# Comments:
#
#   STYLE AND LAYOUT
#
#   Although the nypmhs are a bit awkwards and deformed, it looks as
#   if this drawing was done with more care than the other "Zodiac"
#   diagrams. (However, this impression may be due simply to better
#   preervation or reproduction.)
#
#   The fishes look quite realistic, except for the mouths. However
#   they may have been "invented" rather than copied from real models.
#
#   The barrels in the outer group are not well drawn; the sides are
#   neither parallel nor radial (i.e.vertical), especially in the one
#   at 10:45. The perspective is not quite correct ---the top is
#   tilted too much towards the viewer, and in four cases (05:30,
#   06:30, 10:15, 10:45) it is drawn as an eye, not an ellipse. The
#   decoration however curves around the barrel, as it should.
#
#   It seems that the artist planned to add another band of decoration
#   just inside the middle text ring. He/she lightly sketched the
#   inner bounding circle of that band, and carefully avoided it while
#   drawing the inner nymphs from 08:00 to 01:00. (By the way, this
#   explains why the nymph at 07:30 has her face crammed against the
#   fold.) But the nymphs from 01:00 to 08:00 overflowed that circle
#   (perhaps because it was too faint in those parts), and the band
#   was left undecorated.
#
#   From the kinks in the circles, and the appearance of figures and
#   text near the fold, its seems that the fold was already present
#   when the drawing was made.
#
#   THE FISH EMBLEM
#
#   The two fish are obviously the astrological symbol for Pisces,
#   which is February 20th to March 20th.
#
#   Rene Zandbergen [23 Feb 96] reports seeing an illustration of the
#   Pisces symbol [2] very similar to the center picture of f70v2, in
#   anatomy and proportions.
#
#   Rene [14 Mar 1997] notes that whenever there are two things in a
#   zodiac symbol (Cancer, Libra), or two copies of a diagram (Taurus,
#   Aries), one is light and the other is dark; but pisces is an
#   exception. (But "dark" and "light" may be just reproduction noise;
#   we should look at the original colors.)
#
#   THE "MONTH NAME"
#
#   The word between the fish could be "(m|n)((a|ci)(v|r)|w)(c|g)" in
#   Latin script, and is traditionally read "mars". Mars is French for
#   March. The first letter resembles the last letter of <f116v.P.1>
#   (the "michiton" line).
#
#   THE CENTRAL STARS
#
#   Don Latham [25 Apr 1997] notes that the star must be al-rischa
#   (the rope-knot) from his constellation atlas. [The label is
#   "otolal" in the best transcription.] Rene [5 Jan 1998] reports
#   howeer that "alrischa" is a late assignment.
#
#   Mark Sulla [26 Apr 1997] adds that 
#
#     Hipparchos and Ptolemy called it "sundesmos ton ikhthuon" or
#     "ton linon". Cicero et al called it "nodus", or "nodus
#     caelestis" and "nodus piscium" Pliny called it the "commissura
#     Piscium" The Almagest called it "nodus duorum filorum". The
#     asterism of the threads was variously called "vincla",
#     "alligamentum" "linteum" or "luteum". Hevelius subdivided it
#     into the "linum boream" and "austrinum". [1]
#
#   Rene [28 Apr 1997] observes however that the label need not be the
#   name, it could be some indication of its position: X deg Y min. He
#   also notes that alrischa belongs with the *constellation* of
#   Pisces, not the *sign*.
#
#   Rene [28 Apr 1997] suggests that Polaris would be a possible
#   candidate for the star, on account of its distinguished position
#   in the VMS. Don Latham [] objects, why should Polaris be in
#   Pisces?
#
#   Denis Mardle [28 Apr 97] notes that "otolal" does not seem to
#   occur in his files, but "otalal" does occur on <f58r.11;F>,
#   <f68v3.O.1;C>, <f70v2.R1.1;C>, <f71r.15A;K>, <f72v1.R3.1;C>,
#   <f107r.22;F>.
#
#   THE TEXT RINGS
#
#   According to Denis Mardle [14 Mar 97], the nymphs in tubes suggest
#   that the diagram should be read from the inside out.
#   (Unfortunately most text unit have been numbered the other way...)
#
#   Denis also observes [14 Mar 97] that a line through the two stars
#   in the center points 11:00, and goes through the only inner nymph
#   who is facing clockwise. Stolfi [here] thinks that the odd nymph
#   was reversed so as to face the 12:00 gap, and the 12:00 nymph
#   (with oustretched arm), because that is the "important" place in
#   that band.
#
#   THE NYMPHS
#  
#   Stolfi [11 Aug 1998] observes that f70v2 seems to go against the
#   general trend of the Zodiac section: as one goes from Aries to
#   Sagittarius, the nymphs get progressivley less clothed and more
#   exposed. So perhaps f70v2 was drawn after Aries.
