Keris Bali

A. G. Maisey · 15th September 2009, 04:35 AM

I don't think that is quite correct Mamat Lombok.

Saraswati is certainly one of the Hindu deities who are accepted in the Bali Hindu faith, and she is regarded as the deity associated with knowledge.

She is not synonymous with the swan, and the swan does not represent her, nor is the swan one of her attributes, however, in religious art Saraswati is often shown with a swan near her feet. In mainline Hindu belief the holy swan represents discrimination between good and evil.

There is certainly an association between Saraswati and the holy swan, but I still feel that a swan as a keris motif is a very recent commercial addition.

Still, this is only nitpicking. Your keris also is a very nice piece, whatever its origins or associations.

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15th September 2009, 04:35 AM	#9
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	I don't think that is quite correct Mamat Lombok. Saraswati is certainly one of the Hindu deities who are accepted in the Bali Hindu faith, and she is regarded as the deity associated with knowledge. She is not synonymous with the swan, and the swan does not represent her, nor is the swan one of her attributes, however, in religious art Saraswati is often shown with a swan near her feet. In mainline Hindu belief the holy swan represents discrimination between good and evil. There is certainly an association between Saraswati and the holy swan, but I still feel that a swan as a keris motif is a very recent commercial addition. Still, this is only nitpicking. Your keris also is a very nice piece, whatever its origins or associations.