Theriac was a medical compound thought to be a universal antidote or panacea, said to consist of 64 ingredients.
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Clearly the production and use of this compound has a long history from Imperial Rome to Renaissance Venice and beyond. It would seem to be just the thing that those investigating Hellenistic influences or medieval pharmacognosy might have found to be interesting. But other than Diane's brief mentionings, the word has not been used - though there are a number of name variations like treacle.
Some of the 64 ingredients are included in the botanical identifications proposed by various VMs botanical researchers, but perhaps there are still a few ingredients that might help make a VMs identification. It just seems strange to me that the word is essentially unused, or else I'm not reading the right discussions.
Posted by: R. Sale - 04-08-2016, 05:58 PM - Forum: Imagery
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Building on the standard nebuly line as defined by heraldry - a balanced, bulbous line. And connecting with VMs Quire 13 et al.
The d' Oresme cosmos has an elaborated nebuly line as the basis of its celestial boundary line.
And there is a good version of an elaborated nebuly line in the VMs central rosette.
Now there is the hybrid nebuly line. This line has the single bulb of the standard nebuly line on the inner side of the circle and then has an elaborated version of a nebuly line on the outer side.
First example is shown in Imagery > Nebuly Lines > Post #6 - in the second image, see the pattern in the blue circular band. Compare that with the pattern in the VMs drawn around the field of stars being discussed under Voynich Talk> More mathematical musings in the Rosettes folio. Both are round and single-bulbed in the inside and a three-way, head-and-shoulders pattern on the outside.
How about 'more nebuly musings in the Rosettes folio'? This line is new to me. [What do I know, it's all cloudy?] Just these two examples, currently. So more investigation is needed here, if relevant material can be found.
The figure below shows the processor model of the neural network of the brain. On the sides of the square depicts the synapses. Left and right form a nucleotide - phosphoric esters, which means hydrogen bonds form a bridge. One of the synapses, upper or lower, suppressed, i.e. deactivated, other shapes the message. The resulting structure is ion. Ions are attracted to each other, as if sinking down through the pipe. Adjacent bridges are combined fosfodièfirnymi links, thereby forming a DNA molecule. Formed T. O. the molecule is lowered into the ventricles of the brain and the cerebrospinal fluid is transported into the gland, which, in fact, incubators are providing the packing of DNA in cells. In the body there is a continuous process of recombination of DNA, i.e. the process of updating information under the control of the brain. This process allows to maintain the normal functioning of the organism during its life.
While browsing images of old mosaics looking for similarities with VMS imagery the other day, I came across this interesting image of a leopard from the Qasr mosaics, located in what is now Libya, that bears some interesting similarities to the VMS Leo/August image:
For one thing, the body shape is certainly similar. I'm not good with animals, but I have always thought that the VMS image looked more like a leopard or similar species of big cat than like a lion, and I know I'm not the only person to make that observation.
The second similarity is the coloration. The VMS Leo/August animal is blue, the only animal among those in the Zodiac section to be colored that way. The Qasr mosaic leopard is also blue, and while a few other animals depicted in the Qasr mosaic are also blue, most are not. Maybe this is a total coincidence, or maybe there was some established convention for coloring leopards in this way.
The third similarity is the tree in the background of the Qasr mosaic image, which is similar in both position and shape to the end of the tail of the VMS animal.
It's interesting to look at these similarities in light of other comparisons that have been made between the VMS Leo/August image and Western European Zodiacs. For instance, on JKP's site we find a comparison with the Zodiac from the du Barry Book of Hours (which seems to be a fairly typical western European Leo depiction):
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There are some clear similarities with the VMS image here as well, but they are different from the similarities noted above. The commonalities with the VMS image here are that the tongue is sticking out, the head is facing forward, and the position of the tail between the hind legs is similar.
