VMs: Various fragments of (possible) interest...

[Nick Pelling <incoming@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi everyone,

In Fred Gettings "Dictionary of occult, hermetic and alchemical sigils", I 
had a good look for any VMS related symbols, as well as for the history of 
what we think of as astrological planet and star signs.

Star and planet signs have been in a state of debate and disrepair for 
centuries (look at the history of the glyph for Pluto!), and the situation 
circa 1500 was no different, except maybe a little worse.

The bad news is that the "Capricorn" sign appears to have come into use 
until the late 16th Century - so the probable source for that in the VMS is 
more likely to be the Tironian shorthand for "eius" (pace Capelli) than 
astrological.

In his introduction, Gettings also notes a glyph comprising a five-pointed 
star containing a modern sun glyph in the middle, fairly similar to what we 
see in the VMS... but doesn't give a reference for it. Does anyone know 
where this came from?

BTW, the modern sun glyph first originated in Italy (probably Florence) 
about 1480.

David Ragor (1474) used a symbol for Saturn that's very similar to one of 
the gallows.

Also: the 10th symbol in the 4 x 17 ring of f57r is most similar to 
Mercury, in an (unspecified) 15th Century astrological manuscript.

Cheers, ....Nick Pelling....

PS: flicking through the BL's copy of D'Imperio, she noted that Tiltman 
suggested that EVA ain aiin aiiin could be numbers - I missed that first 
time I read it. :-/