08-01-2026, 07:52 PM
I am taking this moment to add something aside from my intended flow of presentations, and it has to do with textual matters along the lines of what I proposed at the beginning regarding the proposed “Botrus” solution for the Pleiades image on f68r3. One does not need to be a linguist or statistician to consider various possibilities. I will explain later in this post how that proposed solution can help us understand the EVA “daiin” or “8aiin.”
One of the issues Voynich scholars have faced is regarding whether its text is based on a natural language, constructed language, a cipher, astronomical data or instructions, or even a hoax, and so on. The long list of proposed language here You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. demonstrates the extent of possibilities proposed as far as natural languages go.
An either/or approach to the question would look for a single natural language, if considered, as a solution. So, either Latin, or German, or Turkish, or this, or that, would be an easy guess. However, if there is any natural language underlying the VM text, it could have elements from many languages, even if the most prominent language is, say, Latin and/or German.
If the author excelled in Latin, let us say, and was deeply interested in astrological themes for various, including healing, purposes, and had the time and the means to do so, she could have obtained a copy of the Latin translation of a most important source in astrology, originally written in Arabic, by the Persian Abu Ma’shar from Balkh (d. 886) (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) which was already translated into Latin as Flores Albumasaris by John of Seville in early 12th century. If she had an astrological advisor familiar with Arabic because of his specialty, she could have also heard material and words used in Arabic/Persian/Turkish.
So, exposure to Arabic or Persian terms used in astrology was assumed, and some names still are used and familiar today (such as Aldebaran, the star following the Pleiades). If the author was looking for ways of expressing herself in a ciphered language that she herself could understand for privacy reasons, she could have even used Arabic original terms, without this necessarily meaning the VM text is in Arabic, or Persian, or that she spoke Arabic.
So, a part of the text’s elephant may be found to be Turkish, Arabic, German, French, Greek, etc., depending on where you touch it, each time thinking that that specific word suggests that its source language comprises the whole elephant, when it may not be so. Even a term in Persian, can be at the same time used in Arabic, or Turkish, by a Latin or German speaker/writer, even if she does not fluently speak those other languages. Words can transpose with one another, at once being used in multiple languages.
If the author lived in an area where she had been exposed to Latin, German, Italian, French, etc, and their local dialects, and by reading books had learned important words from Arabic, Persian, etc., which would be likely given the deep interest in botanical, likely medical, and astrological themes found in already translated texts from those languages (such as the writings of Avicenna, Albumasaris which is the Latinized word for Abu Ma’shar …), she could have used the original words as another way of ciphering her text for privacy purposes.
Koen G’s interesting recent video on the words on the last page of the existing VM shows that Latin and German are mixed up there along with Voynichese and other yet unreadable material, and the author could have also been aware of the mixed language sources used in the VM text.
Now, going back to the “Botrus” proposed solution, I suggested that the author seems to be using ‘a’ as a wild card, or a joker in a card game a la magnisium’s suggestion (but less complicated than his proposal), which can stand for anything (letter, word, whole sentence, etc.), but likely primarily a phonetic substitute of ‘t” such as ‘et’ or ‘at’ or ‘te’ or ‘ta’ etc. Even today, we read @ as ‘at’ without a ‘t’ being evident in it visually (this is just an example, not that the symbol was used as such back then).
My suggestion was, if Botrus is a solution for 8oa29 and that cipher rule is being applied, if an ‘a’ is preceded and/or followed by a vowel, it would trigger the rule, asking the reader to substitute it with something, depending on the image or textual context, or by referring to a table of possible substitutes, if less evident.
According to the VM browser, any errors in it notwithstanding, there are 13614 ‘a’s and 21895 ‘o’s, but only 282 ‘oa’s (there is just one ‘oa’ alone but I think it is an error by the browser).
If there is a ‘t’ used in its text, in the middle of any word, it could then be hidden under the ‘a’ provided that the preceding and/or following vowel rule is found, for triggering the rule. Otherwise, the ‘a’ would just be an ‘a’.
