Here is the list of the 98 plants that appear in the so-called alchemical herbals.
It is the same list published by You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. Please refer to that page for an introduction to the subject.
I have added links to the images from BNF Lat. 17848, XV Century Northern Italy, and (for the missing pages) BNF Lat. 17844, XV Century Northern Italy with Hebraic annotations (thanks to You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.).
[Edited: Links to Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Milan, Italy, 1378 - Six plants missing]
For the names that have an obvious symbolic meaning in Latin or Italian, I provide a possible translation.
In parenthesis the identification of the plant as proposed in "Il Giardino Magico degli Alchimisti" by Vera Segre Rutz. Her identifications are based on all the available elements: illustrations, plant names and further information provided in the text of the herbal.
Finally, I have added a short description for most of the plants, mainly to highlight the zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements (see also You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.). [Edited to add:] These descriptions are only based on the illustrations, with no attempt to match them with the identifications proposed by Segre.
1 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Antolla minor (anthyllis vulneraria) yellow flowers, accompanied by a winged dragon
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Antolla minor
2 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Bortines (colchium autumnale) yellow flowers, red bulbous root in cross-section
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Bortines
3 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Torogas (scrophularia nodosa) white flowers, numerous human faces on leaves and roots
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Torogas
4 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Nigras “black plant” (genista tinctoria) yellow flowers, bulbous root, small dog climbing on the plant
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Nigras
5 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Stellaria “star plant” (alchemilla vulgaris) red flowers, red and yellow bulbous root in cross-section
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Stellaria
6 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Bonifatia (ruscus hypoglossum) a single dark dot on some of the leaves, large rhizome
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7 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Betonega (stachys officinalis) red flowers, undulate leaf margins
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Betonega
8 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Instanutia (hieracium pilosella) red berries, large rhizome
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9 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Canalaritas romana (eupatorium cannabinum - dubious) white flower, red-tipped trilobed leaves, dragon or snake-shaped roots
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Canalaritas romana
10 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Rena (peucedanum ostruthium) trilobed leaves
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11 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Triacho (tussilago farfara) many small white flowers, undulate leaf margins, vaguely pawn-like roots
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12 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Bososilles (buxus sempervirens) red and yellow nodular roots
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13 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Angalles (plantago major, see also 39) large lanceolate leaves, spherical red and yellow bulbous root in cross-section
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Angalles
14 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Toros (ranunculus thora) white flowers, small opposite leaves, accompanied by a winged dragon spitting fire
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Toros
15 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Grantia (rubia tinctorum) red flowers, large lanceolate leaves, red and yellow bulbous root in cross-section
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Grantia
16 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Tortorellis (polygonum bistorta) red flowers, red root similar to a broken line
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17 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Lingua cornena (scolopendrium officinale) semicircular white root
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Lingua cornena
18 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Trifolio (trifolium pratense) spike-like flower, trilobed leaves
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19 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Ariola (daphne laureola) red flowers, oval leaves
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Ariola
20 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Superna (sorbus aucuparia) the leaves are near the margins and green at the center
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21 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Faba inversa (atropa belladonna) purple bell-shaped flowers, red spherical berries
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Faba inversa
22 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Paris (paris quadrifolia) four orthogonal leaves, central flower or fruit
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23 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Ciloga (cynoglossum officinale) single red flower, lanceolate leaves
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24 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Antollas (aconitum anthora) palmate leaves red near the margins, green at the center
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25 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Antolla lupanas “wolf's antolla” (ranunculus acer or aconitum lycoctonum – dubious) yellow flowers, palmate leaves red near the margins, green at the center
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Antolla lupanas
26 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Cofflesanas (polygonum aviculare)
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27 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Cancealis (clematis recta)
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28 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Toffanas (sanicula europaea) white flowers, palmate leaves, large yellow rhizome
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Toffanas
29 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Brancha lupina “wolf's branches?” (acanthus mollis) yellow flowers, trilobed leaves
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Brancha lupina
30 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Salsifica (tragopogon porrifolius) rosette of lanceolate leaves with undulate margins
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31 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Sabastrella (sanguisorba officinalis) three red leaves at the top
