like your opinion on this Palembang keris

[A. G. Maisey]

I can see no relationship either David, but Mr. Jensen seemed to think that there might be one.

I believe that Mr. Jensen got his ideas on this from Mr. Kerner.

I liked Martin Kerner, I corresponded with him, I found him to be a very polite and civilized human being. His mathematical analysis of early keris is a wonderful piece of work, however, when he wandered into some of the other areas of keris knowledge his ideas did become a little bit peculiar.

Actually, the "balu mekabun" name troubles me more than the "vieled durga" name. Veiled Durga is in English, and as such it could not possibly have been used in any S.E, Asian country, but balu mekabun looks as if it could be a name taken from a Malay dialect or language.

Penangsang offered that it might have come from "balu berkabung", but if it did it is a corruption by a non-Malay speaker:- we simply cannot have "mekabun" coming from "berkabung".

The word "balu" is found in Malay, Indonesian, Javanese, Balinese, Old Javanese. In all languages it means "widow".

However I can find no reference to "kabun" which is likely to be the root word, nor "mekabun" in any dictionary of S.E. Asian languages, to which I have access. I do not know the word, friends who are native speakers of Indonesian and several Javanese dialects, as well as Balinese, do not know the word.

I believe that somebody, who might have been Mr. Kerner, or Mr. Jensen, or one of their informants, concocted this description from half remembered or half understood Malay.

I do not believe it is a name that has a local origin.

I will be more than happy to retract this opinion when somebody can offer proof that it is wrong.