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Originally Posted by David
Yes, but what does Jensen base his assumption of this being Garuda on exactly?
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Hello David,
My point was mainly to confirm that these hilts are probably from South Sumatran origin.
Unfortunately our friend Karsten Sejr Jensen is no longer with us for supporting his opinion that these hilts (which he calls the naturalistic Garuda hilts) represent Garuda but I will summarize what he says about it in chapter 9.1 of his Krisdisk:
Quote: The main part of the hilts from Sumatra represents Garuda.
The early Palembang/ Lampung hilts have some relationship to the Raksasa hilts from Banten or Cirebon. Now the hilts do not represent a Raksasa but a Garuda bird, the mount of the God Vishnu. But its squatting position indicates that he is an ancestor, too. Unquote
He gives 3 interpretations for supporting that these hilts represent Garuda:
1. The Kings of Srivijaya (now Palembang) used to worship the snakes as their ancestors and were known as the Lord of the Nagas/ snakes. The introduction of Garuda (the enemy of the Nagas) may be related to the conquest of Srivijaya by the Javanese during the 13th century as a symbol of the defeat of Srivijaya.
2. The cult of Vishnu may have taken over the area.
3. It may be connected to the introduction of Islam in the region, as Garuda seems to be a locally accepted figure by Islam.
I will not comment these interpretations but may be Alan or Chandra could voice their opinion.
Best regards
Jean