Image 12 displays a female figure floating above crashing and swirling waters, casting a striking resemblance to the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. While few if any would likely dare dispute this “obvious” connection, Byron’s purpose for Lady Liberty’s inclusion remains shrouded in mystery and subject to endless conjecture. Are we meant to see her from the casque location? Is Liberty Island the casque location itself? Is this just a contextual clue to reference New York City? Does her inclusion reference something else entirely? Could the “unthinkable” be true and image 12 is alternatively applied to a Roanoke Island solution?
Commonly neglected amongst the Secret hungry masses is the logistical necessity from a creator standpoint to explicitly define anything in an intellectual puzzle of diverse disciplines leading to a 6in box in the ground somewhere across the 9.6 million square miles of North America. Popular convention mandates an “answer” without clarity or definition, asserted as indistinguishable from a coincidence as a product of perceiving 43 years of quantitative ineffectiveness. It is therefore inconceivable to believe that a trained, expert communicator may in fact clearly communicate the answer to his own puzzle. Suggesting such a notion reportedly elicits an intolerable air of superiority in some cases. Knowing the answer to a puzzle designed to be accessible and proving it through universally accessible brands of logic, reason, and evidence, inspires accusations of arrogance. While there is a lot of finger-pointing, most of them are not pointing in the right direction.
Since Byron made the puzzles “too vague” according to popular assumption, there is apparently little motivation to look for anything other than a vague answer. The status quo is instinctually supported while the proverbial complaint department is flooded with disgruntled commentary, yet most investigative efforts geared toward less orthodox possibilities meant to unearth hidden truths are sharply and sarcastically dismissed, predominantly devoid of critical, intellectual challenges. It is for these reasons why, for over four decades, image 12 has been inadequately applied to commonly contended New York City proposals. There is no doubt we are meant perceive characteristics of the Statue of Liberty and New York City, but to serve what purpose?
The clock in image twelve displays the 11 o’ clock position, while the sea bird is oriented at the 11 o’clock position from the woman. This suggests that their positioning may hold relevance. The woman’s hair overlaps the clock, which is also indicative of some connection. Additionally, both figures are superimposed over yellow window panels, implying a common characteristic or relationship.
In 1909, Wilbur Wright conducted a 33-minute demonstration of the Wright Flyer across New York City along the Hudson River, beginning and ending on Governor Island in New York Harbor. A picture immortalizing the event shows the Statue of Liberty in the same position as the woman, and the Wright Flyer in an extremely similar position relative to the sea bird.
While birds and planes possess obvious similarities, additional details confirm this bird’s identity. The number 33 can be seen in the tail fin, corresponding to the 33-minute flight. Turning the bird clockwise 90 degrees reveals two letter W’s, which are the initials of Wilbur Wright.
A caption from the Harper’s Weekly Journal describes the Wright Flier as a “new kind of gull”, further validating this connection.
Grant’s Tomb in Riverfront Park served as the halfway point for Wilbur Wright’s historic flight. That structure has distinctive yellow windowpanes, while the woman and the bird in image 12 are imposed over yellow windowpanes. Mimicking the window in image 12, the interior of Grant’s Tomb also features arch trimmed paintings highlighting significant events during Grant’s political and military career.
These connections facilitate a multitude of hypothetical possibilities. Is our path along the Hudson River? Do one of the identified locations represent a starting position? The window and the figures certainly provide clear references to New York City. Based on the partitioned elements, the window which closely resembles the one at Grand Central Station seems to allude to Ellis Island, Times Square, and possibly something else. The sea bird matches statues at Ellis Island and possibly the Chrystler Building. The floating woman shares characteristics with the Statue of Liberty and includes a collection of possible geographic matches such as Roosevelt Island and Lower Manhattan. So, what is Byron trying to tell us?
If considering the symbolism of a window, representing a glimpse into an alternate plain of existence, we may need to incorporate characteristics from a secondary geographic location to arrive at the intended answer. What seems to be communicated is that both the bird and the woman, while existing within our aquatic setting, share a relationship to an alternative location we are getting a glimpse of through the “window”. If this hypothesis holds any merit, there is one location to consider: Dare County North Carolina, the birthplace of modern flight made famous by the Wright Brothers. This would mean, despite popular belief and enthusiasm for the isolated image 3 Roanoke Island indicators, that in fact image 12 alternatively leads to the Roanoke Island solution and subsequent casque. For a comprehensive analysis of image 3 as it relates, or doesn’t, to Roanoke Island, click here.
