most of the manuscript was not original, but a compendium of 12th century knowledge. the manuscript contained poems, illustrations, and music, and drew from texts by classical and arab writers. interspersed with writings from other sources were poems by herrad, addressed to the nuns, almost all of which were set to music. the most famous portion of the manuscript are its 336 illustrations, which symbolised various themes, including theological, philosophical, and literary. these works are well regarded.