POSSIBLE ASTRONOMICAL INDICATORS IN THE “BIOLOGICAL” SECTION

This is a brief look at indications that the “Biological” section of the Voynich Manuscript may contain astronomical data, in relation to both Western and Chinese astronomy. I give some examples of images of the astronomy of both cultures mixed into the images, in page order rather than subject matter.

f75r

I suggest that the rivers and pools with the nymphs in are representative of the milky way or specific regions of the sky.  In China and other countries, the Milky Way was viewed as a celestial river that joined the earth and sky, linking the world of the gods with the world of human.  In ancient China it was known as the “Tien Ho”, the “Silver or heavenly river”,  the celestial counterpart of the river Ho (the Yellow River) and it became swollen in appearance during the rainy season like the river.  This seems to fit the imagery much better than the Greek myth that the Milky Way was caused by milk spilt by Hera when suckling Hercules.

The nymphs in this setting would then be representative of heavenly bodies, moving through space.  The arrangement of the nymphs gives the feel that orbits, planetary motion, retrograde motion and such like may be in the subject matter.

One of the nymphs appears to be holding a “gnomon” (shadow stick), the oldest and most simple form of sundial. In China the Gui Biao, a combination of stick (Biao) and ruler or dial aligned south-north (Gui) was used.  It was a simple pole about 8 feet long that was used to measure the sun’s shadow to calculate the solstices and equinoxes, at night it was used to follow the passage of the stars.  In Greece the introduction of the gnomon was attributed to Anaximander (born 7th century BC). Herodotos stated in his “Histories” (450 BC) that the use of the gnomon was learnt of from the Babylonians and Mesopotamian texts talk of the measurement of the shadow of a stick 1 cubit high in relation to time.  It was also used in Egypt, India and in Medieval Europe the sundial was used to measure time much as the obelisks of the ancients had been.  The gnomon was an intricate part of astronomical instruments for many cultures and was used to determine equinoxes and solstices, latitude and Eratosthenes even calculated the size of the earth using two gnomen and camels.  Thus the gnomen, a simple stick, the oldest and simplest of astronomical instruments opened the door to timekeeping and astronomy in many cultures and as such its appearance on the first folio of this quire would not be out of place.

f75r, cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	Example of a shadow stick. Tibetan Shepherd's tapering octagonal hard-wood Timestick. Licence GFDL. Wikipedia.

f75v

f75v, cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare  Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

 

This image looks like it could represent a Mercator style projection of the sky or the world, displaying both north and south poles.  A twin hemisphere celestial or terrestrial map, with a polar based centre representative of the Chinese sky.  Alternatively a diagrammatic representation of the idea of  “Terra Incognita” being a mirror image of the known world or sky.  The wavy band around the outside on the Voynich image may refer to the milky way if it is a twin hemisphere celestial map.

 

Credit: Redshift6.  Star map with overlay by P. Han showing sky map depicting twin hemispheres.

 

A general celestial map is shown above, showing both Polar regions (NCP left, SCP right), constellations and the milky way (bright ring).  The celestial equator runs down middle top to bottom (bright gray line), the ecliptic (red line).  On the Voynich image there is a tube entering the “celestial map” from the top mid section which could correspond to the equator, ecliptic, or Moon's orbit among other things.  Astronomy in China was circumpolar and although the ecliptic, Huangdao” (yellow road) was sometimes used in calculations, the Equator, “Chidao” (red road) was central and was said to “encircle the heart of heaven”.  The path of the moon was called the “baidao” the white road.  The names may be based on coloured lines found on Han dynasty maps used to indicate these.
 

