Ligatures in Slavic Vyaz
“Word Ligature comes from the Latin word ligare, meaning to bind. A symbol (character) that unites two (or more) letters. Usually, ligatures change their form relative to the standalone variant. Ligatures are not used in the Russian language. There are nine standard Latin ligatures ae, AE, oe, OE, fi, fl, ff, ffi, ffl, of which only the first 6 are part of the main Latin encoding. In addition, ligatures of the combinations as, ct, st, and other letters may be used in cursive and handwritten fonts. Ligatures are also used to denote diphthongs ae, AE, oe, OE. See Logotypes Paratype, Electronic Encyclopedia
Ligatures were created as a solution for typesetting and handwriting needs. Firstly, during the time of handwritten letters, some letters were joined for the sake of writing speed. Then, during the time of metal fonts, certain characters would clash with one another due to their design. To resolve this, font foundries created ligatures, which combined the conflicting letters into a single piece of type.
The most frequently used ligatures in Latin involved the lowercase letter “f” due to its shape that extended beyond the baseline. Other ligatures exist as well, some serving a practical and decorative purpose.
The most creative aspect of Vyaz letters is the intertwining and binding of letters and their elements. In previous chapters, I intentionally avoided the topic of ligatures because, in Vyaz, it’s a highly specific and often-used parameter. This letter parameter has been maxed out to a point it became a fundamental part of this style. I should have said this in the very first article since Russan word “Vyaz” actually means “to bind, intertwine” or “knitting.” Accordingly, these letters are all about ligatures and decoration. Now things might get much clearer to you.
However, it is perfectly possible to create Vyaz letters without making ligatures. Still, on the other hand, this aspect is so extensive that it requires at least a separate article.
Readability
It’s no secret that the interweaving of letters considerably deteriorates readability. When you take a historical document in your hands, it is sometimes difficult even to recognize a single letter or a group of letters. Why does this happen? To a greater extent, this is not related to the complexity of the new form but primarily to its unfamiliarity since we read best what we are used to.
The appearance of Vyaz letters is extremely rare in modern everyday life, but when it does, it’s simplified. In cases when it has a lot of ligatures and decorations, it becomes unreadable and not suitable for practical design needs. The most eye-appealing Vyaz usually has tight letterspacing. Moreover, ligatures clench kerning between separate letters and groups of letters, which makes a Vyaz word or phrase illegible and difficult to understand.
In addition, most of the historical materials in which we encounter Slavic Vyaz are written in the Church Slavonic language. They contain a lot of archaic letterforms, church vocabulary, and also a system of abbreviations for frequently used (titled) words.
If you want to dive into studying this beautiful and poetic language, I recommend the book “Grammar of the Church Slavonic Language.”
To sum up, if you want to use Vyaz letters for practical needs, you really have to pay attention not to overdo things and even minimize the use of ligatures and decorations in order to make your calligraphy and lettering readable.
Classification of Ligatures
Since I’ve been working with Slavic Vyaz for a while now, honestly speaking, I do not constantly remember all the ligature’s classification all day and night. On the contrary, every time I sit down to draw or write letters, the work takes me over, and it’s like I’m creating letters for the first time. Forgetting things makes the creative process more alive and gives you additional focus.
However, classification is needed when you take the first steps. Although I am not a supporter of strict adherence to rules, attention must be paid since this helps to form an initial foundation and systematization. This general rule applies to all crafts.
The classification of ligatures is well written in the following books. They are written in the Russian language, but still, I’ll leave a link to them:
- Shchepkin V. N. Vyaz with 17 tables. // Antiquities. Works of the Imperial Moscow Archaeological Society. Vol. 20. — Moscow, 1904. — Pp. 57–80.
- Shchepkin V.N. Russian paleography. Moscow: Science, 1967
However, diagrams in these books may seem too random and confusing to some, so for proper clarity, I made a simple animation that shows how the two letters can be combined. In this case, I chose the letters M and N for the current example.
This animation shows the following types of ligature connections:
- Abbreviation (Stem’s Fragmentation)Reducing individual parts of the letters allows them to be close together, creating a visual unity.
- Subordination (Letter’s insertion). The size of the entire letter is reduced, and in this way, it approaches another.
- Subordination. Two adjacent letters are reduced and placed one above the other.
- Matching (Stem unification/conjunction). The connection of similar parts of adjacent letters.
It’s worth mentioning that these are the most essential groups since letters can be combined in many, many different ways. Writing down all types is a laborious and unnecessary task.
In the animation above, you can see one of the most beautiful, in my humble opinion, methods of combining letters. The letter “O” has a big inter-letter space where you can insert a different letter or even letters. The shown variant should be “OT” — a reference to the traditional Slavic and ancient Russian language combination Ѿ.
However, a survey on my Instagram showed that modern audience more often perceives this ligature as “TO.” Of course, there is no single correct option, as the ligature is mainly read in the context of the entire word.
By the way, playing with inter-letter space in the letter “O” is one of my favorites. This project shows that the letter can be deliberately made wider than others to provide some space for decoration.
Thinking of ways to connect letters on the go is one of the most exciting and engaging activities. Instead of memorizing the names and methods of connection, take a pencil and paper and have fun! It’s sure the best method for your creative development.
Historical examples
• РНБ Q.XVI.21, page 64
Vyaz (Вязь): Glory to God, who works in us, ever willing (Слава Богу, действующему в нас, еже хотети)
Younger Ustav Script (Полуустав): and ever doing His will, all things for the salvation of the faithful, to Him be honor and thanksgiving with His Only Begotten Son (и еже деяти о благоволении, вся творити во спасение верных, емуже честь и благодарение со Единородным Его Сыном)
Skoropis Script (Скорописью): and by the Most Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Christ our God, to You be all glory, for in every good work You are both the beginning and the end (и Пресвятым и Животворящим Духом, ныне и всегда и во веки веком. Аминь. Христе, Боже наш, слава Тебе, всякому бо еси делу благу начало и конец.)
Вязь / Апокалипсис. РНБ, Q.I.1141, page 227
The inscription “Vyaz” is found in the Apocalypse of 1721 and is difficult to read. One of the manuscript’s readers tried to decipher the hidden text but after a failed attempt, he left the word “Karakuli” written in pencil above the inscription.
Из книг… / РГБ, Ф.98 №605.
The ownership inscription of Archimandrite Jacob is written in Church Slavonic script on the first page of the liturgical book “Ustav and Obikhod”.
