Difference between Raksasa and Dewa?!

[A. G. Maisey]

The recognition of individual characters represented in a hilt carving is difficult.

With Balinese figural hilts, some are quite easy to recognise, because of the attributes they carry, but these are virtually always characters who would fit the dewa classification.

In the case of Bali raksasa, or buta, characters, we are simply talking about a class of beings. Maybe the carver, or the person who commissioned the carving can identify the character, but an outsider will just call it a buta, or some other generic name.

With Javanese figural hilts, I doubt that anybody really knows what original character may have been depicted. I certainly have never heard any keris literate person in Jawa give an individual character name to any of the raksasa or dewa style hilts of Javanese origin.

A raksasa will always be shown to be a raksasa by virtue of his fangs.

These fangs are sometimes a bit difficult to identify, because they become stylised and often look like a moustache --- well, they do to me, anyway. But if you can find the fangs, you've got a raksasa. No fangs, something else.

When I get a bit of spare time I'll do some close-ups that might assist in explaining what I'm talking about.

Bulging eyes can be just an indicator of a crude character. In fact, in Balinese art, the way in which eyes, noses and facial characteristics are depicted indicate the nature of the character, so by looking at the features, even if you don't know who the character is supposed to be, you can tell if he (or she) is a refined person or roughneck.

In the Balinese carvings, the original Hindu way in which a certain character might be depicted can very often be changed, and the attributes added to or altered, or left out all together. For example, the Hindu Ganesh becomes Ganesha in Bali and half the time his trunk is cradled in the wrong hand, and his attributes are altered --- but he is still indisputably Ganesh. The carvers will know who they are carving, but they're not Brahmins, and they will often carve for artistic effect, or to suit the material, not necessarily to stay strictly within the bounds of formal Hindu requisites. It is always very unwise to try to interpret things Balinese in the terms of parameters that are mainstream Hindu.

With wayang type figures, it is much easier, as in my experience virtually all Javanese people know the characteristics of the wayang characters --- in fact, they will use these wayang character names to give a nickname to somebody who has the characteristics of a wayang character. A bit of a playboy might get dubbed Arjuna, somebody with a long pointy nose will be Petruk --- and so on. So, when we meet a Javanese wayang character in a hilt --- or any other representation for that matter --- nearly everybody would instantly recognise him.

If you wanted to study this subject of identification of hilt characters further, the place to begin would be by a study of Javanese and Balinese art and iconography. You will learn nothing about the subject by studying keris books.

[jonng]

Dear Alan,

Does this qualify as a raksasa?

[erikscollectables]

Alan,

First thanks again for your extended explanation!
Stil learning a lot on this forum, which is great.

Here an overview of some figural javanese hilts.
They all have a sort of curl next to the mouth.
These curls are stylized quite differently some even more or less floral.
Some close to a "moustache" as you mentioned.

Would these qualify as fangs?

Regards, Erik

[A. G. Maisey]

Based upon what I can see in these images, it believe it is probable that all of those curls at the corner of the mouths of the figures pictured, are representative of fangs. The qualifications I have included here are intentional, as it is always possible that I could form a different opinion if I had these hilts in my hand.

I feel that I should write a little more on the nature of the raksasa or buta.

There is a whole range of various evil beings in Balinese belief, but the generic raksasa or buta is something other than a specific being that does specific evil and has a specific name.

In the Balinese context these generic beings are not demons such as the Christian demons. A Christian demon is a personification of evil that is an actual being.

The Balinese raksasa or buta is a natural force that has exceeded its normal intensity.

It can be a personal natural force such as greed, or envy, or it can be a natural force such as flood or fire.

When this natural force exceeds its normal power and intensity, it becomes a buta, which is a horror, and something to be feared.

To avoid the occurrence of an excess of a natural force, and thus the creation of a buta, an image representative of the buta can be made, and offerings made to it. Similarly, if the buta sees the personification of himself already extant, there is a hope that he will will be fooled into thinking that he is already there, so cannot come into the space already occupied by his personification.

In Bali on the eve of Hari Nyepi figures representing the fears and horrors of the people are paraded around the towns and villages and finish up down at the edge of the sea. The hope is that the unseen forces will see that they have already visited this space, and have seen the offerings made to them, and will not return during the coming year.

You can find a number of differing explanations for the Hari Nyepi ceremonies and the parade of the ogoh-ogohs, but what I have given here is what I have been told by family members and close friends over a number of years.

Jawa is not Bali, but I am inclined to believe that in pre-Islamic Jawa a similar belief system may have been in place. Perhaps this belief system was still in place amongst adherents to original Javanese beliefs long after Islam had gained a foothold.

This link will take you to some photos I took a couple of years ago in Bali on the eve of Hari Nyepi:-

http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/harinyepi2007.html