Some Southern constellations were mentioned by Ptolomy in his 48 constellations, but those around the Southern polar region (allowing for earth wobble) were not added until much later.  The earlier constellations mentioned only represented those visible from 36 north of the equator, i.e. originated in the Babylonian area.  The first constellations were mentioned by Aratus in 270BC in Phaenomena, later Ptolemy in 128 AD wrote the Almagest, the most famous of ancient star catalogues.  It wasn’t until explorers ventured south that further constellations were added. To aid sea navigation “Crux”,  the Southern Cross was made into a separate constellation as there were no bright stars in the Southern polar region and this constellation acted as a pointer instead, previously it had been considered part of Centaurus by the Greeks and due to precession was visible on their horizon, now it is not visible from northern latitudes.  As explorers ventured further into the southern hemisphere more constellations were added, some of which have since been lost in time and where gaps existed extremely low magnitude stars were brought into play just to fill the sky maps with constellations such as Lynx that were so dim they were said to require the “eyes of a Lynx” to make them out at all.

 

 

f76r

 

Unlike the other folios in this quire it is the only one without any images. The subject matter can only be guessed from the other folios and any clues that may lie in the glyphs text. Suggested subject matter – “hidden eclipse”, “Venus revealed”, specifically related to the transit of Venus, and other details on Venus.

 

 

f76v

 

f76v cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	Credit: Redshift6. Cepheus, Polaris the Celestial Zero Meridian and the Galactic Equator.

I suggest the figure in the top right of the folio is showing the specific position of SN 1572 in relation to the North Celestial Pole, the Celestial Zero Meridian and the Galactic Equator.  The figure representing Cepheus or the pole star, the round tube the North Pole and the lines/dots emanating from the figure’s hands are the Celstial Zero Meridian and the vertical markings that cross it at the edge of the page the Galactic Equator.   At the intersection point of these celestial direction markers lay SN 1572.

 

f76v cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

I suggest the image above showing the figures on the left side of the foilo show constellations locating SN 1572.  From the top, Virgo, the North Pole, Cassiopea and Andromeda at the bottom.

F76v, cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	Mirror image. E 4 Verso. Virgo woodcut. Hyginus, et al. 1482. Poeticon Astronomicon. Credit: Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology	Mirror image. Figure 20, Virgo. Strauch, Aegidius. 1659. Astrognosia. Credit: Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology

 

There are only three female constellations of which two are shown holding spikes of grain or flowers.  Cassiopea is always seated leaving Virgo as the one standing female constellation holding a spikes of grains.  In star maps she is mostly shown with wings but in calendars and zodiacs often as a woman holding a flower.  In Chinese astronomy Virgo is part of the Azure Dragon of the East, and “Jiao Xiu 1” (Spica) is the determining star of the first of the lunar mansions, “Jiao” (Horn).  The covering above the nymph in the Voynich Manuscript image may represent a “lunar mansion”.
 

f76v cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

The image above is unclear but the item the nymph is holding may be a flower or it may represent a heart (with trachea attached and lungs in red to the sides), the centre of the sky being the North Pole in Chinese astronomy.  A line can be drawn from Virgo through the North Pole and on to SN 1572 in Cassipoea in a Chinese style star map that centres around the North Pole.

f76v cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.  Overlay by P. Han showing suggested position of SN 1572.

The image above may be Cassiopea, shown half sitting with what looks like a disc in her left hand representing SN 1572.

Credit: Redshift6. Star map showing constellations of Virgo, Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda.Overlay by P. Han showing position of SN 1572.	Credit: Redshift6.  North Pole centred star map showing constellations of Virgo, Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda. Overlay by P. Han showing position of SN 1572 in relation to the Celestial Zero Meridian and Galactic Equator.

 

The images above show the suggested constellations on f76v as shown on a Chinese style North Pole centred star map. Cepheus is on the pole marking the Celestial Zero Meridian and Galactic Equator. Virgo, the North Pole, Cassiopeia and Andromeda all lie on the Celestial Zero Meridian.

f77v

Possibly Cassipoea. This constellation has always been represented as the seated queen on her throne in Western astronomy. In Chinese astronomy the area of Cassiopea was represented as a porchway and later a charioteer, clearly if this is Cassiopea it is the Western interpretation.

