Red and Blue in the Voynich-manuscript

Joannes Richter

Fig. 1: Text sample from the Voynich manuscript. published in Wikipedia by R.O.C File:Voynich manuscript excerpt.svg United States public domain tag The Voynich manuscript, described as "the world's most mysterious manuscript", is a 240paged work dated to the early 15th century, possibly from northern Italy. It is named after Wilfrid Voynich, who purchased it in 1912. The manuscript has been described as an encrypted herbal manuscript with a lot of plant illustrations with some additional astronomical charts and biological fertility symbols, according to Wikipedia1: showing small naked women, some wearing crowns, bathing in pools or tubs connected by an elaborate network of pipes, some of them strongly reminiscent of body organs. I do not intend to describe all details and merely add my own analysis for the document, which deviates from the standard published commentaries.

1 Voynich manuscript

A missing color yellow

Although illustrations of the Voynich document are rather simple the coloring materials have been described as most careful, professional and expensive.

Fig. 3: Green Leaves with Flowers in Red & Blue (illustration 18) Fig. 2: Red and Blue flower (illustration 32)
Details from Voynich Manuscript (18 and 32) - public domain for its age A page from the mysterious Voynich manuscript, which is undeciphered to this day. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University ([1]).

Most of the colors are primary colors black, green, red, blue and brown. A natural green has been chosen as the standard color for leaves. Some of the flowers are blue, or combining red and blue. The illustrations seem to follow a strange color convention, in which the primary color bright yellow is missing in all flowers. This is an uncommon practice in a manual for herbal flowers, as statistically there should at least be one singular flower colored in a yellowish paint. A missing color yellow (amidst an abundance of red, blue and green) for flowers suggests to consider the idea of a religious document, which had to be encrypted 2 to avoid conflicts with the Church. In the Middle Age the primary color yellow had been used as a traitor's color and an evil symbol.

2 The Voynich document has been encrypted in an unknown language and has not been decrypted yet...

The Wikipedia Category:Voynich manuscript provides us with an overview of the texts and illustrations, which may be analyzed individually. Let's investigate some samples of red & blue colored objects.

Fig. 4: Blue Flowers with alternated green and red series of leaves

Fig. 5: Flowers in Red & Blue It must be noted that within the flowers' construction most of the red (male?) elements are found in the more outer (extreme) sections compared to the blue (female ?) elements in the inner sections.

In an exceptional case however the flower contains an inner section of red elements and an outer section of blue elements.

Fig. 6: Flowers in Red, Green & Blue

Androgynous symbolism
One of the sketches displays a combined Sun & Moon crescent Symbol with red, blue and starspangled white rays. The central circle combines an illustration of the radiant sun and the moon's crescent. In the Middle Age the moon used to be considered as a female and the sun as a male element, which may be combined to a central androgynous, divine symbol 3. The colors red and blue may symbolize the male respectively female elements, which still has been identified in various flags, painted sculptures, painted temples, garments and medieval paintings4. Some of the astronomical drawings may also contain some yellow symbols, such as the brightly shining stars.

Fig. 7: A Sun & Moon Symbol with red, blue and white Rays
The Voynich Manuscript (121) illustration, public domain for its age A page from the mysterious Voynich manuscript, which is undeciphered to this day. The image on the right indicates a 24 month cycle with the seasons listed and the image to the left indicates the mooncycles and planetary positions. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University ([1]).

3 See for details: The Hermetic Codex 4 See for details: The Hermetic Codex

Fertility Symbols
Strange Red, Blue and Green Elements with some connecting pipe-system between four vessels (inside the red respectively blue and green segments) may be found at the side of one of the astronomical illustration. The inner round white vessel areas seem to carry faces, which may refer to human fertility symbols... The red, blue and green segmented circle seems to have been cut off and lost at least 25% of the area, which is a rather radical procedure. The lighter green section is rather blurred and may partially have been erased as if the left half of the sketched circle in the ultimate design has been considered unimportant. Connections between the red and blue sections may symbolize fertility elements, but they will have to be explained from other illustrations. Only a pipeline between the red section and the green section may be identified.

Fig. 8: red, blue and green segments inside a circle

Unfortunately the green segments are rather unclear. The red, blue and green colored circle looks like a planet located at a distance to a central radiating element, which may be radiating slightly blue and very light red rays, enclosed in a green edged circle. The inner circle has not been colored as intensely as the cut off circle at the left lower edge of the vellum. A radiating sun (covered with a blue area) has been found at a distance from the central element, as if the sun cannot really be considered as the center of the universe. Painting a sun, which had not been considered as the center of the universe may have been a sacrilege in the Middle Age.

Fig. 9: Location of the circle with the red, blue and green segments

The red, blue and green segmented circle seems to be a part of an astronomical illustration. From a distance this drawing looks like it has been cut off at the left side, where the blue and red sections are dominating at the edge of the vellum. Some of the astronomical drawings may also contain some yellow symbols, such as the brightly shining stars and the bright flames of the sun. The neighboring right side also seem to have been cut off at the left and right sides.