What I propose is that the image in the VMS is essentially a composite of something similar to the Qasr mosaic image and something similar to the du Barry Zodiac image. Or, more specifically, that someone started with something like the Qasr mosaic leopard and made some modifications to it, bringing it in more in line with the Western European norm.
- The basic form of the leopard, rather than of a lion, has been retained from the original
- The blue coloration has been retained from the original (possibly)
- The head has been adjusted to face forward, as in the Western European example
- The tongue is sticking out, as in the Western European example
- The position of the tail is between the hind legs, as in the Western European example
- The top of the tree has been retained from the original, but merged with the tail to form the weird tree-tail hybrid we see in the VMS. This could have been intentional, but more likely it was unintentional. What probably happened was that, when the position of the tail was changed from the original location, the end of the tail now overlapped with where the tree made contact with the underside of the leopard, and a later copyist did not realize that the tree and the tail were two distinct entities, and so misinterpreted the tail as curling up behind the leopard and terminating as the top of the tree.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.is a full page image of a leafy plant with slender stem. Large brown vertical roots are prominent, and to the right of these is a green line (possibly indicating a grassy or mossy bank) upon which sits an animal most often described as a "dragon". The dragon appears to be "nibbling" upon the extremity of one of the leaves.
One of the most popular suggestions for this plant is that it describes a mandrake - I have in the pastYou are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. to my own satisfaction.
I would like to suggest a new similarity for consideration: this page depicts a You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., which is also known as the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.
From Wikipedia, which puts it succintly:
Quote:The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary (Latin: Agnus scythicus or Planta Tartarica Barometz) is a legendary zoophyte of Central Asia, once believed to grow sheep as its fruit.[2] The sheep were connected to the plant by an umbilical cord and grazed the land around the plant. When all accessible foliage was gone, both the plant and sheep died.
Underlying the myth is a real plant, Cibotium barometz, a fern of the genus Cibotium. It was known under various other names including the Scythian lamb, the borometz, barometz and borametz, the latter three being different spellings of the local word for lamb.[3] The "lamb" is produced by removing the leaves from a short length of the fern's woolly rhizome. When the rhizome is inverted, it fancifully resembles a woolly lamb with the legs being formed by the severed petiole bases.
It is important to distinguish between the early Renaissance myths and earlier descriptions of the Borametz. The myth has been traced back to 5th century Hebrew texts.
It was known in 14th century Europe, and I quote here from the Book of Sir John Mandeville:
Quote:In the Land of Cathay towards the high Indes;
There grows there a manner of fruit; and when they are ripe men cut them off, and men find within a little beast, in flesh, as though it were a little lamb without wool. And men eat both the fruit and beast and that is a great marvel. Of that fruit I have eaten, all thought it were marvellous, but that I know well, that God is marvellous in his works.
It is a parody of an Old Testament parable, the Lamb of God as an edible vegetable.
Two centuries later we find a chapter in Histoire admirable des Plantes (1605) by Claude Duret which devotes a whole chapter to the Borametz. Duret confirms Mandeville's story and adds a link to a fifth century Hebrew text. It is shaped like a lamb and is attached to the mother plant by its navel. It is able to graze upon all within reach of its tether, and dies when it runs out of food.
Richard Mabey comments upon further myths of this animal/plant hybrid, commenting that "it has no real horns, but that the long hairs of its head entwine into two long vertical pigtails" (The cabaret of plants, 2016).
Now, if we You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. at the animal, we see a dark wiggly line run out from the plant, along the top of the green substance, and up to the animal's midriff.
The animal is clearly linked to the main plant - it is either nibbling the very end of the stalk, or, it is being "born" from the plant as if it were a fruit.
There is also a clear attempt by the illustrator to depict a ground upon which the animal is standing - the animal is at ground level, with the roots underneath the ground.
Later depictions of the Borometz depict it as sitting astride a stalk. But these are more Renaissance era images. Earlier images I have found don't have this stalk imagery.
