Five elements in a mendahk, is it magic?

[HughChen]

more pics

[A. G. Maisey]

Perhaps these little bits of material were put in place in order to achieve a neat mating of the mendak to the hilt.

[milandro]

We will probably never know what the meaning of those objects in the mendak is.

These probably represent personal convictions or superstitions which have meaning only to one person who has the key to interpreter this personal ritual as opposed to codified and established ritualised symbols which a whole group understands and would recognise.

On a general term neither the mendak nor the kris seem to be , otherwise, especially noteworthy. The hilt too, while nicely carved , doesn't strike me as being very old or being particularly emblematic of being any special character. Maybe I am wrong but I just don't see it.

[HughChen]

Originally Posted by milandro

We will probably never know what the meaning of those objects in the mendak is.

These probably represent personal convictions or superstitions which have meaning only to one person who has the key to interpreter this personal ritual as opposed to codified and established ritualised symbols which a whole group understands and would recognise.

On a general term neither the mendak nor the kris seem to be , otherwise, especially noteworthy. The hilt too, while nicely carved , doesn't strike me as being very old or being particularly emblematic of being any special character. Maybe I am wrong but I just don't see it.

Maybe that is the only answer. It doesn't belong to any Keris culture, it's something else coincidently happens in a Keris.

[David]

Originally Posted by HughChen

Maybe that is the only answer. It doesn't belong to any Keris culture, it's something else coincidently happens in a Keris.

I would not go so far as to say it doesn't belong to any keris culture just because we cannot absolutely identify who the figure represent. I do agree with Milandro though that this is a more recent, 20th century figural carving and with more recent hilts there is a tendency for them to be less connected to identifiable characters.
Here is a hilt i have which i believe might be North Jawa, though others might have a different origin. It does bear some resemblence to your hilt in that it is an armless and legless figure with some vegetal abstraction, however it does not display the same hair style, but rather the long flowing hair that we generally associate with Buta Bajang hilts.

[HughChen]

Originally Posted by David

I would not go so far as to say it doesn't belong to any keris culture just because we cannot absolutely identify who the figure represent. I do agree with Milandro though that this is a more recent, 20th century figural carving and with more recent hilts there is a tendency for them to be less connected to identifiable characters.
Here is a hilt i have which i believe might be North Jawa, though others might have a different origin. It does bear some resemblence to your hilt in that it is an armless and legless figure with some vegetal abstraction, however it does not display the same hair style, but rather the long flowing hair that we generally associate with Buta Bajang hilts.

Thank you David, I also have a similar one

[Interested Party]

Originally Posted by HughChen

Thank you David, I also have a similar one

Sorta. I have seen some scholars who associate the vegetal pattern of David's hilt with traditional animist forest spirits. Both are pretty hilts! I have a particular affinity for the North Coast style David shows.

I am surprised no one has mentioned the five elements of wood, earth water and metal in relation to the mendak. Or the more western elements of earth, fire, air, water, space.

EDIT: The Hindu/Buddhist elements correspond to the Aristotelian elements more or less: Agni (fire), Akasha, Ap (water), Prithvi (earth), Vayu (wind or air)