-JKP- > 24-03-2018, 05:56 AM
(23-03-2018, 03:45 PM)Morten St. George Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....
Recall that on page 85+ we see an unambiguous drawing of the fleur de lys so the VMS authors were clearly familiar with this symbol. Also, let me remind you that, historically, the fleur de lys is predominantly associated with France rather than Italy.
Morten St. George > 24-03-2018, 04:30 PM
(24-03-2018, 04:57 AM)-JKP- Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(24-03-2018, 12:08 AM)Morten St. George Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....The animal depicted on page 80v shows no signs of having a very long tail and consequently is far more likely to be an armadillo than a pangolin....
That statement doesn't hold water in the context of medieval critter drawings. Someone else will say: "An armadillo has plates and a pangolin has scales, so it's much more likely to be a pangolin" and another person will come along and say it's a bumpy-wooled ram (there are bumpy-wool varieties of sheep), so it's more likely to be a ram than a pangolin or armadillo".
I've already linked my blog on how medieval illustrators drew animals, but in case you didn't read it, here it is again.
You really should look at the pictures before you interpret the "pangolin/armadillo/sheep/aardvark" critter too literally:
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There are also threads on this forum investigating the little dragony critter that's nibbling or smelling a leaf. There's no agreement at all on either this critter or the "pangolin" critter even after very capable researchers spent months collecting medieval drawings and discussing them.
Koen G > 24-03-2018, 04:34 PM
Morten St. George > 24-03-2018, 05:31 PM
(24-03-2018, 05:02 AM)-JKP- Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(24-03-2018, 02:38 AM)Morten St. George Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....
It surprises me that Wikipedia is continuing to insinuate that the VMS was composed in northern Italy. With this unfounded contention Wikipedia is doing severe harm to anyone trying to uncover the true origins of the VMS. I might cancel my donation next year
A substantial portion of the Wikipedia information on the VMS is taken from the Beinecke site and from the blogs of people on this forum (some of it is copied almost word-for-word from people's blogs).
Some of the information on the Beinecke site (including the statement about where the VMS originated) has been there for years and hasn't been updated. They're probably not motivated to update it until new information that can be verified with a high degree of certainty is put forward and that's not easy to do with the VMS.
Morten St. George > 24-03-2018, 05:39 PM
(24-03-2018, 05:56 AM)-JKP- Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.(23-03-2018, 03:45 PM)Morten St. George Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....
Recall that on page 85+ we see an unambiguous drawing of the fleur de lys so the VMS authors were clearly familiar with this symbol. Also, let me remind you that, historically, the fleur de lys is predominantly associated with France rather than Italy.
Everyone was familiar with fleur-de-lis symbols (they were based on iris and lily flowers, and sometimes on the shape of a blade grip), just as everyone was familiar with images of lions used on standards, coats of arms, tapestries, and clothing.
They have come to be associated with France, but in earlier times, they can be found in Italy and Greece, as well, on emblems, churches, coins...
Fleur-de-lis symbols (both heraldic and otherwise) were ubiquitous in medieval society, and not just in Europe... in India the fleur-de-lis was used on coins in the Ksahtrap Dynasty, 2,000 years ago. In Europe, it was already in general use by at least the 9th century.
-JKP- > 24-03-2018, 05:40 PM
(24-03-2018, 05:31 PM)Morten St. George Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view....As far as I am aware, most medieval castles in northern Italy are still extant and no one has been able to identify any of them with the VMS castle. It is my understanding that the Cathar castles in southwestern France are also still extant though only as ruins, but these ruins likewise cannot be connected with the VMS castle.
...
Morten St. George > 24-03-2018, 11:24 PM
(24-03-2018, 04:34 PM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.It's not a well drawn armadillo, various crucial features are missing.
Koen G > 25-03-2018, 05:54 AM
Morten St. George > 25-03-2018, 03:35 PM
(25-03-2018, 05:54 AM)Koen Gh. Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.People who say it's an armadillo do so because they are much more familiar with this species than with the pangolin.
You know, in Dutch, the armadillo and pangolin are called gordeldier and schubdier respectively. Belt-animal and scale-animal. That's because the armadillo has bands, while the pangolin has large scales.
Look for any early armadillo drawing. It will have bands. When an armadillo drawing has no bands, it ignores one of the species' defining features and is hence unreliable. The VM creature's scales are huge, only three are needed to cover top to bottom.
Its tail is split, setting it apart from both armadillo and pangolin. And lizards. This implies again that the image - like any medieval animal drawing - is not scientifically accurate and canot be used as a supporting pillar of one's theory.
-JKP- > 25-03-2018, 04:21 PM