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32 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Amorsu serpentis “plant for snake's bite” (aquilegia vulgaris - dubious) hand-shaped flowers, palmate leaves, three human heads in the roots
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Amorsu serpentis
33 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Tedorixe (polypodium vulgare - dubious) checkered patterned leaves, large rhizome
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34 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Lucea et de nouem una (rhamnus saxatilis) each leaf is half white / half green, roots in the shape of a pike fish
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35 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Ditimo biancho (dictamnus albus) large red flowers with four petals with a dark spot at the center, accompanied by a dragon or snake
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36 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Requificia (glycyrrhiza glabra, liquorice)
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Requificia
37 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Illocharias (cochlearia officinalis) white flowers, twisted red root
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Illocharias
38 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Foleas / Trifoleas (achillea millefolium) red flowers, three red bulbs in the shape of human heads
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Foleas
39 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Angalles (plantago lanceolata, see also 13) white flowers, large lanceolate leaves, squared yellow and red bulb in cross-section
Missing from Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408
40 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Luza Mandragora (mandragora officinarum) dog roped to the anthropomorfic root, accompanied by a man with his hands to his ears
Missing from Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408
41 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Illioris (helleborus niger) yellow flowers, a single large lanceolate leaf, two red oval bulbs with human faces
Missing from Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408
42 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Tilles (thymus serpyllum – dubious) three yellow flowers geometrically alternating with four lanceolate leaves, long rhizome
Missing from Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408
43 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Paroischas (scorzonera hispanica) red flowers, large lanceolate leaves, accompanied by a dragon
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Paroischas
44 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Corporelis / Corborellis “crow plant” (hepatica nobilis) red flowers, polygonal leaves, root in the shape of a black bird
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Corporelis
45 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Cipola marina (urginea maritima) rosette of lanceolate leaves, dark bulb with a red circle / section
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46 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Palma Christi “hands of Christ” (dactylorhiza maculata) red flowers, opposite leaves, hand-shaped root
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Palma Christi
47 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Bazea minor et de nouem una (daucus carota, carrot) rosette of lanceolate leaves, large bulb in the shape of a human head, accompanied by a winged dragon
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Bazea minor et de nouem una
48 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Folio (equisetum arvense - dubious) three lanceolate leaves, accompanied by a sword and a dagger
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49 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Rigogola BNF Lat 17844 (galega officinalis) red bell-shaped flowers, opposite leaves
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Rigogola
50 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Pane porcino “pig's bread” BNF Lat 17844 (cyclamen hederifolium) red flowers, trilobed leaves, spherical bulb
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Pane porcino
51 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Artetica montaria (arnica montana)
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52 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Mula campana (inula helenium) bell-shaped flowers, the root seems to be separate from the plant
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Mula campana
53 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Zinziana / Gentiana (gentiana lutea) two yellow flowers, the root seems to be separate from the plant, accompanied by a winged dragon
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Zinziana
54 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. “eye of God” (lithospermum officinale - dubious) red flowers, small needle-shaped leaves, red roots - You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. BNF 17844 has a version with a human eye in the roots (but this illustration is in a different style and it is not part of the "alchemical cycle" included in the ms)
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Oculus Domini
55 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Sancta Maria (mentha viridis - dubious) rosette of lanceolate leaves, large curved red inflorescence
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Sancta Maria
56 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Lunaria greca “Greek moon plant” (alysson – dubious) small crescent-shaped leaves, large brown roots
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Lunaria greca
57 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Capalias (capparis spinosa) yellow berries
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58 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Nascurso (nasturtium officinale) yellow flowers, large rhizome
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Nascurso
59 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Belletollis (asperula odorata, French: belletoile) two yellow berries, red nodular roots
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Belletollis
60 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Metries (myrtus communis - dubious) yellow flowers, bilobed leaves, red roots
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Metries
61 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Ystatoris (isatis tinctoria) white flowers, rosette of three lanceolate leaves, bulbous root in the shape of a human head
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Ystatoris
62 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Polexinas (ruscus aculeatus)
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63 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Serpentina “snake plant” (asarum europaeum) yellow flowers, round leaves, vague snake-like green root
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Serpentina
64 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Pionica (paeonia mascula) red flower with six round petals, dark berries, white nodular roots, accompained by a black devil
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65 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Rucha salvaticha (eruca sativa, salad rocket)
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Rucha salvaticha
66 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Caspetres BNF Lat 17844 (saxifraga hirculus) reddish flowers with many petals
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Caspetres
67 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Brancha BNF Lat 17844 (potentilla erecta) red flowers with four petals, palmate leaves
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Brancha
68 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Spigonarda BNF Lat 17844 (nardostachys jatamansi - dubious) long spike, blue palmate leaves
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69 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Lunaria “moon plant” (lunaria rediviva)
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70 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Erba rigano (origanum vulgare) large red flowers, smaller opposite leaves
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Erba rigano
71 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Sigillo de Sancta Maria (polygonatum officinale) green berries, nodular roots somehow resembling human eyes
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. BNF Lat 17844
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Pavia Aldini 211
Missing from Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408
72 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Rapillis (raphanus raphanistrum) yellow flowers, lanceolate leaves, two yellow and red oval bulbs in cross-section, accompained by a dragon or snake
Missing from Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408
73 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Bustania (anchusa officinalis) curved lanceolate leaves, twisted red roots
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74 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Forus (verbena officinalis) five couples of leaves of different shapes, five radial roots represented as dragon or snake heads
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75 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Capalarices (verbena officinalis) single pendulous dark flower and single long and curved root
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76 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Luminellas (euphrasia officinalis – dubious, see also 77) small red blossoms or berries, leaves with undulate margins
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77 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Ruschasia (euphrasia officinalis) leaves with undulate margins
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78 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Scudaria “shield plant” (umbilicus rupestris) red lower leaves, green upper leaves, bulbous root with human face
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79 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Lunaria “moon plant” (petasites hybridus – dubious) named like 56 and 69 but different: small blossoms or berries at the top, a single leaf on the left, regularly placed peduncles on both sides of the stem
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Lunaria
80 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Tunegi (satureja montana - dubious) small red flowers radially disposed, large white root
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Tunegi
81 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Lactica (lactuca virosa)
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82 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Barbaria (barbarea vulgaris) yellow berries, large dark root
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83 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Tura (arthemisia absinthum) yellow flowers, small leaves, dark conical root
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84 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Gerbia (carex) rosette of lanceolate leaves, large vaguely anthropomorphic root
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85 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Bruza (oxalis acetosella) conical, with ten stylized flowers, wavy gray roots
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Bruza
86 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Lunaria tercia “third moon plant” (it is the fourth actually, see 56, 69, 79) red berries, round leaves, dark bulb
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Lunaria tercia
87 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Attillia (ceterach officinarum) red flowers, red leaves with dentate margins, red roots
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88 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Victoria (allium victorialis) red flowers, the left half of each lanceolate leaf is red, the right half is green
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Victoria
89 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Rondella (chelidonium majus) small red flowers, lobed leaves
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90 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Genesiana aliter Genciana (erythraea centaurium)
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Genesiana aliter Genciana
91 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Fiorina BNF Lat 17844 (erythraea centaurium, see 90)
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92 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Capillaria "hair plant" (cuscuta) small red flowers and thin, long red leaves
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Capillaria
93 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Giralia (arum italicum)
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94 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Gratilia sive Gratiana (gratiola officinalis) red flowers, rosette of lanceolate leaves
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Gratilia sive Gratiana
95 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Granellaria (saxifraga granulata) yellow berries, small lobed leaves
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96 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Pionia (paeonia peregrina)
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97 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Consolida mayor (symphytum officinale)
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98 You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Herba Consolida minor (symphytum officinale) -same page as Consolida Major-
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. Bodley MS. Canon. Misc. 408, Herba Consolida minor (and Consolida Mediana)
I have already posted on voynichimagery some information about languages being taught in within the Latin domain in the fourteenth century. These included Syriac, Arabic, and Armenian.
I might also mention that Aramaic remained a language in use among Jewish communities.
The last speaker of Cuman in Europe died about the time that Kircher received the manuscript, but a couple of centuries before, it had been in use and understood as a trading language from the Black Sea to the borders of China.
Until the tenth century, Bactrian was still written and spoken around the region of Mashhad which, for other reasons to do with the botanical folios, is a time and place of interest to us.
I expect that because the past century has seen almost everyone begin by presuming the manuscript was European it is easy to overlook the fact that we don't actually know where it was made, nor by whom, nor for whom, nor whether the content is fifteenth century, or whether the fifteenth century version we have isn't a copy of some much older work.
So considering non-European-Latin languages and script may be a good idea.
Not even McCrone was willing to assign it to any place in Europe. When pressed, they would only say that it was "not incompatible' with the form of a European manuscript. As all the scientists here will know, that's the sort of phrasing which signals strong reservations. Perhaps someone, at some time, set out to test the usual theory but if so, I've not seen any evidence of the process.
I myself think that some small parts of of the pictorial matter were first enunciated by a Latin European; most researchers have begun from that premise; but in fact it is only a presumption, not a fact.
I am looking for Fontana Material.
If you look at philip neal's page (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.)
you will find this image from
Quote:A scan of H. Omont Un Traite de Physique et d'Alchimie du XVe Siecle en Ecriture Cryptographique.
Bibliotheque de l'Ecole des Chartes 58 (1897) pp. 253-258
Especially the page with the tubes is very interesting of course, but philip does not have more or an improved scan.
Does anybody have more information or readable stuff ?
The roger bacon cipher is based on groups of 5 letters which can be substituted by alphabet letters
The problem is that we also have VMS words that are smaller or bigger.
We could also take 1 specific letter (gallows), or a group or letters (the e,h,S) or any other combination.
Or we can remove the space character in one or more combinations.
Is there anyone out there that performed intensive computer calculations on those possibilities ?
There is the "arc" symbol in the VMS represented as extended EVA &163. (There is also &140, I'm not sure what's the difference between the two, but it seems that &163 is the one I am referring to).
It is quite rare, but it is encountered, for example, three times in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. in the "index" column to the left.
This symbol is quite attractive for the analysis purposes in that it is clearly a single symbol, and not any combination/superposition of simpler symbols.
What makes this symbol extremely interesting is that it is used as a standalone label in f80r: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
So: either this stands for a number (why would a number be associated with this object?)
Or: this stands for a one-character word (could those who explore the language hypothesis advise whether any languages, besides hieroglyphic-based, have one-letter nouns?)
Or: the cipher is encoding a multi-letter word into a single character of the ciphertext.
In further studying the paint vs. line problem, I decided to trace the lines of the three "swimming" creatures on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. .
For the full account you can check You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., but I'll put the most important stuff here.
Problems with this image in the manuscript:
In some places, the lines are covered in the thick, green paint, making them harder to see
…or totally impossible to see.
The color, white background and green water don’t “follow the lines”. This results in a confusing patchwork crossing the borders of the creatures in various places.
At some places where the green paint dries at the edges, it creates a darker line which can be mistaken for a creature outline.
Some parts, like the tails on the blue and the red one, have been totally covered in “water”.
So I traced all visible lines, and this is the result:
Some observations:
Red and Blue have forked tails like Green.
Red has a ridged back.
Blue has a saw pattern on the top of his snout and a line pattern on his back.
Yellow has a forked snout. It’s small, but clear upon close inspection.
