u/pmw57

As moderator here for over a decade I've accidentally stumbled into a project on the Voynich Manuscript, and think that I have emerged with the key.

It's not cipher related, my approach is purely about Skeletal-Expansion, treating the text as Italian Notulae, a shorthand use by pharmacists and people in the arts.

I’m seeing consistent and meaningful results using this 15th-century technical Italian as the key.

I’d love to share some of this work here, but only if the community feels positive about it.

Would you be interested in seeing some results? Or should I keep this project off-sub?

Please, let me know your thoughts.

Page f99r was my rosetta stone into this thing. It's anagramed Italian. My initial paper about it is up at https://zenodo.org/records/20109175

An example from page f2r top half: Transliterated text using Edith Sherwood's AVA alphabet. AVA => anagram => Italian

<f2r.1> <%>labma apcoi bam olcai apcain ctloisa
alba m(mercurio) capo i(in) amb(alembic) colai pacam(pacatam) ctliosa(calcinosa)
Place the white mercury in the head of the alembic; I strained the pacified matter into the caustic-lime mixture.

<f2r.2> borcora ctlar s<->ator cha {cho}
bor cor(cora) ctlar(con tinctura lac aqua radice) s(sive) ator(a torre) cha(chale) cho
The heart of the borax with a tincture of milk, water, and root, or rather heated here in the furnace tower.

<f2r.3> volam chea a cor ca aba cam
vola m(mercurio) a(ab) che a(ad) cor(core) ca(cale) a(ab) ba(balsam) cam(camera)
The mercury flies from that which is at the heart of the heat, from the balsam chamber.

<f2r.4> atmba clob ba cpa bais cotlam b
atmba(ab tincture mercurio balsam) cho(chale) b(bene) ba(balsam) cap(capo) basi(base) colta(colmata) m(mercurio) b(bene)
From the mercury-balsam tincture, heat the balsam well through the head and base until it is well-settled.

<f2r.5> olocor ai atobam coibn alcam bn
col oro ai atoamb(ad tomba) coni(coniuncti) b(bene) macla be(bene)
With the golden essence at the tomb [vessel base], the fusion is well-joined.

<f2r.6> sam banb<->btloi sor aloiba bcoi bca cha
sam(sale) ba(balsam) nb(ab) bolit(bolita) sor(ros-colore) aloiba bcoi(bene-coniuncti) bca(mouth) cha(chale)
Let the rose-colored extract of the balsam salt boil; it is well-joined in the alembic and heated at the opening.

<f2r.7> ator cha bama coibn<$>
ator . hac . amb(alembic) a(ab) . coni b(bene)
Heat the balsam at the tower until it is well-joined.

Smoothed out as English: Place the purified white mercury into the head of the alembic; I then poured the stabilized matter into the caustic-lime mixture. Add the essence of the borax along with a tincture of milk, water, and root—or rather, heat it here in the furnace tower.

The mercury then volatilizes from the center of the heat, moving from the balsam chamber. From this mercury-balsam tincture, heat the mixture thoroughly through the head and base of the vessel until the mercury is well-settled.

With the golden essence now at the base of the vessel, the fusion is successfully joined into a solid mass. Finally, let the rose-colored extract from the balsam salt boil; it is well-joined within the alembic when heated at the mouth. Apply a steady heat at the furnace tower until the balsam is perfectly fused."

I have some Italian plaintext that I'm wanting to understand which system was used to anagram it to the cipher.

Fortunately this doesn't require any Italian knowledge.

Plaintext: Bal mot opace volat. Arb color apoto. Oleo it aetoi, oleo Eloi.
Normalised: balmot opace volat arb color apoto oleoit aetoi oleoeloi
Cipher: tlobam opcea votla bar olcor opato otleoi ateoi oleoeloi

I have more of this to decipher into plaintext.

Is there some way to figure out a reliable system that get us from the normalised text to the cipher text?

When that encipherment system becomes known, then reversing the process should then become a piece of cake.

I have some Italian plaintext that I'm wanting to understand which system was used to anagram it to the cipher.

Fortunately this doesn't require any Italian knowledge.

Plaintext: Bal mot opace volat. Arb color apoto. Oleo it aetoi, oleo Eloi.
Normalised: balmot opace volat arb color apoto oleoit aetoi oleoeloi
Cipher: tlobam opcea votla bar olcor opato otleoi ateoi oleoeloi

I have more of this to decipher into plaintext.

Is there some way to figure out a reliable system that get us from the normalised text to the cipher text?

When that encipherment system becomes known, then reversing the process should then become a piece of cake.