Timoho (Kleinhovia hospita L)

A. G. Maisey · 20th September 2008, 02:43 AM

This is an interesting question Brekele.

The word "pelet" actually means to seduce---lots of other similar ways this can applied, but "seduce" is the normal everyday meaning.

So I reckon that when people talk about "kayu pelet" what they were originally saying was that this wood would make you fall in love with it---it seduced you. It was enchanting wood.

Over time, it has become one of the wood names used by some people associated with keris.

I used to know a tukang wrongko in Solo who was the grandson of one of the great, old-time mranggis. He would not accept the use of the word "pelet" in reference to woods. He reckoned straight out that it was wrong and used by people who didn't know any better. He himself always referred to the various types of timoho that displayed black markings by their specific names---timoho this, or timoho that.

Woods other than timoho can show pelet grain, for example awar-awar and pakel, just to name two.

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20th September 2008, 02:43 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	This is an interesting question Brekele. The word "pelet" actually means to seduce---lots of other similar ways this can applied, but "seduce" is the normal everyday meaning. So I reckon that when people talk about "kayu pelet" what they were originally saying was that this wood would make you fall in love with it---it seduced you. It was enchanting wood. Over time, it has become one of the wood names used by some people associated with keris. I used to know a tukang wrongko in Solo who was the grandson of one of the great, old-time mranggis. He would not accept the use of the word "pelet" in reference to woods. He reckoned straight out that it was wrong and used by people who didn't know any better. He himself always referred to the various types of timoho that displayed black markings by their specific names---timoho this, or timoho that. Woods other than timoho can show pelet grain, for example awar-awar and pakel, just to name two.