Identify a Keris

[A. G. Maisey]

David, I cannot answer your questions in Post #13.

I simply do not know.

My guess is that these various styles were deemed suitable for certain usage at certain times in the past, but that is a guess, it is not a supportable answer.

I just had a look at what Haryoguritno says about the naming of various styles of wrongko, both for Surakarta & for Ngayogyakarta, and although he goes into how the styles are named and from where some of those names came he does not go into explicit detail. He seems to mostly associate the various forms with the stature and physical appearance of the wearer.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

David, I cannot answer your questions in Post #13.

I simply do not know.

My guess is that these various styles were deemed suitable for certain usage at certain times in the past, but that is a guess, it is not a supportable answer.

I just had a look at what Haryoguritno says about the naming of various styles of wrongko, both for Surakarta & for Ngayogyakarta, and although he goes into how the styles are named and from where some of those names came he does not go into explicit detail. He seems to mostly associate the various forms with the stature and physical appearance of the wearer.

OK thanks. I appreciate your caution in not forming a definitive opinion here. But i assume you can see why i might wonder is a sheath form called "gayaman ladrang" would be acceptable formal wear given the use of "ladrang" in the name. I can understand how this might not have the most obvious meaning though.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yep, for sure.

Your guess might be right, or it might not.

Even HG's identifications might be subject to different terms.

You know the name of the game:- everything changes everywhere, all the time and always.

HG was a very conscientious gatherer of information, I was present on one of his visits to Empu Suparman and watched him in action.

If there was more to be known about these wrongko forms I believe he would have included that info in his book.

The name of something does not always lead to an obvious conclusion where Javanese/ Indonesian usage is concerned. Sticking with wrongkos, we can find the word "bancih" or "bancihan" used.

In Javanese "bancih" means "hermaphrodite", and in Indonesian "banci" means a transvestite homosexual but in Javanese, the same word "banci" is a kind of vegetable soup, this word "banci" has other meanings as well, depending on context & language.

Some people used to believe that a wrongko that contained the word "banci" or "bancihan" in its name was a special kind of wrongko for use by homosexuals, but in fact use of the word indicates that it is a wrongko that is part way between the two basic forms of wrongko, the ladrang & the gayam.