(06-14-2025, 10:57 PM)NobodySpecial268 Wrote: Pay attention to the looks on the three women's faces. The illustrator took a lot of trouble to get those right. The expressions back up Nugget's suggestion that the illustration has to do with pregnancy.

There's also the Triple Goddess which is maiden, mother, crone, and it goes back quite some time. I don't know enough about their representations in art to know many of the associated motifs, but I know pregnancy is obviously one for the mother. Water also tends to be a common representation of life, I would imagine especially so in cultures that pop up in the desert. There may be some other symbols in there that are indicative, but it would need a deeper dive and some closer analysis of the rest of the manuscript. I don't know what precedes and what follows this particular image.

I find it interesting, but this is one of those puzzles that I hate to get into too much unless I know I have a good chunk of time. It's hard to jump in and out to work on it a bit at a time.