On 15th September 2013 at the cornerHOUSE Community Arts Centre (116 Douglas Road, Surbiton, KT6 7SB), I’ll be giving an evening talk called “Does X Mark The Spot?“, trying to answer the question: are there any genuine pirate treasure maps?
The talk will run from 7.30pm to 9.15pm with a 15-minute interval at 8.15pm (though the doors and the bar open at 7pm). The first half covers Captain William Kidd’s alleged treasure maps, and the second half Oliver Levasseur’s mysterious ciphers. I’ll be happy to answer your pirate history questions both during and after the talk as best I can.
To whet your appetite, here’s a 3-minute promo video:-
The cost is £8 on the door, or £7 in advance via Compelling Press (publishers of my book The Curse of the Voynich). To reserve one or more seats for yourself, here’s a secure Buy Now button that links to PayPal (note that this also accepts Visa, MasterCard, etc):-
But perhaps the biggest question is: why do a talk on pirate history at all? Even if International Talk Like A Pirate Day is coming up on 19th September, surely this whole subject has already been done to death on National Geographic, Discovery, History Channel, etc?
Well… with all due respect to the above-mentioned broadcasters, the way almost all TV producers treat history is pretty much unchanged from the 19th century, when the point of ‘doing history’ was to provide bracing moral stories. What I do is a modern, forensic kind of history, far more accepting of uncertainty, because history – when done properly, at least – isn’t anything like as easy as ‘television history’ would have you believe. And when it comes to pirate treasure, there are plenty of uncertainties!
What is certain, though, is that pirate treasure maps are both fascinating and hugely contentious: so what I’ll be presenting is (I hope) a far more honest and realistic take on them than anything you’re likely to have seen or read before. Come along, it’ll be a lot of fun!
Dear Nick, my computer is so elderly that it was not able to open your video. So, I hope you are going to devote another five or six paragraphs of your presentation (maybe sound-bite, if anything exists like that?) here on this page? Besides maps, wouldn’t it be a little “drama” if you included a backdrop of a ship’s plank? Maybe a “gallows” such as appeared outside the tavern where you got together with friends several months ago?
Some of my first reading (five years old) were seafaring stories. Maybe not “pirate” but “Ali Baba and the 40 Forty Thieves” was a favorite.
bdid1dr
116 Douglas Road is the correct address Nick, it would be interesting to see the faces of number 16 when a bunch of people show up looking for treasure maps!
Bd1
I think you’ll be happy to know that more are joining the Chios-Armenian bandwagon that you and Thomas started. The latest to hop – possibly – could be Ms. Velinksa.
If you gain any more followers after that, you may even make it (as a team) to the persons acknowledged in the ‘voynich.nu’ webpage.
Imagine me cheering you all on. I was just about to put up a post, tying up some long-ish lines of research and argument, in which transoxania and Chorasan figure, but since Ellie now refers to the journey of King Hatun to that region, I may wait and see what is written by your team.
No point in duplicating.
I’ll be interested to see this unfold.
Diane
Stu: d’oh! Thanks for picking up my typo (now fixed), much appreciated! 🙂
Nick, Diane, I’ll make a second attempt to deny any longing to have a band wagon of my own. I’m just trying to facilitate reading and comprehension of our favorite manuscript’s contents. I’ll write more later, after I try to post this comment. Nick knows what is going on. See you later.
Nick, should I be entering my email address in the blank box which appears just above the “post comment” button?
Dear me, Diane! As much as I admire Rene’s and Phillip’s work on the mystery manuscript, I wouldn’t intrude (email or o’wise) on their reveries. I have only been hoping that Rene would take a closer look at one folio he has designated as being cosmological. Actually the folio, which has been confusing as to whether it is 86v3 or 86r3, could possibly BE cosmological. The story behind those “swans” swimming down a waterfall, people hiding behind giant mushrooms (signaling for help), and the “lecture notes” which form paragraphs around the perimeter of that folio page — is all about the mythic origins of the god Ceyx and goddess Alcyone. The illustrations in all four corners are trying to emphasize the need to be sure you are not ingesting the “Alcohol Inky” (easily mistaken for the other Copernicae). If any alcoholic beverage is drunk within 7-14 days of ingesting the wrong mushroom species, liver failure, with hallucinations, will kill. No joke! The only mushrooms I seek go into my dyepots for dyeing my own handspun wool.
Ya did it again — led me astray from our leader’s topic! But still: give me a podium instead of a bandwagon ……
Sorry, Bd1dr.
I can’t work out which folio you mean. There is a fairly noticeable discrepancy between the Beinecke library numbering, which i always use as our common standard, and on the other hand the order in which folios are numbered on a site mounted by Jason Davies.
The list members commonly use Jason’s I think.
Which have you adopted?
