VViews,
This is a very interesting observation. I'm tempted to turn to texts on comparative astronomies and compare the star-names for these constellations to see if there are any comparable frequencies; no chance of having that sort of time free at present
One thought - it might prove useful to start with those items in common, or distinct, in the three constellations as envisaged e.g. in the Mediterranean world. All three have heads, but Scorpius has no arms or feet and neither (in the list of star-names used by the Latins) does Scorpius have feet, but hooves. So the term 'claws' would be the least common among all the names for stars in those 12 constellations (if they are to be imagined a zodiac).
Depending on which sections include the repetitions - it might be of interest to members that we have record of annual efforts to predict where and when certain plants and goods would be abundant. A table (sometimes called by the Latins an 'abacus') was formed of 9x27 (or 9x28) little trays, the '27/28' being the divisions of the ecliptic, and thus of the year. So if the repetitions are most common in the botanical section, then the labels might also refer to goods.
A third possibility, and one that might appeal especially to those who read my detailed investigation of the Voynich map (first posts in 2010-11), or those interested in Claudius Ptolemy's updated version of the work by Marinus of Tyre, is that since every place on a gridded earth has its equivalent position in a gridded sky, so the labelling 'vords' on these figures might be place-names. Taking into account the seasonal nature of stars, crops, and markets, and the Occitan inscriptions naming months, not constellations, so that might also be a useful avenue to investigate.
Having now spent a number of years doing that sort of investigation (between ten hours and three weeks' work lies behind most of the voynichimagery posts), I perfectly understand if others think it's just too much work to find time for, themselves.
I should also keep in mind that the nau' of a star was that which set when it rose, and vice-versa. (At least we think so). So for technical reasons to do with other matter in the ms... one might also consider which stars, in sequence, appear opposite those of Gemini etc. The matter is complicated by there having been conventional 'opposites' well-known to non-Latins. e.g. the heart of Scorpius (Antares) is the proverbial opposite for Orion, and Orion is proverbially the marker of the East, though it is the Pleiades rather than Scorpius which has represented 'West' from time immemorial.
I mention this last matter because the same sets of 'opposed' stars serve as cardinal markers in one of the Voynich astronomical diagrams.
D.
This is a very interesting observation. I'm tempted to turn to texts on comparative astronomies and compare the star-names for these constellations to see if there are any comparable frequencies; no chance of having that sort of time free at present
One thought - it might prove useful to start with those items in common, or distinct, in the three constellations as envisaged e.g. in the Mediterranean world. All three have heads, but Scorpius has no arms or feet and neither (in the list of star-names used by the Latins) does Scorpius have feet, but hooves. So the term 'claws' would be the least common among all the names for stars in those 12 constellations (if they are to be imagined a zodiac).
Depending on which sections include the repetitions - it might be of interest to members that we have record of annual efforts to predict where and when certain plants and goods would be abundant. A table (sometimes called by the Latins an 'abacus') was formed of 9x27 (or 9x28) little trays, the '27/28' being the divisions of the ecliptic, and thus of the year. So if the repetitions are most common in the botanical section, then the labels might also refer to goods.
A third possibility, and one that might appeal especially to those who read my detailed investigation of the Voynich map (first posts in 2010-11), or those interested in Claudius Ptolemy's updated version of the work by Marinus of Tyre, is that since every place on a gridded earth has its equivalent position in a gridded sky, so the labelling 'vords' on these figures might be place-names. Taking into account the seasonal nature of stars, crops, and markets, and the Occitan inscriptions naming months, not constellations, so that might also be a useful avenue to investigate.
Having now spent a number of years doing that sort of investigation (between ten hours and three weeks' work lies behind most of the voynichimagery posts), I perfectly understand if others think it's just too much work to find time for, themselves.
I should also keep in mind that the nau' of a star was that which set when it rose, and vice-versa. (At least we think so). So for technical reasons to do with other matter in the ms... one might also consider which stars, in sequence, appear opposite those of Gemini etc. The matter is complicated by there having been conventional 'opposites' well-known to non-Latins. e.g. the heart of Scorpius (Antares) is the proverbial opposite for Orion, and Orion is proverbially the marker of the East, though it is the Pleiades rather than Scorpius which has represented 'West' from time immemorial.
I mention this last matter because the same sets of 'opposed' stars serve as cardinal markers in one of the Voynich astronomical diagrams.
D.