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Marginalia in Voynichese?
- Marginalia in Voynichese?
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Marginalia in Voynichese?
ololololo > 16-06-2026, 09:58 PM
While researching the balneology section, I noticed that some words were noticeably different from others on the same page, as if they had been added by someone else who knew Voynichese. Of course, this isn't exactly marginal, but I'm putting it here.
The word kchedykary is written in a handwriting style similar to the rest of the section, but the lines are thin and about the same width, which is unusual for pen writing but resembles fountain pen writing. You can also notice that it is written above the line, rather than starting the line.
The letter d is also highlighted - it is written without jerks and resembles an eight too much. On the same page, you can see the words between the pipe and the pond with the nymphs. They don't fit into the lines and are written in the same way as kchedykary (clearly not with a pen).
Another example can be found on f75v.
The top words on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. are also slightly different from the main text.
Maybe You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
and You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
And, finally, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
Such "foreign signatures" are not regular, i.e., there are also signature words written with a pen in the section. However, these inscriptions have a special feature: as you can see, they are often written inside illustrations.
Maybe I'm wrong, and this is just a hallucination, but it seemed strange to me.
What do you think or know about it? -
RE: Marginalia in Voynichese?
Jorge_Stolfi > 17-06-2026, 12:42 AM
(16-06-2026, 09:58 PM)ololololo Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.While researching the balneology section, I noticed that some words were noticeably different from others on the same page The word kchedykary is written in a handwriting style similar to the rest of the section, but the lines are thin and about the same width, which is unusual for pen writing but resembles fountain pen writing.[...] What do you think or know about it?
One possible explanation is that the Scribe re-trimmed his quill after writing the first line -- precisely because the lines were coming out thin, and he wanted to have the same "font" as the rest of the section. Namely, he wanted a broad nib that created broad strokes in the NW-SE direction, and thin ones in the NE-SW direction.
On the other hand,when he had to write text in cramped spaces -- like the nymph labels, and the text sal okeedy daly ... inside the side loop of the "water slide", he sharpened the pen so that he could write smaller letters.
I have another possible explanation, but some people are allergic to it, so I will not mention it here. Anyway I think it is less likely to explain this particular feature than the one above.
All the best, --stolfi -
RE: Marginalia in Voynichese?
Linda > 17-06-2026, 01:26 AM
Perhaps these examples were written in place by the same person who drew the drawings? As you say, they are found within the drawings themselves. -
RE: Marginalia in Voynichese?
nablator > 17-06-2026, 09:08 AM
The difference has been noticed before (search kchedykary) and the type of pen with a metal point that could write strokes with equal width in all directions hasn't been invented yet in the 15th century. Perhaps it was just a very sharp quill. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., line 15, word 3: an extremely sharp quill, quickly becomes blunter.
See also the labels in darker ink on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. : not retraced but added. -
RE: Marginalia in Voynichese?
Bernd > 17-06-2026, 02:16 PM
Is it possible the scribe wrote the thin label text in the images first and then stopped using this quill after the first word on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. ?
If we look at Q13 bifolio-wise:
bifolio 79-80: thin labels on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
bifolio 78-81: thick labels on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. + You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. (?)
bifolio 77-82: thick labels on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. + You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. / thick labels on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. + You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. top but thin labels on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. + You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. bottom
bifolio 76-83: thick labels on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. + You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
bifolio 75-84: first word on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. thin, labels on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. + You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. thin
It appears all over the place, especially f82 with both thick and thin labels is weird. If we consider You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. the first page, it looks like the scribe started with thick labels and / or wrote them simultaneously with the main text.
76-83 - start, thick
78-81 - thick
77-82 - transition to thin on f82r,v bottom
79-80- thin
75-84 - thin incl. thin first word of main text
The question is- - do the thick labels correlate to the main text in a way that we can say they were written simultaneously? If so, we can argue that the scribe stopped writing labels together with the main text on f82 r+v bottom for whatever reason and also chose to omit them on bifolios 79-80 and 75-84. Then added them later including the first word on f75r.
As always, things appear complicated and I would not rule out the VM was created in several passes.