Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 21st October 2007, 01:02 PM

I have some difficulty in identifying a Middle Eastern influence in the wedung. In form it is simply a small, stylized golok.

The word "wedung" appears in Old Javanese where it has the meaning of "axe"; today in parts of East Jawa a large knife used for splitting coconuts is known as a "wadung", and personal advice from people who use this knife is that "wadung", and "wedung" are interchangeable words with the same meaning.

Raffles records that the wedung is symbolic of the willingness of the wearer to cut a way through the jungle for his king; Solyom records that the wedung is symbolic of the willingness of the wearer to do the bidding of the king.

I am inclined to believe that the wedung is purely of Javanese origin.

21st October 2007, 01:02 PM	#14
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,965	I have some difficulty in identifying a Middle Eastern influence in the wedung. In form it is simply a small, stylized golok. The word "wedung" appears in Old Javanese where it has the meaning of "axe"; today in parts of East Jawa a large knife used for splitting coconuts is known as a "wadung", and personal advice from people who use this knife is that "wadung", and "wedung" are interchangeable words with the same meaning. Raffles records that the wedung is symbolic of the willingness of the wearer to cut a way through the jungle for his king; Solyom records that the wedung is symbolic of the willingness of the wearer to do the bidding of the king. I am inclined to believe that the wedung is purely of Javanese origin.