Fig. 10: astronomical illustration with the red, blue and green segmented circle Red and blue colors have been known as imperial symbolic colors, which may be illustrated in medieval paintings, such as a painting of Barbarossa and his sons in the Welf Chronicle (1155).

Barbarossa
Frederick Barbarossa, middle, flanked by his two children, King Henry VI (left) and Duke Frederick VI (right) have been painted in red and blue, but they have been located inside a red, blue and green border enclosure.

Fig. 11: Frederick I Barbarossa (1155 AD) All persons are dressed in red & blue garments Frederick Barbarossa, middle, flanked by his two children, King Henry VI (left) and Duke Frederick VI (right).
From the Welf Chronicle References to: A compact Overview of Bipolar Symbolism and Blue and Red in Medieval Garments

Fertility Symbolism
Some illustrations of the Voynich manuscript provide us with some pipes or channels with red and blue elements from which fluids seem to be pouring in a tub with bathing women. Pouring fluids into vessels may eventually be considered as a fertility symbol.

Fig. 12: Page 78 of the manuscript with a tub of bathing women

Fluids have been painted green or blue and the colors blue and green may have been equivalent.

Bipolarity may also be a phase in a multistage evolution, in which a combined symbol (including the sun and moon crescent) are located at the top section. The bottom symbol also may represent a sun in a somewhat different shape.

Fig. 13: Bipolarity may also be a phase in a multistage evolution

The bottom element may also represent a sun with blue and white rays and yellow flames, which in more details had been sketched in other drawings. Most of the sun & moon representations have been surrounded with yellow stars.

Fig. 14: Sun with blue and white rays and yellow flames

The Universe
Some of the astronomical drawings may be considered as blue scattered sky-representations with a curved borderline, which allows meteors to enter the sky-borders. The meteors are being directed towards a central planet.

Fig. 15: blue scattered sky-representations with a curved borderline

The Rainbows
Some of the elements may represent rainbows, which may have been considered as androgynous, divine symbols5.

Fig. 16: A rainbow with blue, red and yellow elements? Maybe the blue, red and yellow curved lines represent a rainbow as a divine symbol, feeding a blue water from which a woman is taking a blue symbol with her left hand and a red element from with her right hand. The blue elements may also represent a horn full of clouds, rain or water. The rainbow may also be compared to the earlier Viennese Bible from the 6th Century.

Fig. 17: God's hand to Noah (Viennese Codex - 6th Cent.)

5 See for details: The Hermetic Codex

The androgynous symbolism has been identified in the male, red sun (with yellow flares) and the blue-white, female moon with a blue-white crescent. The female figure inside the moon also wears a crescent (as cow-horns) on her head.

Fig. 18: Male Sky-God (Viennese Codex - sixth Cent.) The previous image found in the Vienna Bible from the sixth century symbolizes God as a redcolored man sending yellow-golden sun-rays to Joseph, lying on his bed. The moon does contain a blue-colored woman with cow-horns like an Egyptian deity. The stars have been painted like asterisks in an Egyptian grave6. Another sketch also may symbolize two green, white and blue colored rainbows, pouring green water into a pond.

Fig. 19: A rainbow with blue, white and green elements?

6 The Sky-God Dyaeus

Central Elements
Some of the central elements have not been colored at all, which may suggest that some of the colors have been left off to reduce the drawing's complexity. The central sun is left white with white flares amidst of the deep blue pipelines.

Fig. 20: The central sun is white with white flares amidst of the deepblue pipelines

In another drawing the central sun is yellow & white with a complex background

Fig. 21: The central sun is yellow & white with a complex background

Overview
The most complex drawing (covering 9 pages) seems to represent a sort of complex universe, maybe symbolizing a living creature or a city. This obviously is the master-plan to explain dependencies.

Fig. 22: The most complex drawing (covering 9 pages)

Mechanical components
Mechanical pipeline details may also be colored red, white and blue, but the plant's structural elements always seem to consist of green leaves and brown roots.

Fig. 23: mechanical components in structures

A closer look at the Voynich manuscript

I also tried to solve some of the enigmatic problems of the Voynich manuscript, described as "the world's most mysterious manuscript". First of all I observed that the flowers never had yellow colors, which statistically cannot be observed in nature. Therefore the author must have painted symbolic flowers to illustrate some metaphysical theory.

Fig. 24: Flowers in Red & Blue in the Voynich manuscript (1420) Now it would be interesting to check whether the manuscript did contain any cartouches or royal, capitalized names which might enable us to decipher the encrypted text. I loaded the complete pdf-version of the Voynich manuscript, but merely analyzed the herbal illustrations and the text's structure. There were too much details to copy in the astronomical pages and the abundantly illustrations of human corpses. As remarkable illustrations I detected two enlarged V-images at the pdf-page 3 (numbered 2 in the Voynich manuscript), which might be considered as capitalized or royal symbols (see appendix 2). At the bottom of the in the Voynich manuscript at pdf-page 6 we may identify many faces in the bottom line, representing the soil, in which the plant is growing. Each of these faces is marked by three dots as may be observed in the detailed illustration. At pdf-page 28 of the Voynich manuscript at we may also identify similar faces in the flowers, symbolized by three dots for the eyed and a nose. At pdf-page 50 of the Voynich manuscript at we may identify an unidentifiable animal eating or sucking from the leaves. At pdf-page 65 (numbered page 33) of the Voynich manuscript at the bottom we may identify human faces in the plants' roots. The uncolored faces are only detectable in a good copy of the manuscript.

