Symbolic Systems

The use of codes, symbols, or esoteric language to conceal or convey meaning. We investigate hidden communication systems, symbolic languages, and visual codes that carry information meant only for those who know how to decode it.

Hildegard of Bingen’s ‘litterae ignotae’ alphabet, from the Riesencodex, twelfth-century manuscript page

The Abbess’s Code – Testing Hildegard’s ‘lingua ignota’

Hildegard of Bingen left a 1,011-word ‘unknown language’ and a distinct alphabet. We test what survives: glossary, hymn and letterforms. Does it scale beyond a naming list, and what do the numbers say?

A pierced stencil on parchment, suggesting a Cardan grille over a manuscript page.

Cardan Grille Anachronism – Can a Sixteenth-Century Mask Fit the Voynich?

Does the Voynich Manuscript hide text written through a Cardan grille? We test the dates, the device’s history, and the text’s behaviour to see if a sixteenth-century mask could plausibly fit a fifteenth-century book.

Voynich side-by-side pages of Scribe 1 (folio 33r) and Scribe 2 (folio 32v)

The Voynich’s Two Voices – A Field Guide to A and B

Statistical fingerprints in the Voynich Manuscript split the text into two dialect families, Currier A and Currier B. We map where each sits in the book, which hands wrote them, and what that distribution implies.

A folio from the Voynich Manuscript showing a botanical illustration of an impossible plant with five red star-shaped flowers and one blue one, next to a block of unreadable, handwritten script.

The Voynich Paradox – When Evidence Points Both Ways

Evidence suggests the Voynich Manuscript is a meaningless hoax. Yet statistical analysis proves its text behaves like a real language. This investigation isn't about deciphering the book, but exploring the paradox at its heart.

A museum-style overhead shot of the Derveni Papyrus fragment, blackened and with visible Greek text, placed next to an ornate bronze greave from a Macedonian warrior's tomb. The stark contrast between the fragile intellectual artifact and the robust military hardware is emphasized by the dim, focused lighting.

The Derveni Papyrus – Europe’s Oldest Book and Its 44-Year Secret

Europe's oldest book, a philosophical text arguing for a single god, was found in a warrior's tomb. Kept secret by academics for 44 years, its contents challenge our understanding of ancient Greek religion, science, and ritual.

A side-by-side comparison of two conflicting pieces of evidence: on the left, a scientific drawing of a Protoceratops fossil skull, and on the right, an ancient-style depiction of a coiled serpent, illustrating the core paradox of dragon origins.

The Dragon That Never Was – Why the Fossil Theory is Wrong

The main scientific theory is that dragons came from dinosaur bones. There’s one problem. The earliest dragons in history were not four-legged reptiles; they were snakes. The familiar winged monster is a medieval invention from a thousand years later.

Cicada 3301 – The Puzzle No Agency Will Claim

Between 2012 and 2014, someone ran a global cryptographic treasure hunt that stumped codebreakers, left intelligence agencies silent, and has never been explained. All we have left are the puzzles, the gaps in the record, and a trail that vanishes every time you get close.