by the Byzantines as it was ultimately derived from the pagan sea god Poseidon known in Celtic mythology as "Mannin" for whom the Isle of Man is named. The flag of Newfoundland has a trident on its right side, Barbados incorporates one in its flag and the figure of Britannia holds a trident.

In table services, there is what is know as the 'fish fork' and this is shaped in the figure of a trident. St Volodymyr the Great used a trident in his coat of arms. When he received Orthodoxy and baptised his people, he added a Cross to the middle bar of the Trident and this was how the Ukrainian Trident was shaped until 1918 when the Ukrainian Directory decided to revert back to the pagan form without the Cross. The Cross used was that of Korsun as a reminder to Volodymyr of his victory at Korsun. Metropolitan Ohienko incorporated a beautiful three-Bar Orthodox Cross on the Trident he wore.

For about 400 years between 1200 onward, the Icon of St Michael displaced the Trident as the national coat of arms of Rus'-Ukraine. The three horns of the Trident are also interpreted as a reference to the Holy Trinity. The Trident has always been the national symbol of Ukraine par excellence. This has not prevented the Russians from adopting it, although it has never had the prominence among them that it has among the Ukrainians.

Whatever the Speaker of Ukraine or whomever would say about the Trident to attack it is not historically accurate and runs in the face of our tradition. That should not be surprising, given the seventy year period of Communist domination in Ukraine. Ukrainian scholars in Ukraine are rediscovering the meaning of the Trident to Ukrainian history as well as other symbols. For example, they recently confirmed that the word, used by Russians to disparage Ukrainians, "Khakhol" is actually a Mongolian word from the thirteenth century. "Khakh" in Mongolian means "blue" and "Ulo" means "yellow." Thus, the Mongolian term for Ukrainians in the thirteenth century was "Khakhulo" or "blue-yellow" judging from the most popular colours worn by Ukrainians even then. And even though raspberry red is also a popular colour among the Kozaks, it is markedly different from the red used by the Soviets. The Trident should be honoured by all Ukrainians as our most ancient religious-cultural-national symbol.

Dr. Alexander Roman alex@unicorne.org