How to Create the Voynich Manuscript Using a Simple Faceted Notation

The Voynich manuscript has fuelled an industry of books and research for over 100 years since its discovery. Explanations have come and gone but in all that time little progress has been made in understanding the document. Attempts at finding a hidden meaning that can be revealed through language analysis or cryptographic techniques have yielded mixed results, giving credence to hoax-based accounts. It is my belief that the Voynich is a private notation and on here I have published a number of papers discussing faceted notations. This document takes that work a step further by proposing a notation that can explain how the Voynich may have been created. The underlying premise of this proposal is simplicity and consistency. The suggestion requires no special rules, no complex process to apply it nor indeed leaps of faith. I am not proposing a 'translation' because I believe that no direct translation is possible. More likely, if this approach is pursued by others, it may be possible to identify an accurate profile of the source data that fed the manuscript's creation.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-10-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23673864
Primary Topic
Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

How to Create the Voynich Manuscript Using a Simple Faceted Notation

Gareth Dylan Mallet
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books
article

How to Create the Voynich Manuscript Using a Simple Faceted Notation

Gareth Dylan Mallet
article en

Abstract

The Voynich manuscript has fuelled an industry of books and research for over 100 years since its discovery. Explanations have come and gone but in all that time little progress has been made in understanding the document. Attempts at finding a hidden meaning that can be revealed through language analysis or cryptographic techniques have yielded mixed results, giving credence to hoax-based accounts. It is my belief that the Voynich is a private notation and on here I have published a number of papers discussing faceted notations. This document takes that work a step further by proposing a notation that can explain how the Voynich may have been created. The underlying premise of this proposal is simplicity and consistency. The suggestion requires no special rules, no complex process to apply it nor indeed leaps of faith. I am not proposing a 'translation' because I believe that no direct translation is possible. More likely, if this approach is pursued by others, it may be possible to identify an accurate profile of the source data that fed the manuscript's creation.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books
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How to Create the Voynich Manuscript Using a Simple Faceted Notation — Gareth Dylan Mallet · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS