Hi!
I want to share my experiments with you. I wrote earlier that the VMs “word” otol (
otol) is interesting for me, as it is a label for a few different illustrations in different sections of the manuscript. In particular, it appears in the “cosmological” section, in the “anatomy”-section and in the “small plants”-section (f102v2). From time to time, I try to choose words in different languages for this word. There were many approaches, but I want to write about two of them, as I count them the most interesting. Perhaps, trying to find a correct meaning for the label, we will find a solution. I'm not sure, but I hope so.
The first experiment is based on Greek language approach. I promised to write about this recently. I must say that I don’t have unique interpretation for this, as this is just an experiment. I don’t know Greek, so I just play with substitutions. Conditions: if it is a separate lable, I take it for a separate word.
Fortunately, this word contains only three characters: o, t and l.
Substitution # 1:
o = o
t = p
l = s
We’ll get the Greek word opos. In Latin transliteration it may mean:
1)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– as, like (adv.)
2)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– such as, just as, etc. (adv.) (see the link)
3)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– juice, plant/vegetable juice; fig-juice (noun)
The most interesting interpretation is, of course, “juice”. I don’t say it is ideal, but it marks some parts of the “anatomical”-like pipes on You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view. and f77v, besides almost every page (at least, the most of them) of the herbal section contains at least one otol. While I don’t imagine what it can mean, as an inscription to a star on f68r1.
Substitution # 2:
o = o
t = r
l = s
In Latin transliteration, it is oros, that can be:
1)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– limit, boundary, term, end, aim, etc. (noun)
2)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– a mountain, hill, section, etc. (noun)
3)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– serum, pus (noun). Old dictionaries also give such definitions, as whey, serum of blood.
As for me, this result is even more interesting, as these words may be used in all those sections of the VMs. Nevertheless, I made one more substitution.
Substitution # 3:
o = o
t = l
l = s
Latin transliteration: olos, in Greek may be:
1)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– whole, entire, absolute, generally, actually, etc. (noun)
2)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Login to view.
– whole, entire, all (not Ancient Greek noun)
3)[font=Times New Roman] [/font]ὅλος – muddy liquid (noun) (it is noted in some dictionaries)
Unfortunately, I can’t find a solution working with the main text. First of all, I don’t know Greek and Ancient Greek, and I couldn’t find a proper Greek word for the most part of the VMs words that contain [-otol-] in itself.
The second experiment was absolutely accidental. It led me to Hungarian language, also interesting one, to the point. I used only one way of substitution:
o = e
t = r
l = k
With this, we’ll get
“erek”. In Hungarian it means
“veins” or
“streamlets” (nom.plur.). Undoubtedly, this result got me interested. And I was greatly surprised how many words with the same repeated vowel (from two to four times) can be found in this language. Thus, otol, okol, orol, ofol, opol, ochol, odol could be erek (veins), elek (edges; I live), evek (years), egek (heavens), etc. Nevertheless, I can’t say that this substitution really works in the main text, at least, for me.