Some characters in the Voynich script behave like one another. For example, an instance of [ch] can usually be replaced with [sh]. We could consider them to be members of the same 'class' of characters. We might think of numerous tests by which such similarity could be measured. What are the character classes that have been proposed, or we could agree on?
The characters [ch, sh] look alike and act alike. Stolfi placed [ee] with them, but I'm not certain that is valid because they cannot always replace one another.
The 'gallows' characters, which themselves can be subdivided into smaller classes dependent on the presence of a bench and/or two legs. This is the most commonly referred to group, but is it really valid?
Stolfi suggested the 'dealers', [d, l, r, s], which often occur in similar contexts. Within that class I would suggest that [d, s] and [l, r] are natural subgroups.
Stolfi also suggested the 'circles', [a, o, y], which in his theory were highly mobile. I think that if we consider [a] to be a variant of [y], then [y/a, o] make a fairly coherent class of character.
I think that being able to see characters as members of classes helps in analyzing the text because it gives us another level of insight. If we take some or all of the classes mentioned above as valid, we can see that words such as [oteal] and [ykeeor] have some structural similarity.
So how can we interpret the validity of things that are found in the VMs? The validation is found in the text.
For example the triple convergence of interpretation applied to the fifth symbol in the 4 x 17 symbol sequence of VMs f 57v. In EVA transcription, they are o, l, d, r and v. And so the fifth symbol is 'v'. Not that the fifth symbol really is a 'v', if you actually look at it.
A person familiar with Greek letters might identify it as an upper case version of lambda. A person working with medieval mathematics might see the number seven. And supplementary both of those, there is an inverted version of the letter 'V'.
Is this coincidence? Three different interpretations for one simple symbol. Is there a way to establish validity of interpretation?
I believe there is something that goes a long way in that direction. And that is the use of positional confirmation.
Here are the examples:
1. 'Lambda' interpretation: Within the Greek alphabet, if symbol 5 might be lambda, symbol 1 might be omicron. The reading is right to left, which was permitted in Greek. And the spacing, with three symbols in between, is the same placement as in the Greek alphabet.
Note that position is a measurement not a subjective assessment of perceived similarity. It is a mathematical equality and therefore an objective fact. This is a positional confirmation.
So perhaps the lambda interpretation is correct. But look again.
2. 'Seven' interpretation: Within the realm of medieval mathematics, as evidenced on the skirts of Typus Arithmetica are the first few powers of '2' and '3'. Not only does the form of the number seven match with the form of symbol 5 of the VMs sequence, the number four is a match with symbol 2 of the sequence. There are two intervening spaces between symbol 2 and symbol 5. Just as there are two intervening spaces between numbers '4' and '7'. This is the same sort or positional confirmation as the first example.
3. 'Roman' interpretation: The Roman numeral five is "V". And VMs symbol 5 is a 'V' inverted. If this were a random sequence of symbols, the symbol could have been placed anywhere. Given that the interpretation and the placement are same, this is also a positional confirmation of interpretation.
In my book, this sort of triple convergence thing cannot pass as a coincidence or random concatenation of circumstance. And in an artifact of human manufacture, the only alternative is intentional creation.
This triple convergence shows how the choice of symbol position can be used to confirm subjective visual interpretations by means of measurable distance and relative location. The method of using positional confirmations has been used again on VMs You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (White Aries) as part of the Genoese Gambit and the tradition of the red galero.
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1) The botanical folios in the manuscript exclusively depict plants and plant parts. There is no reference to animal products.
2) There are two possible exceptions in the "small plants" section. A colored cube and a frog.
I have some ideas concerning VM and was advised to start separate thread. I'll try to describe them briefly.
First of all the map from Voynich to Latin (* stands for any vowel sequence):
o - v, y, b, u e - c, t, g y - com-, con-, -is, -us d - l ch - e*r l - m, n k - d r - r, -rum n - (none) t - l*l [font=Eva]q[/font]- q, k [font=Eva]sh[/font]- pr, fr [font=Eva]s[/font]- s, x p[font=Arial] [/font][font=Arial]- p, f[/font] m- ris, rus cth- l*l*r [font=Eva][font=Eva]ckh[/font]- d*r[/font] f[font=Arial] [/font][font=Arial]- s[/font] [font=Eva][font=Eva]cfh[/font][/font]- f*r g[font=Arial] [/font][font=Arial]- lis, lus[/font] x[font=Arial] [/font][font=Arial]- z[/font]
ai-family are vowels
Second hypothesis: words with gallow in front are capitalized, others are not. So,
a) if a word starts with gallow, but shouldn't be capitalized, o is written in front (that's why texts near images often start with o)
b) if a word starts with non-gallow, but should be capitalized, gallow is written in front.
Separate words undoubtedley can be translated with this key. For example, famous daiin appears to be form of Latin ille.
More specific details can be found in attachment.
Cheers
I decided to run a text analysis of the Marci Letter which was supposedly sent to Kircher. I found anomalies with the Capital, "R" straight out and it was not consistent, in fact 1 R looked like a voynich, "e". The spacing of the words and the upward momentum to leveling off is seen in the Voynich Manuscript. The dot in the letter, "i" tilts to the right like his signature.
