There are countless objects that defy understanding, but the Voynich manuscript is perhaps one of the most confounding. Named after the rare books collector Wilfrid Voynich, who acquired it in 1912, the manuscript continues to baffle skilled cryptologists to this day. In fact, it’s never even been deciphered.
The manuscript’s delicate parchment cover bears no indication of its origin, whether that be its year of publication, title, or author. Its vellum pages showcase puzzling, and at times unsettling, illustrations, including those of naked women bathing in a bizarre green liquid. The manuscript also features intricate astrological charts, unidentifiable plants, and, most famously, an undecipherable script.
For those reasons, nothing particularly concrete is known about the Voynich manuscript, other than that its vellum pages have been carbon-dated to the early 15th century. Cryptologists have also determined that the script found within the manuscript is written in a line-by-line manner, appearing to be alphabetic.
“No other document that includes writing in the same script has ever been found,” writes René Zandbergen, a long-time researcher of the Voynich. “It cannot be understood, despite many decades of attempts and statistical analysis.”
Though equally perplexing, the manuscript’s illustrations are, to some extent, grouped together by specific motifs, allowing for discrete sections within the text itself. These range from herbal, astronomical, zodiac, biological, pharmaceutical, and recipe sections, each containing their own distinct imagery.
“Voynich once stated that the book would become more valuable as soon as it has been deciphered, but this is hardly true,” Zandbergen continues. “Its mystery and its resistance to translation is what makes it special.”
In 2020, Yale published the Voynich manuscript online in its entirety. For those eager to crack the code, the manuscript can be explored through the Internet Archive.
The Voynich manuscript has eluded cryptologists for centuries with its undecipherable script and puzzling illustrations.
The manuscript is named after the rare book collector who acquired it in 1912, and bears no indication of its origin, author, or title.
Through carbon dating, the manuscript’s vellum pages have been determined to be from the early 15th century.
The Voynich manuscript is currently housed at Yale University, and is available to browse online in its entirety.
Sources: Voynich.nu; The Voynich Manuscript; The Unread: The Mystery of the Voynich Manuscript; What We Know About the Voynich Manuscript
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