The Trident and the Martyrs

Last week some asked about the trident that a figure was holding in each of the pictures I showed from the Martyr’s Mirror. I’ve been busily asking the question of people who know about this sort of thing, and have received the following answer from John Rempel, who is the Associate Professor of Theology & Anabaptist Studies at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary:

The trident spear is an ancient symbol of civic authority. In the near background the figure on the right is a monk and the one on the left looks like a civic official of higher rank. That suggests that the man holding the trident might be a sherrif.

So, we were close!