[split] (another Mermaid thread)

[Koen G]

Edit: just to avoid any misunderstanding: I do not see this MS in any more or less direct relationship with the Voynich MS. Rather as an interesting parallel and an example of unexplored sources.

Yeah, I think a direct connection is unlikely. Even though this MS might at times feel somewhat similar (some parts are quite unpolished), it is stylistically distant. What I do like about it is that it represents a collection of materials similar to what the VM authors may have had in a different source MS.

Regarding the VM mermaid, we cannot overlook that the human figure's legs are visible, standing in the fish part. That is why I think the best argument can be made that it was based on an image of Jonah emerging from the whale. These are my arguments - I am using some images I quickly grabbed off Google as illustrations. I am not saying the figure is Jonah, just that one of the widely available Jonah illustrations likely served as the model.

• When Jonah is eaten by the whale, he goes in head first. When he emerges from the whale, he comes out head first. In several cases, he can be seen "stepping", a bit like the VM figure.
  
• The whale is sometimes drawn as a complete fish, curved in the same way the VM "tail" is. But in the VM, the head of the fish is drawn in a very ambiguous way, with a warped perspective. We see the two eyes of the fish, which do not correspond to the perspective we see of the mouth. And the mouth is drawn in a 3D "tub" shape, with a rim surrounding the figure. The fact that the number of eyes is still limited to two, however, seems to me to suggest "fish" rather than "tail". Fish have two eyes.
  
• While the head of the fish is drawn awkwardly, the rest of the body is clearly modelled off a fish image, with scales and dorsal and ventral fins. True, mermaids also have this, but mermaids aren't shows with human legs standing inside of the fish part. This bit is quite crucial. And mermaid tails don't have two eyes. Notice how in the "evil eye" image, the eyes are all over the tail, not just in the in-between part. In the VM, they are in the general area where we would expect eyes, only the perspective is awful.
  
• The Bible verse where the whale spits out Jonah is at the end of Jonah 2. Most of this chapter shows Jonah repenting, in one long prayer to God. This is why in the majority of cases, Jonah is depicted in communication with God when he emerges from the whale. He can be shown praying (usually, but not always) and looking upwards (usually, but not always). The VM figure is not praying, but it is very explicitly looking upwards.
  

   

(Maybe I should split this thread).