The Voynich Ninja

(16-09-2018, 12:00 AM)Searcher Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.JKP, 
I was surprised that I can't find the abbreviation "lucz" for the word "lucum". In the most cases, it stands for "lucet". Do you know any examples where it substitutes the word "lucum"? It is really interesting to observate different traditions of abbreviations in different regions and times. Maybe it is wrong but I think we still must give to usual meanings of a certain abbreviations a fair show, no matter how senseless they seem in the VMs marginalia.

Searcher, I have samples of many of these things, but finding them is difficult.

I can find individual letters and common abbreviations in seconds, because I indexed them in my database, but other phrases are not indexed yet (it takes time) and so I have to laboriously page through thousands of samples one at a time to find them.


BUT, I will keep my eyes open. I see MANY variations from common abbreviations and I often keep samples.

I have to work this weekend (I basically work 7 days a week, I'm running a business and this time of year is killer busy for me), but I'll try to pull out the examples as I come across them.

This looks like pure coincidence, yet I am curious. Does anyone know what "mallior" means in Swedish?
I found it in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (etc.) 1675 and also in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. by Carl von Linné.

I can read most of the words, but I have no idea what they mean by "mallior". It has something to do with the metal materials, but I'm not sure what.

It's describing how all the Lapps have/wear a "kraga" over (in front of) their breasts/chest, that they call "kracka" [krage] and similarly they have hoop/ring silver "mallior", some white, some gilt, with hanging "loef uthi" which are ornate. It then mentions that the poor who could not afford to buy the silver "mallior" would use instead either "teen" or brass "mallior".

I don't know what mallior is. Metal findings?, perhaps the materials used to make the jewelry and buttons?), alloy?? Or maybe it's a word specific to those hammered metal embellishments... They are not quite buttons, not quite buckles, not quite cabochon-shapes.  Maybe "mallior" means hammered-metal-thingies (jewelry-like metal embellishments).

There is what seems to be a German translation below, beginning with the words "Das ist:"

So if you follow it, I think you will be able to recognize what the "mallior" is, unless the German variant is equally enigmatic.

Actually it looks like "mallior" is "Buckel" or "Knopf" - some bulgy widget worn by Lappish women, made of silver, and those who cannot afford silver, have to be content with pewter or brass.

(16-09-2018, 06:18 PM)Anton Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Actually it looks like "mallior" is "Buckel" or "Knopf" - some bulgy widget worn by Lappish women, ...

Maybe it's this one ?

Thank you, Anton and Bi3mw!
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. provides what I take to be a more modern spelling: 'maljor'.
I guess that 'maljor' could be the plural of 'malja' or vice-versa (I am not sure if the word is Swedish, Finnish or both).
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. has images of several exemplars, including quasi-crossed-arms couples... more coincidence  

PS: slightly edited google translate from You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Originally, the maljan was intended to be stitched in a pair on either side of the neck opening of a garment. A lacing was made to pass through the maljan to hold the opening together.

(16-09-2018, 06:18 PM)Anton Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Actually it looks like "mallior" is "Buckel" or "Knopf" - some bulgy widget worn by Lappish women, made of silver, and those who cannot afford silver, have to be content with pewter or brass.

That was my impression too. That's why I came up with "metal cabochon" (which isn't the best description, but I couldn't think of an equivalent word in English) because it sounds like they are describing a jewelry-like decorative piece of shaped metal that's not quite a button, not quite a buckle.

I couldn't think of an English word, but  the Spanish word "concho", which are metal embellishments worn at the neck (and also on belts), seems to be similar (not exactly the same, but it's the closest word I could think of in another language besides Scandinavian).


The word "kracka/krage" more generically means "collar" where all these button/buckle embellishments (mallior) were attached.

I think this element of traditional costume is not specific to Lapland and can be met with in other countries, e.g. Germany, can't it?

But anyway, it does not seem relevant to what's going on in f17r. I think splitting the word into two parts ("mail lier" or "mal her") is more promising.

Trying to find a sense of the marginalia within the limits of the word "lucent" or "lucet" I decided to pay my attention to the word "mallier" in the context of the German word "mal" which was repeatedly suggested. I just think that, maybe, a spot, a stain or a sign is somehow relates to the light (to be lighten or visible).
I see one problem here - if "lucz" really means "lucent", not "lucet", and we  assume that it  exactly  relates to "mallier aller", the latter word combination must be plural in nominative. 
If I understand correctly, Mäler is an alternative  form of the Mal, Male (plural). And, of course, Maler - artist(s) , painter(s), although I doubt that "pictores lucent" (artists shine /are visible) is a sensible and possible combination. So, I can guess that "mallier"  is, possibly, an alternative spelling but, anyway, "aller" confuses me. Did the plural form for nominative "aller" ever existed instead of "allen", at least, in rare cases? Could it be Komparativ "aller"?