It is this last identification of human faces in the plants' roots that definitely proves that the manuscript is not a normal herbal handbook.

Conclusion
The Voynich manuscript contains a series of colored drawings which reveal an overview of plant illustrations. Most of these herbal illustrations are colored with green leaves and blue, respectively red flowers. None of these flowers has been colored yellow, which may suggest us to believe these plants are symbolizing human fertility. Another main section of the manuscript describes a universe centered around structures, which are combining the sun and the moon-combinations, which traditionally have been defined and used as androgynous symbols, in which the sun is the male and the moon the female symbol. Elements have been coupled by a chain of pipelines, which may be symbolizing fertility symbols, leading the fertilizing rain (or water) into tubs. Two sketches contain symbols, which may be interpreted as rainbows the ancient androgynous symbol for religious links to the Divine Being, and also an androgynous symbol for the red male element and the opposite female blue element. In the overview of a living universe the plants have disappeared. From a distance the universe may also be interpreted as a living body, a city, a medieval heaven or a solar system. At pdf-page 65 (numbered page 33) of the Voynich manuscript at we may identify human faces in the plants' roots. The uncolored faces are only detectable in a good copy of the manuscript. These faces for which the gender cannot be identified, clearly identify the manuscript as an non-herbal book. Of course this analysis is one of a series of possible interpretations, which do not refer to any part of the encrypted text. To my opinion the Voynich manuscript may be interpreted as an alternative creation legend, explaining the mechanisms of the universe, human fertility and the flora in a mechanical system of dependencies like flowing fluids, pipelines, rays and and clouds.

Contents
A missing color yellow.........................................................................................................................2 Androgynous symbolism......................................................................................................................5 Fertility Symbols..................................................................................................................................6 Barbarossa........................................................................................................................................9 Fertility Symbolism............................................................................................................................10 The Universe......................................................................................................................................14 The Rainbows.....................................................................................................................................15 Central Elements................................................................................................................................17 Overview............................................................................................................................................19 Mechanical components.....................................................................................................................20 A closer look at the Voynich manuscript............................................................................................21 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................22 Appendix 1 - Analysis of the Voynich manuscript.........................................................................24 V-images at page 3 (numbered 2 in the Voynich manuscript).................................................24 Faces in the bottom line.............................................................................................................27 Faces in the flowers....................................................................................................................28 Unidentifiable animal eating from the leaves................................................................................29 Human faces in the plants' roots....................................................................................................30 Human corpse at the bottom of the page.......................................................................................31 Note dated III/2 1967 and signed HH............................................................................................32

Appendix 1 - Analysis of the Voynich manuscript

V-images at page 3 (numbered 2 in the Voynich manuscript)
The first V-image seem to be followed by o8aV, the second one by a8aid

Fig. 25: V-Images at page #2

I retouched the page labeled 2 with both Vs and considered both Vs the only real capitals of the document. The first V might be a vessel, from which in the second V a substance may be rising or into which a substance might be dropped. The curl however more or less suggests a rising substance like smoke or odor. Still these images may be interpreted as characters or even illuminated capitals. There is however no real interpretation to easily be found.

Fig. 26: V-Images at page #2

Fig. 27: Details for the page labeled 2

Faces in the bottom line

At the bottom of the in the Voynich manuscript at pdf-page 6 we may identify many faces in the bottom line, representing the soil, in which the plant is growing. Each of these faces is marked by three dots as may be observed in the detailed illustration.

Fig. 28: many faces in the bottom line of the #6 of the Voynich manuscript

Fig. 29: detailed samples of the faces in the soil at page 6

Faces in the flowers

At pdf-page 28 of the Voynich manuscript at we may identify similar faces in the flowers, symbolized by three dots for the eyed and a nose.

Fig. 30: faces in the flowers

Unidentifiable animal eating from the leaves

At pdf-page 50 of the Voynich manuscript at we may identify an unidentifiable animal eating or sucking from the leaves.

Fig. 31: unidentifiable animal eating from the leaves

Human faces in the plants' roots

At pdf-page 65 (numbered page 33) of the Voynich manuscript at we may identify human faces in the plants' roots. The uncolored faces are only detectable in a good copy of the manuscript.

Fig. 32: human faces in the plants' roots at page 65

Fig. 33: Left Face

Fig. 34: Right Face

These faces for which the gender cannot be identified, clearly identify the manuscript as an nonherbal book.

Human corpse at the bottom of the page

At pdf-page 119 (numbered page 66) of the Voynich manuscript at we may identify a human corpse at the bottom of the page.

Fig. 35: human corpse at the bottom of the page

Note dated III/2 1967 and signed HH

At pdf-page 208 (of a total of 209 scans) of the Voynich manuscript at we may identify a note dated III/2 1967 and signed HH.

Fig. 36: a note dated III/2 1967 and signed HH