The discrepancy actually first occurs with Boenicke, then occurs with Rene’s folio sorting and numbering. Then it occurs with my not being able to match Rene’s folio “gathering-sequences” because I was unable to match his sequences with the individual folios. Yes, I vastly prefer to call the “Voynich” manuscript and its contents “Boenicke 408”. However, depending on the focus of various “Voynicheros” who may not recognize the “Voynich” manuscript by any other name, I do my best to describe the elements of that particular folio, which are unique but badly faded. However, it is the only folio which commentary is written around all four sides of the square. I’ve also discussed my view of this folio as being lecture notes for the lecturer’s use: all one would have to do is rotate the mss one-quarter turn while referencing the illustrations which appear in the four corners of the central panel. It worked for me (badly faded illustrations and all). The only section I was unable to read was the figure in the very center of that folio.
In a previous discussion about this same folio, I mentioned that I was the first woman (in California anyway) to be a member of the men’s club “Toastmasters USA”. My subject matter was “Chinese Custom of Footbinding Girls and Women”. I accompanied my talk with photo-illustrations. Oh, I should mention that the Toastmasters meetings were held at lunchtime.
About turning that folio (86v) I agree with you, but I read it as a world-map akin to (probably earlier than) the portolan-charts. Earliest in that style is I think a 12th-13thC one attributed to Nth Africa. Interestingly, the Basque at that time had a prominent role in maritime activities, including charting the coasts from the Bay of Biscay northwards.
But maritime charts were made especially so they could be turned, as the ship turned in tacking.
is everyone getting married?
The lists are d.e.a.d.
The Basques as seafarer’s? Great! Anything to do with Henry the Navigator’s adventurers/explorers? “Somewhere” I read that Henry did all of his navigating from “home”. What is the name of that still active naval organization? (Drat! My lapses of recall are getting more frequent.) Oh yes, another aspect of navigating (land or sea): “la montane”/”montagna”?
Back to Basques — I’ve observed the lambing activities of one of our local shepherds. (Many years ago.)
Trivia aside, maps have always fascinated me. We are fortunate to have the resources of our government’s topographic maps of just about anywhere in the US. Canyon de Chelley being one of the most beautiful places to visit.
Oh yes, Nick: Belly laugh at the thought of all your fans ending up at the neighbor’s house: “A little early for Halloween, ain’t it?”
😉
Nick, when the link is posted (eg FB), the automatic attachment that pops up under it still shows ’16’ and not ‘116’ as the address.
Just so’s etc.
How about a Piratical header too?
Diane, when you refer to Basques as being sailors, is it possible that ‘we’ are referring to the “Hakluyt Society” ? It is from their notes that I discovered that Henry the Navigator never navigated on board a ship. I’m hoping I can re-locate their website. Meanwhile my latest pondering is lingering with the Hakluyt Society’s MAYBE having some ‘piratical’ files. Too bad I didn’t think of them in time to maybe bolster Nick’s discussion this evening (if it is still 15 September his time)!
Just got back from perusing the Hakluyt Society’s book printings. Not much on pirate themes but some of their publications span the naval adventures of the 1300’s through the 1900’s common era. They now apparently have a special offering of material for Australians.
Time to eat — ciao! (pun: “chow”, as in “food”) Oh well…..
bdid1dr
Bdi1dr
No, I was referring to a little known predecessor to the portolan-charts which I showed connect with elements in f.86v and fol.69r-ii (the ‘moons’ diagram) which I read as one explaining how to calculate tide-rise by the compass&moon. All technical but attested in relevant periods. I had considered it by ref. to the Genoese, Idrisi an the Jewish cartographers of Majorca and Mallorca, including Cresques, linking to other indications of Spanish, Jewish an Italian provenance over the period c.1150-1430.
It all proved a bit hard going for readers expecting the Vms to have less complex history to its images.
But I think, sooner or later we’ll see a ‘Viking’ theory arise, which will let some bits of the evidence be re-born with blue eyes, long blonde hair and well-swashed buckle.
Perhaps they’ll even work the Basques in there somewhere, and regions to as far east as the southern Caspian. Can’t wait!
😀
Nick are we ever gonna see you post again?
Tricia: sometimes I write, sometimes I research, and right now I’m researching. 🙂
Full steam ahead? E-r-r, “fair winds ahead”? 🙂
I 1dr if pirates and brigands prayed to Alcyone and Ceyx when foul weather came blowing their way.
My “fair winds” ref is sideways to my various mentions of Alcyone (& Ceyx). Alcyone was the sailors’ goddess. She was reputed to be able to calm stormy weather and seas. She and her husband were legendarily turned into kingfishers (birds who make their nest near or on water). (Ovid?)
Boenicke 408 folio 86 (v or r) 3 . Some confusion of folio numbers. But there is only one folio where paragraphs of discussion appear on all four side of the manuscript, and one small discussion in center.
I’ve also confirmed my translation by referring to a particular cut-crystal dish which was commissioned by either Cosimo or Francesco de Medici. That dish is in the Museo degli Argenti in Florence. It is an ugly thing which has also puzzled many museum-goers because they knew not the story being told by the exquisite etching in the crystal. Those awful figurines are the metamorphosis of Alcyone and Ceyx into kingfishers.