Alan, you produced a thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable paper. Your hypotheses seems very plausible and it's fascinating to think of how keris were adopted as a form of societal regulation by Gajah Mada. Logically, it all makes a lot of sense and I do hope this will spur further research into the modern keris and its origins in the Mojopohit era.
The luk hypothesis also seems sound and, I think, intuitive in that a keris novice is more likely to count 11 waves than 13 (as least this was my experience with my very first keris).
Related to this, different numbers of luk are said to have different qualities, e.g. five luk symbolizing the hope of the owner to become a skilled speaker. Based on your paper I would guess that these meanings are applicable to the Islamic era rather than the Mojopahit era. This is just something that crossed my mind.
I also really enjoyed reading about the symbolism of the gonjo and how so much of the keris' form and symbolism can reference to the churning of the milky ocean.
My appreciation of the keris as a symbolic microcosm has been strengthened after reading your paper. I love how there is always more to learn about keris and the society it sprang from. This paper is definitely required reading for anyone with a genuine interest in keris. Many thanks!
PS: For those who are interested in learning more about Indonesia's history and who as of yet know very little, I would recommend "A Short History of Indonesia: The Unlikely Nation?". It offers a great introduction to the country's history and an excellent platform on which to base further reading.
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