Scorpios

[zvijezda]

i can’t believe any of the artists who drew these weird “scorpions” had ever seen an actual scorpion! The scribe responsible for the Voynich scorpion seems to have had one described to him/her, and knew it has a long tail that curves back on itself, but nobody seems to have mentioned how many legs it possesses!

And that in itself could perhaps be a clue perhaps? I'm not a naturalist/arachnologist, but I think I'm right in saying that (barring a few pockets of invasive species which are comparatively recent) their natural range in Europe extends as far north as Northern Italy and Switzerland, but no further. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

Is this a hint that the scribe who drew the image came from somewhere to the north of the range in which scorpions are common? Just a thought, but it could perhaps be another clue that suggests the area around the Mediterranean is an unlikely location for the manuscript to have been created, and that possibly southern Germany is a more probable location than Italy? (I am thinking of Koen's excellent videos on the swallowtail merlons You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and palaeography You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. that suggest the same thing). 


Any thoughts?

It seems that a four-legged mammalian or reptilian Scorpio is uncharacteristic of Italian manuscripts in the 15th century, although we must remember the depictions were not necessarily intended to be naturalistic and Scorpio can be represented by a range of symbols. Scorpio has been closely tied to death, poison, and malevolence since Babylonian times. 

If the artist had indeed never seen a scorpion, the curved tail might come from interpretations of the constellation itself or from working off of other manuscripts (though I understand the Voynich scorpion is rather unique). 

Here is a You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..