Keris and Other Malay Weapons

A keris (or kris) is a unique knife or sword that has been constructed for magical as well as practical purpose. Its creation is a long and complicated ritual in which magical ingredients are blended with the metal and a powerful jinn ('genie') spirit is invoked into the blade. After the keris has been created, the spirit is continually fed, so it gradually grows more powerful. They are often passed down from generation to generation: the oldest examples go back to the 8th century, and are considered extremely potent. A new edition of a classic on Malay weaponry and war originally published in 1936, and now virtually impossible to find. In this work, Gardner illustrates (photos drawings), describes and catalogues the entire corpus of Malay weaponry. He pays close attention to the origins of the Kris and its close association with the Occult in Malaya - an interest that was to have a huge affect upon him later in life. On return to England, he focussed all his energies on the study of Western witchcraft and the occult, and is considered by many to be the Father of the modern Wicca movement.