Map of control
Dear all, thank you for some wonderful contributions. If you would allow me a flight of intellectual fancy I will float the following ideas.
The concept that the greneng has a function which determined its form seems to have reasonable support.
It seems unlikely that the function was related to its use as a weapon.
It appears likely that the greneng appeared somewhere in the 1100-1300 year range CE (current era= same as AD).
It seems probably that the greneng 'arrived' in that relatively short period of history in what is very similar to its current form and most importantly in a relatively constant form ie it is not the evolution of a decorative tradition.
This form was important to the culture which conceived it and hence was repeated consistently. It is possible/probable that the current cultural interpretation of the form is not the same as its original one.
It has been suggested that all the ups and downs of the greneng represents the northern coastline of the island of Java, (certainly if you look at maps of some stretches of this coastline there are areas that have the 'dha' shape recurrently).
Perhaps given all this the greneng was originally a physical representation (a map) of the area of overlordship/influence of one of the dynasties of central and/or eastern Java (the Singosari or the Majapahit seem most likely given the dates but if evidence of the greneng is found earlier then other regimes would fit). The dynasty wished to assert its authority over a given area (perhaps after a rebellion, perhaps after consolidating power) and chose to do it by carving it into one of their most powerful representational tools, their keris.
please feel free to shred this idea, it is as I said just a flight of fancy
drd
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