^ Where newborn lambs are born from pods. Credit: Lee, H. 1887. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.: a Curious Fable of the Cotton Plant.
In short, I would suggest that there are clear indications that this is an animal/plant hybrid depiction, which is a grown Borametz grazing.
I add this post to Voynich talk as I believe it is not strictly imagery analysis and a similar post (Anton’s star counting activities) is placed in this thread here too.
Staying with simple maths & musings after the geometry of the rosette folio with (i) You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., (ii) You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.and (iii) You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. for primary landmarks, I had a first look onto more ‘ornamental style’ characteristics in the Rosette folio.
As shown in the annotated screenshot I provide here the numbers of asterisks per corner rosette:
II) two factorials 4! (=24) and 5! (=120), (actually three factorials if you count 0=1!)
III) the sum of stars in the right two corner rosettes (216) equal the cube of 6 or (3!) cubed, or 3³ + 4³ + 5³ (based on a Pythagorean triple...)
IV) but more surprising was the fact that the sum of the two bottom sums of asterisks equal the sum of the two top ones (or the single top right corner one), (see screenshot, left)
Question
Are the numbers and their distribution random or not?
If you look at the detail (screenshot top right), it looks like effort went onto making the figures right, although I believe there can be no final proof on that.
May it indicate a balance or equilibrium (with a certain flow of matter between areas in the folio)? Highly speculative
What may the asterisks stand for?
I suggested arable land/pasture You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (.... It displays what we believe could be fields (‘earth’, as in agricultural use) indicated with a star or asterisk sign, .... April 18, 2015 – 8:24 pm) although that would not fit with my climate diagram suggestion of ‘dry’ (African climate) and Northern Africa (Egypt in particular) being a rich part of the world in terms of agriculture. It may indicate (a degree of) forestation for example? It reminded me of geography at school with maps of arable land/forestation (see screenshot bottom right)
Obviously, there are asterisks not just in the corner rosettes, but also in the centre (71) and the three of the four in-between rosettes (cf classical Elements in my suggestion), although it gets more complicated there: One rosette is not completely unfolded (cf Fire, 9 am) and colour codes (asterisks on layers of yellow or not) make the analysis on musings more difficult...
Posted by: Linda - 30-07-2016, 10:21 PM - Forum: Imagery
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Here is what I think the imagery means on this page, I've called it Illyria because the name was evidently in use until after the mid 15th century when the Ottoman Empire took over most areas, but leaving behind an area under Venetian control.
Basically I believe the page is showing the Danube River going across the top to Belgrade, and the east side of the Adriatic shoreline going down the page.
Lake Constance, close to where the Danube begins.
Belgrade is the point at which the Danube turns convex, at the bottom of the straight line in the centre. There is a confluence with the river Sava, as indicated in the diagram by the split in the "runoff" on the right side.
It also lines up relatively nicely to include the shores of the Adriatic to the south at this point, hence basically covering the Illyrian area shown earlier. The Danube was also the line for various other empires, including Roman.
I see the watery bits coming from the left side of the tube as the area of Liburnia, but representing the water flowing into the ocean from the same mountains which feed the Danube on the other side, flowing between the islands rather than representing the shore or the islands themselves.
The next nymph is, I believe, representative of of the Bay of Kotor, a winding bay that is a ria of now dry rivers, hence the tube system the nymph is touching. I believe what this diagram is trying to outline is that the inlet that is usually drawn on ptolemy style maps similar to the container shape she is standing in, is much more complicated than it seems on most maps.
The area shown below is approximately the area of the shoreline within the rounded mountain ridge at the bottom right of the map above, which was the most detailed map I could find in the Ptolemy style, most don't include Lake Scutari, the largest lake in the Balkans. In this 1664 map below the Gulf of Kotor is drawn in a far more complex way and somewhat resembles the path of the tubes.
