keris and spirit

pakana · 13th July 2007, 04:28 PM

Hello to all of you,

I would like to express my opinion in the "keris-spirit" matter. We should't forget the fact that an empu in the past when he got the order of making a keris,had to follow some "rules" in order to make a strong keris. That means fasting, pay attention to certain rituals, praying to God. It wasn't just the strong intention of the maker only. He had to make offerings also to the spirit, as well as "giving" a name to the keris, which he revealed only to the owner, because anyone who had access to that name, could use the power of the keris for himself.

The usage of metal was very important, because of the yin element of it. Together with the usage of meteor material,was literaly the "marriage" of sky(meteor) and the earth(iron). What I mean is that the making of a keris was a very tiring and demanding procedure, far more complicated than making a western sword or a katana. Not to mention also the artistic value of the keris.
I hope that this wonderful thread will continue, providing us beginers with useful information.

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13th July 2007, 04:28 PM	#11
pakana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 74	Hello to all of you, I would like to express my opinion in the "keris-spirit" matter. We should't forget the fact that an empu in the past when he got the order of making a keris,had to follow some "rules" in order to make a strong keris. That means fasting, pay attention to certain rituals, praying to God. It wasn't just the strong intention of the maker only. He had to make offerings also to the spirit, as well as "giving" a name to the keris, which he revealed only to the owner, because anyone who had access to that name, could use the power of the keris for himself. The usage of metal was very important, because of the yin element of it. Together with the usage of meteor material,was literaly the "marriage" of sky(meteor) and the earth(iron). What I mean is that the making of a keris was a very tiring and demanding procedure, far more complicated than making a western sword or a katana. Not to mention also the artistic value of the keris. I hope that this wonderful thread will continue, providing us beginers with useful information.