Category Archives: codes and ciphers

The Modern Forgery Hypothesis

Posted on March 23, 2016 by proto57

Although I’ve mentioned various aspects of my Modern Forgery Hypothesis for the Voynich Manuscript over the last few years, both here and on the Voynich Mailing List, I have never posted a summary of it. This is an attempt at … Continue reading →

Posted in codes and ciphers, Dating the VMs, history & provenance | Tagged , , , | 45 Comments

Pitfalls of Decipherment

Posted on July 26, 2015 by proto57

I am barely a cipher amateur. Nonetheless, I’ve read and studied about many historical cipher attempts, both successes and failures, and over the last few years, and I’ve been privy to a great many decipherment attempts on the Voynich, both … Continue reading →

Posted in codes and ciphers | Tagged , , , , , , , | 127 Comments

A Little Bit Like Everything, a Whole Lot Like Nothing

Posted on May 6, 2010 by proto57

…That is how I often think of the Voynich Manuscript. On the one hand it has reminded countless people of many different styles from every age of every corner of the earth… while at the same time, it is almost … Continue reading →

Posted in codes and ciphers, fantasy | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

T/O Map Label Implications

Posted on April 20, 2010 by proto57

As I and others have said before, the labels seem to be one of the best ways “into” the Voynich Manuscript. They might be words which are disclosed by adjoining illustrations, most importantly. And if they can be assumed to … Continue reading →

Posted in codes and ciphers | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Numerical Coding of Word Sections

Posted on November 29, 2009 by proto57

Imagine for a moment a code which allows an encoder to make random, infinite choices when encoding, but which can only be decoded one way… into one, clear plain-text… at the receiver’s end. The interim coded text would represent the … Continue reading →

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Biliteral: A Cipher in Plain Sight?

Posted on November 14, 2009 by proto57

There has been a bit of talk, again, about the possibility of Francis Bacon’s Biliteral Cipher being used in the Voynich. It is one of my personal top-three candidates, and has been… and it’s been a favorite of mine for … Continue reading →

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The Chymical Wedding: Parallel Work?

Posted on July 8, 2009 by proto57

The 1616 book, The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz, is the third of the first three defining works of the Rosicrucian movement. It describes the progression of the fictional Rosenkreutz through a series of allegorical events, while encountering fantastic people, … Continue reading →

Posted in codes and ciphers, Dating the VMs, fantasy, Rosicrucianism | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Thomas Harriot, Algonquian, and Optics

Posted on July 1, 2009 by proto57

Thomas Harriot certainly comes under the category of “People whom History Forgot”, right alongside Cornelis Drebbel. The problem in both cases is that much of their life works were destroyed or lost, before ever being published. Just we don’t know … Continue reading →

Posted in codes and ciphers, Dating the VMs, optics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Book M, John Heydon, and the Book of Solomon

Posted on June 20, 2009 by proto57

The Rosicrucian Fama Fraternitatis makes reference to several important works. The “Book M” is one of these. From meta-religion.com: “In Damcar, the Fama recounts the learned men ‘to whom Nature was discovered’ received the precocious boy ‘not as a stranger … Continue reading →

Posted in codes and ciphers, Dating the VMs, fantasy, history & provenance, optics, Rosicrucianism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Grille Experiment

Posted on June 11, 2009 by proto57

Cardan Grilles, or grills of some type, have been suspected as taking a role in Voynich creation. Most famously, Dr. Gordon Rugg investigated the possibility, and discovered that the text could have been created with such a grill, and could … Continue reading →

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