The Voynich Ninja

(23-05-2026, 06:58 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

(23-05-2026, 12:41 AM)Jorge_Stolfi Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

(22-05-2026, 10:05 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Further found pictorial correspondences between the VM and Ethiopian liturgical art.

I must admit that the resemblances are as good as any that we have seen so far.  

I am tickled by the idea that the VMS artist may have mis-interpreted halos as wide-brimmed hats (like he apparently mis-interpreted a rosary as a chain of big balls, and a urine sample flask as a perfume or elixir bottle).

Quote:Supports the Ethiopian trace in the VM

It is possible, of course, that the Scribe who drew the VMS pictures was drawing "inspiration" from an Ethiopian book, among all the other books that we have identified as highly probable sources of "inspiration".  

But another possibility is that both the VMS artist and that Ethiopian artist drew inspiration from the same source book, possibly through multiple copying steps.  

Can we find other books, preferably European, with that same sort of imagery: ladies in tubs up to the waist, with decoration on the tubs that resembles columns and arches?

Quote:connection with the Book of Enoch

The Book of Enoch was only one of the books in the Ethiopian Bible (and it was pre-Christanity, so it did not mention Mary and Jesus, saints, bishops, etc.)

and further the trace leading to Athanasius Kircher.

Kircher lived ~200 years after the VMS was (probably) written.

Quote:The correspondences are in the Astronomical part of the VM, which presents the Astronomical part of the Book of Enoch. (30 days a month)

Can you elaborate this part?  I skimmed through that book some 25 years ago, and remember only that the astronomy part was quite childish.  What was that calendar with 30-day months?

All the best, --stolfi
[/quote]

Yes, I will prepare an explanation for the Enoch calendar. In my opinion, the artist VM did not misinterpret the images. They are deliberately distorted and edited so that only those who knew where they came from would recognize them. The holy figures that are not in Enoch only help to express phrases from the book of Enoch. For example, regarding sinfulness, faith, ascension, rebirth, etc.
[/quote]

The Enoch calendar is an ancient, divinely revealed solar calendar detailed in the pseudepigraphal Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. 
Designed to be a perfect, unchanging cosmic system, it stands out with a mathematically rigid 364-day year meant to remain perfectly in sync with the seasons.
Core Characteristics:364-Day Fixed Solar Year: It consists of exactly 364 days, which is divisible by \(7\). 
This means the year has exactly \(52\) weeks, and every date consistently falls on the exact same day of the week, every single year.
Four Identical Quarters: The year is divided into four seasons of exactly 91 days (or 13 weeks) each.
Predictable Month Lengths: Each quarter has three months.
They follow a strict, repeating 30-30-(30+1) day pattern each quarter
Month 1: 30 days
Month 2: 30 days
Month 3: (30+1) days (This includes the intercalary day)
This totals 12 months, and exactly 360 regular days.
Four Intercalary Days: The remaining 4 days required to hit the 364 total are added at the very end of every quarter (after the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months). 
These days mark the equinoxes and solstices, and are usually considered extramensual (free-floating days outside of the regular month count).
Independent of the Moon: Unlike the traditional Hebrew calendar, which is lunisolar, the Enoch calendar is entirely based on the sun and stars. 
It does not rely on visual sightings of the moon to mark festivals.
Religious Significance: In ancient sectarian texts (like those found in the Qumran community), the calendar ensured that holy days (such as Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles) always fell on fixed days of the week, specifically designed to uphold Sabbath covenants.

The Ethiopian calendar (or Ge'ez calendar) is a unique solar timekeeping system that serves as the official civil calendar of Ethiopia.
It is closely related to the ancient Coptic and Egyptian calendars.
Core Characteristics:7 to 8 Year Gap: The calendar is roughly 7 to 8 years behind the standard Western Gregorian calendar. 
This gap exists because the Ethiopian Orthodox Church calculates the Annunciation (the birth year of Jesus Christ) differently than the Roman Catholic Church did.
13 Months: It consists of 13 months in total.
Uniform Month Lengths: The first 12 months have exactly 30 days each.
The 13th Month (Pagumē): The final month, called Pagumē, functions as an intercalary month to wrap up the solar cycle. 
It lasts for 5 days in a common year and 6 days during a leap year.September New Year: 
The Ethiopian New Year, called Enkutatash, falls on September 11 of the Gregorian calendar (or September 12 in the year before a Gregorian leap year), marking the end of the local rainy season.
The connection between the Ethiopian calendar and the Enoch calendar is deep and historically unique. 
It is rooted in both mathematical structure and religious history.
The main historical bridge between them is that Ethiopia is the only nation in the world that preserved the Book of Enoch as part of its official biblical canon.