[font=Lora, serif]This leads me to believe that Green, Blue and Red belong to the same “class”, the forked tail might represent "fish tails". That doesn’t mean that these three are fish, but the forked tail communicates that they were seen as something like that, i.e. associated with a watery habitat. They are distinguished by three different patterns: Green has dots running across his flank, Blue has a subtle pattern of lines on his back, and Red has a ridged back. Whether this means that they are different species, I don’t know.
Yellow has been given a different tail, a fuller body and a different neck. His stance seems to suggest hostility or fear towards Blue, and perhaps also Red and Green.[/font]
In order to communicate covertly, it is necessary to use some sort of hidden system. In order to communicate clearly the system itself needs to be rigid and unambiguous. Too many linguistic interpretations have problems with ambiguity.
A linguistic translation of VMs symbols in the common suffix transcribed as EVA -ody involves finding a linguistic equivalent for the three symbols, but with no apparent clues to provide a starting point other than just being an apparent suffix.
The White Aries Mechanism is a text delivery system. The patterned markers in the two circular bands of text of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. clearly function as a workable method to designate specific segments of text. The whole of the heraldic identification is only a demonstration of what a *very* long way the author was willing to go in order to emphasize the significance of these patterned markers.
A text designation system was constructed in the White Aries illustration to deliver a specific segment of text, the Golden Key. But how to read it??
Not through an alphabetic translation system, it seems, but through something slightly different. A system intended to specify letters. A letter designation system. Take the suffix -ody and turn it into numbers according to the positions in the Seventeen Symbol Sequence from VMs f57v. The Eva symbols o, d, y would convert to 1, 3, 15. What seems to be missing in that numerical sequence? To me, the number 5 is implied, as in 1, 3, (5), 15. A sequence 1, 2, 7 might imply 14. The symbols are used repeatedly, according to fixed rules, but they produce different results depending on the sequence. The author then is free to use the individual sequences to create an apparent structure: prefix, root, suffix.
The big question, of course, is what do the the implied numbers map to? Does it have to go back through the Seventeen Symbol Sequence and the come out in Greek? That would be a beast!!!! If the author had the same mastery of languages as we might presume from the heraldic demonstrations, then the doors are wide open.
Getting into the quicksand has been fairly easy, so far. Getting out may be more difficult. I could be sitting here for a while. Any suggestions?
.
There seems to be a sentiment that it is especially the painting that makes some pages of the manuscript look rather "ugly."
The guy who did the lines wasn't too bad at his job. But then he or his colleague (or someone else entirely) came along with a large, bad painting brush and ruined various perfectly good drawings.
I was inspired by Rene's comment in another thread to take a look at places where the lines and the paint appear to tell a slightly different story. Just to name something, if You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. hadn't been sloppily painted, we would see more clearly that the horizontal cylinder te person is holding on to has two vertical bars as well. In this case, it seems clear that the linework was done first, and then the painting. The opposite would have been weird and impractical.
But then I saw You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. Note how there is no actual outline of the leaves. If this was an uncolored sketch, the leaves would only be suggested by the "hooks" lining their edges. Could this suggest that the leaves were painted first, and then the hooks were added? Or that the hooks were drawn with the full knowledge of how they would be painted later? This suggests a close coordination between line and color.
Why is this important?
Well, take a look at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. for example. The blue one was originally drawn with a long tail, which is entirely painted over. The tail being entirely submerged seems unlikely: the rest of the picture suggests shallow water.
If we assume the painter was either the line artist himself or his colleague, this would leave open the option of self correction. For example, maybe they wanted to draw a hippo and someone told them that hippos don't have such long tails, so they painted over it.
If, however, we assume the painter was some independent, manuscript ruining oaf, the self correction option would be ruled out entirely.
I do not know if this is the place, but i would like to ask some specific questions about his research and his paper (2014?)
Can not find another site where i can do this, i could try to email, but perhaps this works as well. Let's try. Is this the correct section?
I did not know about the paper until it was mentioned here, und i've read most of it this week.
