VMs: Split gallows

[Jorge Stolfi <stolfi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> [Jan:] The right leg [of a plit gallows] had to be dropped down
> somewhere to make it clear it is the two-legged one. ... In
> two-legged decoration, the leg was simply dropped down at certain
> point, and again, that character was finished before the rest was
> written in. ... The right leg of course belongs to the left leg - it
> is even connected to it :-). We may assume that the whole character
> belongs in the place where left leg was started.

Jan, I think this assumption is wishful thinking...

As I recall, there are examples of other (readable) medieval
manuscripts where the scribe would often meld several letters into one
ornate gallows-like gyph, not necessarily preserving their order, just
for the fun of it and/or to show off his scribal prowess (like those
Japanese cooks who charge extra for playing around with your food).

Thus, to me it seems equally likely (at least) that a split gallows
stands for two copies of the same gallows, one at each leg. I can
imagine a scribe feeling proud of his ability to draw a the right 
half of the split "k" in advance, landing precisely where it ought to
be, then filling in the intervening letters. Or, more simply, writing
the first "k" as a left leg only, and the second "k" as a right leg
connected to the same.

Moreover, from analyzing the frequency of EVA "e" after various
gallows, I suspect that there are two kinds of EVA "p" characters,
distinguished by the presence of a hook at the final end of the second
stroke. My guess is that the hook stands for an "e" FOLLOWING the "p" --
which it does indeed dynamically, even though it precedes the "p"
visually. Ditto for "f"s. Of course this is only a suspicion...

By the way, if the VMs is a "dumb copy", the copist may have assumed
that the hooks were mere decoration -- just as all modern transcibers
have assumed so far -- and thus he may have added or removed hooks 
in many places...

In fact, it has been observed many times that "p" and "f" gallows only
seem to sprout where there is space above the line. Thus there is also
the suspicion that they are alternative forms of "k" and "t", perhaps
combined with "e" or "ch" or something else; or something even more
bizarre.

All the best,

--stolfi

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