- #HGCREATORS
- #HGEXPLORE
- #HGVOICES
- #HGSHOP
- CAREERS
- ABOUT US
- CONTACT US
More often than not, ancient manuscripts leave clues behind to help decode their content; it has been so for most languages discovered over the past centuries. Often, samples of writing and art that belong to one culture tend to resemble the scripts or sculptures of another, elsewhere. Yet, much like the Indus valley script, it seems leading cryptographers, code-breakers, scholars, and historians have been left baffled while trying to unravel the contents of the Voynich Manuscript (MS).
After H. P. Kraus, the New York based antiquarian who could not find a buyer for the MS in 1961, he donated the MS to the Beinecke Library of Yale University. The book has changed hands several times since it came into existence in the 15th Century (it was radiocarbon dated), but there isn’t anyone out there who has successfully comprehended its unconventional script. It also contains myriad of illustrations – of plants, flowers, stars, and women. The priced MS has been catalogued in the Library’s digital collection , while the original book remains in the Library’s vault.
Some believe that the MS holds magical powers. Others dismiss it as the doing of a medieval hoaxer. The letters and images in the almost 250-paged parchment codex haven’t given way to any interpretation whatsoever. Although indecipherable, the mysterious hieroglyph has inspired many research projects, space engineer Rene Zandbergen’s blog being one of the foremost. According to the blog, Wilfrid Voynich, an antiquarian book dealer, bought the MS from Italian jesuits in 1912, ‘under condition of absolute secrecy about the details of the sale’. Evidently, Voynich became the book’s namesake. If it really is anything, the least that the book could be is a medieval scientific or medical treatise, given its elaborate illustrations and plant diagrams, the blog says.
A proposition by an American botanist Arthur Tucker and a botany enthusiast Rexford Talbert, states that the book might have originated in Mexico. They have even matched numerous plants, animals, and minerals drawn in the manuscript to those found in one of the regions. Needless to say, they too have received criticisms and oppositions from different parts of the world. Recently, Nicholas Gibbs,a history researcher and television writer, claimed to have decoded the mysterious contents and said that the MS could be a guide to women’s health. His avowal, too, met with several discredits.
Interestingly, there’s a publishing house in Spain that is working on its plan to recreate the book for every letter, every symbol, drawing, and even any holes in its pages. Siloe focuses on reproducing historical texts and manuscripts, of the likes of Voynich MS. After petitioning for 10 long years, the publishers received the rights to replicate the book so that it can be bought and used by curious researches, manuscript collectors, or even plain antique fanatics. Going by the words of Siloe’s director, Juan Jose Garcia, the mystery lurking behind the book’s origin and contents is the most fascinating. They’ve already received tremendous pre-orders for the book, so maybe it was worth all the hassle!
If you enjoyed reading this article, we suggest you read:
