Introduction<\/strong> Article<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cvetka Kocjancic<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Voynich Manuscript is regarded as one of the most mysterious books in the world because none of the proposed theories, in regards to its written language, has yet been accepted. I am offering a new theory, based upon my recognition of the Voynich Manuscript (VM) language and additionally an extensive research to support my claim that the Voynich manuscript is written in the Slovenian language as it was spoken in the 15th century of present day Slovenia and in the larger Slovenian-speaking diaspora. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The map of the Republic of Slovenia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My research also led me to believe that the author of the VM was Nicholas Kempf from Strasbourg, a Carthusian, who spent over thirty years as a Prior in the Charterhouses Jurklo\u0161ter and Pleterje (in present day Slovenia), either alone or by his fellow Carthusians, tutored by him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand the language of the Voynich Manuscript, its relationship to European history and Rudolf II, who was a one-time owner of the Voynich Manuscript, some historical account of the Slovenian language and Slovenian people is necessary in order to enable the reader to follow my journey while discovering the mystery behind this famous book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Slovenian language was first mentioned in the middle of the 15th century when four Carthusian Charterhouses had formed their fraternity. Previously, the Slovenian language was known under several names as well as Slovenian speaking people: Sclaveni, Caranthanians, Carinthians, Wends.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Slovenians existed in the territory of present day Slovenia when the Lombards migrated from Pannonia to Northern Italy. In 631, they established the first Slavic state in Central Europe, known as Samo’s Empire. After Samo’s death, a much smaller principality called Carantania existed in the territory of present-day southern Austria and north-eastern Slovenia until 889, when it fell under Franks and became known as the March of Carinthia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To regain some independence, Slovenians became part of Great Moravia which rose to prominence when the missionaries from Tessaloniki established a Slavic religious and cultural centre in Mikul\u010dice. St. Methodius was consecrated the first Slavic bishop whose jurisdiction included Great Moravia and Pannonia. Their language and culture have been referred to, in retrospect, as the Old Church Slavonic (OCS)<\/em>. Greek Orthodox rite and Slavic language was practiced in liturgy and in secular life. The OCS script is known as Glagolica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Methodius’ death, his Slavic pupils were expelled by Bavarian bishops and a large part of Great Moravia was conquered by Arnulf of Carinthia, while the eastern part was invaded by the Hungarians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some expelled Slavic missionaries found refuge in Macedonia, which, at that time, was ruled by the Bulgarian Empire. At about the same time, when the Orthodox religion separated from the Roman Church, the Bogomil religion, regarded heretical by both Eastern and Western Christian Churches, appeared in Bulgaria and spread over Europe. In Northern Italy, the Bogomils were known as Patareni, and in France as Cathars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the subsequent centuries, Crusaders were sent to liberate the Holy Land from the Arabs, and the Germans organized Crusades to convert pagan Slavs and take their land. A special brand of the Bogomil religion, separated from the Roman Church, survived and existed for 400 years as a state religion of Bosnia. It indirectly led to the Protestantism in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the battle to dominate Europe, various feudal families rose to power by gaining the favour of the Roman Popes, or by marrying into the royal families. Arnulf of Carinthia, the illegitimate son of the Carolingian King, became the Duke of Bavaria and Carinthia. After conquering the Slavs in Pannonia, he became the King of East Francia, and eventually the disputed King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor. Arnulf was succeeded by pro-German Berengar of Friuli and after him, the Saxon Ottonian Dynasty came to power bringing three Roman Emperors. They enlarged the German lands by subduing Slavs in the Wendish Crusades. At the time of the Ottonian Dynasty, Sclavinia (the name applied to Great Caranthania in the 10th century), it was regarded equal to Germania, Roma and Galia, as illustrated in the 14th century Ottonian Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Germanic kings assumed power over several Slavic principalities, however, they were unable to suppress the Slavic language, even though the Bavarian nobility had imposed German as a secular language. The national language of Carinthia was Slovenian and up to the middle of the 15th century, the installation, of Carinthian dukes was conducted in the Slovenian language. Slavic language was also retained by the Bohemians in spite of intense Germanization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bohemian Premysl Dynasty succeeded to establish the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1198. Premysl Ottokar II married Margaret of Babenberg and became the Duke of Austria and thereby acquired Upper Austria<\/a>, Lower Austria<\/a>, and part of Styria<\/a>. He conquered the rest of Styria, most of Carinthia<\/a>, and parts of Carniola<\/a>, thus ruling the area from Austria<\/a> to the