It's an excellent approach and well written piece of research. Some points i do not fully understand and
other things i wonder if they can be improved.
Here is my informal translation of a passage from “Il Giardino Magico degli Alchimisti” by Vera Segre Rutz (pag. L -LIII).
As the pessage itself makes clear, this subject is not related with Alchemical Herbals in particular.
Images from Alchemical Herbal BNF 17848 (many thanks to Rene!).
I attach a slightly processed detail from the Naples Dioscorides f 78r (but the illustration is very dark, not easy to read). If someone had a link to the Vienna Dioscorides f 126r, I would be interested in seeing if it is clearer).
In addition to the geometrical simplification, there is another factor that contrasts naturalism and appears very strange to the modern eye: the prominent zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements. Often, these elements correspond to analogies that are also expressed in the name of the plant, for instance You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. [Christ's Hands] (cap. 46), a kind of orchid [in Italian] still named “manine” (small hands) and scientifically “Orchis dactylorhiza”, because its roots remember the shape of a human hand. The plant named You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (cap. 34) has been associated with the fish “lucius” (pike) and features a large fish as a zoomorphich root. This phenomenon begins with the Naples Dioscorides [600 – 650 ca] [footnote: in the text of Dioscorides the small flowers of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. are described as similar to masks and they are illustrated as anthropomorfic in the Naples manuscript]. [In the alchemical herbal tradition] it extends to many plants, and sometimes this cannot be linked with the contents of the text. With the exception of “herba You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.” (cap. 3) the anthropomorphism or zoomorphism happens in the roots. Once again, the ancient Dioscorides manuscripts, from Wien and Naples, provide precedents, with the root of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. presenting a human appearance. Vegetal images with anthropomorphic or zoomorphic roots appear in a number of medieval botanic manuscripts, of the same age but not directly related with the alchemical manuscripts [the earliest dated alchemical herbal was written in 1378]. For instance, Florence ms Palat. 586 (XIV Century) from Spain-Provence, Laurenziana ms Redi 165 and the very similar herbal in the Gambalunghiana Library, Rimini. This aspect has been explained as “drolerie,” i.e. as a purely decorative phenomenon, or as a derivation from the Arabic figurative culture, linked with legends and tales of oriental origin that had a wide circulation. We think the reference to the Arabic tradition is mainly relevant for the stylization and geometrization of botanical shapes, but it is vague in relation with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic roots. … Arabic botanic illustration is a little studied field, not very accessible to Western researchers, but from the sources I know, I would not say that the Arabs introduced specific zoomorphic or anthropomorphic iconographies. The anthropomorphism or zoomorphism of plants, in particular of roots, which are believed to have the higher pharmaceutical efficacy, is part of a magic-based idea of the vegetal world; it is a sign of the recognition of a personality of the plant, of its own powerful vitality. For the same reason, we find [in the text] prayers to be addressed to the plants, prescribed as a condition to benefit of their more or less occult powers. The magic-animistic view of the vegetal world has ancestral origins and is clearly mirrored in the language about plants. Anthropomorphic or zoomorphic metaphors are among the main universal principles in the classification of plants, with Italian names such as “bocca di ...” “lingua di ...” “piede di ...” “zampa di ...” “coda di ...”, in Latin “pes ….” “ungula ….” “lingua ….” followed by the chosen animal [in English houndstongue, houndstooth, snapdragon, cat's tail]. The human and animal body is the main model in the conceptualization of the natural world: a universal anthropologic phenomenon of particular importance for the idea of nature as animated, inhabited by demons and by plants having their own soul. Anthropomorphic and zoomorphic elements in the alchemical herbals visualize a magic and metaphorical mentality, which has left deep traces in our languages in the popular names of plants.
See also the Naples Dioscurides You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..
Segre describes the flowers of Lonchitis as anthropomorphic, but they look like dog heads to me.
![[Image: traced.jpg?w=720]](https://herculeaf.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/traced.jpg?w=720)