Grand Vestibule: The British Monarchy and the World
The Grand Vestibule at Windsor Castle reflects interaction between the monarchy and the wider world
Trident
RCIN 92178
A decorative shark tooth trident made from wood, the central prong longer than the two side prongs. Shark's teeth are attached to the edges by thin wooden strips and the woven brown and cream coloured straw handle is secured with a black braided hair cord.
Hand weapons with shark tooth blades were traditionally made in the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati) in a range of sizes and forms. Tridents would have been carried by a warrior's supporters; the warrior himself bearing a long shark-tooth tipped spear up to six metres in length. Since the early twentieth century only daggers have continued to be produced, being made in large numbers for the tourist market.