The bottom nymph has her hand in Lake Scutari, or Skadar Lake, which is currently located in both Montenegro and Albania. The nymph is standing in a container that seems attached to the lake. Note that both maps above connect the lake to the Sea as well, although it does not look like that from today's satellite views. I think she is standing in a body that stands between the lake and the sea. In fact the lake does drain into the sea via the Bojana River. The lake is fed by rivers from the mountains and also via underground springs, and generally remains filled above sea level. I think the drawing is showing this feature as well by indicating the mountains below the lake, as though the rivers flow upwards through the tube into it. The shape of the mountains follows the same curved features as those represented in both the above maps. I also think the item to the far left feeding both nymph areas is suggesting that both areas share the runoff and underground springs from the mountains.
The area ascribed to these two nymphs has also been subject to various political changes many times in the past. Venice had various control over the shore areas around the Gulf of Kotor since the 9th century. Note the shape of the Gulf of Kotor, two points towards the east, three toward the west, just as with the diagram's tubes. Altogether the two nymphs are standing in the area of control by Venice, this may well also be indicated, they took control of Kotor especially once the surrounding areas were falling under Ottoman control in the late 14th century.
Churches in the Bay of Kotor: 1) from the 9th and 2) 10th and 11th century
As some of you may know i am always actively working on the VMS. A couple of months back i found out the direction i want to go and now i am slowly moving. But first i need more and specific information and i browsed for any old theories or people that wrote something fundamental about the VMS and one of the suspected languages (Middle English and variants).
I found only one: on the site of Nick Pelling, on top You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. there is a T.A. Ackerson theory. He believed in 2003 that the text was
Quote: * Based on a language context, I believe the Voynich manuscript dates from the 7th to 8th century AD.
* Languages found in the manuscript thus far: Early Welsh (majority of words found) Traces of: Irish/Latin loanwords ; Latin ; Old Cornish ; (Old High German has been dropped, as matching Welsh/Cornish words have been found.)
He did not have Google translate otherwise he probably would have made some progress.
Nevertheless, with the help of Nick and the wayback machine based on his data i made the transposition table below (he called it "Symbol key" image).
This resulted in the text on page f65v:
oll air yd da ryd agaryd
crh a pw cpha da dwr am bella qora pog urda
dam beech(=>buch) g oda alleo qor* airy wolleea dagaryd
all ag woll bcha a eat woda
lloeeda ollory beda alleea beoda qochetd apwa
dbeda ocheoda qochd bcchha uocha uocheoda ochea da
qo allwa bcchhh crha achuhda wda bcchhda
google translate:
All good ford agaryd word corn
SO and good water for power CPhA bella qora POG urda
dam beech (=> buch) g ODA alleo QOR * AIRY wolleea dagaryd
Can a woll bcha and eat woda
lloeeda ollory Bede alleea beoda qochetd apwa
dbeda ocheoda qochd bcchha uocha uocheoda ochea good
qo allwa bcchhh PTA achuhda WDA bcchhda
-----
Note: when che =w and ch=u is not quite clear to me.
Full text Ackerson theory:
----------------------------------- [font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow]Unleashed: Oct. 3rd, 2003 Last Updated: Jan. 5th, 2004[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] The background for the Voynich manuscript is extensively covered elsewhere on the internet and will not be repeated here. This sitehas been constructed to show a verifiable solution. An example is given of a partially translated page, with relevant sources ofinformation.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] * Based on a language context, I believe the Voynich manuscript dates from the 7th to 8th century AD. [/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] * Languages found in the manuscript thus far:[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] Early Welsh (majority of words found)[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] Traces of: Irish/Latin loanwords ; Latin ; Old Cornish ; (Old High German has been dropped, as matching Welsh/Cornish words have been found.)[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] * The bulk of the manuscript is in an as-yet unidentified, though related, language of those listed above. It is also possible that many words no longer 'exist' (or are not in the sources available to me), having gone out of usage centuries ago.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] By using the Symbol Key, and the sources listed, these findings can be verified. For those who choose to do so, I invite you to try your hand at translating some of the other pages. (There are over 200, so there are plenty to go around.)[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow] The Voynich manuscript is full of surprises, waiting to be found. I have only unlocked the doors for you.....[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow][font=Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica,][font=Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow]The Symbol Key above covers the majority of symbols found in the manuscript. Possible values for Compound/Unknown symbols could be: gh ; ng/ngh ; rh ; ff ;(Note that many more Compunds exist than are listed here.) For Latin, the letter v appears to be absent. (However, see note way below.) 'Missing' letters: F ; H ; S Unconfirmed (until further translations made): T The symbol for 'B' is now confirmed. Initially (at the beginning of a word) B can also mutate into P or M in pronunciation. 'H' is initially silent in pronunciation. Example: hollalluog = (h)ollalluog "almighty" (This section will be expanded further in a later update.)
