Searcher Wrote:It seems to me that all information should be more holistic, not fragmentary
To be fair, if anyone had a viable holistic solution, we wouldn't be having these discussions. I think all researchers may agree on one thing: we cannot
completely link Q13 to anything else we know.
We may see hints of Balneis, but it is not the same, and there are indications against it. Q13b is probably the best superficial match here, but Q13a takes an entirely different turn.
We may suspect kinship with the alchemical tradition, but again it is not the same, and any parallels are fragmentary.
We may suspect references to human anatomy (organs) but again convincing links to any known medieval tradition or work are rare. Moreover, this really only applies to a few folios of Q13a.
We may suspect links with maps (the green bodies of water) but the large quantities of nymphs separate it from anything else we know. And again, certain folios of Q13a make this tricky (just look at You are not allowed to view links.
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So any approach will have to tackle Q13 bit by bit, and probably also focus only on one subsesction, one folio, one figure at a time. I only focus on Q13a, of which we don't even know how many pages are lost.
Most importantly, any attempt to explain Q13 will have to make some initial leap into the area of theorizing (yuk) since we know nothing like it. There are only diverse fragmented, unsatisfying, limited parallels.
I believe what binds these pages is an artificial layering of narratives. But if you ask me "what is Q13a?" I will not say "narratives"; I will say: an exercise in intentionally synthesizing information from unrelated domains. The word "exercise" should be taken in the broad sense: a personal project, or a literal exercise given in an educational context. Made for personal use or to share with others, I don't know, and it doesn't matter much right now.
Pressed for a more holistic explanation, I would say each figure (nymph) represents a point where two or three narratives meet. The nymph with the "Thing" at the top of this folio represents the Bear constellation itself (1), which sits at the "spindle" of the celestial sphere, the highest point of the sky, providing a guiding light for mariners. But also Callisto, who was turned into this very constellation (2). But now I think the religious layer here is Genesis, so this is also the point where "God's spirit" starts separating zones in the world underneath, and says: let there be light. (3)
My expectation is that on each page, two or three narratives or sequences are layered. An Ovidian layer, a Christian layer, and possibly a constellation layer (Aratus rather than Ptolemy, i.e. narrative/enumerative rather than exact astronomical). Presenting pagan stories together with Christian matter is not exceptional, in fact it is more of a rule. Either the pagan myths would be moralized, read as veiled expressions of Biblical truths. Or they would be interpreted as prefigurations of Christianity, just like they did with the Old Testament. So linking pagan myth to Christianity was not sinful - on the contrary, it made these stories acceptable.
This was done by various authors in various (potentially conflicting) ways, but suffice to say that medieval readers/listeners consumed their ancient myths with a thick Christian sauce, whether they liked it or not. Only in schools (Latin class) Ovid would be read in the original form, since here the linguistic needs prevailed - to study the original words of the poet and their meaning.
However, I suspect that Q13a was mostly made with mnemonic purposes in mind, although I am far from certain about this. If I am correct, however, it appears to exploit some of the most important memory tricks:
- Involve a spatial component (obvious)
- Link different sequences to each other, take a sequence you know and link it to a sequence you want to learn.
- Compound images
The last part is especially interesting. It is generally known that our brain can only memorize a limited number of "items" in one sitting. However, these items don't have to be single words, they can be complex. Strange combinations are easier to remember.
Let's say you have to memorize (long term) these word: clown, sausage, green, beer, elephant, tree. You could take each word separately, but this will be hard on your long-term memory (even short term would be tricky for some). Memory retention will be much greater if you pack several words into a single item: a clown sits in a tree, juggling sausages; a green elephant sits at the bottom of the tree while chugging a bottle of beer down his raised trunk; he would really like those sausages to go with his beverage. You now only have to remember one scene, and its absurdity will help you remember these random words.
Q13a is not entirely like this example, but it may exploit some of the same principles, together with linking sequences and providing a spatial component. That's my holistic view on the matter - all subject to change, of course.
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