Adriatic Sea<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n King Rudolf<\/a> I of Habsburg began to compete with Ottokar for political power. All of Ottokar’s German possessions were lost in 1276, and in 1278, he was abandoned by part of the Czech nobility and died in the Battle on the Marchfeld<\/a> against Rudolf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles IV strengthened the power and prestige of the Bohemian Kingdom and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1355. He founded the university in Prague and raised the Czech language to be at par with other European languages. In his Empirical Proclamation, he ordered the Counts Palatine to teach their sons the Slavic language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slovenian was spoken in the Duchy of Carinthia and the Dukes of Carinthia, up to the middle of the 15th century, were required to speak Slovenian (Carinthian). According to the medieval Swaben Spiegel, the Installation of the Carinthian Dukes was conducted in a colourful ritual in the Slovenian language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the death of Charles the Great in 1378, the Bohemian crown went to his son, Wenceslas IV<\/a> who was also elected as King of the Romans<\/a> in 1376, but was deposed in 1400, having never being crowned Emperor. His half-brother, Sigismund<\/a>, was eventually crowned Emperor in 1433 and ruled until 1437, as the last male member of the House of Luxembourg. Sigismund was also the King of Hungary and Croatia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Austria, the Habsburg Dynasty rose to great power with Rudolf IV who wanted to imitate his father-in-law, Charles IV of Bohemia. He proclaimed himself the Archduke of Austria and elevated the March of Carniola into Duchy. The present day Slovenian lands were thus divided between the Slavic Bohemian Kingdom and the Austrian Habsburg Kingdom, with some parts annexed to Hungary and Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the beginning of the 15th century, the Slovenian dynasty (with roots going back to St. Hemma of Gurk, Arnulf of Carinthia, and the Ottonian Dynasty) known as Counts of Celje (Cilli) rose to prominence in Europe on account of their inheritance and intermarriages with the most influential European royal families. Barbara of Celje, who was married to Sigismund of Luxembourg, became the first Empress of Slovenian descent when her husband became the Holy Roman Emperor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to historical accounts, the Counts of Celje were well on their way to form a great Slavic empire, however it did not materialize due to the Turkish invasion and the assassination of the last male descendent of this dynasty. By marrying the daughter of Sigismund and Barbara, the Habsburgs\u2019 gained the possession, according to a previously penned contract of the mutual inheritance, as well as the title of Holy Roman Emperor which remained in this dynasty up to the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1917.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the German language was the official secular language of the rulers and German nobility, Slavic language remained the language of the general population of ancient Slavic lands. In western Europe, the Old Church Slavonic had diversified into various dialects and eventually into separate languages. In the 16th century, when the first Slovenian books were printed, the Carinthian, Slovenian, Carniolan dialects, as well as the dialects spoken in present day Karst, Primorska, Istria, are mentioned as variations of one language which was also understood in Croatia and Dalmatia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n My Voynich Manuscript Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2016, I was researching my maiden name, Mikoli\u010d, online and by chance, discovered the Voynich Manuscript.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Voynich Manuscript, named for its one-time Slavic owner, Wilfried Voynich, immediately captured my interest. Voynich actually had nothing to do with the authorship of the manuscript but rather with its discovery and preservation. When I discovered the VM, the researchers were still wondering if the manuscript was written in a natural language, in code, or whether it was a hoax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To avoid being overwhelmed by the wealth of material available on the internet about the VM, I limited my research initially, on the Zandbergen<\/em>\u2018s and Dr. Bax\u2019 <\/em>internet sites that offered the most reliable factual information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just for the fun of it, I transliterated some of the short words from the VM into Latin letters using the European Voynich Alphabet (EVA), devised by Zandbergen and Landini, without even being aware that the Latin letters of the EVA were not meant to be the actual Latin equivalents, but rather, the designations for computer analysis and reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When reading this blog, please note that EVA stands for the European Voynich Alphabet, and VM for the Voynich Manuscript. Instead of defining grammatical forms for each individual word, I am offering an English translation in a grammatical form to enable the readers to get the essence of the language. In my translations, I also use the same word sequence as it is in the VM as well as in the Slovenian translation, for the reader to follow the translation of individual words, even if it does not sound correct in English. To avoid the overuse of quotation marks, I have decided to use capital letters for the transliteration of the individual VM glyph whenever possible, although there are no capital letters in the VM. For understanding contemporary