If a function of the painting is to represent two geographic locations simultaneously, we should find numerous elements that serve a dual purpose depending on the location we apply them to. Could the woman for example represent both the Statue of Liberty…and Virginia Dare for a Roanoke Island solution?
The woman is wearing white, while Virginia Dare’s grandfather was John White. The woman is floating above the water, while Ms. Dare’s ultimate fate is historically “up in the air”. Her sash shows an incomplete depiction of a lion’s face while Dare’s August birthday makes her a Leo. The woman has a low arcing neckline, while a statue of Dare at the Elizabethan Gardens depicts a comparable neckline, this time resulting from an undeterminable accessory possibly related to the fishing nets wrapped around her, likely symbolic of her speculated fate. That same fishnet is equipped with oval shaped glass floats, while the image shows glass like oval objects directly below the woman and “floating” over the water.
The woman in image 12 is occasionally teased for the artistic impression of nipples protruding beneath her gown, while the Virgina Dare statue is topless. If we invert the outline of the statue’s hair, it matches the woman in image 12.
This rendering from a 1901 publication entitled The White Doe: The Fate of Virginia Dare may have offered additional inspiration for the image 12 figure. Pay particular attention to the hand configurations.
An excerpt reads “A beautiful creature she was, of snowy whiteness, exquisite form, and moving as if on air; her proud head erect, her dark eyes beaming with ardor…”. Hopefully we don’t have to think too hard to make the clear connection to image 12 and a Roanoke Island solution.
Returning to image 12 and looking at the bottom contours of the dress commonly mistaken for Lower Manhattan, they match far more closely to the contours depicted in a John White painting of what is now Point Harbor, which serves as the launching point for the eastbound side of the Wright Memorial Bridge. This connection makes perfect sense given the theoretical framework that the woman represents Viginia Dare whose grandfather is John White.
The blue beaded objects found below the woman also emulate the depiction of islands dotting the waters in John White’s map.
By swapping municipal identities between image 12 and image 3 for this Roanoke Island solution, this would require we also swap the identities of the flower and the stones, leading to a few complications and discrepancies. Both images show very similar white flowers that are arguably interchangeable, presenting far less of a concern than the stones. If we conclude that the stone in image 12 is blue, then it cannot be a Garnet. However, if we conclude it is colorless and the blue water below is being reflected, then this would work. I know this isn’t what people expect, but is it possible? The reflection theory would make sense when considering the glass beads floating below her feet, which appear to reflect the colors of the environment.
Now that we have firmly established Dare’s involvement, let’s build a full Roanoke Island solution combining image 12 and verse 11.
The vast majority of verse interpretations are identical to common contention, with additional contextual details provided as warranted. My initial exposure to accurate verse 11 interpretations comes from the excellent entry on PB Works. So, the basic line interpretations originate from work conducted at PB Works, while context and visual support are added.
Pass two friends of octave
In December
Octave Chanute was a friend of the Wright brothers who first flew their Wright Flyer in December, at the site that is now the Wright Memorial. This interpretation accurately corresponds to the Japanese translation which identifies “octave” as a proper noun despite not being capitalized in the verse.
“In December” is commonly associated with Highway 12, although direction of travel is seemingly never confirmed. Without additional information, this clue can be theoretically handled in a few ways. “In December” could simply refer to the historical events of December 17, 1903, in which the Wright Brothers accomplished their first successful flight of 1/5 of a mile on the grounds of what is now the Wright Memorial. While this first verse line could simply be telling us to pass the WBM grounds, this does not currently account for direction of travel which could be either north or south. This perceived issue is resolved through interpreting “Ride the man of oz”.
The Wright Memorial visitor center has a window design vaguely similar to the window in image 12, which may be just a coincidence given the imprecise correlation. While I can only speculate, it is possible that in 1981 the visitor center had display materials centered around the 1909 flight in New York (they do currently), giving further context to look “inside” the window, or said differently looking inside a building with a similar window to make the connection.
