Discussion of the Konstellations

[Koen G]

Planets are not the most straightforward thing to interpret in the context of astronomy, so let's return to the constellations.



There's a river on f80v. Not some vague green or blue pool or water running through tubes, no, a real river. That's an interesting starting point, because there is also a constellation that's a river: Eridanus. We know which constellations are close to Eridanus, so analyzing the figures adjacent to this river, we can see whether the constellations in Q13a are correctly clustered or not.

In the image below, I marked the river in blue, and the three Konstellations on it in red, green and orange. A pair of figures on one base is always one constellation.



As JKP once explained, it is likely that such unusual images are based on a textual description rather than immediately copied from standard imagery. So let's consult some texts. There is no doubt about where the River starts. For example, Eratosthenes writes: "The river has its source at the left foot of Orion." For once, things are easy! We can test a hypothesis. If this river is indeed the River constellation, then this figure must represent Orion:



One problem with Orion is that he wasn't often pictured in antiquity, even though he was present in narratives since Homer's day. A rich mythology has evolved around the figure over many centuries. 

Orion was a huge giant (able to cross oceans). Homer writes:  "Next I discerned huge Orion, driving wild beasts together over the field of asphodel, the very ones that he once had killed on lonely mountains, he grasped in his hands a mace of bronze, never to be broken." And Virgil: "As great Orion moves forward, cleaving his way, with his feet treading the floor of the deepest mid-ocean, his shoulders overtopping the waves;"

The same characteristic returns in descriptions of the constellation itself. For example, Manilius writes that “Orion may be seen stretching his arms over a vast expanse of sky and rising to the stars with no less huge a stride.”

Now, there is no denying that this nymph has a huge stride, and her arms are huge as well, much bigger than those of other nymphs. Seriously, look at those arms, she looks like some kind of ape. I just want you to appreciate how monstrously large this nymph is. These are the kinds of things you only notice once you know they are there. But now it's so obvious. Her he is next to the nymph directly above, without any resizing:



That's right, a veritable Voynich Goliath, suitable do depict the mythological giant in the stars, with his huge stride and vast arms. And at his leg originates the River.
I always say that the base of the figures relates to the constellation, and here it is no different. However, since Orion's iconography is variable, this is not easy. Initially I took it to be meant to bring to mind Orion's club. Now I believe it may represent a scabbard, another possible attribute of the giant. This would have as an additional advantage that it is attached to Orion's belt, an important section of the constellation. There is also something hidden under the blue paint which might relate to the scabbard, but I won't go there yet.

Now let's follow this River and see where it takes us. Here it is, marked in blue, on the Farnese Atlas. Just like in the VM and the source texts, it starts at Orion's leg. Then it coils down towards the monster Cetus, disappearing behing it for a moment. Finally, it disappears in the South, after passing next to Lepus, the Hare.



So the next Konstellation should evoke Cetus, the sea monster. How is that the case? Remember, base=constellation. Here the base is some weird green coiled thing, which trails down and has a split end. In other words, Cetus' tail:




Pretty well done. That leaves Lepus, the Hare. This nymph has no base to give us a hint, but remember that the arms also tell us about the constellation. I'll just leave you with some Lepus images and hope you might see what I mean



Wooh, this post took me a while. Hope it's not too complicated...