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Old 20th December 2015, 03:50 AM   #8
David
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pusaka
Yeah but mythology or legend is not history, that the smith of gods ramayadi made the first keris is obviously mythology.
I was more referring to many other questionable statements that are not being presented as mythology or legend in their section on keris...that curved blades first appeared around 329 AD (i can't say i am aware of any evidence that puts the blade we recognize as a keris this early, yet alone wavy blades, and why such a specific date as 329 anyway). Sarpa lumaku (walking serpent) is also just one of many different forms of the wavy blade, though it seems to be the one that the silat community have latched onto. I am also confused by their assertion that the "the pamor blade-welding technique also began to die out after the Majapahit era" (i would think quite the opposite) and of course they put forth that old legend that the keris traditionally used meteoric ore long before the only recorded discovery of such iron-bearing meteorites in Prambanan in the late 18th century.
Unfortunately it seems to me that in most cases silat schools put forth a rather skewed and limited viewpoint of the keris, falling back on legend and mythology much too much in order to better fit it into their "pantheon of deadly weapons". But culturally the keris is so much more than merely another weapon to be wielded in martial contest. The specifics of its place within Indonesian societies has indeed changed over time with the influx of different influences, but it has always been far more than a just weapon, even a magickal one imbued with a living spirit. It has connective relationship and deep symbolic meaning throughout the grand scheme of the Indonesian cultural identity.
To return to your original question, i am not sure that i personally have enough knowledge of Mahabharata to accurately answer you. However, while they certainly did place their own local flavor on Hinduism in the Mojopahit era i have always assumed that the Mahahharta told a very specific tale from Hindu mythology. So i am not sure that they would have added any scenes into the wayang to depict the forging scene from Candi Sukuh, though there may indeed be a corresponding scene already present in that epic. Of course, wayang has added items that are culturally specific to the area, so you will find keris present even though they obviously did not exist in the original Hindu epic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata
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