28-08-2016, 08:23 AM
Since the crossbow sagittarius has always been an illustration of special interest, I have read the blog entry in question:
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more than once. Following is why it has not convinced me.
First of all it is postulated that the position of the right hand is intentional. This is possible but not at all certain, and if we look at the left hand (that really isn't there at all) one may doubt that this is something that the draughtsman paid a lot of attention to. However, that's also just a guess. It is not certain either way, but it already makes it clear that the conclusion is also going to be uncertain.
The special part of the Spanish maritime crossbow seems to be an extra lock. The blog post has some figures, but they don't say which of the parts belong to a "normal" crossbow, and which are special for the maritime crossbow. It is suggested that the maritime bow "had a hitherto-unknown feature: an additional locking device which required a notched nut’s being inserted into the topside of the stock, about halfway down its length".
However, the nut is needed in all crossbows. The extra lock seems to be the safety wedge indicated in figure 7.
This is a guess because it is not clearly explained.
In any case, the location of the nut, on the top of the stock, is clearly at the point where the string crosses the stock. It would have to be handled before charging, not after, and the bow in the Voynich MS is already charged.
The right hand of the Voynich archer is way behind this point (a good idea by the way), so the argument that he is handing a special Spanish maritime bow is not confirmed at all.
If there is a misinterpretation of the mechanism from my side, it would be good to have this clarified, because the way it is described now is not at all clear.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
more than once. Following is why it has not convinced me.
First of all it is postulated that the position of the right hand is intentional. This is possible but not at all certain, and if we look at the left hand (that really isn't there at all) one may doubt that this is something that the draughtsman paid a lot of attention to. However, that's also just a guess. It is not certain either way, but it already makes it clear that the conclusion is also going to be uncertain.
The special part of the Spanish maritime crossbow seems to be an extra lock. The blog post has some figures, but they don't say which of the parts belong to a "normal" crossbow, and which are special for the maritime crossbow. It is suggested that the maritime bow "had a hitherto-unknown feature: an additional locking device which required a notched nut’s being inserted into the topside of the stock, about halfway down its length".
However, the nut is needed in all crossbows. The extra lock seems to be the safety wedge indicated in figure 7.
This is a guess because it is not clearly explained.
In any case, the location of the nut, on the top of the stock, is clearly at the point where the string crosses the stock. It would have to be handled before charging, not after, and the bow in the Voynich MS is already charged.
The right hand of the Voynich archer is way behind this point (a good idea by the way), so the argument that he is handing a special Spanish maritime bow is not confirmed at all.
If there is a misinterpretation of the mechanism from my side, it would be good to have this clarified, because the way it is described now is not at all clear.
![[+]](https://www.voynich.ninja/images/collapse_collapsed.png)