The letter reads in English
Quote:The letter of Johannes Marcus Marci to Athanasius Kircher (1665) Reverend Lord Father in Christ This book was left to me by a close friend in his will and ever since I first owned it I have destined it for you my dearest Athanasius, persuaded as I am that it can be read by none if not by you. The then possessor of the book once sent you letters seeking your judgment about a part of it which he wrote down and sent to you, being convinced that the rest of it could be read by you. He refused to send the actual book and put untiring work into its decipherment. as will be seen from his attempts now sent to you under the same cover. He did not give up this hope until he reached the end of his life. But in fact his work was in vain, as such riddles only obey their very own Kircher. So now please accept what was long owed to you as some small token of my affection for you, and break through its bars with your habitual ease. Doctor Raphael, the Czech language tutor of King Ferdinand III as they both then were, once told me that the said book belonged to Emperor Rudolph and that he presented 600 ducats to the messenger who brought him the book. He, Raphael, thought that the author was Roger Bacon the Englishman. I suspend my judgement on the matter. You be the judge of what we should think about it. I commend myself to your favour and grace and I remain At the service of your Reverence. Prague 19 August 1665
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I will present a set of statements here about the human figures in the manuscript, their number and state of undress.
1) There are [over five hundred] human figures in the manuscript.
I'm not sure of the number, but I seem to remember Rene once said something like this. Does anyone know more or have a source?
2) Additionally, a number of faces are found in the roots of some plants and on representations of heavenly bodies. Plants with faces are: - f33r: two faces - f89r1 bottom middle: five faces - f101v2 bottom: one face
3) Most human figures are completely naked (ignoring headgear).
4) Fifty human figures are clothed with at least one piece of clothing (ignoring headgear).
5) A large majority of human figures are female.
6) Some human figures have androgynous features.
Number (4) is based on a count I did just now. I ignored everything worn on the head, but included all other clothes worn, including a couple of ambiguous cases. The count might be repeated by somebody else to see if I didn't make any big mistakes.
Lets not leave dead dogs behind. I authored two books regarding, "The Code Unchopped", in pursuit of decoding the Voynich text. And in all fairness I did receive up to $700.00 in royalties. The book did have a write up in the online section of the Dutch Science News which was purged and praised my work. The first copy is available, however someone is trying to sell it for $500.00. The second copy is for sale!
I would like you to see the first and 2nd copy and tell me what you think. I decoded the text in Italian anagrams with my own unique cipher. Also I think $500.00 is pricey for what I feel was an attempt now. I no longer really care about the money or any fame from just the idea. So in good spirit I would like you all to have the two copies and anyone else. Please I know the books are odd so just take it good stride!
Inside the code unchopped 2 you will find a document that I obtained from an online Library which shows about 10 voynich glyphs. The document was a transaction of real estate in the 15th Century Cotone Region.
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A You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. with a large star and a pair of scales is suggestive of Venus (the planetary ruler of Libra).
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., Divine Comedy, Italy (mentioned You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.): Crowned Venus with Stars and Scales
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.: Naked Venus with Star and Scales
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.: Venus with vaguely Voynich-like crown and Scales
BAV ms lat. 1066 (? - I am not sure of the origin of this illustration): Crowned naked Venus (on the shell)
But it must be noted that the VMS has almost three hundred naked women with stars, some of which are crowned and associated with different zodiac signs. Also, images of Venus as a planetary ruler usually include Taurus (Venus' other zodiac sign) as well. So, the analogy could very well be an irrelevant coincidence.
It's always a good idea to try something and then see what can be improved. I have a couple of remarks about the way the project works so far and what might be improved.
Positive:
I really like the debate and the fact that everything is reconsidered and concrete evidence is compared. I still fully support this project and I think it could help us and the study of the manuscript a lot.
Problems:
- People vote before the debate starts. Sometimes details emerge that could change one's vote, but not everybody will keep reading the thread after voting.
- Not everybody is qualified to judge everything. For example, I did not know exactly what defines a palimpsest. Some others were clearly not familiar with the definition of "religious iconography" and so on.
- People can vote "no" and shoot down an idea without any explanation whatsoever.
Since we are trying to build solid foundations, I think it's worth a try to circumvent these problems.
My proposal for a solution:
1) Don't start with a statement, but a question: is the MS a palimpsest? Is there any conventional religious iconography?
2) Debate follows, evidence is gathered.
3) If a consensus is reached or it looks like everything has been said, an editor closes the thread and distills a statement from it. In this statement there can be room for nuance if necessary. The statement is presented in a new thread and people can still suggest to have it changed.
I believe this will lead to a better, more comprehensive result. These are of course just suggestions, so feel free to suggest an alternative as well
I would love to see any letters written by Wilfrid. I can not find any on the net. If you have any on your hard drive or you know of a web site that contains them, please post them here. I would like to compare his penmanship to the Voynich Manuscript. I would like to look at the spacing in words as-well. There could be a remote possibility Wilfrid forged the Voynich Manuscript, then you would see something similar to the Voynich Manuscript in his writing.
If no one here has never seen or does not have access to his writing then this would only add to the mystic of the Voynich Manuscript.
![[Image: marci_letter_450x_for_blog.jpg?w=840]](https://voynichsignature.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/marci_letter_450x_for_blog.jpg?w=840)
![[Image: 51q2zxQyXcL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51q2zxQyXcL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
