The word raksasa means a male ogre.
The word dewa means a male deity.
In Javanese and Balinese plastic art an ogre can be distinguished by his fangs, which are often stylized.
These two types of hilt may appear to be the same, but on close examination minute differences will be found, and the study of keris is very much concerned with minute differences.
The association of any keris hilt with a representation of an ancestor is one of a number of hypotheses surrounding keris hilts. It may be that a keris hilt which can be identified as neither raksasa nor dewa, but has a human-like appearance, could have been intended as a representation of an ancestor.
Another hypothesis that ties the squatting figure style keris hilt to an ancestor representation is that the ancestor is represented in the position used for pit burial.
A further hypothesis is that the ancestor is in a sense being deified and is being represented as a God, having become one with that deity upon death. Similar type of thought pattern as we see in the candification of rulers in Jawa.
Apart from hilts which can be slotted into a dewa classification, a raksasa classification, or a humanoid classification, there are other hilts which fit none of these classifications, but are representations of wayang figures, or spirit entities.
As to what is "correct" terminology for all and any of these hilts, I personally prefer to describe them as "figural". I prefer to use English language terms for description where this is possible. The terms used in keris and other weapon description are very often just everyday words in the original language, not keris specific words, and as such have an English language equivalent, since I am using English, why should I not use a correct English word where that will fit?
In Bali those hilts which resemble miniature statues and can be either of an ogre type, or a diety type, are referred to as "togogan". A "togog" is a statue.
The keris literate people whom I know in Jawa or Bali would not normally refer to any of these hilts as "raksasa", or "dewa", they normally refer to them by name, if known ,or simply call them "togog" (Bali), or "patung" (Jawa"), or sometimes if the figure has a vaguely wayang look, it might get called a "nyamba", even though it is not strictly a nyamba representation.
I feel that perhaps the two tags of dewa and raksasa that collectors tend to apply to these hilt types are a western affectation.
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