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The Voynich Manuscript: The Mysterious Code That Has Defied Interpretation for Centuries

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The Voynich manuscript is filled with drawings of fantastic plants, zodiacal symbols and naked ladies. More mysterious is the accompanying text, 234 pages of beautifully formed script that has not been deciphered.

Wilfrid Voynich bought the manuscript in 1912 and started circulating copies in the hope of having it translated. The manuscript is written in "Voynichese", which consists of strange characters, some of which look like normal Latin letters and Roman numerals. Some analysts have suggested that Voynichese is a modified form of Chinese. Others think it may be Ukrainian with the vowels taken out. But Voynichese words do not resemble those of any known language. The internal structure of Voynichese words, and how they fit together in sentences, is unlike patterns seen in other languages.

Cryptographers haven't been able to crack the code, despite a number of efforts to do so. From time to time, NASA reviews the literature; the book labels some patches of the sky with unfamiliar constellations. Modern historians of astronomy efforts to understand the origins of these constellations are as unavailing as those of modern code-breakers.

The text could just be gibberish, an artifact created to sell to Emperor Rudolph as the work of Roger Bacon for 600 gold ducats. Or perhaps Voynich himself created the manuscript.

Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill explore the mystery surrounding the Voynich Manuscript, examining the many existing theories about the manuscript. They discuss people who may be connected to it, including Roger Bacon, John Dee, and the Cathars.

If you are interested in exploring the mystery for yourself, you can find the entire text by Googling "Beinnecke Rare Book Yale" and entering MS 408 as a call number. You can download the pages and purchase relatively poor photocopies of specific pages from Yale. Wikipedia has a long discussion of the book with an Index that rivals that in the Kennedy/Churchill book.

Two other good books on the subject include Voynich Manuscript an Elegant Enigma: An Elegant Enigma (Cryptographic Series , No 27) by Mary E. D'Imperio and The Most Mysterious Manuscript: The Voynich "Roger Bacon" Cipher Manuscript by Robert S. Brumbaugh.

Happy solving!

*****

Addendum: December 14, 2009. A new interpretation has been offered and defended by Edith Sherwood, Ph.D. The essence of her argument appears on her webpage -- link in the fourth Comment below:

"Edith Sherwood Ph.D. The Voynich Manuscript Decoded?

"I give examples to show that the code used in the Voynich Manuscript is probably a series of Italian word anagrams written in a fancy embellished script. This code, that has been confusing scholars for nearly a century, is therefore not as complicated as it first appears.

"Leonardo da Vinci and the Voynich Manuscript

"The Voynich Manuscript may have been written by a young Leonardo da Vinci as evidenced by a similarity to Leonardo's script and signature, an indication of mirror writing, and an astrological chart that corresponds to Leonardo's birthday. Mistakes in the manuscript point to the possibility that a precocious child could have been the author."

*****

Robert C. Ross 2008 2009

After reading, be sure to check out the latest info on Google. Carbon dating has been done by the University of Arizona.

Literary adventurers pounce on the opportunity to become enchanted by mysterious codes, their origins and authors shrouded in secrecy. Such curiosities allow their readers to take up magnifying glasses and burn midnight oil, fancying themselves the one to provide decades-hidden insight. It is with such vigor that one approaches The Voynich Manuscript, by Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill. The authors deliver a thorough exploration of a potentially insightful Goddess-oriented manuscript against a paternalistic playground of men attempting to understand and exploit it. To that end, this book is more about the story of the key figures and life around the manuscript, than it is on providing a solid focus on decoding the codex, itself. Found in 1912 by Wilfrid Voynich, the legacy of the manuscript came under public scrutiny, where it remains still. Kennedy learned at the funeral of a family member that Voynich was a distant relative of his. Through that lens the introduction of the text is quite personal, though the book quickly progresses into academic detailing of the manuscript's supposed journey into the present.

