Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 11th October 2009, 04:10 AM

This is a scarce pamor, but as to there only being two examples in existence, well, I don't think so. Going back 15 or 20 years I sold a pedang with this pamor, and I have seen a keris with this pamor, but I cannot remember where.

It is always quite difficult to give a justifiable opinion of tangguh from photographs, and the photos of this keris blade are not particularly clear, however, there are a number of indicators that would cause me to question its attribution to Jenggala , or to Pajajaran. Based upon what I can see in the photo --- let me stress that:- upon what I can see in the photo --- I would place this blade as having considerably less age than a tangguh of Jenggala or Pajajaran would give it.

I cannot find an illustration of this pamor and I do not know what its name should be. In such cases probably the only person who ever truly knew its name was the maker, or perhaps its first owner. Since it is an unlisted pamor it is a little difficult to quote an accepted tuah for it.

However, since it would clearly please some of us to know it as an aristocrat's fishing rod, and it being very well documented that a major measure of power, spiritual excellence, and earthly success for the aristocrats of old Jawa, and in fact, not so old Jawa, was the number of female conquests that they could claim, I would suggest that it is probable that its tuah is related to the unfailing ability to beguile nubile women.

I offer in support of this supposition the clearly phallic nature of this motif. I would further suggest that it is obviously not a pamor that is suitable for any man of advanced years, as the physical and mental stress that all those nubile women would create could well see an older man's demise. This pamor is undoubtedly suited to a wealthy young man who works out, doesn't use steriods, and drives a Maserati.

11th October 2009, 04:10 AM	#9
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,708	This is a scarce pamor, but as to there only being two examples in existence, well, I don't think so. Going back 15 or 20 years I sold a pedang with this pamor, and I have seen a keris with this pamor, but I cannot remember where. It is always quite difficult to give a justifiable opinion of tangguh from photographs, and the photos of this keris blade are not particularly clear, however, there are a number of indicators that would cause me to question its attribution to Jenggala , or to Pajajaran. Based upon what I can see in the photo --- let me stress that:- upon what I can see in the photo --- I would place this blade as having considerably less age than a tangguh of Jenggala or Pajajaran would give it. I cannot find an illustration of this pamor and I do not know what its name should be. In such cases probably the only person who ever truly knew its name was the maker, or perhaps its first owner. Since it is an unlisted pamor it is a little difficult to quote an accepted tuah for it. However, since it would clearly please some of us to know it as an aristocrat's fishing rod, and it being very well documented that a major measure of power, spiritual excellence, and earthly success for the aristocrats of old Jawa, and in fact, not so old Jawa, was the number of female conquests that they could claim, I would suggest that it is probable that its tuah is related to the unfailing ability to beguile nubile women. I offer in support of this supposition the clearly phallic nature of this motif. I would further suggest that it is obviously not a pamor that is suitable for any man of advanced years, as the physical and mental stress that all those nubile women would create could well see an older man's demise. This pamor is undoubtedly suited to a wealthy young man who works out, doesn't use steriods, and drives a Maserati.