On the far-left side of the window we see a red rectangular outline presented like a doorway, with a grey interior surrounded by a tan background, convincingly matching a historic photograph of the visitor center at the WBM which includes a red door frame, something grey behind the predominantly glass door, all surrounded by a tan structure.
Of further intrigue is the red rectangular frame’s lack of bottom edge. Is this an indication of the door being open and a subtle hint we are intended to enter? Notice that the interior of the red frame in image 12 is grey, while the onion dome image within the panel immediately beside it is surrounded by the same color. Could this mean that our onion dome image was at one time found within the Wright Brother Memorial visitor center? This is highly suspicious.
Ride the man of oz
“Ride the man of oz” has a very limited number of possibilities, logically associated with the Washington Baum Bridge, given that the name “Baum” is shared with Wizard of Oz author Frank L. Baum. Based on present instruction, we take Hwy 158 past the WBM and onto the Baum Bridge toward Roanoke Island.
The WBMB and corresponding land masses are represented by the flower in image 12 and constitutes as arguably the most definitive clue in the entire solution. Pay very close attention to individual characteristics. The stem is very long and straight before bending where the woman holds it, while the bridge is long and straight before veering in a northeast orientation when intersecting with Pond Island, which resembles the woman’s closed hand. Cedar Island matches the location of the flower. The white flower clearly contains letters although they are hard to definitively identify. The letters “W” and “B” are amongst the clearest and can either indicate Washington Baum or nearby Whalebone Junction. The inclusion of shapes resembling the letters “O” and “E” may even imply that “W. Bone” is the intended application.
By confirming the WBMB as our intended “Baum” application, we effectively eliminate other recipients of the Baum namesake, such as Baum Bay, Baum Bay Dr., or W Baum St. This illustrates a definitive purpose the device is serving.
What makes this connection even more interesting is that we can also find a geographic representation of the woman’s left hand. By making this connection, we accomplish a number of interesting things. First, we appear to be establishing boundaries for our physical search since the land mass resembling the pointing hand is adjacent to the Wright Brothers National Memorial which serves as our apparent starting point, while the land mass representing the closed hand intersects with Highway 64 (Washington Baum Bridge) which we never travel south of following instruction from the verse. Also, while the one land mass connects with the Baum Bridge, the other land mass includes Baum “Point” Island, connecting both locations through the same subject matter. These devices subsequently resolve directional radio silence experienced after interpreting lines one and two for this Roanoke Island solution.
There’s a road that leads to
Dark forest
That road is Hwy 64, which leads all the way to the entrance of the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. The Fort Raleigh site is found just inside a dense section of forest, while the words “dark forest” specifically appear on a plaque at the Elizabethan Gardens and are also referenced in the Lost Colony play performed in the nearby Waterside Theatre. In this manner, we are told precisely which road to take despite a perceived lack of explicit instruction. As it so happens however, according to aerials provided by Google Earth, the Virginia Dare Memorial bridge which continues east past Roanoke Island toward Mann’s Harbor did not exist in 1982. This means that potential paths after the WBMB would have been limited to Hwy 64 toward Fort Raleigh, or south on 345.
When isolating the lines “Ride the man of oz” and “There’s a road that leads to”, we can assemble the title “The Road to Oz” from a pool of available words. This book by Frank L. Baum was originally published in 1909, the same year Wilbur Wright flew in New York City. Dark Forest is also a location found somewhere in the Oz books. Even more compelling is that both incorporated verse lines as interpreted refer to the same “road” in this Roanoke Island solution, which is Hwy 64.
Looking at the cover of the original print of “The Road to Oz”, we find a city of domed structures depicted, bearing a striking resemblance to the domed structure found in image 12. Pay attention not only to how similar general design characteristics are, but also how tiny shapes on the middle dome of image 12 appear roughly where we see these small triangles from the cover of The Road to Oz.
Where white is in color
With two maps
After circle and square
The roundabout and parking lot for the Fort Raleigh Historic Site form both a circle and a square. While this clue is a product of logical progression toward our intended destination, it also seems to suggest the end of vehicular travel on our route, and the beginning of on foot investigation by taking us to a parking lot. As a result of this instruction, we bypass the visitor center and head straight toward the Lost Colony box office and into the park.
