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A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
- A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
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A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
えすじーけけ > 14-07-2025, 02:18 PM
Hello everyone,
I’m a newcomer to Voynich studies, but I’d like to share a hypothesis I developed after closely examining publicly available images of the manuscript. Please keep in mind I’m not a specialist — this is just an idea from an outsider's perspective — but I’d sincerely appreciate any feedback.
My hypothesis is that the manuscript may be centered around beekeeping, with symbolic and possibly sacred aspects attached to bees.
Here’s a brief summary of my reasoning:- The botanical pages could represent either plants grown near beehives or flowers favored by bees for nectar. In some drawings, the roots seem exaggerated — possibly indicating how “attractive” the plant is to bees (e.g., stronger roots = more nectar?).
- Many of the female figures might represent bees — particularly worker bees or queens — often depicted immersed in fluid, holding objects (perhaps pollen or tools), or emerging from pipes (perhaps hive entrances).
- The spiral or rosette diagrams might be stylized cross-sections of hives, showing their inner structure or seasonal changes.
- The astronomical sections might represent the cycle of queen production, honey storage patterns, or symbolic relationships between bees and celestial patterns — such as star positions during swarming.
- The lack of realistic depiction in many plants could reflect a bee’s visual world (colors from above vs. below, petal symmetry, etc.), not a human herbalist’s.
- Why some women are crowned or veiled (perhaps symbolizing queens),
- Why the text is written so carefully (a sacred or secret manuscript about bees?),
- Why there is only one copy (a ritual or private use?).
Thanks so much for your time — and I’d be grateful for your thoughts, corrections, or even counterexamples!
By the way, I'm not a native English speaker, so I apologize for any awkward phrasing or mistakes. - The botanical pages could represent either plants grown near beehives or flowers favored by bees for nectar. In some drawings, the roots seem exaggerated — possibly indicating how “attractive” the plant is to bees (e.g., stronger roots = more nectar?).
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RE: A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
oshfdk > 14-07-2025, 04:38 PM
Hi and welcome!
(14-07-2025, 02:18 PM)えすじーけけ Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
- The lack of realistic depiction in many plants could reflect a bee’s visual world (colors from above vs. below, petal symmetry, etc.), not a human herbalist’s.
So, is the manuscript written from the point of view of a bee?
It would be cool if someone first decoded the bee dance language back in the XV century and created a script for it. At least this would make for a great story. - The lack of realistic depiction in many plants could reflect a bee’s visual world (colors from above vs. below, petal symmetry, etc.), not a human herbalist’s.
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RE: A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
えすじーけけ > 15-07-2025, 02:38 PM
@oshfdk
Thank you for pointing that out — I realize now that my wording was unclear.
I didn’t mean the bees’ visual world (like UV sensitivity), but rather a visual system shaped by what bees care about behaviorally — such as nectar locations, root structure, or access paths.
For example, in one page that shows a flower resembling a sunflower, the bottom part of the image seems to show what might be the underside of the flower. Since bees often crawl into flowers like sunflowers to reach nectar, I thought perhaps the scribe considered the underside to be the most important part from a bee’s perspective — and connected it visually below the rest of the flower to reflect that idea.
As you said, the bee dance was probably not understood in the 15th century. But I noticed that in the astronomical pages, the women are veiled or robed, and it made me wonder whether the scribe may have been exploring a possible connection between celestial cycles and queen-bee traits or lifecycles. That kind of thinking — linking animals to the stars — was not unusual in the Middle Ages.
I'm just exploring possibilities at this point. Thanks again for engaging with the idea! -
RE: A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
Mauro > 15-07-2025, 03:23 PM
(15-07-2025, 02:38 PM)えすじーけけ Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.@oshfdk
Thank you for pointing that out — I realize now that my wording was unclear.
I didn’t mean the bees’ visual world (like UV sensitivity), but rather a visual system shaped by what bees care about behaviorally — such as nectar locations, root structure, or access paths.
