No text has ever frustrated and fascinated scientists, cryptographers, and language experts quite like the Voynich Manuscript. It’s a book that no one can read, filled with strange drawings, bizarre plants, and mysterious diagrams. For over a century, it has remained one of the greatest enigmas in history.
Here are 10 intriguing facts about this incomprehensible manuscript.
1. It was discovered by a bookseller
In 1912, Polish-American antiquarian Wilfrid Voynich stumbled upon the manuscript in a Jesuit monastery near Rome. He purchased it as part of a collection of old books and quickly realized it was something special — but completely unreadable.
2. It’s written in an unknown script
The book is entirely written in a language or code found nowhere else. The script contains around 20 to 30 unique letter symbols, with patterns resembling real language — but no one knows which one. All attempts at deciphering it have failed so far.
3. The illustrations only make it stranger
The manuscript is filled with colorful drawings of non-existent plants, star charts, naked women bathing in tubes, and complex diagrams. There appears to be a chapter structure covering herbs, astronomy, biology, and recipes — but without a translation, it’s all speculation.
4. It’s probably from the 15th century
Radiocarbon dating of the parchment places it between 1404 and 1438. That makes the manuscript older than Columbus, yet its author remains unknown. No other documents exist using the same script or artistic style.
5. There are countless theories — from serious to bizarre
Some believe it’s a medieval pharmacological manual; others think it was an astrological guide for women. There are also theories about alien origins, an early conceptual art project, or even a medieval hoax designed to swindle wealthy collectors.
6. Cryptographers have failed to crack the code
During World War II, even Allied codebreakers tried to decipher the manuscript, without success. Modern AI and pattern analysis produce interesting statistics, but no translation. Even now, it’s unclear whether the script is a real language, a code, or something in between.
7. The plants exist nowhere on Earth
The manuscript contains over a hundred botanical illustrations, but not a single plant has been definitively identified. Some resemble known species but are just different enough. It’s unclear whether they were invented or stylized representations of then-known medicinal plants.
8. Some believe it’s a hoax — but why so complex?
The theory that it’s a forgery from the Middle Ages, or even created by Voynich himself, remains popular. But then the question arises: why go through so much trouble for a 240-page book, with consistent patterns, grammatical structure, and hundreds of illustrations? It seems like too much work for just a prank.
9. You can view it online in full
The original manuscript is housed at Yale University (Beinecke Rare Book Library), but it has been fully digitized and is free to view. You can flip through it yourself, study the illustrations, and even try to decode it — if you dare.
10. The magic of the unknown keeps it alive
What makes the Voynich Manuscript so fascinating is precisely the fact that it still offers no answers. In an age where almost everything can be googled, this book remains a black hole of knowledge. It’s a mystery that reminds us some secrets can survive for centuries.