Immediately thereafter is a display sign showing two maps, one of which is a watercolor by John White. To my knowledge a similar display appeared in 1981. This interpretation also provides a relevant correlation to the John White map rendering emulated in image 12.
In July and August
A path beckons
To mica and driftwood
The Virgnia Dare Memorial, which we would pass continuing on the same path into the park, contains the words “In July and August”. The Lost Colony play also runs in the months of July and August at the Waterside Theater. In addition, the Leo astrological sign, previously attributed to Virginia Dare through the partial lion’s face depiction in image 12, is assigned to birthdays in “July and August”. The lower portion of the monument marks the baptism of Virginia Dare, giving further credence to the persistent theme of water in the Roanoke Island solution.
The soil around the park is very sandy and some of the paths are sandy in nature. “Mica and driftwood” calls attention to our proximity to the beach, while not necessarily leading us there as a final destination. Driftwood is commonly found at the beach, while there is a high concentration of mica in the state which can theoretically be found in the sand.
Looking at the path leading to the theater, we suspiciously transition from concrete to asphalt pavement, indicating some variety of change. My suspicion is that the path leading directly to the Waterside Theater used to be sandy like many of the other pathways throughout the park and near the beach. So, could these lines be telling us to follow the sandy path into the Waterside Theater? In other words, in July and August, follow the sandy path to a location near the beach with the moniker “waterside”. Water is certainly a clear component in the painting.
Under that
Which may be last touched
Or first seen standing
Under the premise of entering the Waterside Theater, we need something that is first seen standing or last touched. What about a chair or a seat? We either first see it while we are standing, or last touch it before we see it again. This fits impeccably with both the verse and the location we are led to.
There are of course multiple rows of seats within the theater, and below them is an area of dirt large enough to accommodate a casque (measured it myself, at least twice as large). Considering the logistics, this location makes perfect sense. The theater is accessible during off times and is virtually empty, offering a discrete venue for casque burial. For digging purposes there is clearly no archaeological concerns in this location given the past construction of the theater including a lot of poured concrete. I’m honestly shocked that I have never seen anyone before suggesting this in another Roanoke Island solution.
Unfortunately, these spaces were filled with poured in rubber surfacing at some point prior to July 2023. It is possible the casque is still intact beneath the surface if the burial depth is greater than the portion of soil removed. It is also possible that the casque was destroyed long ago during a previous renovation.
When aspects of the Boston case were revealed, it became clear that JJP sometimes incorporated vague, nuanced representations of different elements, such as the shape of the woman’s hair harkening to a baseball diamond. There seems to be a similar dynamic here, with the shape of the Waterside Theater backdrop emulated by the position of the woman’s arms, the vertical lines of the dress emulating the fence pickets, and a horizontal board mirroring the woman’s sash. While the stage back drop has undergone minor changes over the years, all highlighted characteristics were present in 1981 based on historic images.
The presence of arguably circumstantial matches makes discerning evidence from coincidence occasionally more uncertain. As one more such example, the kitty corner yellow tiles are both immediately beside segments with blue features, creating a pattern. The two perpendicular lines bordering all four spaces manifests as an addition sign. Is this intended to instruct mixing blue and yellow to make green? If this is valid action, this would likely reference Paul Green who wrote the Lost Colony play.
Look north at the wing
And dig
To achieve
By dauntless and inconquerable
Determination
Your goal
From specific vantage points within the theater, we can see the Wright Memorial, resembling a bird’s wing although indistinguishable from such distance, at a north-northeast orientation. The last few lines of the verse closely resemble the passage inscribed in reverence on the towering structure’s triangular base reading: “By dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith”. This further validates incorporating the memorial at the beginning of the puzzle, serving to identify an otherwise undeterminable spec in the distance, connecting the memorial quote and the presence of a wing to our current location through previous investigation of the WBM site.
Of additional note is use of the word “inconquerable” instead of “unconquerable”. As identified by “Limey” on the PB Works Secret website, this letter change could be a purposeful nod to the poem “Britannia” by Scottish poet James Thomson, which also uses the word “dauntless”, and helps identify our immigration focus as England. The connection is certainly circumstantial, but the word “inconquerable” is also not commonly applied.
