This precise definition of steganography allows
us to apply it to Nostradamus' texts which are
'disguised to appear like' so many innocent
messages, 'thus hiding the presence of a message.'

*
=ABThe term *steganography* is derived from the Greek *steganos*,
"covered", and *graphein*, "to write". In the past, it was used
interchangeably with *cryptography*, but was revised in 1967 by
historian David Kahn to describe processes that conceal the
presence of a secret message, which may or may not be addi-
tionally protected by a cipher or a code. While codes and
ciphers are susceptible to cryptoanalysis because they are obvi-
ously an attempt at secret communication, missives covered
by steganography are disguised to appear like an innocent
message, thus hiding the presence of a message without nec-
essarily altering its content.=BB [p. 469, CODES, CIPHERS & OTHER
CRYPTIC & CLANDESTINE COMMUNICATION, by Fred B. Wrixon, Black Dog
& Leventhal Publishers, Inc., New York, 1998.]
*
This precise definition of steganography allows us to apply it to
Nostradamus' texts which are 'disguised to appear like' so many
innocent messages, 'thus hiding the presence of a message.'
*
As there may be as many steganographic techniques as there are
purposes for hiding a message, in order to identify which
technique Nostradamus required for achieving his purpose, one has
to ask: what was Nostradamus' purpose for hiding his texts?
*
First, he needed to protect himself and his published works.
Therefore, he had to use a technique which would not be suspected
while he was alive, and which would not be discovered for almost
the full duration of his prophecy. So, first requirement: no one,
for more than 400 years, should be able to discover his method.
*
Second, he needed to allow his secret to be discovered well in
advance of the sole future event for which he wrote all of his
books. So, second requirement: he must engineer his texts in a
manner which will allow his reader, when the time comes, to be
able to see what he has done.
*
With this in mind, we can now turn to what Nostradamus did.
*
First, he used a very small book format. This is a fact. One of
the consequences of this format is that its lines are short. So
far, so good.
*
Second, he used a language which no one else ever used. If you
compare it with either contemporary poetry or prose, you find
that his style is very odd, almost ridiculous (one French author
called it a style used by someone who absolutely wants to be
taken for a fool!).
*
Next, let's see what happened to Nostradamus' works.
*
They survived. They were commented upon by hundreds if not
thousands of authors throughout the world. Many authors realized
that his texts come alive with the passage of time. When an
important event happens, a poem seems to be vaguely referring to
it. Thus his works remain in the public eye, even though they
were published more than 400 years ago.
*
An important feature of this process of matching texts with
events is that it is only possible either after the event has
happened, or while the event is happening, but never before.
*
Logic tells us that, as Nostradamus calls his texts prophetic,
but as they come alive only when the event is upon us, then
Nostradamus' purpose is most certainly not to allow his casual
readers to understand his prophecy before the fact. His texts are
too vague or too obscure to allow a clear understanding of what
he is referring to, where and when it is supposed to happen, and
to whom.
*
What a weird prophecy! It can't be understood before the fact, it
is written in a very strange language. Could it be that it hides
something?
*
Which brings us back to... steganography.
*
The first condition for hiding his texts has been met: he was
able to protect both himself and his works. They have survived
for over 400 years, many originals have been re-printed as
facsimiles and today, anyone can see what he wanted us to see,
i.e., his originals.
*
We now come to the second condition: his secret is now out of the
bag and has been so for over 12 years. Which also means that his
prophecy is almost over.
*
What was his secret? That the most beautiful city in the world,
Paris, capital of France, shall be destroyed in one instant by
the great fire of the atom, at 3:53 a.m., on Sunday, August 13,
2017.
*
Where is this hidden in his poetry and prose? Everywhere!
*
How was this discovered? By accident. I was looking for something
else and, as Nostradamus did hide it everywhere, I was bound to
find it sooner or later. It is called the law of averages.
*
What is Nostradamus' steganographic method? The line-based
cryptic anagram. Each line of published text is a cryptic anagram
allowing each decrypted word to be written with a one-letter
substitution. And a shorter line makes the cryptic anagram easier
to solve. Which in turn explains the smaller books.
*
Is there only one solution to Nostradamus' cryptic anagram? No.
In order for the Paris event to be discovered, Nostradamus needed
to use a method producing more than one possible solution,
otherwise his secret would never have been discovered. A quatrain
about Napoleon would have produced only a decrypted text about
Napoleon, and nothing else. A polygraphic solution allows for
more than one text to be found.
*
Which in turn explains why *all of his texts* contain a solution
speaking of the fate of Paris.
*
Clever, eh, this Nostradamus?!
*
------------------- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Claude Latr=E9mouille % -- "Claude! There ain't no stinkin' -- %
Le 1er mars 2007 -- % cryptic anagrams in them dang verses,- %
APNCL#1492 -------- % ya hear?!" (A chorus of a.p.n. voices) %
------------------- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
*
=3D=3D=3D