17-02-2026, 11:59 PM
The zodiac nymph+star images may represent the degrees of the zodiac. There are thirty degrees in each zodiac sign, and in classical astrology, the degree of the zodiac played a role in 'establishing' a person's character or fate in life.
The main question was which degree was rising at the horizon at the moment that a person was born.
This is known as the ascendant. (In modern popular horoscopes, the ascendant has been replaced by the Sun sign. For this, you only need to know the date of birth, not the time).
The degrees of the zodiac were associated with stars, or small groups of stars, that were rising at the same time as this degree. These could be observed, or more easily calculated because you could actually see them. These were called 'paranatellonta'. The correspondence depends on the latitude of the observer.
There are numerous manuscripts that list (or illustrate) these correspondences.
Also other celestial events could be associated with paranatellonta, for example the culminations (highest point in the path along the sky, i.e. due South) of stars or planets.
This association is an interesting hypothesis for the meaning of the Voynich zodiac, but of course we don't know if this is the case.
Most interpretations that have been offered over time are based on personal taste rather than good reference / comparison material.
The main question was which degree was rising at the horizon at the moment that a person was born.
This is known as the ascendant. (In modern popular horoscopes, the ascendant has been replaced by the Sun sign. For this, you only need to know the date of birth, not the time).
The degrees of the zodiac were associated with stars, or small groups of stars, that were rising at the same time as this degree. These could be observed, or more easily calculated because you could actually see them. These were called 'paranatellonta'. The correspondence depends on the latitude of the observer.
There are numerous manuscripts that list (or illustrate) these correspondences.
Also other celestial events could be associated with paranatellonta, for example the culminations (highest point in the path along the sky, i.e. due South) of stars or planets.
This association is an interesting hypothesis for the meaning of the Voynich zodiac, but of course we don't know if this is the case.
Most interpretations that have been offered over time are based on personal taste rather than good reference / comparison material.
![[+]](https://www.voynich.ninja/images/collapse_collapsed.png)