Link to the Kugel Globe (top left globe), a " SILVER CELESTIAL GLOBE FROM ANTIQUITY" in the Gallerie Kugel, Paris.  Cassiopeia can be seen hanging upside down at the bottom of the globe, seated and with arms outstretched:

http://www.galeriekugel.com/expo_spheres/c/c_en.htm

Link to image of Cassiopeia on the Farnese Globe:

http://www.dioi.org/images/cad.jpg

The images on this folio have been compared to human reproductive organs and in further reference to the discussion of the elements on f77r this seems likely.  Cassiopeia is the place of generation in the universe, from her womb comes forth a new star, never before seen.

f78r

A real oddity on f78r, a ring with wavy lines . The nearest astronomical possibilities to this may be the constellations Coma or Corona, which have at various times been illustrated with a ring like appearance.  Corona is sometimes illustrated as a wreath with ribbons hanging down and Coma as a circlet with hair hanging down.   It may alternatively be an unfinished pipe.

Coma Berenices is the constellation containing the point of the Galactic North Pole.  On the Chinese style Polaris centred star map, SN 1572 and Coma are at opposite points of the Celestial North Pole.  Corona has no obvious relevance to the subjects.

f78v

Suggest subject matter may be the moon and its phases.

f79v

I suggest these images show astronomical instruments, the cross staff and astronomer’s ring and the canopy over the top nymph  represents the area around the North Pole locating the subject matter of this folio in that area.  The bottom nymph holds what I suggest is an astronomers ring or sundial and may represent the sun reclined, i.e., night or setting, rather than deceased as the nymph is not wrapped in a shroud.  “The term astronomer's ring refers mostly to a portable equatorial instrument having hinged meridian, equinoctial and declination circles, described by Rainer Gemma Frisius (1508-1555). It can be used as a "universal sundial.”

The Jacobs staff was used by astronomers to measure the angle between far away points to calculate latitude. It was also used for surveying and example of this is shown on this link:

http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/ign/xyz/apianmes.gif

The image on the link below shows the astronomers rings being adapted to calculate altitude for the purpose of surveying:

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/measurer/images/fig45l.gif

Over time it became more complex suggesting the Voynich Manuscript illustration to be of an early type.

Link to examples of Ring Dials:

http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/ign/xyz/ringuhr.jpg

Link to example of construction of Ring Dials:

http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/ign/xyz/ringuhrc.gif

Ring sundial, opened in full view. Source Wikimedia Commons. Copyright CC Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Germany. Credit: Jailbird.	Andreas Cellarius, Harmonia Macrocosmica, 1661. Twelth plate, cropped. Source Wikimedia Commons. PD image.

Link to example of Annular sundials, high-altitude and equatorial:

http://www.math.uni-hamburg.de/spag/ign/xyz/ringuhr.jpg

The nymph below the ones shown above appears ordinary apart from an odd looking stomach, which appears rounded but also flat and collapsed as if having recently given birth.  A reference to the birth of a new star?

I suggest this this part of f97v shows constellations, including some that were not in existence before the end of the 17th century.  If this is the case then it puts the dating of the Voynich Manuscript of late 16th – early 17th century into question, and the letter that accompanies the manuscript indicating it belonged to Rudolph II of Bohemia (1552 – 1612) could not be factual unless the Voynich Manuscript was written in sections over centuries and the letter specifically refers to the earlier parts.

Andromeda is changed out of expected orientation and looking upwards, suggesting this is a marker.  Possibly, she is indicated looking towards SN 1054, which would be in the constellation Taurus above.

This is the part of the sky I suggest the image on f79v refers to:

The group on the left I suggest consists of Andromeda, one of the fish of Pisces that touches Andromeda and Lacerta.  The group on the right I suggest consists of Leo Lynx and Canes Venatici (hunting dog).  Again the image appears to be somewhat “coded”, Lacerta is straightforwardly a lizard, the nymph and fish also self explanatory.  Of the figures on the right it is easier to examine them individually.

