The Voynich Ninja

Koen:

Quote: I'm not sure about the opening having been made on purpose though. Either that or the plant (and the one on the recto side) has been drawn around it. Wouldn't it be weird to damage vellum on purpose, possibly increasing the risk of further tearing? 

I agree it would be weird, but Nick Pelling, who has examined the original, says in his book that the hole was apparently rubbed into the vellum. Holes in other pages seem to be natural, and also have been worked into the illustrations.

Funny how everyone secretly has a favorite Voynich willie.

Sam G: I think there's actually a simple explanation for that one. Someone (Nick Pelling?) once observed that the nymphs were originally drawn with only one breast - the "bump" on their side in their outline. Later, with another pen, the second breast was added.

The guy you talk about though, has had both of his "breasts" added in the latter way: he doesn't have any "sideboob". So I think the sex of this figure has been interpreted differently by various people working on the manuscript.

Latest news from the field of Voynich phallic studies:

I took another look at this plant, and some things are starting to make sense. Remember that I said the ancients liked their penises small and slender. Overly large, erect members were usually reserved for fertility gods or barbaric types, like satyrs. Google "satyr phallus" or something and you'll see. 

So anyway, I had a look at the label, which I read as (o)snap. We'll ignore the initial "o" as usual, which leaves us with /snap/, the plant name. If this plant follows the general system, the mnemonic (= hidden secondary image) should sound a bit like this plant name /snap/.

So what sounds like /snap/ and has a large penis? Satyr? Pryapos? Some god that also doubled as a fertility deity like Hermes? No, no, no.

There's a famous story about the satyr You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., or alternatively Pan, who entered a music contest with Apollo. The Satyr played the flute, while Apollo used his trusted lyre. Eventually Apollo won by turning his lyre upside down and playing the same tune, something the satyr couldn't do on the flute. 

Marsias doesn't sound like /snap/ either.
But what about Pan? snap-pan-snap-pan. Let's turn the word upside down, like the lyre. NAP. SNAP. Getting closer? 

Enter MP: What is this nonsense about lyres and phalli and turning stuff upside down? This has no explanatory power! Why not turn the picture upside down, now that you're at it?






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Hi Koen Gh,

Just to start your weekend nicely, here's another medieval penis tree I found:

Roman de la Rose;c. 1325-1353;  Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; MS fr. 25526 f.160r


Not a tree, but green (Decretum Gratiani with commentary by Bartolomeo de Brescia, Italy, 1340-1345):



I don't know how the ancients liked their penises, but by the middle ages it seems the pictorial convention had shifted to the extremes: either completely hidden or extra large!
 

Well, that's enough to make your eyes wáter.
That's from Roman de la Rose, isn't it? Painted by a woman, no less - it was a French husband and wife team, he inked, she drew.

The phallus tree, to give it a polite name, was a common 14th century motif. Fertility I seem to think, although someone suggested it also poked fun at men's fear of impotence (plenty more fish in the sea for the wife to choose from if the husband couldn't perform!).

Yes, David, its from Roman de la Rose.
And incredibly, the lower image is actually a marginal illustration from a Catholic Canon law manuscript!

Rene noted that pictures may be repeated paint. If the picture was not painted over, and the restorer did not know the content (language),  he could paint the picture any paint.

Is there anything you remind those green "eyes" f83v.

(07-03-2016, 01:44 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Now that I'm starting to publish mt research on mnemonics in the root and leaf section (I prefer Diane's term over "pharma section"), I was wondering what your opinion would be about this specific plant. In my research it's more of an aside, so I haven't studied it elaborately yet. I mention it on the You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. on my new blog. 

There is "mnemonic activity" in the roots as well as in the leaves. If we first have a look at the roots, we see they are drawn like two "legs", with something rather strange in between. I think it's a foot, drawn in "running" position. It appears to have five toes and an ankle.



Now let's look at the leaves: the three leaves on the left are normal. Their tip is nice and round, like a good, decent leaf tip. Their position is as one would expect a leaf to behave.
But now look at the leaf on the right. Its "tip" is drawn totally differently. Also, it appears to hang more, like it's heavier than the other leaves.

Come on, it's a phallus.

But what does it mean?  Some kind of hardwood? 

My best guess, in the light of my other research, is that it has something to do with Hermes, who was both a messenger (running foot) and a fertility god (large phallus). I'm not certain though, so I wonder what you guys make of this.

My impression is that it might be grain and if it is, then any phallic references (if such are intended) could be to Avena sativa (wild oats), which has long been reputed to be an aphrodisiac.