Now, if we apply that possible rule to one of the most appearing and discussed “words’ in the VM, that is the EVA ‘daiin’ (8aiin), an interesting solution can be found as a hypothesis.
The word, applying the rule, since the vowel follows a (and in fact, sometimes the i could be used to trigger the rule, even when not needed), we obtain the solution “batin.”
Batin (in the original باطن ) is a very important word used in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and essential to astrology and esoteric knowledge, because it means ‘inner’, ‘interior’ ‘occult’ ‘hidden’ etc. It is contrasted with ‘zahir” (or “Zaher”) again used in the same languages and traditions, meaning ‘outer’ ‘appearance’ , etc. I would rank this word as one of the most important, perhaps the most important, word in esoteric sciences.
In a manuscript seemingly dedicated to expressing hidden meanings, be they botanical, astrological, medicinal, etc., it provides a key language for expressing the hidden meanings of their elements, so it can be used as part of any term, across all the sections. The browser shows the word used 1393 times as part of other words, and 864 times alone. I can’t think of any word that could best describe this manuscript filled with “inner meaning” of things. The illustrations are actually ways of making those hidden meanings apparent.
Using the term as such does NOT make the overall text necessarily Arabic, Persian, Turkish, I must add. All it shows is that the word is the part of the elephant of an overall language the author is using to write her text likely for privacy. Using many language borrowings, therefore, can be a distinct possibility, without denying that the overall language of the author can be X or Y.
Just another side note to add to the above in light of a recent contribution made by JustAnotherTheory, seeing “baths” or “hamams” as indicating a Persian or Arabic source for the VM, would be like the same as explained above. Just because there are transcultural themes influencing the VM, it does not make it necessarily belong to those sources. Most evident of course is the astrology or the botanical items, obviously influenced by Persian/Arabic sources influencing the Medieval sciences in the period.
This does not signify the manuscript necessarily is belonging to those source influences, though the transcultural seeing of the elephant is essential for understanding the VM, in my view. The author may have even seen images of those proposed source material, and tried to depict them in her own way in the VM, but I doubt those symbols are actually referring to mundane pipes and hoses, so to speak.
One of the issues Voynich scholars have faced is regarding whether its text is based on a natural language, constructed language, a cipher, astronomical data or instructions, or even a hoax, and so on. The long list of proposed language here You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. demonstrates the extent of possibilities proposed as far as natural languages go.
An either/or approach to the question would look for a single natural language, if considered, as a solution. So, either Latin, or German, or Turkish, or this, or that, would be an easy guess. However, if there is any natural language underlying the VM text, it could have elements from many languages, even if the most prominent language is, say, Latin and/or German.
If the author excelled in Latin, let us say, and was deeply interested in astrological themes for various, including healing, purposes, and had the time and the means to do so, she could have obtained a copy of the Latin translation of a most important source in astrology, originally written in Arabic, by the Persian Abu Ma’shar from Balkh (d. 886) (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) which was already translated into Latin as Flores Albumasaris by John of Seville in early 12th century. If she had an astrological advisor familiar with Arabic because of his specialty, she could have also heard material and words used in Arabic/Persian/Turkish.
So, exposure to Arabic or Persian terms used in astrology was assumed, and some names still are used and familiar today (such as Aldebaran, the star following the Pleiades). If the author was looking for ways of expressing herself in a ciphered language that she herself could understand for privacy reasons, she could have even used Arabic original terms, without this necessarily meaning the VM text is in Arabic, or Persian, or that she spoke Arabic.
So, a part of the text’s elephant may be found to be Turkish, Arabic, German, French, Greek, etc., depending on where you touch it, each time thinking that that specific word suggests that its source language comprises the whole elephant, when it may not be so. Even a term in Persian, can be at the same time used in Arabic, or Turkish, by a Latin or German speaker/writer, even if she does not fluently speak those other languages. Words can transpose with one another, at once being used in multiple languages.