In the Voynich Manuscript image there is only one creature shown, it has a long tail although this is obscured by the paint.  Although on first glance it looks like another lizard the stance is close to that of the “hunting dog”, alternatively it could refer to Ursa Minor, the baby bear of the sky with an oddly long tail said to be due to be spun around the pole by its tail.  In an ancient alternative relating to the two bears of the sky to the myth of Callisto and Arcas, Arcas is replaced by Bootes and Ursa Minor becomes a dog complete with long tail.  An ancient and no longer used name for Polaris is Cynosura which means dog' tail.  Altough Ursa Minor is an ancient constellation it's importance in representing the pole star is critical to the concept of North Pole based Chinese astronomy.

Either way Canes Veatici and Ursa Minor both fit into this part of the sky.  The image below shows the constellations proposed but with Ursa Minor replacing Canes Venatici, their bright star in the centre of both star maps is SN 1572.

The image I refer to as Leo once again looks more like a lizard than a lion at first glance.  It again has a similar stance to Leo (mirror image Leo) and if the head (which may just be badly drawn) is ignored the body has a feline appearance.  Compare the body alone to the Lion on the Leo zodiac page of the Voynich Manuscript.

The image I refer to as Leo once again looks more like a lizard than a lion at first glance.  It again has a similar stance to Leo (mirror image Leo) and if the head (which may just be badly drawn) is ignored the body has a feline appearance.  Compare the body alone to the Lion on the Leo zodiac page of the Voynich Manuscript.

F79v, Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	Lynx constellation.  Image from Firmamentum Sobiescianum by Hevelius, Johannes.  Credit: Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology.

The Voynich image shares the rounded ears of the Lynx constellation although it appears to be limp and covered in blood as if killed, maybe by the dog or lion.

The subject of interest in relation to these constellations may be position of the celestial pole or SN 1572.  Andromeda, Pisces and Leo are ancient constellations but the others are newer.  Johannes Hevelius added Lacerta in 1687 to the sky map.  Canes Venatici, the dogs had been previously a vague part of the constellation of Bootes.  On a star chart published in 1533 the German astronomer Peter Apian showed Boötes with two dogs at his heels and holding their leash in his right hand.  Originally in Ptolomy’s Almagest the area of the Hunting dog was Bootes club, but due to a mistranslation of the Greek word “Κολλοροβος “ it was rendered Kullab (hook or crook) in Arabic and later on translation to Latin Kullab was tranlated as Kilab (dog).  Hevelius decided to make the dogs an official constellation in their own right.  He added the Lynx (originally “Lynx, sive Tigris”) to fill a gap and it was named the Lynx as one needed “eyes like a Lynx” to make out the faint stars.  Hevellius’ Lynx however, does not look very Lynx like either.  Hevelius introduced 11 new constellation In total in “Firmamentum” (published posthumously 1690) but only 7 remain intact today.  They are: Scutum Sobiescanum, Canes Venatici, Leo minor, Lynx, Sextans, Lacerta, and Vulpecula cum Anser.  These constellations when present provide an earliest date for the work they are found in of late 17th century, and along with this date the matter of whether optics in the form of telescopes and microscopes COULD appear in work of this date becomes a non-question.
 

Summary of the positions of the suggested constellations, the North celestial pole, SN 1054 and SN 1572.

The fact that these suggested constellations are grouped around the celestial pole is consistent with the Chinese view of the sky.  Andromeda is orientated to look up at Taurus, is consistent with the data being in reference to the astronomical event of SN 1054 being compared and contrasted with the later SN 1572 in Cassipoea, although neither are directly illustrated on f79v.

Here is the overall interpretation of the image in relation to a North Pole based Chinese star map and in consideration of the eyes being used as markers.  A rotated Andromeda looks up at SN 1054, Lynx looks down along the local Celestial Meridian to Polaris, a rotated Leo looks at Ursa Minor and Lacerta and through Polaris, Lacerta looks up at SN 1572 and towards Capella.  Ursa Minor looks at Regulus or the Plough, maybe one of the stars of the Plough in relation to the Celestial Zero Meridian and thus Polaris and SN 1572.  In China the Plough was "Beidou" (Northern Dipper or ladle) or "Ye Yu", (the Chariot of the Emperor), interestingly the plough also represented the government in ancient China.  This picture centres around the Pole star and relates the positions of SN 1572 and 1054 in terms of these constellations.

