The Voynich Ninja

(07-12-2016, 07:56 PM)Linda Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Maybe the dots indicate that the "things" are not to be thought of as literal spindles, but cosmic ones.

I think so too, Linda. Some shorthand for a Platonic idea about the cosmos seems relevant, since he most famously compared the spinning of the axis to that of a spindle.

Alternatively, it could be the rings on the celestial sphere, or just a line of stars - the idea remains the same. I think in general the dotted line in is used in this section to make sure that the object is understood in its "cosmological" meaning.

Just came across this image by coincidence. The spindle is in the hand on the left, hanging down.
I don't make too much of it before I find a better image, but I do believe that there is a line of dots or dashes along the spindle. Might just be damage or smudges though. I'm afraid there's no better version of the image to be found, nor a source...

Still doing some research for a blog post, I came across this image. One of the points I will make is that in Greco-Roman art, there is often only a small visual difference between the spindle and a somewhat stylized, small distaff.

This is part of a late Roman sarcophagus. The Fate on the left is spinning, distaff up, spindle low. I was wondering about the one behind her though. She's holding a sphere with cross bands around it. A bound ball of wool? A globe?



On Wiki there's a slightly blurry picture of the full scene:
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It is the Moira Lachesis with a globe, her attribute

I found this 15th-Century image of a gender role inversion: a man spinning with a spindle and a woman wielding a sceptre. Strangely the sceptre also reminds of 'the Thing': You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. 

Most sceptres don't have this shape, but I found some that come close in heraldry (bad references though):
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For what it's worth...

My current views on the thing:

When spinning, there are two parts: up high you hold the loose fibres, and down below you spin them into thread with a spindle. Sometimes the fibres up high were held just in the hand, but usually they were wrapped around a staff, called the distaff. Understanding the difference between these two is, I believe, essential for understanding The Thing as well.

I made an overview of spinning imagery through the ages in my latest blog post a couple of weeks ago: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.



In antiquity there were some standard poses to depict spinners, often a bit more elegant than what they would have looked like in real life. These are some nice examples:


In the middle ages, distaffs were often large sticks, but in antiquity they closely resembled full spindles. See also the image I posted above in this thread..

If a distaff would have been recognized by a thing of this shaped held up, and a full spindle by a thing of the same shape held down in the other hand, then it seems like these two nymphs form a spinning pair:



(sorry for the ugly thread )

This makes perfect sense in a Platonic world view where the heavens revolve around the earth like on a spindle. The distaff nymph is at the North Pole of the heavens, while the spindle nymph is at the South Pole: the never-visible-circle. In the Konstellation thread, I explained that wavy lines signify the polar circles, and that green tends to mean South. The Spindle nymph is at a green pool bordered by a wavy line.

This leaves one thing unexplained: why does the one on top have a spike while the one below doesn't? Drop spindles don't need a spike, but when one of the two is spiked it's usually the spindle, not the distaff. Also, the whorl (round spinning weight on the spindle) is usually rather smooth, not indented like in the VM.

So once again, the image can only be explained as a synthesis of two layers, two pairs of opposites. We already have distaff (north) vs. spindle (south). But if I am correct in reading this as north pole vs. south pole, then there is another opposition: visible vs. invisible, light vs. dark. 

Let me explain: stars above the celestial north pole are said to be always visible at night. Stars below the north pole are only visible during certain times of the year. But those above the pole, they never set. This is elaborately discussed in classical works about star myths (Aratus, Ovid, Hyginus, Manilius...). On the contrary, stars below the south pole were never visible (in the northern hemisphere, of course). Hence, these circles were called the always-visible circle and the never-visible circle.

So let's return then to the torch images. All are Roman apart from the bronze incense burner, which shows a very early form of the floral motif:



I haven't been able to figure out yet how exactly this type of torch functioned - it looks like something completely different than the more standard "bundle of sticks". This more ornate type is often seen in the hands of gods and goddesses.

This also explains why some people see a botanical element in The Thing: the tops of torches, lamps, incense burners... were often shaped like floral elements.

One thing is clear though: if the image of torches or another kind of lamp is meant here, then the one held high is functional, while the one held low, without the "spike" is extinguished. So next to Distaff/North - Spindle/South, we can add Light - Dark.

By her guidance, then, the men of Sidon steer the straightest course.

So when you least expect it you find the thing... I can't look into it right now, posting from my phone and I'm very clumsy with it. A cosmic spindle?

Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms-5061 réserve, f36v. Jean Thenaud, Traité de la cabale (16th century)

(04-01-2017, 10:22 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.So when you least expect it you find the thing... I can't look into it right now, posting from my phone and I'm very clumsy with it. A cosmic spindle?

Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Ms-5061 réserve, f36v. Jean Thenaud, Traité de la cabale (16th century)

Yes, a cosmic spindle. How about that!  I haven't seen that one.  

Note how the sun has more lines and Mars has fewer compared to Saturn and Jupiter. That line of stars across the top usually represents a boundary between our earth-centric cosmos and the celestial spheres (similar to a nebuly line).

(04-01-2017, 10:22 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Wow!

I would say that the little band with multiple stars is the final sphere in the sequence of cosmic spheres. It is the sphere of the fixed stars, beyond the moon, sun and visible planets. As the final sphere, it marks the boundary of the known universe. A nebuly line, or a cloud band of any design, is not the final sphere before the boundary. It *is* the boundary. It is the impenetrable mist, the limit that vision cannot penetrate. The fixed stars stand before that boundary.

If you're looking for a cloud band, check the arched structure above the central figure, in between the red and blue faces. That looks like clouds to me, but it doesn't appear to be nebuly. And the thin golden rays are interesting too. Various artistic techniques can accomplish the same purpose.

Wasn't Night the mother of the Fates? Maybe that helps explain part of it.