The image in turn offers symbolic mirroring of our present location. While we are at the casque location looking north toward a “wing”, the wing of the sea bird, which vaguely resembles WBM, is found well above the jewel location.
In the bottom middle of the image is the number 374, which corresponds to the address for the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. The catch here is that the aquarium did not open until 1982. However, depending on the time frame when Byron visited, and the precise time frame of construction, it is possible this is a legitimate match. In further support of this position, the jewel appears almost directly above the number 374 in image 12, while the waterside theater which serves as our casque location is almost perfectly due north of the aquarium. The inclusion of the aquarium is also logical given the persistent theme of water throughout the puzzle, and given it is being paired with the Waterside Theater.
To the land near the window
Conventional interpretations logically apply this line to the depiction of Roanoke Island in image 3 appearing near a window, which itself closely resembles a door at the Elizabethan Gardens. By design this line is intended to misdirect before accomplishing anything else. Often overlooked is the fact that more than one image has a window, and at least one of those additional windows has a “land” near it. This Roanoke Island solution interprets this device in an entirely different way.
As a verse devise, identifying Roanoke Island as our general destination is helpful although unnecessary, illustrated by applying the Hwy 64 clues as intended, easily leading us from the Washington Baum Bridge to Fort Raleigh without additional intervention.
Alternatively utilizing image 12, a long and slender segment of material hanging from the woman’s waist possesses the same basic characteristics as Roosevelt Island in NYC. While the upper-most protrusion is absent, the upper left and upper right contours are represented accurately between the map and image 12, with a convex contour on the left and a slightly longer concave contour on the right. The island’s southern tip terminates at a distinct point also consistent with the image 12 depiction. Although most of the image 12 depiction omits the undulating properties of Roosevelt Island’s expansive riverfront stretching nearly two-miles, key identifying features are present, while the artistic artifact in question is “near” a “window” in concordance with the verse. All this being said, why would Roosevelt Island hold any relevance to a Roanoke Island solution?
At the Waterside Theater, there is a plaque commemorating Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s viewing of the Lost Colony play in 1937. As it happens, FDR was the governor of New York where the island of his namesake is found. In this context, we are led to a plot of land bearing the Roosevelt moniker. The marker is found on the same side of the theater as and in close proximity to our proposed casque location. This means that the “land” we are meant to travel to is identified as the result of the matching name. This also means that we have a connection between Roanoke Island and New York City appearing both at the beginning and the end of the Roanoke Island solution.
Thinking of this interpretation in another light, the word “near” can represent some form of relationship in addition to physical proximity. When considered in this context, could “near the window” imply a relationship to whatever “land” is being referenced? If the window is in essence the device that connects us to NYC, then any “land” it might be “near” would possess an NYC connection. The FDR marker in the Waterside Theater fulfills this condition and is alluded to in the image by a representation of Roosevelt Island “near” the window. While this interpretation is far less orthodox than conventional applications, it works in a subjectively crafted puzzle and is indirectly validated by complimentary evidence presented in the bulk of the proposed solution.
The representation of Roosevelt Island in image 12 includes what looks like a partially concealed face of a lion as discussed earlier. To further interconnect all of our clues, consider that Leo is the astrological symbol for the month of August up to the 22nd, while Roosevelt attended the Lost Colony play on August 18th.
Subsequently, what device or devices are in play to determine the precise casque location? If we qualify our dig spot by viewing the “wing” while digging, and we are in close proximity to and possibly in line with the Roosevelt marker, then our theoretical dig locations are substantially reduced. If the casque is buried beneath one of the theater seats, could a specific seat number be found in the image?
Theorizing that current seating assignments are comparable to those from 1981, we would expect in many cases to have a three-digit seat designation of either two letters and one number or one letter and two numbers. It just so happens that image 12 includes three sections of colored dots, reminiscent of “Ishihara plates” used for determining color blindness which contain dots typically configured to form a number differentiated in color from the background. While no such characters are plainly visible in image 12, perhaps the application of color distortion or enhancement was the original intent. When applying red decoder glasses, a number 5 seemingly appears in the left tile, while the other two tiles are impossible to confidently discern.