And finally how this could relate to the Voynich Manuscript image on f79v below.  Polaris and the Celestial Zero Meridian are moved into the correct position by the bear/dog raising its tail and dropping down as seen in the star atlases.  Leo, and Andromeda are rotated in the star atlases and Lynx rotated and moved to match the new position of Polaris and the Local Celestial Meridian.  Andromeda is leaning back and looking up but the line stokes of the eyes are complex appearing to indicate three directions, towards SN 1054, SN 1572 and North.  SN 1572 in this scenario would be hidden by the tail of the fish.  The nymph directly above the nymph being swallowed by the fish with the odd looking stomach may be Cassiopeia.  If  Andromeda is put into her correct orientation she is looking directly at Cassiopeia (with a swollen stomach about to give birth or having just given birth to the new star, SN 1572?).

f80r

This line up of nymphs may show planets and stars and specifically a picture of the ecliptic at a particular moment in time, but it appears  to possibly portray some of the discoveries of the 17th century.  Suggestions are given for the nymphs identities from right to left.

1 and 2:

The two figures on the far right I suggest shows the Sun being pursued by the Moon or a male planet (Mars/Saturn/Jupiter/Mercury).  Unlike more traditional images this may portray a female Sun and male Moon as also suggested in the zodiac folio (a male Sun and female Moon though most common is not universal).  The female nymph is laden down with Sun symbolism, she has the symbol of the Sun on her headdress, she is holding an astronomers ring and has her arms crossed with the astronomers ring in a figure 8, the analemma, the shape which the sun forms in the sky over a year when observed at the same civil time each day.  She is being pursued by the male nymph but unlike the image in the “Gemini” folio of the zodiac section their arms are not linked, suggesting it is not an actual eclipse.  In terms of 17th century discoveries it could alternatively symbolise the calculation of the Earth-Sun distance made by Cassini in 1672 by parallax measurements of Mars.

3:

A star, or planet (Venus or Mercury) in normal motion.

4:

The nymph wearing a red stripped shawl, an image which is unique from the other clothing they are shown wearing may represent an obviously red star such as Aldebaran or possibly the rings of Saturn.  The rings were first discovered by Galileo in 1610 AD but due to the low resolution of the telescope he first thought they were satellites.  They disappeared then reappeared and were difficult to explain until Huygen in 1655 with the aid of a more powerful telescope observed they were solid, thin flat ring, inclined to the ecliptic.  The ring and its motion explained Galileo’s observation of disappearing satellites.

5:

Planet shown in retrograde motion. As in the zodiac identification based on a female  nymph standing in water container this would be Venus.  The container in this instance is marked with a number of lines which I suggest show the discovery of the phases of Venus like the Moon by Galileo in 1610 AD.  This was literally an “earth shattering discovery” as the Ptolemaic system could only support only crescent and new phases, the heliocentric model was required to explain the full range of phases seen by Galileo, it was proof that the heliocentric model was correct.

6:

Star, or planet showing normal motion.

7:

Star or the Moons of Jupiter.  The headdress of the nymph possibly displaying the four Moons discovered by Galileo in 1610 AD.  Although Jupiter is a male planet its Moon may be represented as female.

8:

Star, or planet showing normal motion.

9:

Possibly the Sun.  The nymph is shown holding a circle attached to a gnomon, representing a sundial or spinning top indicating the rotation of the sun about its axis as concluded by Galileo’s and Thomas Harriot's observation of Sunspots in 1610.

