First brought to modern attention when the manuscript was bought by antique dealer Wilfrid Voynich in 1912, the strange language in the book has been tried to be deciphered by the top code breakers of WWI, and WWII. People are still trying to decipher it to no avail. The writing is said to contain about 25 different “letters”, are written left to right, and have (through analysis) been determined to have been written fluently as if the author knew the language. (as opposed to someone translating from a cypher who would have stopped between every word.
The origin of the book is unknown, although carbon dating of the vellum pages puts their creation between 1404 and 1438. Also, the McCrone Research Institute in Chicago declared that the paints used in the manuscript were derived from materials commonly used during that period of European history.
When Voynich purchased the manuscript, their was a letter inside the cover that read:
“Reverend and Distinguished Sir, Father in Christ:
This book, bequeathed to me by an intimate friend, I destined for you, my very dear Athanasius, as soon as it came into my possession, for I was convinced that it could be read by no one except yourself.
The former owner of this book asked your opinion by letter, copying and sending you a portion of the book from which he believed you would be able to read the remainder, but he at that time refused to send the book itself. To its deciphering he devoted unflagging toil, as is apparent from attempts of his which I send you herewith, and he relinquished hope only with his life. But his toil was in vain, for such Sphinxes as these obey no one but their master, Kircher. Accept now this token, such as it is and long overdue though it be, of my affection for you, and burst through its bars, if there are any, with your wonted success.
Dr. Raphael, a tutor in the Bohemian language to Ferdinand III, then King of Bohemia, told me the said book belonged to the Emperor Rudolph and that he presented to the bearer who brought him the book 600 ducats. He believed the author was Roger Bacon, the Englishman. On this point I suspend judgement; it is your place to define for us what view we should take thereon, to whose favor and kindness I unreservedly commit myself and remain
At the command of your Reverence,
Joannes Marcus Marci of Cronland
Prague, 19th August, 1666”
This seems to show that the origin of the manuscript was already a mystery in the mid 1600’s
Some have theorized that the manuscript was actually written by an extraterrestrial that crashed on earth and wanted to leave a record of its being here to anyone from its home planet who may eventually make it to earth.
After crash landing on earth, and realizing that humans in the 1400’s did not posses the technology to help this alien get home, the lost traveler instead decided to chronicle their crash and remaining life on earth in a manuscript that may one day be return to the creatures home world. This would allow its decedents to have some closure on the events that led to the disappearance of their ancestor. The unrecognizable flora in the diagrams would be to allow easy identification of the source of the manuscript to other aliens who knew of our travelers home world.
