The blade is wavy like a snake
A kris from the Royal Armoury in Stockholm. This kris originates from West Java, likely dating to the late 17th century. It has a blade with 13 waves, and the pamor features a "scattered rice grains" pattern, which arose by chance. Just below its ganja, one can discern the trunk and mouth of the elephant god Ganesha.
And he will judge between many nations, and will rebuke many people in far countries; and they will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more.
Book of the prophet Micah 4:3
Book of the prophet Micah 4:3
History cold weapons. Our story about swords and daggers will undoubtedly sooner or later touch on a wide variety of examples. Long and short, straight and curved, and even the most incredible and bizarre shapes, they are an indelible part of human history. Some examples have sunk into oblivion, others have found their way into museums and the hands of reenactors, so that the same khopesh or Carolingian sword can be easily purchased today. However, among them, there are also those that survive to this day, despite their origins in time immemorial.
Most often, these are examples of ancient national weapons that have become either part of the costume of an indigenous nation or people, or nothing more than a spiritual symbol of a people or country. Many examples come to mind, but today our story will focus on perhaps the most unique of these weapons—the Malay kris. The example whose photographs we'll be illustrating this article is located in Sweden—at the Livrustkammaren Museum, or the Armory in Stockholm.
There's a lot of interesting stuff here for us, and someday we'll definitely get to know its exhibits in more detail...
We'll start with the kris stored here. It's especially beautiful, and there's a wealth of information available about it. If we consult Wikipedia, we'll learn that the kris is an ancient weapon and a complex cultural phenomenon of the peoples of the Malay Archipelago (Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as the southern regions of Thailand, Brunei, and the southern Philippines, where it's known as "kalis").
The main difference between the kris and other bladed weapons is the asymmetrical shape of its blade, which is often wavy, although variations do exist. Moreover, in the culture of the peoples of the Malay Archipelago, the kris is much more than just a weapon hanging from your belt. Since ancient times, it has been ascribed magical properties: for example, the ability to fly, warn its owner of danger, and kill their enemies from a distance.
The blade's shape is no coincidence. It is associated with the mythical naga snake: a straight blade symbolizes a naga at rest, while a wavy blade symbolizes one in motion. There's even a dedicated local science—krisology—that studies krises, their history, manufacturing techniques, associated beliefs, and magical properties. Clearly, since all this is so serious, the kris's role in local culture has been and remains very significant. Incidentally, the kris, like the Nepalese kukri, was never drawn from its sheath without a reason, and certainly not pointed at anyone with its naked tip. And during ritual dances with naked krises, when this happened unintentionally, dancers were required to periodically touch the tip to the ground to remove negative energy from the blade, which could harm those watching.
The importance of the kris in Malay culture is illustrated by its sculpture at the entrance to the Malaysian National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
Regarding its design features, the truly unique feature of the kris is its protective plate (ganja), which, for some reason, had to be forged separately from the blade and then mounted on its tang. The whole thing was then forged together, so that it appeared to be one piece, although in fact the blade and ganja are two separate components. The reason for this is unclear, but it likely had ritualistic reasons. One may be to trap the soul of the kris within the blade, preventing it from passing through the handle and on to the wielder. Another reason is that ganja represents the feminine force (yoni), which, according to Hindu tradition, must balance the masculine force in the blade (lingam) to achieve harmony. Incidentally, when viewed from above, the ganja of the kris has the shape of a vulva.
Ganja and carved wooden handle
The phallic blade is considered the lingam of the god Shiva. Therefore, for the Javanese, the kris blade represents the very essence of masculinity. But its metaphysical energy is considered feminine. According to the Javanese view, these forces are not necessarily antagonistic, but the more contradictory forces a blade can absorb, the better. Such a blade will be stronger. Thus, the kris is primarily concerned with its dualistic symbolism—lingam-yoni. And the Malays believe this. And why not? They probably know better, since the kris has endured in their culture for so long. Incidentally, women could also wear the kris. But their kris were smaller and had an even number of waves on the blade.
A kris from northeast Java, probably from the late 18th century, with a gilded naga along the blade. It has 13 waves, and its pamor represents "scattered grains of rice," which is believed to bring wealth to its owner.
Incidentally, the kris handle was attached to the blade's heel in such a way that it could rotate. This didn't affect the effectiveness of the thrust. True, this often caused kris to break during duels. However, almost any blacksmith could repair a broken kris using readily available parts!
The kris blade is either straight or has an odd number of curves. Odd curves are considered masculine, and even curves are feminine. Most often, the number of curves was odd—7 or 13. Even traditional Javanese Hindu-Buddhist temples have an odd number of roofs. The more curves on a kris or temple roof, the higher the status of its owner or founding family.
Besides Shiva and Naga, the elephant god Ganesha is often depicted on the blade. He is depicted as a stylized trunk on a ganja. Ganesha is both the son of Shiva and the deity who overcomes all obstacles. The combination of different shapes and the number of curves on the blade is tailored to the owner's individuality. It is considered dangerous to have a kris that doesn't suit their personality, for example, one with more curves than they can mentally manage. This means that when considering the blade of the kris, one must also consider whether one can handle the energy of its curves. And indeed!
Both the handle and the scabbard of this kris were very richly decorated!
The kris blade is made of iron and nickel. The blacksmith folds and forges these strips in several stages to create various patterns (pamor). When the blade is etched with arsenic and citrus juice, the silvery nickel begins to stand out against the black iron, and its color becomes distinct. A pamor can be crafted by the smith according to a predetermined pattern or appear randomly during the forging process. If a randomly created pamor resembles a face, a seated human figure, or an Arabic letter (many Malays are Muslim and revere the Quran and Arabic script!), this is considered a sign of the blade's great power. However, pamors are usually chosen based on the owner's personality and needs. There are different pamors, believed to be specifically designed for increasing popularity, accumulating wealth, protecting against natural disasters, and so on. A person may have more than one kris, and all of them will act as talismans if the patterns on their blades are correspondingly different.
The scabbard of a simpler kris. Very elegant in appearance, isn't it?
The top of the kris's scabbard is shaped like a ship. It's difficult to explain why this is so, but it's clear that all the blade components, including the ganja, should ideally fit into the scabbard. These are usually very simple, but feature beautiful grain patterns in the wood and are carefully polished. The scabbard could also have a metal covering (pendok) around it, with a raised floral or geometric pattern.
In general, the kris can be seen as a ritual weapon. It's a kind of portable temple, always with you or nearby, with which you can achieve success in life. And while in the past it was at least used as a weapon, today its symbolic and ritual aspects predominate.
A carved kris handle. It could be either smooth or depict an animal or deity.
At the same time, in the past, kris were used in combat, and a single person could wield several at once. This meant that a fight could be fought with two kris at once. The thrust was considered the primary form of striking, and its consequences were extremely severe, given the "saw-like" effect of the wavy blade.
Traditionally, the kris blade is considered soulless and dangerous to those who don't know how to handle it and honor it. The kris itself is the blade. The handle and sheath are merely its "clothing." Therefore, wearing "old clothes" is frowned upon and considered disrespectful to the kris. Therefore, they are regularly replaced with newer ones. The krises that once came into the Livrustkammaren collection have been preserved in their original condition. Thus, they provide valuable information about what krises generally looked like in the 16th and 18th centuries.
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