Editing Voynich manuscript (section)

=== Glossolalia ===
[[File:Litterae ignotae.png|thumb|right|upright=1.35|Script invented by Hildegard von Bingen]]
[[File:Voynich-partof f78r.jpg|thumb|right|Detail of the nymphs on page 141; ''f78r'']]
In their 2004 book, Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill suggest the possibility that the Voynich manuscript may be a case of [[glossolalia]] (speaking-in-tongues), [[Mediumship|channelling]], or [[outsider art]].<ref name=KennedyChurchill2004>{{harvnb|Kennedy|Churchill|2004|pp=}}</ref> If so, the author felt compelled to write large amounts of text in a manner which resembles [[Stream of consciousness writing|stream of consciousness]], either because of voices heard or because of an urge. This often takes place in an invented language in glossolalia, usually made up of fragments of the author's own language, although invented scripts for this purpose are rare.

Kennedy and Churchill use [[Hildegard von Bingen]]'s works to point out similarities between the Voynich manuscript and the illustrations that she drew when she was suffering from severe bouts of [[migraine]], which can induce a trance-like state prone to glossolalia. Prominent features found in both are abundant "streams of stars", and the repetitive nature of the "[[nymphs]]" in the [[balneological]] section.<ref>{{harvnb|Kennedy|Churchill|2004}}</ref>

The theory is controversial,<ref name=PellingWeb>{{cite web |last=Pelling |first=Nick |date=19 January 2012 |title=Does the "Voynich = migraine" theory make your head hurt too? |url=http://ciphermysteries.com/2012/01/19/does-the-voynich-migraine-theory-make-your-head-hurt-too |access-date=11 June 2016|archive-date=23 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623165715/http://ciphermysteries.com/2012/01/19/does-the-voynich-migraine-theory-make-your-head-hurt-too |url-status=live}}</ref> and it is virtually impossible to prove or disprove it, short of deciphering the text. Kennedy and Churchill are themselves not convinced of the hypothesis, but consider it plausible. In the culminating chapter of their work, Kennedy states his belief that it is a hoax or forgery. Churchill acknowledges the possibility that the manuscript is either a synthetic forgotten language (as advanced by Friedman), or else a forgery, as the preeminent theory. However, he concludes that, if the manuscript is a genuine creation, mental illness or delusion seems to have affected the author.<ref name="KennedyChurchill2004" />