Monday, September 9, 2013

The Voynich Manuscript: Dotted Stars















12th century, Vendome, Bibl. Mun. MS 0117











  1. Hi Ellie! I've noticed on various other pages of astrology and astronomy, quite a bit of discussion sometimes involves the "Pleiades". Further discussion of Pleiades sometimes turns into discussions of various gods and goddesses. In turn, some of the goddesses are referred to as Nymphae. Round n-n round we go again, eh? And, of course, when it comes to stars and Mary: we have the star of Bethlehem..........

  2. Hi Ellie
    There are distinct traditions behind the different forms in western manuscript art, which wasn't so keen on invention as authenticity and faithfulness to some older model.
    So, for example, the image for the Order of the Star, 1375-1379 is likely to employ this style by reference to illustrations for Gregory of Tours 'de cursu stellarum'. That in turn is text in which Gregory brought, but adapted the habits of eastern Christian monks to the needs of his community, for whom the Egyptian-Syrian stars were not visible to mark the night watches. Perhaps his text refers to a text which he had from the eastern monks too.

    (ii) Crusaders' heraldic emblems. European heraldry is a bit of a mystery and arises rather late, but it is believed that some of the knights' emblems derive from what they saw in medallions of brass that were used as identification-tags by the Saracens - it's a very long story, involving north Africa too but basically Syria again.

    (iii) another example closer and earlier, but found in northern France, is the ivory tablets found beneath a pre-Christian temple in the High Vosges. The temple is described as a Celtic temple to Apollo. The stars are 'flower' stars. The imagery is an interesting meld of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Syrian, and Roman, though with some elements (such as angels in the corners) usually associated with Jewish and much later Persian style.

    (v) earliest of all - the six-pointed flower seen in coins and other imagery associated with Harran. In that case the flower-star is normally six-pointed until the roman era.

    Six-pointed 'flower-stars' are usually supposed related to Syria and the Holy Land.

    Eight-pointed 'flower-stars' are normally (before the Roman era) Mesopotamian.

    Five-points are invariably given stars in the Egyptian tradition - from the pre-dynastic period onward. (I'm told this is due to an homophony between the word 'five' and 'star' which saw stars envisaged (generically) as hands). But before the time of Persian rule at least, Egyptians didn't draw their stars as 'flower-stars'

    That's a pretty rough sketch of the situation as I understand it. Doubtless exceptions will be found. :)