Through many conjectures about the linguistic origins of the text and the possible influences of its outlandish astrological and horticultural illustrations, there is still little known about the origins of the manuscript. Cryptologists may enjoy the abundance of chapters devoted to the meticulous methods employed in attempting to decipher the code. More esoteric types may resonate with the scant pages lending it to being a written account of glossolalia (speaking in tongues), or the artful result of medieval mental illness. The authors even give rich exploration to the possibility that the manuscript is a hoax. Whatever impression readers take from the research behind this book about the Voynich Manuscript, without doubt they will have been impressed by the legacy and mystery of its path.

The Voynich manuscript remains one of the most puzzling artifacts handed down to us from antiquity. It is in an unknown language, using an unknown script, and not so much as a word has been successfully translated (though many have tried). It is filled with whimsical illustrations of plants that cannot be identified, stars that do not exist, and astrological diagrams unlike anything seen elsewhere. It is also filled with drawings of naked women cavorting in vessels of green liquid for purposes which cannot be fathomed. The author is unknown, the date is unknown (although figured to be between 1250-1450), and how the manuscript came to be preserved for the past 650 years is also a mystery.

It has been suggested by some researchers, and the authors of this book tentatively agree, that the whole thing might be an elaborate Medieval fake. Yet the sheer magnitude of it -- 272 pages, 211 illustrations, 170,000 characters, all carefully arranged and consistently produced -- would seem to argue against that. Add to that the statistical analysis of the text, which indicates that it probably *is* a legitimate language, and you have a real puzzle on your hands.

Since so little has been gleaned from the manuscript itself, the authors take the reader on a tour through Medieval scholarship, alchemy, astrology, astronomy, religious history and cryptology (since many have speculated it could be in some kind of code). The lives of several of the proposed authors are studied, along with many people who may have had a hand in preserving it. Thus the book is about a lot more than the manuscript itself, and indulges in many fascinating digressions along the way.

In the end, the riddle remains unsolved. The Voynich is probably a minor alchemical text of no particular import, perhaps the last surviving text in this language after the Crusades destroyed nearly 80% of the world's non-Christian libraries. For a fascinating glimpse into the superstitious Medieval world and the learning lost through subsequent winnowing by rampaging zealots, this book offers an excellent read.

Here are the only problems:
Needs more photos and more of the glossy color photos. Slows down a bit here and there. You can just skip ahead. A deeper exploration of some of the more fantastical theories and more imaginative analysis and interpretation of the sketches would have improved upon the somewhat narrow and academic focus of the documents history and uncracking the written "cypher." I would suggest beseeching current fiction writers to speculate on the meaning of the drawings and text in general. Other than that, it was good fun and will stay in my library forever.

A superb overview of the Voynich Mystery, the authors balance the clinical analysis needed with a thought provoking writing style. Opening every possible door and examining each thoroughly before shutting them, only at the end are we left with their own opinions as to what this thing is and what it might mean. From cryptography to psychiatry to theology to in the dirt historical research, every angle is examined. An excellent recitation and discussion of a fascinating mystery.

I would happily buy an updated version detailing recent technical analysis carried out on the manuscript.

From my view, the it's most likely this thing is simply a 15th century hoax related to alchemy- that "science" was infected with hoaxes. But if it's not the significant improvement in computing power in recent years should eventually crack whatever code exists. So hopefully one day we'll know what those plump nymphs were really up to.

After seeing the Voynich Manuscript twice on National Geographic recently, I immediately purchased this book from Amazon. I will be one of those people who spends the rest of my life following information as it is published and discussed. I certainly want to know more and will absolutely go to those web sites mentioned by other reviewers.

Too bad, I was expecting a much better representation of the manuscript. Very few images and most of those are in black and white. I think this book is misrepresented as to its content. As an artist and botanist, I wanted to see the illustrations. However, they are almost totally absent in this book. As to the interpretations of the code...how tedious.

Does anyone know of a publication that includes all of the painting, drawings and calligraphy?