Keris have two things. First, what is it and second, it's mystical power.
The Keris is a weapon used by Javanese. The story of the keris starts aroun the 14th century and the 19th century. The earliest reprensentation of the keris can be found in relief on the Penataran Temple in East Java and the Sukuh Temple in Central Java. At the beginning, the keris was used only as a weapon but later on it was used as a status symbol. In ancient times, a man was considered to have reavhed maturity once he owned a keris. In the past, owning keris was not unusual. Almost everybody had one. Usually, each keris made especially for the owner. Sometimes it reprensented the character of the owner. The pustaka is usually passed on from one generation to another.
Many of these heirlooms go back several generations. Since historic times in Javanese culture, the keris is believed to have mystical power. These powers are often called the spirit of the keris and cannot seen by ordinary people. Indinesians sometimes regard the spirit as a genie, which protects or provides its owner with special powers such as extraordinary intellectual skills or special attraction to the opposite sex. The owner of the keris has to take good care of it. There's even a ritual to clean the keris every Thursday night, or at least in the first month of the Javanese year. Why does he have to take care of the keris ? It is believed that if the owner doesnt take care of it, the power possessed by the keris will gradually dissappear.
To conclude, the keris is an nheirloon, which, in Java is believed to have unique mystical powers of its own. These powers do not necessarilly go againts our religion.