#
#   Rene [14 Mar 1997] thinks that the nymphs coming out of tubes
#   strongly suggest birth (whether it be a person or the cosmos). On
#   the other hand, the disappearance of the barrels in subsequent
#   diagrams may be simply a result of the artist becoming more hasty.
#
#   Rene [14 Mar 1997] suggests also that the nymphs in tubes could
#   be linked with the alchemical concept of creation of a homunculus.
#
#   NYMPH/STAR COUNT
#
#   This folio is exceptional in having only 29 nymphs and stars. Rene
#   [8 May 1996] suggests that the star in the center may be the
#   missing 30th star. (But then why not count the other central star,
#   too?) He also mentions Pietro d'Abano, a 14th century occultist,
#   in whose astrological system each sign was divided into 30 "faces"
#   or parts.
#
#   Robert Firth [note 20] conjectures that the "29" was a mistake,
#   and the number should have been "30", like all other "months". 
#   But that is the Pharaonic Egyptian calendar; why would anyone
#   revive it?  
#
#   Stolfi [here] thinks the artist had planned to draw 20 nymphs in the 
#   outer band, by drawing 4 small ones at the top, then 4 more in each of 
#   the four quadrants.  This he did in the first three quadrants, going
#   clockwise; but then he got confused (perhaps by the fold), and drew only 
#   3 nymphs in the last quadrant, from 09:00 to 12:00.
#
#   THE STAR LABELS
#   
#   Denis Mardle [27 Mar 97] notes that 16 of the star labels start
#   with EVA "ok", 8 start with "ot", 2 start with "yt" --- and yet all
#   are different.  
#
#   Denis also notes that S1.13 and S1.14 both occur on Libra, f72v1.
#   Robert Firth [note 07] observes similarities between the nymph
#   labels on f72v2 and those in the Biological page f82v.
#
#   WHY PISCES?
#
#   Guy Thibault [4 Mar 1996] finds it strange that the VMS zodiac
#   begins with Pisces, instead of Aries as is usual in astrology.
#   Robert Firth [note 20] observes that the Egyptian year began in
#   our July, with the heliacal rising of Sirius.
#
#   Dan Moonhawk Alford [4 Mar 1996] and Adams Douglas [29 Apr 1997]
#   note that Pisces is actually astronomically correct (and has been
#   for many centuries). But Robert asks --- why, alone of all works
#   of Western astrology, is the Voynich Zodiac true to the stars?
#
#   Rayman Maleki [08 Sep 1997] says that a 15th century rebirth of
#   astrology and medicine gave Pisces astrological control over the
#   body. Pictures from this time often have a person standing firmly
#   on the fish. He mentions a drawing of an apothecary shop in Prague
#   that had two fish as symbol on the sign. 
#
#   Rayman [08 Sep 1997] suggests that, alternatively, Pisces may be
#   the beginning of the planting year. Or the VMS may be a reading
#   for someone born in Pisces. Rene [17 Jul 1998] proposes as a
#   possible VMs author a certain George of Trebizond, who "had a firm
#   belief in astrology and wrote that his fated life was controlled
#   by his birth in the sign of Pisces." Moreover, he was once jailed
#   because of his `libido'.
#
#   Glen Claston [25 Feb 1998] says that he saw EVA "&169" used as a
#   power seal symbol related to Pisces, in a book on Honorius in an
#   occult shop, but the book gave no reference to its origin.
#   (Honorius was 13th? century but all related symbols in the
#   paperback were 14th century.)
#
#   Rene [21 Apr 1997] and Denis [24 Apr 97] mention a set of
#   conjuntions of Saturn and Jupiter in 1464, 1524 and 1583 in
#   Pisces; the 1524 was believed to announce a terrible deluge
#   because of the watery sign.
#
#   ZODIAC, OR SOMETHING ELSE?
#
#   Guy Thibault [4 Mar 1996] suggests that the signs could stand for
#   years in the life of an individual, and each nymph for a month;
#   and that the "kings' and "queens" could be real historical people.
#   The 9 nymphs in tubes of this picture could be the 9 months in the
#   womb. Robert Firth [note 07] proposes a similar idea - that the
#   "zodiac" is a list of "lucky" and "unlucky" days.
#
#   Rene [8 Mar 1996] takes up Guy's suggestion and estimates that the
#   individual shoudl have been 25-30 years old at the time of
#   writing, or died at that age. But there are 10, not 9 nymphs in
#   horizontal tubes, so this period is more likely post-natal than
#   pre-natal. As for kings and queens, he mentions that Agrippa's
#   sister became queen of Navarre...
#
# References:
#
#   [1] "Star Names, their Lore and Meaning", Dover,  Richard Hinckley
#   Allen, p. 342 (re: Al Rischa).
#
#   [2] "The history of private life", volume 2 of 5. The caption says
#   "`La Manekine' which is in the Cambrai Library" (that should be
#   Cambrai in France).
#
