MarcoP,
thank you for the poppy illustrations. The thing as a flower, pod, or other floral element is a very interesting possibility considering that medieval baths are often described as including fragrant/medicinal plants, and in light of the idea that many other elements in Q13 could also be interpreted as flowers, plants or parts of plants.
Also Q13 features several nymphs lying down, so the depiction of sedatives would not be surprising.
I remember vaguely that someone (EllieV maybe?) had also suggested poppy pods for the bulbs in f83v, although they are depicted differently.
Koen Gh,
although I'm still chuckling from reading your "voynich humor" posts, I'll try to answer that question seriously!
"Why would she hold out an enema like that though?"
To me the way she is holding the thing is just a motif in the very limited repertoire of Voynich poses, and does not indicate the actual way the objects are meant to be held: in medieval marginalia, lots of characters brandish objects in totally unpractical ways.
Whether we imagine that the Thing is an enema, an horologium, or cornucopia or whatever, the problem is the same: those objects are not meant to be held that way.
I believe the way the thing (and the cross on the other similar looking folio) is brandished here is modeled after a template of pose seen in several medieval manuscripts' marginal characters, in the upper left corner of folios. I'll try to post more about that later, no time now, sorry!
thank you for the poppy illustrations. The thing as a flower, pod, or other floral element is a very interesting possibility considering that medieval baths are often described as including fragrant/medicinal plants, and in light of the idea that many other elements in Q13 could also be interpreted as flowers, plants or parts of plants.
Also Q13 features several nymphs lying down, so the depiction of sedatives would not be surprising.
I remember vaguely that someone (EllieV maybe?) had also suggested poppy pods for the bulbs in f83v, although they are depicted differently.
Koen Gh,
although I'm still chuckling from reading your "voynich humor" posts, I'll try to answer that question seriously!
"Why would she hold out an enema like that though?"
To me the way she is holding the thing is just a motif in the very limited repertoire of Voynich poses, and does not indicate the actual way the objects are meant to be held: in medieval marginalia, lots of characters brandish objects in totally unpractical ways.
Whether we imagine that the Thing is an enema, an horologium, or cornucopia or whatever, the problem is the same: those objects are not meant to be held that way.
I believe the way the thing (and the cross on the other similar looking folio) is brandished here is modeled after a template of pose seen in several medieval manuscripts' marginal characters, in the upper left corner of folios. I'll try to post more about that later, no time now, sorry!