StampWhys - The Trident

The Solution

The trident is taken from the coat of arms of Vladimir the Great, Prince of Kiev (c. 956- 1015). A Ukrainian hero, Vladimir was the first ruler to forge the kingdoms of Kiev and Novgorod into a single state.

The trident device may symbolize the Trinity of the ruler's adopted religion.

A convert to Christianity, the prince is credited with adopting the Byzantine or Greek rite over Roman Catholicism, thus determining the future course of the church in Russia

In 1918, when these hopeful stamps were issued, the Ukraine declared itself an independent republic in the wake of the Tsar's collapse. By 1923, it had been re-absorbed into Lenin's new Russian state. The Ukraine would have to await the break-up of the USSR to reclaim its independence in 1992.

The stamps are Scott 63- 65. The 1920 set, which includes this stamp bearing his image, was probably never placed in postal use.