The Voynich Ninja

observations made to date on the manuscript

The writing is neat, with distinct letters and clearly defined ascenders and descenders. Some letters show similarities to humanistic writing, including rounded forms and consistent spacing.
Ligatures are present in the manuscript, although their style may differ from that of typical humanistic manuscripts. Some ligatures appear fluid and skillfully executed, while others seem forced or unusual.
The letters in the manuscript exhibit similarities to humanistic writing, especially in the rounded shape of the letters. However, variations in certain letters and ligatures could indicate regional influences or unique styles.
The manuscript displays elements resembling humanistic writing, as well as other styles such as Gothic and Caroline scripts. The absence of common ligatures like "æ" and "œ" in the manuscript is noteworthy.
The manuscript may have been influenced by specific regional styles, but it also seems to fall within the broader framework of humanistic writing  


 

I would be interested to see this kind of analysis taken into more detail. Which characters and ligatures look humanistic, which humanistic writings do they resemble in particular, why humanistic script and not other scripts etc.

Hello to you!

I'm truly delighted that you've posed this question. I've recently dedicated time to studying this particularly intriguing manuscript and would love to share some of my observations and theories.

Upon examining the manuscript, I noticed that many of the letters have this rounded shape and clarity that are typical of humanistic writing. Moreover, the spacing between letters and words is consistent, which is also a characteristic of humanistic script.

It's challenging to pinpoint a specific humanistic script as there have been several variants. However, the overall fluidity and shape of the letters are reminiscent of certain humanistic writings from the 15th century in Italy.

Gothic writing, for instance, is usually more angular and tight, which contrasts strongly with the open and rounded letters of humanistic. Carolingian script, although it also has rounded letters, is older and its letter forms differ from those of humanistic. The main reason I've leaned towards humanistic is the combination of clarity, rounded shapes, and consistent spacing, all of which are typical characteristics of this script.

Where it gets truly interesting is that some letters seem to be linked, suggesting a cursive influence. This blend of humanistic traits with cursive elements makes the writing genuinely unique.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and if you have similar examples or ideas to share!

I find this very interesting and potentially relevant, but I can't contribute much myself since I have not yet studied humanistic script in any detail. I really only know about it because it is sometimes mentioned in relation to voynichese script.

I have been studying gothic cursiva lately, and I have noticed that it "feels" different from Voynichese. The roundness and spacing is certainly part of it.

I agree that the blending of connected and disconnected letters is interesting, and it should probably be studied in more detail. Initially, Voynichese felt to me like "chopped up cursive", like it wants to be cursive but doesn't always connect. But might be the opposite, that it is a disconnected script with certain options for connecting. 

Well, I simply don't understand enough of it yet to provide any useful comments, though some others here might be able to. I do feel like getting to the bottom of these script design and influence questions could be essential in figuring out what Voynichese is.

Thank you for sharing your insights! I find your observations truly relevant. Even if you haven't delved deep into humanistic script, merely knowing about it due to its ties with the Voynichese script is an intriguing starting point.

It's fascinating to hear about your studies on gothic cursiva. It's true that its feel is distinct from that of the Voynichese, and as you pointed out, the roundness and spacing are certainly part of the reason.

I concur with your observation about the combination of connected and disconnected letters in Voynichese being of interest. It's an intriguing perspective to view the Voynichese as "chopped up cursive," seemingly wanting to connect but not always doing so. Or perhaps, as you suggested, it's the opposite: a primarily disconnected script with occasional linking elements.

Don't worry if you don't yet have a full grasp of the script. Every contribution, no matter how small, enriches the discussion. I'm convinced that understanding the origins and influences of this script will be key to unraveling the Voynichese mystery.

I hope this response meets your needs!

The characters in Voynichese have much more in common with Italian Humanistic script than with Gothic cursive. Huntington Library HM 58316 is a good analogue, available online here: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Some of the analogous characters include:

HM   EVA
a         a
c          e
m         iin
n          in
o         o  
4        q
8        d
9        y

I discuss this in this video from the Malta conference, starting at 5:50:

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O58h04GHKS8][/url]

This is NOT to argue that the Voynich must have been written in early fifteenth-cetury Italy, only that it MIGHT have been.

Thank you, Lisa. Personally, I cannot follow discussions like these without references to actual manuscripts and the visual comparison of actual scripts, so I was quite lost.

In my opinion, the curls at the end of iin / in mostly resemble the Gothic cursiva ligature for the Latin suffix -ium, or the abbreviation for n(on) (with the curl standing for a macron). Of course, this is an old idea (e.g. D'Imperio fig.17).
Here I added to the left of your table a couple of details from You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (St. Gall, probably around 1423/1436).

There was also this older thread on more or less the same topic:

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[attachment=7542]

How would one classify this "p" ?
This one is one of my favourites in the list of writing peculiarities.

The "p" you're showing doesn't have the sharp and narrow features typical of Gothic script. Conversely, it also doesn't display the fluidity found in Gothic cursiva. The roundness and overall shape of this "p" suggest to me the humanistic script, known for its clear and gentle letters. However, another possibility might be an influence from the bastard script, which merges Gothic and humanistic styles