David, in post #2 I gave the only answer that has any relevance in a discussion where actual physical examples are not present:- besi melela is black iron.
However , if we wish to extend this explanation, an extension that will not add one iota to the understanding or identification of besi melela --- try this for size:-
in Old Javanese "malela" was a word for iron, a noun, not an adjective.
it probably derived from the word "malyala", which was a kingdom in South india, and the name of the people of that kingdom; "malyala" was also a word for iron.
in Modern Javanese "malela" means simply "black iron"
within the Javanese keris community "malela" means various types of black iron, however, as with most things to do with the keris in Jawa there is a remarkable lack of consistency in identification of exactly what characteristics apply to the specific types of besi malela
in some of the old keris texts from Jawa, texts that do not go any further back than the 19th century, so they are not really what you could call "old", the word "malela" is used as a part of the name of various types of iron, so we have from these sources:-
besi malela ruyun, besi malela gendhaga ( or kendaga), besi malela brama, besi malela cubung, besi malela gagak, besi malela kapuk, besi malela nila, besi malela senthe, besi malela toya.
it goes without saying that to get a credible concensus on exactly what these names represent in physical terms might be just a little difficult.
if you talk to five experts who supposedly have in depth knowledge of iron types, you'll get 7 or 8 answers on exactly what the specific characteristics of a specific type of besi malela are.
in this discussion group we are outside the traditional keris culture of Jawa; all we need to know, and indeed all we can possibly know in these circumstances is that besi (or wesi) malela (or melelo, melela) is a type of black iron.
It should be understood that in Javanese discussion it is considered to be refined if one can can talk for a very long time and say absolutely nothing of substance. This is how we identify a master of the language, and thus a master of the culture. This applies ten fold in keris discussion:- we say a lot, but convey very little of substance. All the multiplicity of names and words used in keris discussion have the purpose of allowing us to illustrate our erudition without actually saying anything with any depth of meaning.
Besi malela is black iron. That is more than sufficient.
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