10:

This nymph has to be a planet as shown in retrograde motion, as female it can only be Mercury (in its female form) or Venus.  Shown next to what may be the Sun the headdress may represent the transits of the interior planets Venus and/or Mercury.  A transit of Venus was predicted by Kepler to occur in 1631 but was not visible in Europe, the first recorded observation was made in 1639 by Jeremiah Horrocks.  The transit of Mercury was first observed and recorded by Pierre Gassend in 1631.

The 17th century was a renaissance in astronomy powered by the newly invented telescope.  For example, In ancient Greece, Anaxagoras and Democritus had proposed the Milky Way might consist of distant stars it was generally though to be nebulous material in the upper atmosphere.  Arabic astronomers had also proposed that it consisted of a multitude of stars but proof did not come until Galileo turned his telescope to the Milky Way in 1610 and saw it was made of innumerable stars in clusters.  He proposed that stars were suns, those nearer to earth appearing brighter and those more distant appearing dimmer. This interpretation by Galileo was even more “earth shattering” than evidence for the heliocentric universe as it went a step further, if the stars were suns then our Sun was just another star in an infinite sea of stars and stars.  The heavens were not immutable and at a time when Tycho, Kepler and Galileo were getting to grips with a heliocentric universe, changeable and imperfect (for death and decay speak of imperfection) this evidence was found 500 years earlier and may be the reason for SN1054 and SN1572 (and SN 1604) to be studied side by side.  The geocentric universe, the celestial spheres and the unchanging, perfect heavens lay shattered, this was indeed dangerous times for astronomers as they questioned the traditional teaching of the church and tore down the unquestionable interpretation of doctrine, and with it the possibility of destabilizing the power of the church.  In the explanation of the nymphs at the top of f80r may record  the work of Galileo and others from around 1610 to the discovery of the actual rings of Saturn Huygen in 1655.  This would give an earliest date for the manuscript to 1655 if they are the “rings” of Saturn or 1610 if the nymphs only record Galileo’s observations.

This however is just my interpretation of one image on one folio, but if a single image were proven to contain such a vast amount of information then the manuscript in its entirety could be an encyclopaedia of the most important information of its time.  The sort of information that was held to be heretical or just plain wrong, not just by the church but other scientists of the time also, astronomers and other died to uphold these new theories and in no uncertain terms such material would have been worth protecting in a book of code.

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1894Obs....17..335L

I suggest the man and woman represent the sun and moon (or planet) and an eclipse when there hands are joined, their hands crossed over showing the “figure 8” path of the sun in the sky over the year.  They appear to gain clothing as the eclipse approaches and are shown fully clothed during the eclipse.  It is interesting that the male is pursuing the female, and the female is shown with crossed arms, this suggests that the female is the Sun and if the male is the moon then this is not the usual expected interpretation of a male sun and female moon.  This interpretation of switched gender would mean that some of the other many female nymph images here and in the zodiac section may represent the sun also.  The nymph wears a garland with a circle with a dot in the middle, this is an ancient solar symbol, the nymph below her has the same symbols and may also be the sun, some of the the other nymphs have garlands with various circles also, but not with dots in them.

Solar symbol.
Wikipedia. PD image.

The headdress of the nymph on the far right looks almost like a sun next to a solar eclipse, possibly a reference to SN 1054 and the nymph may be the constellation Taurus.  Another nymph is pointing to the stomach of this nymph which may represent the birth of SN 1054 at this point in time.

Bright Venus looks white to the naked eye but if often associated with water as in the myth of the “birth of Venus”, where she is born out of the waves of the sea.  The “bucket” she is standing in, in the Voynich Manuscript, may represent water, the sea or a shell.

The nymph with the red stripped cloak may represent a red star like Aldebaran or may represent the rings of a planet like Saturn.  The rings of Saturn were first discovered by Galileo in 1610 AD but due to the low resolution of the telescope he first thought they were satellites.  They disappeared then reappeared and were difficult to explain until Huygen in 1655 with the aid of a more powerful telescope observed they were solid, thin flat ring, inclined to the ecliptic. The ring and its motion explained Galileo’s observation of disappearing satellites.

