Mongolia Lesson #2 - SOYOMBO

The ideograph "Soyombo” is considered by Mongols to be the symbol of national freedom and independence. An old Mongolian script was developed on the basis of signs included in Soyombo. Each sign has its own significance from the ancient time .The sign of flame at the top signifies revival, growth and progress. Fire also symbolizes home, continuation of family clan and people. Three tongues of the flame mean prosperity in the past, present and future.
Below the flame are the signs of the Sun and Moon. These are totemic ancestors of Mongols. This sign customarily was put on monument to fallen warriors who died in defense of their home. In ancient symbolic, the blade of an arrow or spear turned towards the ground meant death.
In the Soyombo, two triangular looking down signify death to the enemies of the people. Rectangular shapes placed horizontally one above the other mean: “Let everybody be honest and fair in their service to people”.
Fish in Mongolian life is a creature never closing eyes and hence a symbol of watchfulness; two fish stand for a man and a woman, reason and wisdom.The two vertical lines on the sides of the emblem signify fortress. Fortified walls stand for an old Mongolian saying “Friendship of two men is stronger than stone walls”.In the Soyombo ideograph acquiring a wider meaning: Let all the people be unified by friendship and common goal, then its strength will exceed that of the stone walls of a fortress.
In 1924, the first National Khural of MPR accepted Soyombo as the national emblem of the country, adding to it the lotus flower worshipped since ancient times as a symbol of purity of heart and mind.