Help with Identification please

imas560 · 25th August 2010, 07:07 AM

Hello all,
I bought a keris recently but am not sure of origin.
I've had a look in van Zonneveld and a search in the posts.
Any help in identifying would be greatly appreciated
thanks

Rick · 25th August 2010, 03:19 PM

Here's an interesting link :
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=soldier+keris

Henk · 25th August 2010, 09:43 PM

search for soldier keris and you find a lot to read about your keris here in the forum.

David · 25th August 2010, 11:15 PM

Rick and Henk have put you on the right path. These are commonly believed to be souvenir keris brought home by Dutch soldiers around the turn of the 19th-20th century from the island of Madura.

imas560 · 26th August 2010, 08:14 AM

Thanks everyone.

Rick · 26th August 2010, 06:03 PM

That looks like a pretty good, but degraded blade .

The pamor is interesting and bold .

I also have one exactly like your example .

asomotif · 5th October 2010, 11:56 AM

Quote:

dishwash liquid and soft toothbrush

Interesting choice to take your wifes toothbrush.
Did she get angry ?

Thanks for posting your pictures of this process. Always nive to see how others proceed. And interesting to see a simple thread about a madura bring-back keris loosing itself in deep extensive discussions. (not disrespect intended)

Small blades i often just put in the kitchen in a large beerglass.
Other larger items I place outside of the house.

Good luck with the project.

As for the relation of the keris blade and handle.
I once read a "story" that the hilt should not be removed to far from the blade and/or that the blade should not be without a handle too long.
Those stories belong in the unsubstantiated category as far as I am concerned.
It is out of respect that I will not leave a blade without "dress"too long. but not out of fear or believe.

Best regards,
Willem

A. G. Maisey · 5th October 2010, 01:15 PM

Between 1975 and about the year 2000, I was told by three separate, very knowledgeable and respected keris people living in Central Jawa that as a man is to a woman, so is the warangka to the wilahan, and that as a hat is to a man, so is the jejeran to the wilahan. The hat --- sorry, jejeran --- simply completes the dress.

That's a nice little story to help get things going.

Last quarter of the 20th century. Central Jawa --- one person in Jogja in 1975, the other two in Solo, a little later.

Do we really accept this as the way in which things were seen in Jawa during the Majapahit era? I rather think not. My feeling is that somewhere along the way, something sort of got misplaced.

If we want stories, we now have two, one from Willem, one from me.

Maybe there are some more interesting little stories out there?

Or just maybe somebody has been able to get back into the old literature and the records from pre-Demak a little further than I have. Or maybe somebody has been able to unearth some Balinese beliefs. Or maybe somebody has surveyed the overarching commonalities of cultural foundations in Maritime SE Asia, and by logical analysis provide us with a supportable hypothesis.

Whatever maybe out there let's bring it out and let it see daylight. Let's see what we can add to true knowledge in this respect.

25th August 2010, 07:07 AM	#1
imas560 Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 180	Help with Identification please Hello all, I bought a keris recently but am not sure of origin. I've had a look in van Zonneveld and a search in the posts. Any help in identifying would be greatly appreciated thanks

25th August 2010, 03:19 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,263	Here's an interesting link : http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=soldier+keris

25th August 2010, 09:43 PM	#3
Henk Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,209	search for soldier keris and you find a lot to read about your keris here in the forum.

25th August 2010, 11:15 PM	#4
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,035	Rick and Henk have put you on the right path. These are commonly believed to be souvenir keris brought home by Dutch soldiers around the turn of the 19th-20th century from the island of Madura.

26th August 2010, 08:14 AM	#5
imas560 Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 180	Thanks everyone.

26th August 2010, 06:03 PM	#6
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,263	That looks like a pretty good, but degraded blade . The pamor is interesting and bold . I also have one exactly like your example .

5th October 2010, 01:15 PM	#8
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,714	Between 1975 and about the year 2000, I was told by three separate, very knowledgeable and respected keris people living in Central Jawa that as a man is to a woman, so is the warangka to the wilahan, and that as a hat is to a man, so is the jejeran to the wilahan. The hat --- sorry, jejeran --- simply completes the dress. That's a nice little story to help get things going. Last quarter of the 20th century. Central Jawa --- one person in Jogja in 1975, the other two in Solo, a little later. Do we really accept this as the way in which things were seen in Jawa during the Majapahit era? I rather think not. My feeling is that somewhere along the way, something sort of got misplaced. If we want stories, we now have two, one from Willem, one from me. Maybe there are some more interesting little stories out there? Or just maybe somebody has been able to get back into the old literature and the records from pre-Demak a little further than I have. Or maybe somebody has been able to unearth some Balinese beliefs. Or maybe somebody has surveyed the overarching commonalities of cultural foundations in Maritime SE Asia, and by logical analysis provide us with a supportable hypothesis. Whatever maybe out there let's bring it out and let it see daylight. Let's see what we can add to true knowledge in this respect.