I agree that Koen's track is right and I interpret those as lion's heads, meaning that thunder is seen as the voice of God.
1. Revelation 10:3
"And [the mighty angel] cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices." (I guess it is quite obvious that Scivias was largely inspired by the Book of Revelation).
2. Hildegard herself associates the lion's roar with thunder in "Subtilitates diversarum naturarum creaturum" You are not allowed to view links.
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Et cor leonis in domo tua vel in quocunque loco volueris ibi sepeli, et quam diu ibi sepulum iacuerit, fulgura, incendia ibi non facient, nec tonitrua ibi percutient. Nam leo tonitruum cum audit, mox rugitus emittere solet. (And if you bury a lion's heart in your house or in any place you want, as long as it is buried there, there will be no lightning and no fire and thunder will not strike. Indeed, whenever a lion hears thunder, it immediately roars.)
3. Comparing the thunder symbol with the image of Leo in the same diagram shows that the two are compatible.
It is interesting and necessary to pick up on the correct *traditional* interpretations in order to properly understand the illustration.
And its interesting to see the odd-ball illustrations of lions, but that is only part of it. What about well-drawn, early, relevant images or representations from a particular time to match C-14? Just a few.
But the VMs image doesn't have lions. That may not change what it was intended to represent. But it does change, or in this case eliminate, the element of traditional interpretation by which the intended meaning was typically conveyed.
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Trying again on the images -- it's page 71 of this manuscript, third set of images down:
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I found . . . . another flower!
It turns out that thunder was a big "predictor" in the time around the carbon dating so I started looking at various thunder prediction calendars in hopes of finding a visual image of the sound of thunder. Spoiler -- have not been successful, but will keep looking.
However, had to share I was excited to find a similar image in a relatively early but still possible (1389) Girdle Book maybe owned by a Hayward (high level serf - foreman) in Worchestershire, England. It's MS Rawlinson D939 in the Bodleian Library.
It was in the pictorial prediction of thunder in November (Habundanciam frugal & iocunditatem - Good fruit harvest and pleasantness).
What is that "thing" next to the Voynich-like symbol? Could it be some sort of weird "gun"?
Unfortunately, having found a paper discussing the manuscript
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turns out it's a trumpet with a banner hanging down from it -- a well known pictoral representation of jovial and pleasant times. The star-flower couldn't represent any sound because it's on the wrong "end." So it must be part of the whole "good fruit harvest," thing. Sigh.
But the Girdlebook was interesting to review (sitting on the cusp between literate and illiterate owners) and had some art about at the same level as the Voynich, in my opinion.
Ah yes, that is definitely a flower. Still, good eye!
It is missing the "donut" and it's not blue, so it appears that these two features really set the VM and Scivias apart.
I spent some time looking now and all I got is this:
1) The Liber Floridus draws the planets like flowers. Maybe that's a little bit closer than floral decorations? (top left in image)
2) "The Planet Jupiter Represented as a Bishop on Horseback" with a familiar blue star in the sky. The MS is unfortunately a bit late (1464) but this is not the first time it surfaces in Voynich studies. Source: You are not allowed to view links.
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There are many themes in Liber Floridus that 'resonate' like VMS drawings even if they are drawn a little differently.
I do really like the lion theory - but wanted to add this dragon image to the mix. The arrow/tongue and wing proximity are nice parallels, IMO.
Besides, who doesn't love a cute dragon with red painted (probably blood-stained(!), given the time period) toe-nails?
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Source: Sion/Sitten, Médiathèque Valais, S 94
Paper · II + 120 + II ff. · 20 x 28.5 cm · Northern Switzerland (?) · 15th century
Jean de Mandeville, Von dem gelobten Land [Voyages]. German translation by Michel Velser
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The spear-tongue dragons are not very common. I think I've only seen a few, mostly from the late 15th century.
I was looking for something else in nativity scenes when I noticed this by coincidence. I guess it's the star they used to lure the shepherds. It's from The Nativity in the St. Albans Psalter, 1130. You are not allowed to view links.
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There is some similarity as well between the way the star hovers above the swaddled Christ Child and our sleeping nymph...
Definitely the closest comparison so far.