The Voynich Ninja

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(22-02-2026, 09:56 AM)JustAnotherTheory Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Very interesting. Any ideas why one would duplicate crayfish? I thought duplication was reserved for twins, or fish. Furthermore, in the VMS, it appears that the lobsters are connected to each other through their mouths, which is a unique feature of Pisces. Doesn't seem logical. Intentional mistake or just pure scribal incompetence?

Yes, there is unusual duplication.  Normally the order would be Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer.  If you start with Pisces then the order would be:

Pisces (two fish swimming in opposite directions) {mouth-to-mouth string/cord}
Aries (The Ram) [Goat] {2 pages}
Taurus (The Bull) {2 pages}
Gemini (The Twins)  {male & female}
Cancer (The Crab) [Lobsters/Crayfish/Crustaceans] {mouth-to-mouth string/cord}

Normally only 2 of these 5 Signs would be 2 things but in the Voynich Manuscript, all of the first 5 Signs have 2 things.  Also, in the 3 cases where there are 2 where there would normally be only 1, one is light in color and one is darker in color.  The different colors could have significance or maybe the artist wanted to stress that they were putting in 2 and not the typical 1.  They also stressed that they were making two each of Aries and Taurus by giving each 2 pages.  Possibly they needed more space for more words or possibly they were trying to stress some kind of duality.

The Pisces in the Voynich Manuscript seems to be one of the more traditional illustrations.  The meaning of the string/cord is still a mystery to me.  About all I can say is that it probably represents some kind of connection.  What 2 things/concepts are being connected is still a mystery.  Microsoft Copilot gave me a long list of possible interpretations.  If people are interested, I'm sure they can consult their own bot of choice.

I think traditionally Gemini is two identical male twins yet in the Voynich Manuscript we have a male and female.  An expected duplication but not in the expected way.

As I said before, I don't think the Zodiac section in the Voynich Manuscript was created as a typical, generic Zodiac reference.  I think it is showing some kind of process or schedule.

Quote:Very interesting. Any ideas why one would duplicate crayfish? I thought duplication was reserved for twins, or fish.

Yes, it is weird. I have no better explanation than idea that the artist was drunk, drawing from memory and decided they if there are two fish
then there should be two crayfish (crayfishes???)

Maybe it was aslo somehow inspired by the Cancer symbol. These are symbollic pincers of the crab but someone very poorly educated could think these are two crabs:
♋︎

I just noticed something else.  On f72v1 (Libra - The scales of justice), the left pan is dark in color and the right pan is light in color.

The pairing in Cancer is rare but not unique. What's going on is something so simple that it is easily overlooked. And that is *pairing*. VMs Cancer is the last of a string of five zodiac houses in which the occupants of the medallion(s) are paired. Like Pisces, Cancer has two animals in one medallion. This is a pairing through combination. 

Aries and Taurus, on the other hand, have single animals in two medallions. This is a pairing through division.

Pisces and Cancer are aquatic animals in pairs. Therefore, a pair of pairs. Aries and Taurus are land animals and pair up the same way. Thus, making a pair of paired pairs.

VMs Gemini is a man and a woman, potentially a marriage, not the alternative twins, Castor and Pollux. Marriage, as a joining of male and female, is the pairing of complementary opposites. That is, things do not need to be the same in order to make a valid pairing.

Pairing is important, particularly with allegorical interpretations, because singular items allow a much wider range of hypothetical possibilities than those in which the valid information has been designated by pairs. Pairing allows the artist to create a more restrictive path of interpretation.

The background for this is from the laws of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy requires two witnesses. It says so twice.
Deut. 17:6 & 19:15

(23-02-2026, 12:12 AM)R. Sale Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The pairing in Cancer is rare but not unique. What's going on is something so simple that it is easily overlooked. And that is *pairing*. VMs Cancer is the last of a string of five zodiac houses in which the occupants of the medallion(s) are paired. Like Pisces, Cancer has two animals in one medallion. This is a pairing through combination. 

Aries and Taurus, on the other hand, have single animals in two medallions. This is a pairing through division.

Pisces and Cancer are aquatic animals in pairs. Therefore, a pair of pairs. Aries and Taurus are land animals and pair up the same way. Thus, making a pair of paired pairs.

VMs Gemini is a man and a woman, potentially a marriage, not the alternative twins, Castor and Pollux. Marriage, as a joining of male and female, is the pairing of complementary opposites. That is, things do not need to be the same in order to make a valid pairing.

Pairing is important, particularly with allegorical interpretations, because singular items allow a much wider range of hypothetical possibilities, than those in which the valid information has been designated by pairs. Pairing allows the artist to create a more restrictive path of interpretation.

The background for this is from the laws of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy requires two witnesses. It says so twice.
Deut. 17:6 & 19:15

That combined with the observation above about dark and light, and the lobsters being green and red (per Lauber) is really interesting.. what about poor lonely Saggitarius?

(23-02-2026, 12:12 AM)R. Sale Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Pairing is important, particularly with allegorical interpretations, because singular items allow a much wider range of hypothetical possibilities than those in which the valid information has been designated by pairs. Pairing allows the artist to create a more restrictive path of interpretation.

What allegorical interpretations do you see?

(23-02-2026, 12:12 AM)R. Sale Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
The background for this is from the laws of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy requires two witnesses. It says so twice.
Deut. 17:6 & 19:15

Why don't the others have to follow this law?

If all of the occupants of the VMs zodiac medallions were paired, it would be obvious already, wouldn't it? As it is, it's more ambiguous, the altered sequence and the division of Aries and Taurus are more of a distraction than a clue. There may also be a reason that the number 'five' is significant. [4 x 17 symbol sequence]

Actual allegories are based on stories rather than just illustrations. One of the better might be f46v. Other illustrations such as the Agnus Dei, Philomela, Melusine, or the nine Muses are examples where knowing the story facilitates the interpretation.

Another interpretation of the two crabs could be that You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..

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