Observations on the Visual and Functional Structure of the Voynich Manuscript

[pjburkshire]

My working hypothesis is that the Voynich Manuscript, dated to the late Middle Ages, may describe the working life (not the private life) of a community of women in a female abbey or monastery. In such institutions, women could manage water systems, canals, land, and personnel, and the abbess herself could be of noble origin. In this context, the presence of a nude woman wearing a crown or regal headpiece in one of the circular diagrams could be interpreted as a symbolic or functional reference to that role.

Do you think the manuscript is referencing a specific community of women or a generic community of women?

[emanuele.pegorin]

I see it as a generic community of abbey women, with their own internal language. They took care of plants, followed rituals, and managed the maintenance of the building and water systems. They also handled the preparation and packaging of plants for infusions, decoctions, or medicinal purposes.

[pjburkshire]

I see it as a generic community of abbey women, with their own internal language. They took care of plants, followed rituals, and managed the maintenance of the building and water systems. They also handled the preparation and packaging of plants for infusions, decoctions, or medicinal purposes.

Who do you think created this instruction manual for women?

[emanuele.pegorin]

Most likely the women themselves, or perhaps one of them, who—incidentally—is never depicted. It’s similar to a photographer capturing different moments of the workday, or photographing the plants to document them, without ever including themselves in the pictures.

[pjburkshire]

Most likely the women themselves, or perhaps one of them, who—incidentally—is never depicted. It’s similar to a photographer capturing different moments of the workday, or photographing the plants to document them, without ever including themselves in the pictures.

Other than in your own imagination, has anyone ever created this community of unclothed women running around playing in water?

[emanuele.pegorin]

Look, this isn’t imagination. Female abbeys really existed in the late Middle Ages. Women ran gardens, water systems, baths, and daily work. Those “unclothed women in water” you talk about? Practical tasks: ritual washings, cleaning after plant work, or preparing herbs. Real life, not fantasy.

[pjburkshire]

Look, this isn’t imagination. Female abbeys really existed in the late Middle Ages. Women ran gardens, water systems, baths, and daily work. Those “unclothed women in water” you talk about? Practical tasks: ritual washings, cleaning after plant work, or preparing herbs. Real life, not fantasy.

Did I touch a nerve?  If you think the Voynich illustrations are what the nuns were doing in their "working life", I don't want to know what you think they were doing in their "private life".

[emanuele.pegorin]

Sorry, I didn’t mean to respond that way. I apologize if my previous reply came across as harsh or offensive. I didn’t want you to think badly of me.

[Rafal]

These would be very unorthodox nuns if they created a manuscript full of naked women without any religious symbols.

By the way, if you type "naked nuns" into Google the first links you will get are porn sites 

[ReneZ]

These would be very unorthodox nuns if they created a manuscript full of naked women without any religious symbols.

Perhaps not surprisingly, there is a theory about the MS that says exactly that.
Lesbian nuns for that matter.

Anyway, back to the original topic...