BUNTEL MAYAT

[Raden Usman Djogja]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

In Javanese "buntel mayit" has the meaning of "corpse wrapping".

In Javanese "buntel mayat" has the meaning of "slanted wrapping".

The word "mayat" has the alternative meaning of "slightly sloping", and in Old Javanese it meant "to work hard".

Alan,

I agree that the pamor name is "bunthel mayat" rather than "bunthel mayit". And, "mayat" has far different intrinsic meaning from "mayit". "mayat" means hopeful while "mayit" means hopeless.

We can find the old keris with pamor motive of "bunthel mayit". At that time keris was made, Javanese people still burnt corpse. Perhaps, no Javanese wrapped corpse as today practices. So, the term of "bunthel mayit" came later, but, it led to recent fallacy amongst most keris lovers.

I still do not want to collect a keris with "bunthel mayat" motive. Not because I have bad perception to this pamor motive. I just dont want people look strange on me after watching my keris. The javanese people have unique ways to judge.

Two keris motives, I should think twice if I wanna buy: firstly, "bunthel mayit" and secondly, "umyang". About umyang, does anyone want to share its picture. I do really want to have but...yeah... I dont want most of my acquintances think that I have "pesugihan (translation in English please?).

Usmen