Partially Translated Page Image can be found at: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. [/ = word separator || = break in line due to illustration (?) = unknown letter(s)]
'Found' words Line 1 da = "good, well" [S2 p252] or "to/unto" [WC p84] || dwr = "water" + am ("of, about") [S1 p197] / Bella = pella = "farther, longer" [WCp282] / yora = yor "lord" [AB p233] + suffix a / pog = Ir. 'pog' > L. pacem = "to grant peace" [LH p126] / urda = "rank, order, dignity" [S2 p274] Line 2 dam = "suite, guests, retinue" [OC #160] / Buch = "a cow" [WC p36] / g = ? (reference found but lost in notes.) / oda = W.awdl ="poem" [LH p307] || alleo = "alteration" (figure of speech) [RM p15] / yor(?) = "lord" + indistinct symbol Line 3 a = "and" [S2 p243] || (T)a(T) = "father" [OC #127, WC p331] / woda = a form of wodhas "to know" [WC p173] Line 4 ollory = unconfirmed: either o + llory "weapon" or llori = "to break" (or neither?) [S1 p312] / Beda = a form of bedha pedha = "he shouldbe" [WC p281] || / yochryd = yoch [RM pp24] + ryd [S2 p271] = "free of the yoke" Line 5 uocha = uoch "face" [OC #37] + suffix a / da = (as above) Line 6 achwda = possibly achwedda "lineage" [S1 p3], but in any event ach- = "relationship, ancestry" [OC #136] See also ach- in GPC
Sources RM = Revised Medieval Latin Word List from Br. & Irish sources (R.E.Latham) LH = Language and History in Early Britain (Jackson) OC = The Old Cornish Vocabulary (Graves) #'s refer to the entry S1 = Y Geiriadur Mawr (The Complete Welsh-English E-W Dictionary) 1989 edition ISBN 0-85088-462-4 S2 = An Introduction to Early Welsh, by John Strachan, LL.D. Manchester University Press, 1937 reprint of 1907 edition GPC = Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru 1950-1967 ed. WC = Williams' Cornish-English Dictionary, 1865 edition AB = Ancient Britons (Vaughan), vols. V, VI 1988 edition Other Research Sources Glossary to 'Culhwch Ac Olwen'"History of Wales", 2 volumes compiled by R.Bromwich & D.Simon Evans J.E.Lloyd Welsh Studies, Volume 7 Longman's, Green and Co. Ltd (1948) Edwin Mellon Press ISBN 0-7734-9455-3 "The Book of the Llan Dav" "Handwriting in England and Wales" Volume 4 of Series of Old Welsh Texts Noel Denholm-Young J.E.Evans & J. Rhys Cardiff; University of Wales Press (1954) National Library of Wales, 1979 reprint ISBN 0-9018-3387-8 "A New English-Welsh Dictionary" William Evans, 1771 edition
From "The Book of the Llan Dav", Index, page 385 "The spelling of the text has been followed with theexception that medial f and u have been changed into vwhen their sound corresponds with the sound of v. OldWelsh b and m often = v, hence it happens thatmedially b = f = m = u = v, as for example Ebrdil, Efrdil, Emrdil or Eurdil = Evrdil. (and etc.)"
