The Voynich Ninja

Possibly not unacceptable enough to be censored.

If its representing the holy spirit, the holy spirits gender is debated.

The bible sometimes refers to the holy spirit as without gender but the issue is debated amongst religious scholars.

Quote:The grammatical gender of the word for "spirit" is feminine in Hebrew (רוּחַ, rūaḥ), neuter in Greek (πνεῦμα, pneûma) and masculine in Latin (spiritus).

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The better and worse angels/devils is also sometimes portrayed as hermaphrodite.



source: Splendor Solis ("The Splendour of the Sun") is a version of the illuminated alchemical text attributed to Salomon Trismosin.



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label: Crowned Hermaphrodite (Androgyne or Rebis) (c. 1400).



Aurora consurgens, About 1420-1430
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The ancient greeks had some myths/cults about hermaphradites:

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some ancient greeks also thought humans were originally two headed/four armed but were split in two and thats why we now seek our soul mates, our better halves.

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In “The Symposium”, Plato has Aristophanes, a famous Greek theatre and comedy writer, tell the story of the Soulmates:

“According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”



and then in Christianity you have Eve created from Adams rib which is a similar myth.

Some art critics have also likened Da Vincis Mona Lisa to a masculine faced female, comparing her either to an effeminate man, masculine woman or hermaphrodite.

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The examples you post, whilst interesting, are in my opinion very different stylistically and contextually.
They are all bicephalic, symbolising two spirits united in one.
Which, of course, is the symbolism of the original hermaphrodite, a unity bringing the best of both worlds into one perfect form.


If that is a sex organ, our friend is some sort of ladyboy with a flaccid penis reaching down past his knees. Nobody would draw a penis in this style, it would be drawn erect, as we see in this bloke in the Gemini ring:

(17-01-2021, 06:52 PM)davidjackson Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.They are all bicephalic...If that is a sex organ, our friend is some sort of ladyboy with a flaccid penis reaching down past his knees. Nobody would draw a penis in this style, it would be drawn erect..

well thats certainly true, and could be suggestive of a eunuch (penis looks kind of mutilated), which were found sometimes in the temple choirs of ancient greek cults.

I don't know where else to post this. The coat of arms of the "Donine" family from the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (Milan, XV Century). "Donnine" means "small women" in Italian and "Donine" might be a legitimate dialectal variant: this appears to be a "canting" or "speaking" coat of arms, but I have no idea about the reason for the nudes.

Nude women don't seem to be that uncommon in heraldry.
Here is a more recent example ( after 1597 ).

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[attachment=6777]

Based on your translation, it clearly would be an example of heraldic canting. Canting funtions like a rebus and it depends on the sound. Having the right sound means knowing the correct name in the relevant language.

Crequy heraldry is an example of such canting:
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Without knowing the French word for 'cherry tree', the interpretation is lost. It's also a decent trick, without any fore-knowledge, to figure out exactly what that quasi-botanical charge (image) is in the first place. And once you know, it's a piece of cake.

Women, especially naked women, are not all that common in early heraldry, particularly when represented on the shield itself. They can occasionally be seen as supporters, but more often in crests, often when not on the actual insignia. 

Despite the obvious visual similarities, women should not be confused with mermaids. The symbolism and the heraldic interpretations are different. Mermaids on shields are also uncommon, but is it canting? Or something nautical?

(23-08-2022, 10:48 PM)R. Sale Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Despite the obvious visual similarities, women should not be confused with mermaids. 

I couldn't resist taking this quote out of context

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