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Keris Stories.
I am certain that many collectors and experts all have many wonderful stories concerning the Keris. Indonesia and surrounding countries have many legends and wonderful stories that I will try to post on a regular basis in this section of the site.
To start off I will tell a personal story concerning "The flying Keris" shown in the picture above.
Many years ago when I first arrived in Indonesia I was entranced by the Indonesian Keris. Young and impetuous I dod not know much about the Keris except I had to have one. In those days there was no internet and the information available was limited and hard to find. Also I was not nearly as knowledgeable about Indonesian culture as I am now.
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I took a trip down to Jalan Surabaya in Jakarta where there are a range of "antiques" for sale. In those days it was not quite as commercial or busy as it is today. And whilst rummaging around in the back of a shop I came across a Keris that was dirty, battered and totally unassuming. The shop owner and a host of other shop owners from up and down the street were all urging me to buy their much prettier, fancier and newer Keris rather than this old one at the back of the shop. I declined of concourse as there was something about this particular one that said I just could not walk away from it. So without knowing the slightest thing about it I bought the Keris above for what I thought a very reasonable price. For once I didn't bargain( I can hear the sighs in the background) and we were happily wed. |
I had the Keris in my house for many years and rarely if ever even remembered it was there. I did however know the Keris intimately without actually ever really studying it. There were certain hidden aspects to the Keris that were inherently imprinted in my mind. Certain scrapes and scratches in various places which insured I knew the Keris intimately but without really studying it.
All of a sudden it disappeared out the house. Nothing else was missing, disturbed, or even touched. It just vanished. How long it had actually gone before I noticed I do not know but I do know it was in during a time of my life that I am not particularly proud of and I was doing things to drive my business forward that were not exactly what I should have been doing.
After many many years i had forgotten all about it until one day I was visiting Jogyakarta and decided that perhaps I should start looking for a Keris to replace my old missing one. A taxi driver very obligingly took be down town to a street that had perhaps three or four shops but one that we stopped at that really did not look very promising. It did not have much light nor did it seem to have much of a selection but on the wall at the back of the shop all dusty and neglected was a Keris that caught my eye.
On taking it down and inspecting under the pendok sure enough there were my initials that I had burned in many many years ago. This was my missing Keris. I asked the owner how he had come by it and he seemed genuinely baffled and could not remember. he looked through his records and could find nothing about it other than it had been in the shop for a long time. The final stroke came when I asked the "Mas Kawin" and was told what amounted to exactly the same as I had paid the first time I bought it. It has been in my homes for a few years and again neglected but I have always known it was there and felt more comfortable knowing it was in my home. Since being "wed" things in my life have definitely improved and it now as you see hold pride of place in my collection even if it is still unassuming and somewhat left out of the spotlight.
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I told an acquaintance this story just recently and he coined the name the flying Keris which I have now adopted for it and will have it remained next Suro properly to insure it will remain with my family for a very long time.