Day 24 on the Camino Way

The Shell

We’ve been waiting for the right shell at the right moment. That moment came today. We purchased two from this guy.

He had a little stand right outside his home, which seemed to us to be in the middle of nowhere. As soon as we saw him in the distance I said to Sal: ”If this guy has shells were buying from him.” And he had beautiful, big shells.

Why a Shell?

There are a bunch of legends and stories around the meaning of the scallop shell for the Camino. Actually, the shell is a symbol for Saint James—the oldest “son of thunder.” You see it in churches all over the world and always connected to St James.

The scallop shell is said to be a metaphor, its lines representing the different routes pilgrims travel from all over the world, all walking trails leading to one point: the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela.

Medieval pilgrims often wore a scallop shell attached to their cloaks or hats during their journey to Santiago. Modern traveler have them hanging from their backpacks. One last little bit about the shell: the bigger the better. Why? In days of old pilgrims would also be given food at churches and other establishments, and a scallop shell scoop was the measure for the food they would be donated.

Legends are More Fun

The story that is most popular here is the one that features a wedding game where men threw a spear into the air and had to catch it on horseback before it hit the ground. At one such wedding the groom made the throw and then the chase. A wind came up and blew the spear into the ocean. The groom, determined to win, drove his horse into the sea. Horse and rider disappeared under the water, and did not come up.

Legend has St James’ disciples carrying his body to Santiago in a stone boat. Fortune smiled on the wedding party when this boat happened by and the miracle occurred. Horse and rider rose to the surface covered in scallop shells. And the rest is history.

Buen Camino!