(25-05-2026, 06:32 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The Enoch calendar is an ancient, divinely revealed solar calendar detailed in the pseudepigraphal Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. [...] Core Characteristics:364-Day Fixed Solar Year: It consists of exactly 364 days, which is divisible by 7. This means the year has exactly 52 weeks, and every date consistently falls on the exact same day of the week, every single year. [...]  each quarter Month 1: 30 days; Month 2: 30 days; Month 3: 30+1 days (This includes the intercalary day) [...]

That is close to what we see in the VMS Zodiac -- but not quite. 

One may argue whether the Pisces page has 29, 30, or 31 "things" (depending on whether one counts nymphs, labels, or stars, respectively).  But all the other surviving diagrams have 30 "things" (or 15, in each half of Aries and Taurus).  

So, in the VMS calendar, either the intercalary days are all clustered in the missing pages, or the "things" are not days but 1/360 of the whole yearly cycle -- like 1 Babylonian degree of arc on the Ecliptic, or ~365.25/360 = ~1.0146 days = ~24 hours and 20 minutes. 

All the best, --stolfi

(25-05-2026, 06:53 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.13 Months: It consists of 13 months in total.  Uniform Month Lengths: The first 12 months have exactly 30 days each. The 13th Month (Pagumē): The final month, called Pagumē, functions as an intercalary month to wrap up the solar cycle.

This could be compatible with the VMS Zodiac pages, if the Pagumē falls in the missing pages (Capricorn and Aquarius).

However this is different from what you described in the previous post as the Enochian calendar, where the intercalary days are spread over the year, at the end of each quarter.  

Quote:The Ethiopian New Year, called Enkutatash, falls on September 11 of the Gregorian calendar (or September 12 in the year before a Gregorian leap year), marking the end of the local rainy season.

That is still OK, because we don't know how the VMS Author determined the month names in the diagrams, so  

Quote:Ethiopia is the only nation in the world that preserved the Book of Enoch as part of its official biblical canon.

More precisely, the Ethiopian Christian Church was the only Abrahamic religion that did so.  Is it the official religion of the state?

All the best, --stolfi

PS. By the way, the diagram at lower right has an 11-pointed star, instead of a 13-pointed one with one smaller point.

(26-05-2026, 06:25 PM)Jorge_Stolfi Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

(25-05-2026, 06:32 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The Enoch calendar is an ancient, divinely revealed solar calendar detailed in the pseudepigraphal Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees. [...] Core Characteristics:364-Day Fixed Solar Year: It consists of exactly 364 days, which is divisible by 7. This means the year has exactly 52 weeks, and every date consistently falls on the exact same day of the week, every single year. [...]  each quarter Month 1: 30 days; Month 2: 30 days; Month 3: 30+1 days (This includes the intercalary day) [...]

That is close to what we see in the VMS Zodiac -- but not quite. 

One may argue whether the Pisces page has 29, 30, or 31 "things" (depending on whether one counts nymphs, labels, or stars, respectively).  But all the other surviving diagrams have 30 "things" (or 15, in each half of Aries and Taurus).  

So, in the VMS calendar, either the intercalary days are all clustered in the missing pages, or the "things" are not days but 1/360 of the whole yearly cycle -- like 1 Babylonian degree of arc on the Ecliptic, or ~365.25/360 = ~1.0146 days = ~24 hours and 20 minutes. 

All the best, --stolfi

I'm hesitating now how to respond at this point. It seems that no one on this forum knows much about this area or is responding. I've only been learning this since January. But let's stick to the Book of Enoch.

Guardians of the Gates (Solstices and Equinoxes)In the text, these days are not viewed as "extra time" to be hidden away. 
They represent the exact moments the Sun enters specific heavenly gates, marking:
The Spring Equinox
The Summer Solstice
The Autumn Equinox
The Winter Solstice
The Book of Enoch states that these 4 days are led by powerful angels (leaders of a thousand) named Melki'el, Helemmelek, Mele'eyal, and Narel. 
These angels literally "open the gate" for the new season. Therefore, each day must physically stand at the boundary of its respective season to introduce it.

We also need to consider 18 parts of a day (not 24)
Because a full day is 24 hours long, each "part" in the Book of Enoch equals exactly 80 minutes

This text and system are constantly being researched and new connections are constantly emerging. But the basic basis for study can be the book:

Otto Neugebauer "The 'Astronomical' Chapters of the Ethiopic Book of Enoch (72 to 82)" is a foundational monograph published in 1981 by the renowned Austrian-American mathematician and historian of science, Otto E. Neugebauer

(26-05-2026, 06:37 PM)Jorge_Stolfi Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

(25-05-2026, 06:53 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.13 Months: It consists of 13 months in total.  Uniform Month Lengths: The first 12 months have exactly 30 days each. The 13th Month (Pagumē): The final month, called Pagumē, functions as an intercalary month to wrap up the solar cycle.

