little kris

[David]

Originally Posted by manteris1

the blade is 83/4", thanks all............jimmy

In that case Jimmy this might also be a "patrem", a keris made for a woman. These keris are small like this. So are talismanic keris like keris sajen (which this certainly isn't) and yes, i suppose some so-called dukun keris. So i couldn't completely discount that this keris was once a dukun keris, but i'd be more likely to call it a patrem. Patrems (like most of the so-called dukun keris i see) are also generally lower-end pieces in terms of blade quality, generally not very artistic blades. I don't know exactly why that is except that generally being a symbol of maleness perhaps it is felt that the same kind of work and attention is not necessary for a keris made for a woman. Why the same low artistic level is also true of most of the so-called dukun blades i see on the market i cannot say with any certainly though since i suspect that most of those are not in fact blades that were truly owned by any dukun that might be a clue of some sort.

[A. G. Maisey]

Further on the subject of "dukun keris", and in fact supposedly "magic" keris of any type.

In the trade in Solo it is well known that dukuns and other con men will search the market stalls for the cheapest junk keris they can find, in order to provide the material object needed for a con job. That con might be a keris that appears magically out of the ground, a keris that flies, a keris that rattles when thieves approach, or any other sort of "magic" that the con man can dream up.

Yes, keris can be "magic", but that magic is nothing at all like the idea that virtually everybody has of magic.