Yant Nok
Bird of Mantra Script
A bird with outspread wings made entirely of curved lines of Khom script, with spires and spirals as its head and tail.
✦Meaning & Background
Body and wings are not drawn but written: curved lines of Khom script form the wings, and each line ends at the wingtip in a spiral spire. Head and tail consist of spires and spirals with single syllables around them. In many traditions a bird in flight is read as an image of freedom and of a light, prosperous path.
✦More about this design
Birds appear more than once among the Sak Yant designs: as the graceful pair of the Hong birds or as the mighty Garuda, the divine eagle. In both cases the bird is drawn. In this design it is written: body and wings consist entirely of lines of Khom script. Three long lines arc from wingtip to wingtip, with a shorter line along the outer edge on each side. Every line ends in a spiral spire, so the wings taper into fine points. At the centre, spires and spirals with single syllables form the head and the tail. You see the same idea, an image that grows out of the mantra itself, in the five mantra lines with naga, where a serpent's head emerges from the script. In many traditions a bird in flight is read as an image of freedom and of a light, prosperous path. Because the wings spread wide, this design sits well on the upper back, across the shoulder blades or on the chest. Browse all Sak Yant designs, read about all Sak Yant symbols or book an appointment.
✦Frequently asked questions
Which bird is this?
The design does not name a species. Unlike the Hong birds or the Garuda, the bird is not drawn but built from lines of Khom script, with spires and spirals as its head and tail.
Why is the bird made of script?
That way the mantra itself is the image. From a distance you see a bird with outspread wings, up close you see lines of text.
Where is this design usually placed?
On the upper back, across the shoulder blades or on the chest, where the wings can spread wide.