I can't understand how a bee (nor a beekeeper) could be interested in the root structure of plants, which play no part whatsoever in a bee's life. I'd rather expect to find hornets mentioned, which bees (and beekeepers) care very much about behaviourally.
(15-07-2025, 02:38 PM)えすじーけけ Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.For example, in one page that shows a flower resembling a sunflower, the bottom part of the image seems to show what might be the underside of the flower. Since bees often crawl into flowers like sunflowers to reach nectar, I thought perhaps the scribe considered the underside to be the most important part from a bee’s perspective — and connected it visually below the rest of the flower to reflect that idea.
Then the beekeeper scribe never saw a bee feeding on, say, a daisy or any similar flower (ofc there were no sunflowers in the Old World at least until 1492). Bees just land on the flower from the top, they don't care about the underside.
(15-07-2025, 02:38 PM)えすじーけけ Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.As you said, the bee dance was probably not understood in the 15th century. But I noticed that in the astronomical pages, the women are veiled or robed, and it made me wonder whether the scribe may have been exploring a possible connection between celestial cycles and queen-bee traits or lifecycles. That kind of thinking — linking animals to the stars — was not unusual in the Middle Ages.
I'm just exploring possibilities at this point. Thanks again for engaging with the idea!
All in all, it's a suggestive hypothesis, even cool I daresay. But I fear it's quite improbable, and seriously lacking on evidence at this point. -
RE: A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
Rafal > 15-07-2025, 09:37 PM
Cool story bro
Actually I kind of like it. And you may push it further:
There was some secret cult of beekeepers. They worshipped bees and believed one day everybody will be transformed
into a bee. It expains lack of any Christian imagery. They were at first mocked by people so they went underground and developed
a secret language and cipher. Their religion didn't allow them to depict bees directly so they used different metaphors
- women bathing in pools are larvae in the hive
- Zodiac pages tell what to do to bees in different days of different months. And there is no Capricorn because you don't deal with bees in January
- "daiin" word means actually "bzzz", the sound which a bee makes. When talking in the secret language you have to say "bzzz" from time to time
- they used weird color for plants because they realized that bee vision is different than our and tried to mimic it
But seriously? Sorry, but not this time
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RE: A Beekeeping-Based Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript
Bluetoes101 > 15-07-2025, 10:14 PM
While I wouldn't consider the idea well supported, I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand for being wacky due to bees (Johannes Nider example below)
That being said, the images in the manuscript can morph their meaning to support a lot of ideas, I chose a line at random.
- Many of the female figures might represent bees — particularly worker bees or queens — often depicted immersed in fluid, holding objects (perhaps pollen or tools), or emerging from pipes (perhaps hive entrances).
I don't think bees have discovered tools yet, but that aside. There was a solution suggesting "olive oil" that could make sense. Personally I like the idea of aliments (in body parts) and cures (liquids etc). Or, maybe they are Angels traveling from the ethereal realm to earth (shown with tubes) with gifts for the pious. For each of the points you could do this most likely, which is why I say "I wouldn't consider the idea well supported". Anyway, welcome to the forum and I thought your idea was more interesting than some others.
Johannes Nider’s Formicarius (1436–1438)
From WIKI.
"The treatise is organized according to the forms and conditions of the lives of ants. The first book focuses on the deeds of good men and women and is organized around the occupations of ants. The second book, dealing with revelations, was based on ants' varied means of locomotion. The third book examines false visions and uses the variable sizes and kinds of ants.
The fourth book deals with the virtues of saints and other holy people, using the stages of an ant's life cycle. The fifth book, on witches, is structured around the colors of ants. Additionally, each of the twelve chapters of each book was based on one of sixty conditions of ants' lives. This complex system of using ants as metaphors for various aspects of Christian belief and practice is only really addressed in the first few lines of each chapter, after which Nider focuses on whatever theme he means to address with almost no further reference to ants." - Many of the female figures might represent bees — particularly worker bees or queens — often depicted immersed in fluid, holding objects (perhaps pollen or tools), or emerging from pipes (perhaps hive entrances).