Roger Frontenac
Encyclopedia
Roger Frontenac was a French navy
officer and a scholar of Nostradamus
' prophecies. He proposed an interpretation system for the text of Les Propheties, based upon a form of cryptography
known as the Vigenère table.
. After World War II, he began to study the work of Nostradamus, treating it as any other message from an enemy. He searched for any hint about decoding methods. The name of Nostradamus' son Cesar led Frontenac to suspect the use of a Caesar cypher.
, who made correct foretellings, and that the centuries (in French Les Propheties) contained true predictions about future events until the year 3797.
But, he contended that those predictions were hidden and mixed, and not made understandable before events occurred. His conclusions were based on a combination of several cryptographic methods, including a systematic alteration in the metrical order of quatrain
s' texts. This process was inspired by Nostradamus' use of the expression rabouter obscurément ("to mix in order to make them obscure") in a letter.
The systematic reordering of quatrains, according to Frontenac, could be achieved using a couple of combined keys, and he stated that he managed to find the first key (a typical Vigenère text, easy to hold in memory), that was the Latin phrase:
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
officer and a scholar of Nostradamus
Nostradamus
Michel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
' prophecies. He proposed an interpretation system for the text of Les Propheties, based upon a form of cryptography
Cryptography
Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
known as the Vigenère table.
Biography
Roger Frontenac, as a navy officer, was in charge of military cyphersWorld War II cryptography
Cryptography was used extensively during World War II, with a plethora of code and cipher systems fielded by the nations involved. In addition, the theoretical and practical aspects of cryptanalysis, or codebreaking, was much advanced....
. After World War II, he began to study the work of Nostradamus, treating it as any other message from an enemy. He searched for any hint about decoding methods. The name of Nostradamus' son Cesar led Frontenac to suspect the use of a Caesar cypher.
His maiden work: La clef secrète de Nostradamus
In 1950 he published his treatise about Nostradamus' letters and works, La clef secrète de Nostradamus (The Secret Key of Nostradamus). In the book, Frontenac professed his belief in Nostradamus as a true prophetProphet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, who made correct foretellings, and that the centuries (in French Les Propheties) contained true predictions about future events until the year 3797.
But, he contended that those predictions were hidden and mixed, and not made understandable before events occurred. His conclusions were based on a combination of several cryptographic methods, including a systematic alteration in the metrical order of quatrain
Quatrain
A quatrain is a stanza, or a complete poem, consisting of four lines of verse. Existing in various forms, the quatrain appears in poems from the poetic traditions of various ancient civilizations including Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and China; and, continues into the 21st century, where it is...
s' texts. This process was inspired by Nostradamus' use of the expression rabouter obscurément ("to mix in order to make them obscure") in a letter.
The systematic reordering of quatrains, according to Frontenac, could be achieved using a couple of combined keys, and he stated that he managed to find the first key (a typical Vigenère text, easy to hold in memory), that was the Latin phrase:
See also
- CryptographyCryptographyCryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties...
- KabbalahKabbalahKabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
- NostradamusNostradamusMichel de Nostredame , usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties , the first edition of which appeared in 1555...
- ProphecyProphecyProphecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
- Vaticinia NostradamiVaticinia NostradamiThe Vaticinia Michaelis Nostradami de Futuri Christi Vicarii ad Cesarem Filium D. I. A. Interprete , or Vaticinia Nostradami for short, is a collection of eighty watercolor images compiled as an illustrated codex...
- Vigenère cypher