The second nymph from the left appears to be holding a sundial device, in Chinese “rigui”, with a needle like“gnomon”.  There are ancient examples of such sundials in China.  In a different interpretation (as discussed in the “biological” folios section) as a spinning top it could show the discovery that the sun spins on its axis (rotational period of the Sun is roughly 25 days) as demonstrated by Galileo in the early 1600s, rather than the sun being stationary as was standard teaching for the time.

Nymph holding a pair of dividers used for measurement, as seen in many star atlases and in portraits of astronmers.  The other nymph may be figuratively opening the eyes of the nymph holding the dividers to new knowledge and understanding.  This could indicate the invention of the telescope that allowed for more accurate observation of the heavens and the nymph could represent the earth and human knowledge.

f80v

I propose the sleeping animal is a dragon and the woman under it is holding an “Astronomer’s Ring”.  The dragon has long association with all things astronomical, particularly in Chinese astronomy where it represents the area of the Eastern sky as the “Azure Dragon”, and a dragon was thought to devour the sun during solar eclipses. In Western astronomy it is associated with the constellation Draco.

The “dragon” is shown curled up in a sleeping type position suggesting lack of movement as would be displayed by a circumpolar constellation such as Draco.  The constellation Draco appears to wrap around the North Pole and circles Polaris, the current polar star.  In the past due to precession, the star Thuban in Draco was once the pole star, until around 1,900 BC when Kokab began to move nearer to the pole.
 

In Chinese astronomy the pole is the centre of heaven and as such represents the Emperor.  The Chinese believed that heaven and earth were interconnected and interdependent and that the fate of the world lay in the Emperors hands, thus it was his unique role by his actions to maintain the order of the universe, anything wrong he did would be reflected by disorder in the sky and and changes in the sky were thought to affect the earth and changes in the area around the polar region specifically relate to the future fate of the Emperor.  The Chinese star maps were circular and centred around the pole star, but were alternatively shown in cylindrical profile.  The image below on the far right is not of China but gives a feel for the circumpolar sky in relation to human society.

A dragon was also thought to devour the sun during an eclipse and would send the population running about banging things to frighten of the dragon – which without fail appeared to work.  The work of Petrus Apainus contains examples of images of the dragon being used in a European astronomical manuscript in the discussion of eclipses, not so long after the first official European China contact in 1517 by the Portuguese.  The Jesuit missionaries followed in 1574 and their role in the exchange of knowledge including astronomical was significant, but it seems from the images of Apianus that the cultural significance of the dragon had already reached Europe.

The “dragon” on f80v does not look so much like the long coiled Chinese dragon but more like a Western interpretation of the “cute” dragon or a very early Chinese dragon such as the one below from the “Song” dynasty (The dynasty of SN 1054).  Note scales, crested head, thick tail and legs structure.

Link to an example of a Song dynasty dragon sculpture in silver, displayed in the Musee Guimet, Paris.  If the sculpture was curled up it would be similar in appearance to the image on f80v above:

Sung Dynasty dragon in silver with gold and turquoise inlays (Musee Guimet, Paris)

The dragon has a number of possible meanings, solar, northern, pole, indicating the central layout of the circular Chinese astronomical maps, and it is near the area of SN 1572. 
 

f82r

 

f82r, cropped, middle.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

I suggest this shows the life cycle of a supernova.  Born on the left and shown large, indicating brightness, and with rays emanating from it which was a common observation of supernova.  On the right shown much smaller and finally disappearing into nothing possibly indicated by the conveniently placed hole (natural or added?) with the dead nymph shown below to indicate this is what is happening.  The nymph is likely to be dead rather than sleeping as she appears to be wrapped in a shroud.  If the shrouded nymph is not a celestial body it may depict death/disease caused on earth as a result of the star.  The label on the tubular object may be translated as "Labores Maius".