Slovenian sounds the English readers can refer to the table below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Recognition of Slovenian Words in the EVA Transcription<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first word I recognized was the word DAL<\/em> which in Slovenian means a form of the verb \u2018to give\u2019 (dal, 1. pers., sing., masc., past or future, for example: sem dal<\/em> \u2212 \u2018(I) gave\u2019 or bom dal <\/em>\u2212 \u2018(I will) give\u2019. The fact that it was frequently used in the VM, supported my translation, however, the same word is also used in Croatian and in Armenian languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same could be said for the word DALY (dali<\/em> \u2212 (they) gave, (they) will give, in Slovenian and Croatian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I noticed the great frequency of the VM glyph EVA \u2018y\u2019, which does not exist in the Slovenian alphabet, but in the first Slovenian books of the 16th<\/sup> century, it was often used. Later, it was replaced with \u2018j\u2019 or \u2018i\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I expanded my search for the VM words related to DAL<\/em>\/to give, I noticed not only Slovenian words, but the grammar as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step I:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I used the Basic EVA to transcribe some short VM words comprised from the above Voynich glyphs and translated them into Slovenian and English:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was more than a coincidence and served as a confirmation that some EVA transliterations for the VM glyphs could be actually used for the translation of the VM. I picked the simple letters first, the ones that can be easily and without a doubt, transliterated into the Slovenian alphabet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sample vocabulary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Dolenjska dialect, the word OLJE<\/em> is pronounced ol\u0259<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One particular VM word caught my attention: the word for people. The contemporary Slovenian word for PEOPLE is LJUDJE<\/em>, which evolved from the medieval word LUDI. This form of LUDI is still used in \u0160tajerska dialect, while in Dolenjska dialect the word LDJE is used. The Dolenjska dialect also has unusual declinations of this word: LDJE, LDI, LDEM, LDI, PR LDEH, Z LDMI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With my understanding, the words \u201cldy\u201d and \u201cdar ldy\u201d (gift of people) identify the Slovenian Dolenjska dialect because most other Slavic languages and Slovenian dialects would use \u201cludi\u201d. I recognized the Dolenjska dialect of the Slovenian language, as it was still spoken during my childhood among the peasant people in the valley below the Gorjanci Mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The settlement of the Slavic Orthodox refugees, on the south side of Gorjanci Mountains, served as a religious and linguistic buffer for the centuries to come, so that unlike the language of Bela Krajina, the language in the Brusnice and \u0160entjernej valley was much less affected by Croatian language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dolenjska dialect referenced was spoken by the inhabitants of the Lower Carniola and has been called Slovenian (Slouenski) language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using the Basic EVA, I searched for the other letters in the VM with the understanding that I would have to make some adjustments to the EVA alphabet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Letter P:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The frequency of EVA letter Q did not suit the Slovenian language, not even during the Middle Ages when Q still occasionally appeared in certain words. Changing the EVA Q to P generated many more Slovenian words and also indicated the aspect of Slovenian grammar: the pre-fix PO<\/em>, used to finish action, and also one of the frequently used Slovenian propositions, meaning \u201con\u201d, \u201cat\u201d, \u201cafter\u201d, \u201cby\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The propositions were usually written together, joined with the following word, without a space or any other mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The words with PO- (prefix) were recognizable in the VM because the part of the word, after the preposition, could stand alone or another preposition could be placed in front of it, thereby changing the meaning of the word slightly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: In the imperative mood for the 2. pers. sing. the ending is \u2018i\u2019, but phonetically, particularly in dialectic speech, the \u2018i\u2019 is usually dropped, however, it was used in the OCS, so both forms were still in use during the 15th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n PO as preposition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike prefixes, prepositions are separated from the main word, however in the middle ages, this was not always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PO is also part of the word. It can stand at the beginning of the word, or after another preposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Minims<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What seemed clear to me, however, seems to be puzzling for most VM researchers since the word DAM<\/em> is frequently repeated in the VM. I searched for articles to see if any of the experts came to similar conclusions and found Dr. Bax\u2019s article about minims in the VM. As a renowned world linguist, specializing in Arabic languages, he suggested that the minims (the slanted lines) are of Arabic origin and were used in Gothic writing in the Middle Ages. Dr. Bax explained that in different combinations, they could represent fourteen different letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The minims were used in the oldest writing symbols from the 6th<\/sup> to 5th<\/sup> millennium BC on the artifacts of the Vinca culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually the minims were used in Paleo-Hebrew, Venetic, Phoenician, Etruscan, Armenian, Western Greek, North-Italic scripts, and in Latin cursive script to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading three minims as the letter M made a lot of sense to me, however, I could not always read this glyph in the VM as M. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As per Dr. Bax, I concluded that I could read the VM four minims glyph as IM, IIW, NIV, but it was not always easy to decipher which was which because, in the Slovenian language, AM is a suffix for present tense 1. per. sing. verbal form and IIV or IW (W representing the sound U) could be read as IU or JIU (V at the end of the word is pronounced as U), that is the suffix for an adjective (singular, male gender) or for a verbal form for the singular, male gender verbs, future or past tense in combination with a helping verb, such as in English \u00bbwill, shall\u201d or \u00bbwas\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many VM words are in grammatical forms that cannot be found in any Slovenian dictionary. Some words are easily recognized, and others requiring a better understanding of the medieval Slovenian language and grammar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all of the words containing minims are so simple to read, because <\/p>\n\n\n\n Combined letter IL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Identifying M meant finding another meaning for EVA \u2212 m. The glyph looks like a combination of the minim \/\u2018i\u2019\/ and In Slovenian, -IL represents the suffix for the past or future, singular, masc. verbal form, used with the helping verb form bom, bo<\/em>\u0161<\/em>, bo<\/em> \u2212 (for the future tense) and sem, si, je<\/em> (for past tense) \u2212 which are the equivalents of English \u00bbwill\u201d, \u00bbshall\u201d and \u00bbwas\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is one particular text in the VM, on the page 3R, that contains twenty-seven such glyphs, which are otherwise relatively rare in the VM. The text starts with the VM word which I read as T BUOS, which is a dialectical phonetic for TU BO\u0160<\/em> \u2212 Here (you) will \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The suffix IL also stands in dialectical pronunciation of certain nouns of neutral gender, such as DARIL (gift), KADIL (incense), SVARIL (warning). These three words are quite frequent in the VM, either as nouns or as verbs, and this could explain why in some words, the -IL appears in the second-last syllable due to the different grammatical form of the noun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Letter B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although this VM glyph has been assigned in EVA as the Latin B, it is not transcribed as B in the EVA transliteration. There are many B words, but they are hard to recognize, because they were often paired with H, and the byglyph looks like EVA SH. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My random search throughout the VM identified some indisputable Slovenian words containing the B letter for the B sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personal pronouns in the Slovenian language are often implied by the grammatical form. For easier understanding, I put them in parenthesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n B in the above words cannot be confused with \/EVA’s sh, Slovenian \u010c\/\u0160, but the same cannot be said for the word below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to the handwriting and faded ink, and without clear distinction of the \u010c and \u0160 sounds, I transliterated the VM glyph below as \u010c. In medieval Slovenian writing, the Latin letter S often doubled for S, Z and \u0160.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Letter U<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This VM glyph was also very problematic for the researchers as some read it as double CC, and some as EE. The most problematic words containing this glyph were those with the double u. Since the glyph looks like a Latin cursive U, I designated it as such. The words themselves (many of them are still in use) and the combination of words confirm my intuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples: <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Letters Z, C, H <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n EVA has also this ligature separated as \/C and \/H, yet in EVA transliteration of the VM text, there is not a single word containing a single letter C or H. Initially, I only took those VM glyphs for CH, where C can be clearly recognized by the broken circle, but even this was unreliable due to the faded ink. I noticed that the letter H never stands alone, and it is always connected to C, and that in a few words, the letter C is not followed by H, such as in the word \/KHAIL or KCAIL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This sign in the VM is also somewhat problematic, because it is not consistently written clearly. Even this clearly written glyph could be read as BH or as \u0160 (EVA – SH). Moreover, I noticed that it does not always correspond with the Slovenian sound \u0160 (sh), but rather with \u010c (ch).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slovenian conjunctions \u010cE (if), \u0160E (yet), \u017dE (already) are most often spelled in the VM as a single letter (which is characteristic for the Dolenjska dialect).