This could be compatible with the VMS Zodiac pages, if the Pagumē falls in the missing pages (Capricorn and Aquarius).

However this is different from what you described in the previous post as the Enochian calendar, where the intercalary days are spread over the year, at the end of each quarter.  

Quote:The Ethiopian New Year, called Enkutatash, falls on September 11 of the Gregorian calendar (or September 12 in the year before a Gregorian leap year), marking the end of the local rainy season.

That is still OK, because we don't know how the VMS Author determined the month names in the diagrams, so  

Quote:Ethiopia is the only nation in the world that preserved the Book of Enoch as part of its official biblical canon.

More precisely, the Ethiopian Christian Church was the only Abrahamic religion that did so.  Is it the official religion of the state?

All the best, --stolfi

PS. By the way, the diagram at lower right has an 11-pointed star, instead of a 13-pointed one with one smaller point.

Autot VMS probably had the Ethiopic version of the Book of Enoch at his disposal. Exactly as you write, there are differences. But the Ethiopic calendar is based on this book.
However, the 15th century was absolutely crucial for the Enochian calendar in Ethiopia from the point of view of theology and astronomical science:
Emperor Zar'a Jacob (1434–1468): This important Ethiopian ruler ordered a massive reform of the church and a revision of religious texts. He had extensive theological-astronomical manuscripts (the so-called computus) compiled. Study, not practice: In these manuscripts, Ethiopian scholars analyzed in detail the Astronomical Book (part of the Book of Enoch). In them, they compared Enoch's solar system (364 days) with the lunar and Ethiopian solar calendars in use at the time.

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The author of VMS, for other reasons that we will get to in time, used the Ethiopian version with intercalary days at the end according to the Ethiopian Computus.

PS. Yes, the numbers of the points do not match, it was an illustrative picture. However, Pagumē can also be found in the VMS on diagrams. Folio f69f, Ros.

Quote:Supports the Ethiopian trace in the VM

It is possible, of course, that the Scribe who drew the VMS pictures was drawing "inspiration" from an Ethiopian book, among all the other books that we have identified as highly probable sources of "inspiration".  

But another possibility is that both the VMS artist and that Ethiopian artist drew inspiration from the same source book, possibly through multiple copying steps.  

Can we find other books, preferably European, with that same sort of imagery: ladies in tubs up to the waist, with decoration on the tubs that resembles columns and arches?

Quote:connection with the Book of Enoch

Yes, this icon and its theological background contain a strong symbolism connected with the coming of the Chosen One (Messiah/Christ). Orthodox iconography never depicts historical events in isolation, but always connects them with the prophecy of the coming of the Savior.
One of the main motifs of the Book of Enoch is the coming of the Chosen One.
The author of VMS hid the baby Jesus behind the edge of the container.

(26-05-2026, 06:25 PM)Jorge_Stolfi Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.[..]
One may argue whether the Pisces page has 29, 30, or 31 "things" (depending on whether one counts nymphs, labels, or stars, respectively).  But all the other surviving diagrams have 30 "things" (or 15, in each half of Aries and Taurus).[..]

One may, yes  . 
I asked Diane O‘D. that before; she did not bother to answer, but picked a year-old comment of mine, which was already discussed, and ranted about it,
so I ask it here again:
What are the relevant elements to count within the „Zodiacs“ circles?
If I count the ladies and their tubs, I come to 29 in the „pisces“ drawing.
Counting the stars there (all!), I come to 31.
Nothing of „30“ within this very first „month“, and for „Aries“ and „Taurus“ it continues just with 15+15, 15+15.

How is that a valid beginning for some 30 days/month-and-some-rest calendar?

(27-05-2026, 09:44 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.[..]Orthodox iconography never depicts historical events in isolation, but always connects them with the prophecy of the coming of the Savior.

Maybe. But you compare here with icons that are surely even 400 years younger than the VMS. This is not validating anything. You could use later works maybe as a proof for a continuing tradition (for example something shown still in 19th century as in 15th century), but not as any „inspiration“ for VMS.
Your icons here show clearly St.Mary and Jesus sitting in a well (aka being a well), but not one figure of VMS looks even distantly like that.

By the way: orthodox (russian, coptic, greek) are heavily loaded with religious signs of all calibers. You can easily find crosses, symbols, Halos, angels‘ wings, religious characters even within such strange and foreign manuscripts like the ethiopians. 

VMS shows just 1 „genuine“ cross and nothing of the rest. 

(27-05-2026, 09:44 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The author of VMS hid the baby Jesus behind the edge of the container.

Oh come on…

(27-05-2026, 08:20 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Pagumē can also be found in the VMS on diagrams. Folio f69f, Ros.

I don't see why You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. could be a representation of the Ethiopian calendar.  here is a description of that diagram:

The inner medallion is divided into six sectors by a six-pointed star.