If the author lived in an area where she had been exposed to Latin, German, Italian, French, etc, and their local dialects, and by reading books had learned important words from Arabic, Persian, etc., which would be likely given the deep interest in botanical, likely medical, and astrological themes found in already translated texts from those languages (such as the writings of Avicenna, Albumasaris which is the Latinized word for Abu Ma’shar …), she could have used the original words as another way of ciphering her text for privacy purposes.
Koen G’s interesting recent video on the words on the last page of the existing VM shows that Latin and German are mixed up there along with Voynichese and other yet unreadable material, and the author could have also been aware of the mixed language sources used in the VM text.
Now, going back to the “Botrus” proposed solution, I suggested that the author seems to be using ‘a’ as a wild card, or a joker in a card game a la magnisium’s suggestion (but less complicated than his proposal), which can stand for anything (letter, word, whole sentence, etc.), but likely primarily a phonetic substitute of ‘t” such as ‘et’ or ‘at’ or ‘te’ or ‘ta’ etc. Even today, we read @ as ‘at’ without a ‘t’ being evident in it visually (this is just an example, not that the symbol was used as such back then).
My suggestion was, if Botrus is a solution for 8oa29 and that cipher rule is being applied, if an ‘a’ is preceded and/or followed by a vowel, it would trigger the rule, asking the reader to substitute it with something, depending on the image or textual context, or by referring to a table of possible substitutes, if less evident.
According to the VM browser, any errors in it notwithstanding, there are 13614 ‘a’s and 21895 ‘o’s, but only 282 ‘oa’s (there is just one ‘oa’ alone but I think it is an error by the browser).
If there is a ‘t’ used in its text, in the middle of any word, it could then be hidden under the ‘a’ provided that the preceding and/or following vowel rule is found, for triggering the rule. Otherwise, the ‘a’ would just be an ‘a’.
Now, if we apply that possible rule to one of the most appearing and discussed “words’ in the VM, that is the EVA ‘daiin’ (8aiin), an interesting solution can be found as a hypothesis.
The word, applying the rule, since the vowel follows a (and in fact, sometimes the i could be used to trigger the rule, even when not needed), we obtain the solution “batin.”
Batin (in the original باطن ) is a very important word used in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and essential to astrology and esoteric knowledge, because it means ‘inner’, ‘interior’ ‘occult’ ‘hidden’ etc. It is contrasted with ‘zahir” (or “Zaher”) again used in the same languages and traditions, meaning ‘outer’ ‘appearance’ , etc. I would rank this word as one of the most important, perhaps the most important, word in esoteric sciences.
In a manuscript seemingly dedicated to expressing hidden meanings, be they botanical, astrological, medicinal, etc., it provides a key language for expressing the hidden meanings of their elements, so it can be used as part of any term, across all the sections. The browser shows the word used 1393 times as part of other words, and 864 times alone. I can’t think of any word that could best describe this manuscript filled with “inner meaning” of things. The illustrations are actually ways of making those hidden meanings apparent.
Using the term as such does NOT make the overall text necessarily Arabic, Persian, Turkish, I must add. All it shows is that the word is the part of the elephant of an overall language the author is using to write her text likely for privacy. Using many language borrowings, therefore, can be a distinct possibility, without denying that the overall language of the author can be X or Y.
Just another side note to add to the above in light of a recent contribution made by JustAnotherTheory, seeing “baths” or “hamams” as indicating a Persian or Arabic source for the VM, would be like the same as explained above. Just because there are transcultural themes influencing the VM, it does not make it necessarily belong to those sources. Most evident of course is the astrology or the botanical items, obviously influenced by Persian/Arabic sources influencing the Medieval sciences in the period.
This does not signify the manuscript necessarily is belonging to those source influences, though the transcultural seeing of the elephant is essential for understanding the VM, in my view. The author may have even seen images of those proposed source material, and tried to depict them in her own way in the VM, but I doubt those symbols are actually referring to mundane pipes and hoses, so to speak.