04-08-2022, 06:27 PM
There is more on etymology here. (What is the medieval French, German, etc. name for this plant?)
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First of all, in French there is the derivation from a word that refers to immortality. And secondly, in Mariology it refers to her 'Dormition' <being asleep> and her Assumption, as far as I understand it, without actually saying that she died - i.e. immortality. Saint Michael was the 'conductor of souls' and he is shown in that capacity with the Virgin Mary in a couple of illustrations in the 1500s. It looks like a package deal, but what about the linguistic part?
The most immediate interpretation of the written text would be a botanical monograph: everything about the plant - from a medieval perspective. A botanical monograph in the VMs could be compared with matching monographs from validated, historical sources. This has been tried with other VMs botanical illustrations where it was felt that the prospects of an accurate identification were strongest. The only remarkable thing about those investigations was their total failure. So, could it work here? It seems doubtful.
Is there some other overarching plan behind VMs content and construction, such as an herbal bible? Until the writing can be read, how can it be determined what the VMs has to say?
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
First of all, in French there is the derivation from a word that refers to immortality. And secondly, in Mariology it refers to her 'Dormition' <being asleep> and her Assumption, as far as I understand it, without actually saying that she died - i.e. immortality. Saint Michael was the 'conductor of souls' and he is shown in that capacity with the Virgin Mary in a couple of illustrations in the 1500s. It looks like a package deal, but what about the linguistic part?
The most immediate interpretation of the written text would be a botanical monograph: everything about the plant - from a medieval perspective. A botanical monograph in the VMs could be compared with matching monographs from validated, historical sources. This has been tried with other VMs botanical illustrations where it was felt that the prospects of an accurate identification were strongest. The only remarkable thing about those investigations was their total failure. So, could it work here? It seems doubtful.
Is there some other overarching plan behind VMs content and construction, such as an herbal bible? Until the writing can be read, how can it be determined what the VMs has to say?