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n CH can also be a part of the word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Z vs. \u017d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In medieval Slovenian writing, S is often read as S, Z, \u0160 or \u017d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kingdom of Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) was the only kingdom, at the beginning of the 15th<\/sup> century, to use the adopted Latin alphabet for the Slavic language. The alphabet had two signs for \u010c and also a special sign for \u017d and \u0160.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n It was developed by Jan Hus and published in his Latin book De Orthographia Bohemica (published between 1406 and 1412) while he still enjoyed his position as the Rector of the Charles University in Prague. It is possible that the author of the VM was trying to imitate the Czech alphabet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the author of the VM was, in fact, Nicholas Kempf, he would be aware of the Czech alphabet, because the Prior at Jurklo\u0161ter before Kempf was a Czech Carthusian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In most Slovenian words, Z is easily distinguished from \u017d by one who knows the language, but there were still many words where Z could not be understood properly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Voynich Unique Tall Glyphs<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The abundance of words that display the same pattern as the words starting with K and T, particularly in respect to prepositions PO and O, convinced me these glyphs stand for SV, CV or ZV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means that<\/p>\n\n\n\n could stand for SV, which would include Slovenian words related to \u201clight\u201d, \u201choliness\u201d and \u201cthe world\u201d, besides many others. Many Slovenian words also start with CV, such as CVET (blossom, flowers), and with ZV \u2212 ZVEZDA (a star).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The word \u2018dol\u2019 was frequently used with certain verbs for emphasis and could not be directly translated. It represents the same grammatical form as \u2018lie down\u2019, except that there is no downwards movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some critics might be sceptical of certain words that do not conform to direct letter-by-letter translation into Slovenian. I tried to illustrate how some words had evolved as the Slovenian linguists tried to standardize Slovenian writing. Often, the Latin or German endings were changed to Slavic, such as SODAR to SODNIK, SVE\u010cAR to SVETNIK. Another possible reason for this is that the author of the VM was writing down the words from the spoken language and could have heard the sounds incorrectly, or the sounds were changed later. Therefore, I considered how the word sounds and how a foreigner might develop new grammatical forms of certain words based upon the known words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Strike-through Glyphs<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is possible that the VM author was inspired to create the strike-through glyphs as the Slovenian equivalent for the German ST and extend its use to other bygliphs. In the 16th century, Adam Bohori\u010d, the first Slovenian linguist, used the mark to connect \u2018s\u2019 and \u2018t\u2019, but that was not adopted in Slovenian language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This could explain the VM rationale behind the strike-through letters, connecting CT, CK or CSVH which sound like ST, SK and SV\u010c respectively. It has been suggested that the strike-through Voynich glyphs represent capital letters. In Slovenian, capital letters do not stand in the middle of the word, therefore, the strike-through glyphs do not indicate capitalized letters but rather proper pronunciation. In the VM, the strike-through most often appears in the combination of letters CTU, CTO, CTY, CKO, CKY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This glyph below, and the others like this, look like the letter T was inserted into \u201cch\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n so does the glyph SV:<\/p>\n\n\n\n After careful study, I concluded that the pronunciation does not follow the same pattern. While the latter is pronounced as SV\u010c, the first one could not be pronounced as ST\u010c, largely due to the impossibility to make that sound understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the strike-through letters as \u2018st\u2019, \u2018sk\u2019 and \u2018sv\u010d\u2019 enabled my search for many more Slovenian words, although there still seems to be some questions of proper transliteration due to the unclear letters \u2018o\u2019 or \u2018c\u2019. If the first letter is C or O, the strike-through indicates that the three glyphs are pronounced as one syllable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pronunciation applies whether the letters represent one word or two, as when pronounced, they sound like one word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Based upon my understanding of the Slovenian language, (and other languages, such as Croatian, Serbian, German and English) and guided by my intuition, I developed a transliteral alphabet that worked for most of the words within the entire VM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 2:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My next step was to validate this alphabet by finding the documents that would prove that similar letters and writing style existed in present day Slovenia during in the 15th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand the VM, it was not only necessary to get