 

As shown above the bottom image on the folio has solar imagery, possibly and eclipse and supernova, and also an astronomers ring.  The nymph holding the astronomers ring which measures the latitude of celestial objects has a distinctive headdress of 11 sections.

 

f82r, cropped, bottom.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

 

The nymph on the far left holding the rattle like (astronomical?) instrument appears to be an identical nymph to the one on f80v except the instrument is held in the other hand.  It may indicate instrument used top measure longitude and latitude of one of the celestial coordinate systems.

 

f82r, cropped, bottom.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	f80v, cropped, bottom.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

As shown

 

f82v

 

This may show the four elements combined in various celestial bodies, in particular the nymph at the top, middle may show the generation of SN 1572 by Cassiopeia near to the Celestial Zero Meridian.

 

f82v, cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. Overlay by P. Han showing possible explanation of elements on the image in realtion to the "generation" of SN 1572 by Cassiopeia.

 

 

f83r

One of the nymphs on f83r has a very similar appearance to what I described as a comet on f67v. The point coming off the head indicating the tail of a comet.  The star above the nymph also appears to have a tail and the nymph at the top of the folio may be "spraying stars" (a meteorite shower) from the end of the tube she holds, and so this folio may deal with the subject of comets and meteorites.  The Chinese like many cultures associated comets with misfortune and as far back as 1500 B.C. the astronomer Li Ch'un Feng said that comets depending on their location may cause war and conspiracy to overthrow the emperor, or cause the Emperor to die.  Halley's comet visit in 1066 was soon after SN 1054 and during the reign of  Emperor Yingzong who succeeded Renzong, Yingzong  died the year after the comet and would probably have been aware of SN 1054 during the reign of Renzong.  However, Halley's comet was not connected with previous historical sightings of comets until  Edmond Halley in 1682 noted the similarity of path of this comet with the paths of the comets of 1531 (as recorded by Appian) and 1607 (as recorded by Kepler), making the comets return approximately 75 years apart.  Although his ideas were not published until 1704 his ideas were well formulated by 1695 when he calculated the orbits of many comets based on Newton's laws of cometary motion and also noted bright comets had appeared in1456, 1378, and 1301.  Giotto do Bondone also depicted a comet like star in his painting of the "Adoration of the Magi" in 1305, possibly influenced by a passing of Halley's comet in 1301.

The year 1695 may be within the timeframe of other conclusions I have made about modern constellations in the manuscript and the nymph with the tailed star above her head may be a direct reference to Halley's comet as seen by Kepler and Halley, otherwise it may be the great comet of 1577 as seen by Tycho.  The 17th century witnessed a large number of comets and they were still seen as portends of doom and even signs of the end of the world by many still.  The central image below located in the astronomical section which I have allocated to the year 1054 and that general era may also show Halley's comet in 1066, the comet Machholz possibly seen in the year 1054 or  one prior to 1054.

f83r, cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	f67v, cropped. Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	The illustration shows a view of Augsburg, Germany with the comets of 1680, 1682, and 1683 in the sky.  Image credit: NASA/JPL

 

 

"Eight things there be a comet brings,

When on high it doth horrid range:

Wind, famine, plague, and death to kings;

War, earthquakes, floods,

And direful change."

 

-Anon old poem
 

 

f84r

I suggest this scene shows a supernova and that a title nearby says “stella nova”. The nymph on the far left is specifically shown holding an orb in the same way as the male figure on f57v which I suggested was SN 1054.

f84r, cropped.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	f84r, cropped.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.	f57v, cropped.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

 

Other subject matter may include conjunctions or Binary/multiple Stars which were discovered after the invention of the telescope.  In 1650 Giovanni Battista Riccioli found Mizar to be a binary, in 1656 Christiaan Huygens found that that Theta Orionis was three stars, in 1664 Robert Hooke found Gamma Arietis was also a triple star system, and in 1685 Father Fontenay observed that the star Acrux was really a binary pair.

 

f84r, cropped.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit:Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

 

 

 

Copyright © 2010 P. Han