Amok dagger – Malay kris
A shop selling kris. Arts Bazaar. Kuala Lumpur
Amok (from Malay amuk “to fall into the blind”
rage and kill") - mental state,
defined in psychiatry
as an ethnospecific syndrome,
characteristic of Malaysians,
Philippines, Indonesia and nearby areas,
which is characterized by a sharp
physical arousal
(usually the person starts running)
and wanton attacks on people
up to and including killing them.
For a long time it was believed that amok
caused by worms parasitizing the brain...
Ernest Weekley. Amuck, amok //
An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English.
Courier Corporation, 2013, p. 44.
rage and kill") - mental state,
defined in psychiatry
as an ethnospecific syndrome,
characteristic of Malaysians,
Philippines, Indonesia and nearby areas,
which is characterized by a sharp
physical arousal
(usually the person starts running)
and wanton attacks on people
up to and including killing them.
For a long time it was believed that amok
caused by worms parasitizing the brain...
Ernest Weekley. Amuck, amok //
An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English.
Courier Corporation, 2013, p. 44.
People and culture. What is kris? Dagger - if anyone doesn’t know this. But the dagger is unusual. Unusual, to say the least.
But since kris are kept in many museums, for example, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and in the Royal Armory in Stockholm, you and I have places to go to see and admire them.
Kris daggers are common throughout the Malaysian archipelago (modern Malaysia, southern Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei and the southern Philippines). They originated in the late Hindu-Buddhist period on the island of Java in Indonesia. The kris (keris) was then both physical and metaphysical weapons, but now its symbolic and ritual aspects dominate.
A typical 1889 kris from the collection of the Royal Armory in Stockholm
The hilt and scabbard of a kris are just his clothes. The main thing in it is the blade.
Traditionally, the kris blade is believed to have a soul of its own and is dangerous to those who have not been initiated into how it should be handled and venerated. Disrespect for the kris is shown by the use of old scabbards and hilts, so they are regularly changed in accordance with fashion. For this reason, in countries where kris are used, it is only occasionally possible to find kris with handles and sheaths older than the end of the 19th century.
But the kris, which ended up in the collection of the Royal Armory of Stockholm, have been preserved in their original form. They therefore provide valuable information about what kris generally looked like in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The kris blade can be decorated with a gold notch... Chris from the collection of the Royal Armory of Stockholm
The main characteristic feature of the kris blade is the asymmetrical heel of the blade, which sharply widens near its hilt. A strip of metal is attached to it - “ganja”, made separately from the same piece of metal as the blade itself. It was forged in the early stages of its hardening, after which it was mounted on the shank of the blade, and welded to it so tightly that it seemed as if it was one piece with the blade.
Also on the blade there were two small indentations for two fingers - the thumb and index, and small spikes were traditionally made on one side of the heel. The blade itself could be either straight or wavy. A feature of the wavy blade was an odd number of bends - most often there were 7 and 13.
A random pattern on a blade appears exclusively “by the will of the spirits” and is therefore especially valued. Kris blade from the collection of the Royal Armory in Stockholm
It is not known for certain why all this was arranged this way, but it is believed that for ritual reasons. Perhaps the purpose of such a device was... to “lock the soul of the kris into the blade” so that it could not pass through the hilt to the person holding the kris.
Another reason is that the handle of the kris represents the feminine force (yoni), which, according to the Hindu-Tantric tradition, must balance the masculine force in the blade (lingam) to ensure harmony is achieved.
When viewed from above, the ganja kris is shaped like a vulva, while the phallic blade is considered to be a Shiva lingam with the tang passing through the ganja and the handle.
The handle of the kris can be shaped like a seated being or a deity...Kris from the collection of the Royal Armory of Stockholm
For the Javanese himself, the kris blade is the very essence of his masculinity. But its metaphysical energy (kasekten) is considered feminine. According to the Javanese point of view, these forces are not necessarily antagonistic, but they are quite capable of fighting each other, being in the same blade.