acquainted with the medieval Slovenian vocabulary, but also with medieval life, culture, religious practices, peasant beliefs and traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although I found many more words in the VM that I could easily transcribe and translate into Slovenian, the translation of the VM is not that simple. I realized that the poems in the floral section are similar to coded messages since flowers are often used as symbols and this \u201ccoded message\u201d could be assumed from the strange shapes of the blossoms, leaves and roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond the difficulty with the transliteration, the medieval words reflect a culture that is no longer familiar to us, like \u010c<\/em>ARANJE<\/em> (making magical spells), or KADITI<\/em> (to smoke, to make smoke), which was the word for \u201cblessing\u201d as well as for \u201csmoking meat\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was not my intention to hurriedly announce (yet) another VM theory that would be quickly scrutinized and rejected as so many other theories. I am inviting Voynich researchers to look at this mysterious manuscript from an entirely new and multidisciplinary perspective. We know that computer analysis has been unable to produce any meaningful clues as to the language of the VM. My blog will explain the reason why the Voynich Manuscript EVA transliteration does not generate positive results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Distinction Between Slovenian and Croatian Language<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was able to understand many of the Voynich words with ease. Some became incorporated into the Kajkavian Croatian language, but there were many more words that are uniquely Slovenian, such as LDY (LDI) for LUDI, LJUDI<\/em>), which can only be found in the Dolenjska dialect, as well as \u010c\u010c (\u010de \u010d\u00e8) for \u010c<\/em>E HO<\/em>\u010c<\/em>E<\/em>. Further research was required into medieval Slovenian and Croatian literature to clarify the distinction between Slovenian and Kajkavian Croatian language. It is commonly accepted that Croatians were using Glagolica for their language, however the VM glyphs do not resemble Glagolica, nor Croatian Glagolica that Kircher referred to as Hieronimi script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned previously, I was quite familiar with the Dolenjska dialect, particularly the dialect from the valley below the Gorjanci Mountain, where I was born, and where the old dialect was still spoken by the peasantry. I also became re-acquainted with the Dolenjska dialect, when I received the Nare\u010dni slovar Brusni\u0161ke doline (The Dictionary of the Brusnice Valley), written several years ago by Darja \u0160inkovec and Milena Jakli\u010d. Inspired by the dictionary, I searched for additional old words to help the authors with a future updated edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand the similarities and differences between the Slovenian and Croatian languages, it is important to understand the historical development of both languages. This is a topic for another article I intend to post later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n COMPARISON OF THE VOYNICH GLYPHS WITH OTHER TEXTS WRITTEN IN LATIN LETTERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After adjusting the EVA script, by confirming some of the EVA glyphs and guessing the unknown Voynich glyphs, I searched for a confirmation of my transliteration alphabet by comparing the Voynich glyphs with the Latin letters in documents written during the same timespan that the VM was written (according to carbon dating) and the region where I believed the Voynich manuscript was created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the internet, I found quite a few documents in Latin and German from the region of Novo Mesto. The documents reflected varying degrees of changes: switching from small printed letters to cursive capital letters and non-capital letters; introduction of punctuation, such as the period; implementation of distinguishing marks for minims; changes from Italian to German writing convention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My search for comparative Latin letters yielded interesting results and I concentrated on the documents from the region of Lower Carniola (present day Dolenjska) and Lower Styria (the medieval domain of the Counts of Celje).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Freising Manuscript <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The oldest manuscript written in Slovenian in the 10th<\/sup> century AD was found in Freising, Bavaria. The Latin alphabet was used, with small and capital letters, without the letter Y. There is no sign of minims; the letters n, m, and u are clearly written to be distinguished from each other. Except for letter The spelling of Slovenian words was more confusing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n is used for \u010c, so is<\/p>\n\n\n\n Z is also at times pronounced as S or \u010c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, the vocabulary is closer to present day Slovenian than to the Voynich Manuscript, understandably, since the Freising Manuscript contains the form of a confession which has been used in Catholic worship for centuries and in an almost unchanged form. The Voynich Manuscript contains secular writing, later regarded as heretical, and various Old Church Slavonic religious terms that also disappeared or were given negative connotations. One such word is \u010cAR which is frequently used in the Voynich manuscript, mostly in a positive sense, as a healing word (prayer, incantation) or as a healing remedy (healing plants). Slovenian Protestant writers already regarded \u201c\u010darovnik\u201d (magician, miracle-maker) as \u201czupernik\u201d (somebody opposing), and the word \u201cmystery\u201d ascribed to religious sacraments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A document in German from 1376, stored at Dolenjski Muzej Novo Mesto<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nVOYNICH MANUSCRIPT GRAMMAR<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/the-map-of-slovenia.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/freising-manuscript.png\")
