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+--- Thread: Onamastics or anagrammatismi (/thread-5736.html)
Onamastics or anagrammatismi - pmw57 - 14-05-2026
Yes it's another anagram post, but I think I've got something here that's worth the pulling of the thread.
The anagramed plant names that Edith Sherwood has found in the manuscript could well point us towards onomastics and anagrammatismi
Historically names were rearranged in an attempt to reveal its true nature or inner power.
Edith’s work has found many examples of plant name anagrams on the same page that shows that plant.
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I think that those were used to reveal the essential nature of the plant. Alchemists (along with Christian Kabbalists, poet diplomats and others) in the 15th century are known to have used this kind of technique. Alchemists used it as a form of protection, to ensure that only a trained initiate would understand the plant’s true medical purpose.
For example:
f4r: cam us: camus (tool for chamoising), Sumac (sumacchio) was used to make leather soft
f7r: onar: (honor the body, allowing it to heal), Arno (arnoglossa, ribwort) was used to join wounded flesh together
f7v: colco: (colcare meaning lay down), Coclo (coccole, bay laural), oil and pigment source must be allowed to settle and lay down to separate the dye
I’m not claiming that much of manuscript was anagramed. We do however have what looks to be clear evidence that plant names were anagramed.
What I am claiming is that onomastics was used in the time period to help reveal the true nature of things, and seems to have been used in a small part in relation to plants in the book.
Is it a stretch? Maybe. It does however though seem to be a waste to ignore this line of questioning.
Also related: Spagyrics wrote in Decknamen (cover names), using magical names for common ingrediants such as calling mercury white eagle.
Eagle - "A Deckname used in the Philalethes treatises for a distillation; that is, sophic mercury of seven eagles has been distilled seven times." from You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Obligatory Disclaimer: The above is all my own work, no AI was usef to write it. All spelling mistakes are purely my own.