20-06-2026, 03:42 PM
The interpretation of Quire 13 as an anatomical section is a major and seemingly widespread error. I stated this before, and I repeat it not arbitrarily, but because it is essential for the coherence that all reasoned research must possess. I start from a minimal assumption: the Voynich manuscript is a whole, a codex with a unified meaning. Anyone who thinks it consists of different, unconnected parts should stop reading this because we'll never agree.
The codex is a medicinal or magical herbal like others of its time. It is distinguished by the fact that it is accompanied by astrological and cosmological diagrams, but this is consistent with medieval thought, in which medical science was closely linked to astrology. Therefore, the Voynich Manuscript, even though it is a rare and highly original codex, is deeply embedded in the culture of its time. It is a cultural artifact of that era.
The idea that there might be an anatomical section in the Voynich Manuscript is completely illogical, because it is clearly an astrological herbal. No one in the 17th century, when we have the first evidence of its existence, imagined that the codex depicted human organs. It was simply assumed to be a herbal containing exotic plants with medicinal uses. Furthermore, in the 17th century, the symbolic meaning of images had not been lost. If people saw naked women, they knew it meant something else.
To properly interpret Quire 13, the first thing to do is to ask what the female figures in the zodiacal section mean, because they are the same. Those figures are all holding a star. I can speculate endlessly about what that means, but in all likelihood, it means that those female figures represent stars because that was a common form of representation in the Middle Ages. Everyone has seen the planet Venus depicted as a beautiful woman, or the planet Mars as a warrior. There are manuscripts in which these figures are accompanied by stars above or beside their heads, similar to the Voynich Manuscript.
A zodiac sign is nothing more than a constellation of fixed stars. I don't think it's very difficult, therefore, to interpret the female figures holding stars. What surprises me is that I have to defend this practically alone.
The codex is a medicinal or magical herbal like others of its time. It is distinguished by the fact that it is accompanied by astrological and cosmological diagrams, but this is consistent with medieval thought, in which medical science was closely linked to astrology. Therefore, the Voynich Manuscript, even though it is a rare and highly original codex, is deeply embedded in the culture of its time. It is a cultural artifact of that era.
The idea that there might be an anatomical section in the Voynich Manuscript is completely illogical, because it is clearly an astrological herbal. No one in the 17th century, when we have the first evidence of its existence, imagined that the codex depicted human organs. It was simply assumed to be a herbal containing exotic plants with medicinal uses. Furthermore, in the 17th century, the symbolic meaning of images had not been lost. If people saw naked women, they knew it meant something else.
To properly interpret Quire 13, the first thing to do is to ask what the female figures in the zodiacal section mean, because they are the same. Those figures are all holding a star. I can speculate endlessly about what that means, but in all likelihood, it means that those female figures represent stars because that was a common form of representation in the Middle Ages. Everyone has seen the planet Venus depicted as a beautiful woman, or the planet Mars as a warrior. There are manuscripts in which these figures are accompanied by stars above or beside their heads, similar to the Voynich Manuscript.
A zodiac sign is nothing more than a constellation of fixed stars. I don't think it's very difficult, therefore, to interpret the female figures holding stars. What surprises me is that I have to defend this practically alone.