Subsequently, the Manteo chapter of the Lion’s Club which has existed at least since 1965, offers a potential validation for the inclusion of eye test panels in image 12. A key concentration of the organization’s mission of community outreach and personal health is advancing and supporting sight welfare. While I could not confirm when the relationship began, the Lion’s Club does have a partnership with the Lost Colony production. Between the image and the verse, we have established numerous references thus far to lions, including multiple applications of the Leo astrological sign and a reference to The Wizard of Oz, so connecting an additional lion is certainly consistent with this trend.
In concordance with an English immigration theme, lions play an integral role in cultural identity and family lineage, serving officially as the national animal. The emulation of a traditional coat of arms depiction is seemingly formed from the foam and mist of a crashing ocean wave. Furthermore, the window represented up above in image 12 bears a resemblance to the form and function of a coat of arms, with partitioned panels displaying unique characteristics which collectively represent a singular identity.
Thus far unaccounted for in this Roanoke Island solution is the purple window panel overlapped by the wings of our seabird, suggestive of a direct relationship. While purple is synonymous with royalty, Queen Elizabeth is featured in the Lost Colony play, and by association representative of the Waterside Theater serving as our casque location, as further supported by the Litany of the Jewels clue referencing “crown jewel of their queen”.
If the purple panel represents Queen Elisabeth and by association the Waterside Theater, and the bird’s wings represent the WBM that itself resembles a wing, then the painting is drawing an association between the two locations while our interpretation requires direct line of sight with the WBM in the distance for deducing a precise casque location at the Waterside Theater. Associating Queen Elisabeth also ties obviously into English immigration.
As a final connection, page 13 of The Secret mentions Robin Hood, while our immigration focus in this case is England, and three different Robin Hood themed streets (Friar Tuck Ct., Maid Marion Ct., and Sherwood Dr.) are found in Manteo a little south-east of our casque location.
Additional Clues
-Evenly rounded billows in the woman’s hair match the depiction of clouds on Wright Brothers Memorial door panels detailing human history of aerial navigation. Another panel shows a kite, while the woman’s arm positioning and white gown emulate a kite.
-The rolling wave on the far-right side of image 12 resembles a metal art installation depicting a school of angel fish at the North Carolina Aquarium.
-What appear to be thinly formed, elongated letters directly below the woman in the water may spell out the word “Dare”, as in Virgina Dare. The letters may or may not be in proper order.
-An unusual design some compare to the Eye of Ra shares suspiciously similar characteristics to “Northwest Point” on the Northwest coast of Roanoke Island roughly a mile from the Waterside Theater.
Roanoke Island Solution Pros:
-Cohesive themes of water and lions found throughout solution
-Puzzle devices serving clear purposes such as Hwy 64 and WBM
-Logical justification for the appearance of both NYC and Roanoke Island references
-A fairly comprehensive application of visual elements
-Lots of geographic mirroring
-Many clear characteristics to associate the image 12 woman with Virgina Dare
-Unmistakable visual connections such as the flower emulating the WBMB
-Compelling set of connections for 1909 Wilbur Wright flight over NYC
-Image and verse “wed” through the line “Look north at the wing”
-Length of verse combined with content of painting provide logical amount of information for a less commercially developed environment
-Explains why NYC investigations, almost exclusively associated with image 12, have proven unfruitful
-The presence of wordplay and instructional devices in the image as opposed to an exclusive reliance on superficial one for one visual matches
-Displays greater interconnectivity between painting and verse versus a collection of incidental connections
-Identifies fairly precise and logical casque location
-Presents a general casque location logistically sound for discreet burial given physical isolation of theater, low traffic between Lost Colony viewings, and separation from potential archaeological site
-Contains dig site immigration, dig site landmarks, and method for identifying precise dig location
-Logically applies verse reference to parking lot as end of driving portion of the puzzle
Roanoke Island Solution Cons:
-The application of image 12 to English immigration means the stone in question must be Garnet, while Garnets come in every color other than blue
-Far less compelling interpretation for “land near the window” compared with image 3 interpretations
-Two of three window panels containing dots offer undeterminable application
-Many visual clues for NYC that do not lead to a NYC casque
-Total path roughly 16 miles
-Unconvincing visual match to image 12 “window” in Roanoke
-Many circumstantial visual interpretations
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