Keris Bahari?

[Rick]

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=bahari

Post #40
Keris on the right; I would call that a Bahari; 6 inches shorter would be in Anak-Alang territory, imo .

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Rick

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=bahari

Post #40
Keris on the right; I would call that a Bahari; 6 inches shorter would be in Anak-Alang territory, imo .

Hello Rick,

with a slim blade like this? I am very unsure!

Regards,

Detlef

[ariel]

Folks,
I am confused: isn't there some kind of convention establishing borders between panjang, bahari and anak-alang in terms of their length?

[David]

Originally Posted by ariel

Folks,
I am confused: isn't there some kind of convention establishing borders between panjang, bahari and anak-alang in terms of their length?

Ariel, if you are looking for exact delineation lines between these 3 form you will not find them. Bahari is the short form (approx. 9-12 in.), anak alang is the medium form (approx. 14-17 in.) and panang is the long form (approx. 18-22 in.). There is always room for argument for blades that fall close to either form. At 18.5 inch though, i feel confident in saying that your keris is not a bahari. At that length i would call it a keris pajang though someone might say it is a longer anak alang.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by David

Ariel, if you are looking for exact delineation lines between these 3 form you will not find them. Bahari is the short form (approx. 9-12 in.), anak alang is the medium form (approx. 14-17 in.) and panang is the long form (approx. 18-22 in.). There is always room for argument for blades that fall close to either form. At 18.5 inch though, i feel confident in saying that your keris is not a bahari. At that length i would call it a keris pajang though someone might say it is a longer anak alang.

The classification given by David is commonly accepted but by no way universal nor guaranteed. I don't want to confuse the matter but just say that it may also be different in Sumatra and Malaysia respectively.
For those of you who are interested, you can refer to the Ensiklopedi Keris pages 64 & 87, and to the book "Keris and other Malay weapons" by Gerald B. Gardner pages 19, 21, 24, 25, 27, and 45. However I have to say that the information from these books is questionable and that again the correct names are not that important
The opinion from our Malaysian or Singapore members will be appreciated.
Regards

[David]

Originally Posted by Jean

The classification given by David is commonly accepted but by no way universal nor guaranteed. I don't want to confuse the matter but just say that it may also be different in Sumatra and Malaysia respectively.
For those of you who are interested, you can refer to the Ensiklopedi Keris pages 64 & 87, and to the book "Keris and other Malay weapons" by Gerald B. Gardner pages 19, 21, 24, 25, 27, and 45. However I have to say that the information from these books is questionable and that again the correct names are not that important
The opinion from our Malaysian or Singapore members will be appreciated.
Regards

Jean, there is very little in the keris world that is ever "universal" or "guaranteed". Your mileage may vary. I think i was clear about that in my answer to Ariel.

[ariel]

Thanks to everyone for providing interesting information. On a lighter side, I am glad I was not the only one confused about proper classification of this keris :-)

I also understand that the scabbard is not a masterpiece of indonesian art, to put it mildly, and is likely to be a replacement. Nevertheless, if we forget about it, what is your opinion about the keris itself? How old is it likely to be? On a scale of 1 to 10, where does it stand as panjangs go?