- Options
- Login
- Desktop Style
Options
A new Theory about Voynich MS
- A new Theory about Voynich MS
-
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Ahmet Barış Kestel > 18-02-2026, 10:09 AM
Hello again.
I have now reached the end of my work. I have found answers to all the questions that were on my mind. I had some problems regarding grammar, and I now believe I have found the answers to those as well. I will be publishing 26 preprint draft articles through Academia. Currently, 10 of them have been uploaded. I will complete all of them within one or two weeks as the translations and corrections are finished. Afterwards, taking the criticism I receive into consideration, I will condense them into a few articles and proceed with peer-reviewed journals. My request to you is this: please, when you have time, review the uploaded articles on Academia. If you see any inconsistency, error, misinterpretation, etc., please criticize it. I need criticism right now. I am not only writing here but also on platforms related to the ancient Maya language and civilization. I am trying to reach experts on the subject through emails. Please offer any kind of criticism. I need to see for myself whether I can respond to them or not. This is one of the most suitable platforms for that, because you are all researchers who are well-versed in this manuscript. Thank you in advance for your comments and criticism.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. -
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Rafal > 18-02-2026, 01:31 PM
Hi,
You definitely put a lot of work into your theory.
But like some people before I have a feeling that you are beating around the bush a bit - not addressing the most basic and obvious questions.
I understand you claim that Voynixh Manuscript is written in Mayan language.
So let me ask, how do you believe:
- when it was created?
- who created it, Maya people or Europeans?
- where it was created, somewhere in Mexico or in Europe?
- does it represent Mayan or European view of the world?
- are you able to read single words or something more? -
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Ahmet Barış Kestel > 18-02-2026, 02:34 PM
Hello.
First of all, thank you very much for your criticism.
It's understandable that you think I'm beating around the bush. I can understand that, because I haven't posted all the articles yet. But please bear with me. If I had started directly with text translation, the questions "Where did you get the idea that it belongs to the Maya?" and "Why do you read this word this way, do you have a rule or are you just assigning random meanings?" would have come up. Moreover, ancient Maya belief is not a fully uncovered belief system. It is a civilization whose written sources and beliefs were destroyed during the colonial period, except for four calendar codices. The solution of the VMS will also reveal unknowns about that civilization (or so I believe). For this reason, I need to explain the VMS cosmology first. Otherwise, a Maya expert would say "there's no such thing in Maya culture." That's why I designed 26 articles — to progress step by step. This is the best I can do. I decided this was the most logical approach.
When was it created? Who created it, Maya people or Europeans? The carbon tests are clear. The date it was written is known. But in my opinion, it is a Classic Period Maya work — though I believe it is a copy. (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view..) The drawings, especially the botanical illustrations, are perfectly consistent with anonymous European plant illustrations of the period. But strangely, the subject matter is not consistent. If I were going solely by the drawings, I could swear it was written by the same author as You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. I would even think it traveled from there to France and then south. But the subject matter is not European.
Where was it created, somewhere in Mexico or in Europe? It was probably copied during a pre-Columbian contact. Or it was reported/copied as every ship expedition crew did. The Maya have no known alphabet like this. However, there are traces of this alphabet in the letters of Landa — one of the first clergymen to visit the region and largely responsible for the burning of the texts. I will upload this toward the end. I can share it here if you'd like. As for the illustrations, I understand they were difficult. Maya drawings are very complex. The copyist couldn't replicate them — if they saw a woman, they drew a woman the way they knew how. And that has always been misleading.
Does it represent a Maya or European worldview? The perception of the universe has undergone a few transformations throughout history. Ancient societies, because their observation abilities and tools were limited, perceived the universe more mythologically. For them, celestial bodies were not as we understand them. Celestial bodies were divine, and their every movement carried sacred meanings. That's why they matched the movements of celestial bodies with mythological stories. If you pay attention, even the Sun in the VMS is born from a daisy. I could explain at length, but this alone proves the mythological perspective. Yet in the period when the VMS was written, the commonly accepted model in Europe was the Ptolemaic universe model. In other words, the mythological view had long been replaced by early theories and early scientific perspectives. The VMS could not have been written by a scientist, because it is not a step beyond the Ptolemaic model — on the contrary, it must go back much further, perhaps to the periods of Celtic mythology or Roman times. But those periods were long past. Therefore, the subject matter cannot be European.