The dualistic symbolism of the lingam-yoni can also be found in the sheath that encloses the blade, and in the hilt of the kris, which both encloses the tang of the kris and is itself a lingam. It is not so easy for a modern European to understand all the intricacies of such beliefs, but the Javanese have known absolutely everything about kris since childhood and do not doubt for a minute the veracity of this knowledge.
Ganja plate. Chris 1889 from the collection of the Royal Armory of Stockholm
The kris blade is made from a mixture of iron and nickel, which the blacksmith folds and forges in several steps to obtain various patterns (pamor). By etching the blade with arsenic and citrus juice, the blacksmith highlights the silvery nickel against the background of black iron, making its stain more distinct.
The straight blade symbolizes the resting mythological serpent-dragon Naga, and the wavy blade symbolizes Naga in motion. Odd numbers are considered masculine, and even numbers are considered feminine.
Chris could be direct. Criminals were often executed with such kris. Chris 1889 from the collection of the Royal Armory of Stockholm
Even traditional Javanese Hindu temples have an odd number of roofs. The more waves on the kris or roof of a temple, the higher the status of its owner or founding family.
In addition to Shiva and Naga, the blade often depicts the elephant god Ganesha as a stylized trunk closest to his ganja. Ganesha is both the son of Shiva and the deity who removes all obstacles.
The combination of different shapes and number of waves on the blade is tailored to the individuality of the owner. It is considered dangerous to have a kris that does not match your personality, such as having more waves than you are spiritually capable of handling.
The top of the kris sheath is shaped like a ship, perhaps inspired by the ships that the Malay ancestors used to reach the Malaysian archipelago in ancient times. Chris 1889 from the collection of the Royal Armory of Stockholm
Some of the oldest kris in European collections also have nature motifs on their scabbards. But they are usually simpler, although with a beautiful and unusual wood texture. At the bottom they often have a metal casing (pendok), decorated with embossed floral or geometric motifs.
The pamor can depict a predetermined pattern or be obtained randomly during the forging process. If the pamor forms a discernible, recognizable pattern or image - such as a human face, a seated human figure, or an Arabic letter - it is considered especially powerful.
Muslim style chris with scabbard. Blade 1766–1767; finishing - XIX century. Length with sheath: 55,9 cm. Blade length: 49,7 cm. Maximum blade width: 9,7 cm. Chris weight: 674,7 g. Sheath weight: 280,7 g. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Same kris - reverse side
Although usually a specific pamor is selected in advance according to the personality and needs of the owner and is simply ordered to the blacksmith. There are different pamoras that are considered to be specially designed to increase popularity, accumulate wealth, protect against natural disasters, etc. This is the skill of the blacksmiths who forge kris!
Kris handles come in many varieties. One of the characteristics of the oldest handles in Java is that they depict various Hindu creatures, usually Ganesha, Garuda, Durga, Bima, forest spirits (yakshas) or shadow theater figures.
When Islam became the leading religion in Java, these creatures continued to be depicted on handles, but they were given such a stylized form that they were barely recognizable.
Chris is from Sumbawa. Length: 34,4 cm. Without sheath: 32,4 cm. Maximum width: 12,1 cm. Weight: 209,8 g. Sheath weight: 39,7 g. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The chris can be seen primarily as a ritual weapon. And as a means to reconnect with previous generations in the kris owning family.
But it is also a portable temple, with the help of which you can achieve success in life. But if, as the Malays believed quite recently, a person had worms in his brain and was seized with amok, then the first thing he would do was grab the kris, run down the street of the village and kill everyone he met!
It is believed that the kris is a very powerful weapon, capable of protecting its owner, but at the same time it is very capricious. On moonless nights, it is believed that it can leave its sheath and fly in search of prey.
That is why it cannot be removed from its sheath and pointed at a specific person. Chris can remember an object and then kill it with his magic. That is why participants in ritual dances with kris first touch the ground with them in order to dump their negative energy into it, and only then dance.
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