The main part of the diagram is has 45 thin radial "stalks", each ending with a "cup".  

The 45 sectors defined by the cup stalks are alternately "empty" and filled with 22 radial lines of text,  reading outwards. This leaves two adjacent empty sectors at position 02:00 o'clock.  The first of these two empty sectors (going clockwise) is cut by an extra radial line that passes between the two cup cups and extends all the way to the outer circle. The clockwise half of this sector (which you claim represents Pagumē) is decorated with bands of cross-hatches alternating with dots.

The space between the "ring of cups" and the outer circle is divided into sixteen sectors by another set of radial lines, thin and wavy. These lines divide the outer band of text into sixteen  phrases, each containing a few whole words. One of these lines is the extra radial line at 02:00, that defined the decorated band.  The other fifteen lines start at the ring of cups, either between two adjacent cups (13 cases) or at the middle of a cup (2  cases). These lines thus divide the ring of cups too into  sections, which, clockwise from the "start marker" line, contain

    2, 2, 2.5, 3.5, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3.5, 3.5, 3, 3, 2, 3

cups.

So the number of elements and sectors seen in that diagram are 6, 45, 46, 22, 16.  These numbers do not seem to match any numbers in the Ethiopian (or Enochian) calendar, like the four quadrants or the 12 or 13 months.

There are 12 painted stripes in some of the sectors, but all dark paint in the VMS is believed to be not original.  Anyway these stripes are not regularly spaced, like the En/Eth months.  The eight blue ones come in four pairs, each pair being separated by two "stalks", pointing N,S,E,W.  The four green stripes point NE, NW, SE, SW and are separated from the blue ones by  4, 5, or 6 "stalks".  If those stripes are supposed to be month boundaries, the decorated sector that is supposed to represent Pagumē lies right in the middle of a "month".

All the best, --stolfi

(27-05-2026, 11:28 AM)Stefan Wirtz_2 Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

(26-05-2026, 06:25 PM)Jorge_Stolfi Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.[..]
One may argue whether the Pisces page has 29, 30, or 31 "things" (depending on whether one counts nymphs, labels, or stars, respectively).  But all the other surviving diagrams have 30 "things" (or 15, in each half of Aries and Taurus).[..]

One may, yes  . 
I asked Diane O‘D. that before; she did not bother to answer, but picked a year-old comment of mine, which was already discussed, and ranted about it,
so I ask it here again:
What are the relevant elements to count within the „Zodiacs“ circles?
If I count the ladies and their tubs, I come to 29 in the „pisces“ drawing.
Counting the stars there (all!), I come to 31.
Nothing of „30“ within this very first „month“, and for „Aries“ and „Taurus“ it continues just with 15+15, 15+15.

How is that a valid beginning for some 30 days/month-and-some-rest calendar?

(27-05-2026, 09:44 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.[..]Orthodox iconography never depicts historical events in isolation, but always connects them with the prophecy of the coming of the Savior.

Maybe. But you compare here with icons that are surely even 400 years younger than the VMS. This is not validating anything. You could use later works maybe as a proof for a continuing tradition (for example something shown still in 19th century as in 15th century), but not as any „inspiration“ for VMS.
Your icons here show clearly St.Mary and Jesus sitting in a well (aka being a well), but not one figure of VMS looks even distantly like that.

By the way: orthodox (russian, coptic, greek) are heavily loaded with religious signs of all calibers. You can easily find crosses, symbols, Halos, angels‘ wings, religious characters even within such strange and foreign manuscripts like the ethiopians. 

VMS shows just 1 „genuine“ cross and nothing of the rest. 

(27-05-2026, 09:44 AM)Radim Dobeš Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The author of VMS hid the baby Jesus behind the edge of the container.

Oh come on…

It seems that this diagram should also look like one month with a zodiac sign, but it is not. Let's stick to the text of the astronomical part of the book of Enoch again. In this case, the second:

"But the lunar year has 354, making 12 months, 〈calculated〉 in accordance with 29 days. And it lacks 12 days of the solar cycle, which are the lunar epacts for each year."

On folio f70v2, an astronomical text regarding the synodic month is shown:
A synodic month (also called a lunation) is the time it takes for the Moon to cycle through all of its phases. It is measured as the exact interval between two consecutive new moons or two consecutive full moons.Exact duration: 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.8 seconds.Average length: 29.53 days.

Therefore, the two nymphs on the inner circle are partially overlapped
That's why this circular diagram is different from others. notice the decorative annulus. It's similar to f70v1.

And why are Marian motifs used here?
The Moon (Virgin Mary): Represents Mary. Just as the moon has no light of its own and reflects the sun, Mary reflects the divine light of God.

Thank you for your well-targeted questions and your work, it really helps to clarify some ideas.