The World may never know: The Voynich

The Voynich manuscript was discovered in an Italian monastery in 1912 by Wilfrid Voynich. It was one of the most beautiful books in the world, and yet, nobody can read it. It is written in total code.

There are three kinds of drawings in the Voynich: Plants, stars and planets, and biological (drawings of naked women swimming in fountains).

Nobody really knows the history of the Voynich, who wrote it, or anything about what it says. Even the plants seem obscure and unidentifiable.

The earliest known identification of the Voynich comes from the letter in the inside front cover. This letter claims that the book once belonged to Emperor Rudolph II, who paid over 2 kilograms of gold for it.

Another owner left a letter in the front.

"Reverend and Distinguished Sir, Father in Christ: This book, bequeathed to me by an intimate friend, I destined for you, my very dear Athanasius, as soon as it came into my possession, for I was convinced that it could be read by no one except yourself. The former owner of this book asked your opinion by letter, copying and sending you a portion of the book from which he believed you would be able to read the remainder, but he at that time refused to send the book itself. To its deciphering he devoted unflagging toil, as is apparent from attempts of his which I send you herewith, and he relinquished hope only with his life. But his toil was in vain, for such Sphinxes as these obey no one but their master, Kircher. Accept now this token, such as it is and long overdue though it be, of my affection for you, and burst through its bars, if there are any, with your wonted success. Dr. Raphael, a tutor in the Bohemian language to Ferdinand III, then King of Bohemia, told me the said book belonged to the Emperor Rudolph and that he presented to the bearer who brought him the book 600 ducats. He believed the author was Roger Bacon, the Englishman. On this point I suspend judgement; it is your place to define for us what view we should take thereon, to whose favor and kindness I unreservedly commit myself and remain,

—At the command of your Reverence,
Joannes Marcus Marci of Cronland
Prague, 19th August, 1666

(copied from Wikipedia).

Where does the Voynich come from? What does it say? Who wrote it? The world may never know.  Theories range from aliens to Roger Bacon to Leonardo Da Vinci. It is a mystery that may never be solved.

Recently, some people have claimed to decode some of the plant names, but nobody has managed more, as it is allegedly Anagramed Italian from ancient times. This claim does not seem well founded.

Even though the Voynich is a mystery without a forseeable end, it is interesting to theorize what that book might contain. Why those drawings? Why is the Voynich so mysterious? What is it about this book that gives it it's mystique?

If you have any comments, or any opinions about the Voynich, or ideas for a future article, e-mail Mulberrytimes@gmail.com.