Freising Manuscript, the first Slovenian writing in Latin<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voynich-manuscript-explained-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/territories-VM-2.png\")
Territories ruled by Ottokar II of Bohemia<\/a> in 1273<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM-3.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM-4.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/dal-VB.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/DALY-VM.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm-gliph.png\")
EVA \u2018y\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm-5.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm351-1-1024x981.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm352.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm353-735x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm354-670x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm355-1024x175.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm402-1024x187.png\")
Latin P \u2212 Slovenian P, (EVA Q)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm403-1024x183.png\")
Other researchers, like Petersen, suggested that this VM sign should be transcribed as the Latin P. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm355-2-1024x911.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm356.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm357-1024x884.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm358-876x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm359-1024x217.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm54-1024x190.png\")
Table 2: minims in ancient scripts<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm54-2.png\")
three minims<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm55.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm360-1024x861.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\/M itself could be read as M, IN, IW, IIV. VM glyph with four minims could be read as IM, NW, JIW. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm60-1.png\")
(EVA \u2212 m)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\/\u2018l\u2019\/, except that \u2018l\u2019 has a tail, which could indicate the Slavic sound \u2018ilj\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm61.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm360-1-1024x861.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm68.png\")
Latin B \u2212 Slovenian B<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm345.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm361-1024x884.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm362-1024x229.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm404-1024x141.png\")
the VM glyp as \u010c<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm405-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm81.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm363-968x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm364-829x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm406-1024x559.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm105.png\")
KHAIL or KCAIL<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm346-1024x272.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm108.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm365-1024x694.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm366-1024x549.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm347-1024x110.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm367-1024x711.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm368-1024x436.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm129.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm369-1024x341.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm370-1024x363.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm135.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm371-1024x770.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm372-1024x764.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm375-1024x758.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm377-1024x722.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm160.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm161.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vm378-1024x416.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/vm166-1024x450.png\")
Table 3: Slovenian Voynich Alphabet<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMedieval Slovenian language<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM167-1024x405.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM168-1024x161.png\")
Table 4: Freising Manuscript (first row) compared to VM (second row)<\/em>
10 letters in common (highlighted blue), 5 letters related to VM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n (s), used also as \u0160 and \u017d, all letters are similar to the Latin alphabet and letters used in present day Slovenia. G is frequently used and clearly written as the contemporary letter G (g).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM169.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM170.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM171-1024x623.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/voynichslovenianmystery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/VM172-1024x141.png\")