Can you read single words or something more? I can read much more than that. I can do paragraph translation. I will upload it. But remember, it's an ancient language. What I was trying to solve was identifying suffixes such as personal suffixes and tense suffixes. I have largely identified them. But first, I needed to explain these in order. I will upload the articles as I translate them. You'll see it there. But please understand me too. I am Turkish. The VMS directed me toward the Maya language. I learned and am still learning by researching from the outside. That's why I always try to progress slowly and without errors. -
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Rafal > 18-02-2026, 03:00 PM
Thank you for the answer.
So if I understand correctly, according to your theory:
- Voynich Manuscript was created in early 1400s, as carbon tests suggest
- it was made by some Europeans who had a pre-Columbian contact with Maya
You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
- it was brought then back to Europe
- it is drawn in the European style but reflects Mayan myths
Would it be right? -
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Ahmet Barış Kestel > 18-02-2026, 03:05 PM
Evet, doğru. Kolomb öncesi bir tür temas olmuş olmalı. Teorimin en çok eleştiri alacak kısmı burası. Birçok insan sizin gibi sormayacak, doğrudan reddedecek. Kibar yaklaşımınız için teşekkür ederim. Çünkü Kolomb bir tabu! Ama inanın bana, VMS'nin Maya kökenli olması bana hiçbir avantaj sağlamıyor. Keşke Türkçe olsaydı. Ben bir tarih öğretmeniyim. Bunu araştırmak benim için çok kolay olurdu... Ben de bunu istemezdim. Ama sürekli aynı sonuca vardım.
Yes, that's right. There must have been some kind of pre-Columbian contact. This is the part of my theory that will receive the most criticism. Many people won't ask like you did — they will reject it outright. Thank you for your polite approach. Because Columbus is a taboo! But believe me, the VMS being of Maya origin doesn't give me any advantage. I wish it were in Turkish. I am a history teacher. It would have been so easy for me to research that... I wouldn't have wanted this either. But I kept coming back to the same conclusion over and over. -
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Rafal > 18-02-2026, 03:45 PM
Here is a translation of your answer. I guess you posted in Turkish by mistake:
Yes, that's right. There must have been some kind of contact before Columbus. This is the part of my theory that will receive the most criticism. Many people won't ask like you, they'll reject it outright. Thank you for your polite approach. Because Columbus is a taboo! But believe me, the fact that VMS is of Mayan origin doesn't give me any advantage. I wish it were in Turkish. I'm a history teacher. It would be very easy for me to research this... I wouldn't want that either. But I've always come to the same conclusion.
Yes, if you try to publish it somewhere, reviewers may be very critical of the pre-Columbian contact. European people sailing to Mexico and back, discovering advanced culture, bringing artifacts and not telling anyone about it is a different thing than some Eskimoes crossing the Bering strait.
ButI am not going to argue with you here, good luck with your theory! -
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Ahmet Barış Kestel > 18-02-2026, 03:46 PM
Yes, that's right. There must have been some kind of pre-Columbian contact. This is the part of my theory that will receive the most criticism. Many people won't ask like you did — they will reject it outright. Thank you for your polite approach. Because Columbus is a taboo! But believe me, the VMS being of Maya origin doesn't give me any advantage. I wish it were in Turkish. I am a history teacher. It would have been so easy for me to research that... I wouldn't have wanted this either. But I kept coming back to the same conclusion over and over.
I just noticed. Thank you for your warning, this was the answer.
-
RE: A new Theory about Voynich MS
Ahmet Barış Kestel > 18-02-2026, 03:50 PM
Yes, I'm aware. This will always be an obstacle when I try to publish. It's going to be very difficult.