Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - What is the equivalent of "Wahyu" in other cultures?

A. G. Maisey · 31st October 2009, 08:08 PM

Thanks for the link. Mohd.

I had suspected that wahyu might have come from Arabic, as it does not seem to appear in any form in Old Javanese. Knowing the original meaning and application is enlightening.

In fact, if we plough through enough dictionaries one of the meanings given to wahyu is "revelation".

However, the way in which I have learnt to use it, and heard it used, in Jawa is as an indicator from God of the designated authority of a person. Usually you will hear it in association with a ruler, but I have also heard it used in association with people of lesser authority.

Going back a very long time I misunderstood this word. I thought that it referred to the actual power itself, and although I had it explained to me, at that time my understanding of the Javanese thought process was inadequate to allow me to understand that it did not refer to power, but was an indicator of where the power should rest.

31st October 2009, 08:08 PM	#15
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,700	Thanks for the link. Mohd. I had suspected that wahyu might have come from Arabic, as it does not seem to appear in any form in Old Javanese. Knowing the original meaning and application is enlightening. In fact, if we plough through enough dictionaries one of the meanings given to wahyu is "revelation". However, the way in which I have learnt to use it, and heard it used, in Jawa is as an indicator from God of the designated authority of a person. Usually you will hear it in association with a ruler, but I have also heard it used in association with people of lesser authority. Going back a very long time I misunderstood this word. I thought that it referred to the actual power itself, and although I had it explained to me, at that time my understanding of the Javanese thought process was inadequate to allow me to understand that it did not refer to power, but was an indicator of where the power should rest.