Pond creatures (f79v)

[Koen G]

Linda

Since I started this thread in my early days as a little Voynichero, my views on this section of the manuscript have changed quite a bit. I'm now writing a paper about this, but I'll summarize. I think these images are highly synthetic, meaning that they say several things at once, and that they contain various cultural influences. I see, simplifying things a bit, three layers of meaning:

1) Structuring narrative related to Hellenistic myth. This layer allows all the figures of the page to tell a story. In this case, it is the myth of Scylla. Explained in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. Note that I wrote this before I knew about the other layers.
2) Astronomical layer: each figure represents a classical constellation. In this I follow Diane O'Donovan, but if I'm not mistaken she sees references to individual stars and a mixture of Hellenistic and post-Hellenistic elements.
3) "Egypt" layer. I take the imagery to have originated in Hellenistic Egypt, which explains the mixture of influences . This is the part of the imagery I have studied the least at the moment, but it's definitely there. This is possibly what you are talking about as well. I hope Diane will read your post, since she's been studying this matter for much longer, and also writes about Yemen and the Red Sea.


This is what I suspect about the geographical information on this folio. I wonder if you see at as somehow complementary to what you propose:

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. likely represent the constellation Triangulum in layer (2). Hyginus writes about Triangulum: "Some have said that it pictures the position of Egypt; others, that of Aethiopa and Egypt where the Nile marks their boundaries." Now the boundary between Ethiopia and Egypt, whatever that meant for Hyginus, that is something that belongs to layer (3).

The nymph below the triangle represents the Dolphin constellation on layer (2). Dolphins live in the Red Sea as well - layer (3)

Moving up again, the nymph that is lying on her back with the ring likely refers to the city of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. 

Finally, on top, this nymph either refers to Canopus in the Nile delta or otherwise the area of Fayum Oasis. There are arguments for both, though I haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet. Trying to finish my paper on layer (2) first