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+--- Thread: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) (/thread-5239.html)
Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - JustAnotherTheory - 15-01-2026
This is probably nothing but I was going through a 15th century manuscript called the Prayerbook of Franz von Gasiberg (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.), when I noticed something familiar on the last folio, used for pen-testing:
This clearly looks like the Voynichese character "H", or some prototyical form of it. There's also something that closely ressembles the multi-ornaments on some of the gallows:
Then there's several combinations of these objects in a single entity, like this one:
Some part of the writing in the astrological section looks like our "daiin":
Or at least some kind of mirrored version. Then there's some kind of coded table with symbols that I haven't seen in contemporary manuscripts, maybe some kid of astrological or esoteric character set?
There is also an interesting illumination on one of the initials, that ressembles fruits from a Voynich plant:
On the left, a picture from Cod. Sang. 494, on the right, part of the plant on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. of the VMS.
A few things about the author, who we know is Franz Gaisberg. He was a Swiss librarian in the 15th century and abbot of St. Gallen. He wrote this manuscript at around 1477. A reseacher who worked on the manuscript gave this detail (in German):
Geschrieben offenbar mit Desinteresse, mit vielen Nachlässigkeiten, Schreibfehlern, Streichungen, Unklarheiten.
Which roughly translates to "having been written with much disinterest and many errors and typos". The handwriting indeed appears very hastily done, but perhaps we might find another manuscript authored by him to see what his real (normal) handwriting looked like and whether it was similar to the calligraphy of the VMS.
What do you think?
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - Koen G - 15-01-2026
The "esoteric character set" is just Roman numerals (with iiii for 4).
What I find most interesting about this comparison is the doodles that look like EVA-t. We see these kind of loopy fantasies regularly in the work of medieval scribes - I think it's a combination of human nature and the mechanics of pen writing that leads to similar patterns made by the absent or playful mind. It's interesting that gallow characters and more excessive doodles inhabit the same world, as they do in the VM. But clearly gallows have a more defined purpose in the VM than just absent doodles, whatever that might be.
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - JustAnotherTheory - 15-01-2026
That's a great point. I also found many manuscripts with lopped doodles, perhaps it is human nature after all, more than a direct link to the VMS.
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - Rafal - 15-01-2026
This prayerbook has some Voynich "vibes":
- it has something like Voynich "iin" ending
- it has something like Voynich "y". Not really "9" but rather "c" with a tail
- it sometimes has "r" which is the same as Voynich "r", the text in the marked example is "ad Mariam" I believe
- it is almost as impossible to read as VM
I would say it doesn't give hints how to solve VM but suggests that both writers could share some background
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - JustAnotherTheory - 15-01-2026
(15-01-2026, 06:53 PM)Rafal Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.This prayerbook has some Voynich "vibes":
- it has something like Voynich "iin" ending
- it has something like Voynich "y". Not really "9" but rather "c" with a tail
- it sometimes has "r" which is the same as Voynich "r", the text in the marked example is "ad Mariam" I believe
- it is almost as impossible to read as VM
I would say it doesn't give hints how to solve VM but suggests that both writers could share some background
Great find, thanks for sharing
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - joben - 17-01-2026
Is this Cod Sang 475 the same manuscript?
I saw this the other day:
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RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - DG97EEB - 17-01-2026
(15-01-2026, 01:51 PM)JustAnotherTheory Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.This is probably nothing but I was going through a 15th century manuscript called the Prayerbook of Franz von Gasiberg (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.), when I noticed something familiar on the last folio, used for pen-testing:
This clearly looks like the Voynichese character "H", or some prototyical form of it. There's also something that closely ressembles the multi-ornaments on some of the gallows:
Then there's several combinations of these objects in a single entity, like this one:
Some part of the writing in the astrological section looks like our "daiin":
Or at least some kind of mirrored version. Then there's some kind of coded table with symbols that I haven't seen in contemporary manuscripts, maybe some kid of astrological or esoteric character set?
There is also an interesting illumination on one of the initials, that ressembles fruits from a Voynich plant:
On the left, a picture from Cod. Sang. 494, on the right, part of the plant on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. of the VMS.
A few things about the author, who we know is Franz Gaisberg. He was a Swiss librarian in the 15th century and abbot of St. Gallen. He wrote this manuscript at around 1477. A reseacher who worked on the manuscript gave this detail (in German):
Geschrieben offenbar mit Desinteresse, mit vielen Nachlässigkeiten, Schreibfehlern, Streichungen, Unklarheiten.
Which roughly translates to "having been written with much disinterest and many errors and typos". The handwriting indeed appears very hastily done, but perhaps we might find another manuscript authored by him to see what his real (normal) handwriting looked like and whether it was similar to the calligraphy of the VMS.
What do you think?
Btw, the weird diamond shape on f144 is called a Merkaba and it's a Jewish symbol. Its name comes from Hebrew, meaning light (Mer), spirit (Ka), and body (Ba), and it's a key symbol in sacred geometry used for meditation and higher consciousness, resembling a spinning, three-dimensional Star of David
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - JustAnotherTheory - 18-01-2026
(17-01-2026, 10:08 PM)joben Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Is this Cod Sang 475 the same manuscript?
I saw this the other day:
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wow, really interesting!
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - Bernd - 18-01-2026
Latin charm against epilepsy (fallende sucht) with crosses on p.80
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To be written on a letter the patient should wear around his neck as far as I understood.
RE: Textual similarities with Franz Gaisberg’s Latin Prayer Book (Cod. Sang. 494) - Koen G - 19-01-2026
Correct, this is one of the most frequent charms found in medieval Europe. Against the falling sickness, something involving variations of the names Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar is to be written on a note to be worn around the neck. An example from Katherine Hindley's book:
British Library, Sloane Ms 1314, fol. 38v (ca. 1350– 1400)
For þe fallyng euyl. Take þe blod of þe litel fynger of þe ryht hande
of hym is seke ⁊ wryte þese thre names in parchemyn with þe blod
+ Jasper + Melchior + balthazar + ⁊ let close hit ⁊ heng hit aboute
his nek þat is seke [...]