Many Thanks To: Dr. Andrew Breeze, University of Navarre, for pointing me toresearch sources I never knew existed, and his quote "You arein the 'salutary business of challenging received thinking'."(Yes, I do agree that I have a talent for upsetting people!)
The Reference staff of the Oviedo East Branch library for their patience in dealing with my unending stream of ILL requests.[/font][/font][/font]
added:
For those who want to have more text let me know. I drop here the last page 116v as well: <linenr><orgtext EVA><transposed>
Posted by: Linda - 27-07-2016, 08:33 AM - Forum: Imagery
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This drawing I take as Sagres Point. If the drawing is west up, it is the point from far away. But wait, if it is east up, it is the point from a closer view with its rounded beach, i.e. it is both. In terms of historical significance, it was the starting point of Strabo's Geography and in 1424 Prince Henry the Navigator built a fort there. The nymph points to Sagres Point, where Vila do Infante [Estate of the Prince] was built.
See the sheltered port and how there are two indentations between the tip of Sagres Point and the inward end of the sheltered port. It resembles the shape of the next nymph's tube end.
The top nymph's head and arms resemble the area in which Gibraltar is located, her right arm and head would fit the shoreline. The other nymph, literally drawn on the other side of the strait, would be Ceuta. I think the clashing rocks are telling the story of Hercules smashing through the Atlas mountains to create the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean and leave behind the Pillars of Hercules to mark it.
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Remember the bucket area from the Caspian Sea in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and the almost enclosed bay? I think this bucket is Cadiz, or the Gates of Gades
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The nymph may be saying to follow the rivers from there overland to the next stop, which will be Cartegena or New Carthage / Nieuw Carthago in the map below.
The green area east of Gibraltar is Moorish Grenada which may be the reason for suggesting the overland route.
![[Image: duBarryLeo.jpg]](http://voynichportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/duBarryLeo.jpg)
![[Image: arvore-dos-carneiros.jpg]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vBuTMW1s27Q/TeEV-66GCpI/AAAAAAAAAvw/zf743wzy5v8/s1600/arvore-dos-carneiros.jpg)
![[Image: IllyrianTribes.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/IllyrianTribes.jpg)
![[Image: alpglac2.gif]](http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/geos462/alpglac2.gif)
![[Image: danube.jpg]](https://ecsforum1.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/danube.jpg)
![[Image: 250px-Liburnia_5th_BC.png]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/60/Liburnia_5th_BC.png/250px-Liburnia_5th_BC.png)
![[Image: 62861.jpg]](http://www.pahor.de/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/580x580/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/6/2/62861.jpg)
![[Image: 1664-Nicolas-Sanson.jpg]](http://martinmayhew.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1664-Nicolas-Sanson.jpg)
![[Image: Map_of_Zeta_under_Ivan_Crnojevi%C4%87.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Map_of_Zeta_under_Ivan_Crnojevi%C4%87.jpg)
![[Image: 800px-Churches_in_the_Bay_of_Kotor.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Churches_in_the_Bay_of_Kotor.jpg/800px-Churches_in_the_Bay_of_Kotor.jpg)
![[Image: ackerson%20table.jpg]](http://ms.webpoint.nl/img/aenglishh/ackerson%20table.jpg)
![[Image: Map-SagresLocationCombined_c.jpg]](http://www.crossingtheoceansea.com/OceanSeaImages/Maps/Map-SagresLocationCombined_c.jpg)
![[Image: gades.jpg]](https://persvrij.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/gades.jpg)
![[Image: Portolan-chart-by-Albino-de-Canepa.png]](http://www.llarciutat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Portolan-chart-by-Albino-de-Canepa.png)