VMs: Catoblepas

[Andrew Sweeney <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is my first post. May I say I'm impressed beyond belief with the 
research that's been done here over the years.

I've downloaded and searched the mail archives and I've not found this 
topic. If I'm treading old ground ignorantly, please excuse me.

To business: On folio 80v, in the left-hand margin, the second figure 
from the top appears to be a catoblepas.

A catoblepas is an imaginary creature described in Pliny's Natural 
History and later in medieval bestiaries. Essentially it's an armoured 
bull that always looks downward.

You can see folio 80v on page 8 of the Beinecke digital collections 
database.
(Go to http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/brbldl/ and search on "voynich" 
(without quotes).)

Compare the figure from folio 80v with the woodcut of a catoblepas on 
this page:
http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/monsters/Html/Catoblep.htm

For the curious, there's a larger version of the same woodcut here:
http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/catoblepas.htm

I'm not suggesting that the figure from folio 80v is based on the 
figure from the woodcut. The two images appear to be drawn from 
different angles. Rather, I'd suggest that the woodcut follows and 
enhances a tradition of a catoblepas miniature, which tradition 
happened to be copied into the VMS.

I'd appreciate criticism from anyone who knows their catoblepases. :)

Regards,
Andrew

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