by JoAnne Windsinger

Created on: August 16, 2011

Everyone loves a good mystery. Since the 15th century, a little book has fascinated and stymied many would-be translators. However, the mystery may have been solved.

Many agree that the book’s title “Zlato Bláto” roughly means “Gold Mud.” A Czech alchemist wrote it in circa 1454. His name translates into John the Lazy. In reality, it is a scientific book illustrated with strange drawings.

Description

Containing 240 seven by ten inch pages, it has caused linguists and translators no end of consternation. Scholars believe that some pages were lost over the years. It is named after Wilfrid M. Voynich, an Austrian book dealer who catapulted himself into immortality when he discovered it in a shipment of rare books he bought in 1912. His curiosity piqued, he made photographic copies and sent them to other dealers and linguists hoping for clues to its meaning or translation. Thus, they named the book in his honor.

Speculation

Speculation ran rampant over the years. What was this strange book and what could it mean?

Many tried to translate it. Code breakers from both World Wars studied the book and were left perplexed. The book became more famous with the advent of the Internet and from facsimiles, the first of which was produced in 2005.

Guesses about the author include Roger Bacon, a Renaissance architect named Antonio Averlino sometimes referred to as Filarete, or even Leonardo da Vinci, famous author and inventor. Some have even pooh-poohed it as a hoax

Pictures

The most curious feature of the Voynich Transcript is the set of drawings that illustrate most pages, illustrated in five colors. Naked women hold hands and bathe together in large tubs. Many pipes connect the tubs and some resemble human body parts.

The book contains 26 pages of astrological or astronomical drawings. Several foldout pages feature a map of nine islands complete with castles and a volcano.

Unknown plants along with sketches of their leaves and fruit take up 130 pages, probably of medicinal nature.

Four pages are biological in nature while 34 others seem to be pharmaceutical.

Where is it now?

The genuine Voynich Manuscript now resides in Yale University Library, among the rare books in the Beinecke Rare Book section. Of course, you cannot access that book but you can read a facsimile copy. In addition, the Internet gives many views of pages of this book and you can marvel at the pictures and strange looking text for yourself.

In the end.

In the end, it all boils down to “much ado about mud.” It is sad but gratifying to solve a mystery as old as this one. Scholars no longer need to speculate or stay awake nights thinking about what it could mean.

References:

www.ciphermysteries.com

chrisblogforever.blogspot.com

Crystalinks

findingaids.library.yale.edu

World Mysteries.com

Wikipedia for background information only as it is not up to date.

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