I was just wondering about the scallop shell

[joe]

What is its origin and how is it connected to the Camino?

I know that it was often used as a utensil for drinking water from rivers etc. but is there a more significant reason as to why it has grown to become a symbol which is unique to the Pilgrimage?

Also, where can you buy one to attach to your backpack or to wear around your neck so that other pilgrims and local people will notice that you're a pilgrim? I was just thinking about it and thought it would be nice to keep the tradition, and also it would be a memorable souvenir. Do people just look on a beach for them or are they available to buy from anywhere along the Camino?

[katkin]

'The scallop, which resembles the setting sun, may have been a symbol used in pre-Christian Celtic rituals of the area. The Way of St. James may have originated as a pre-Christian Celtic death journey towards the setting sun,[4] terminating at the "End of the World" (Finisterra) on the "Coast of Death" (Costa da Morte)[4] and the "Sea of Darkness" (that is, the Abyss of Death, the Mare Tenebrosum, Latin for the Atlantic Ocean, itself named after the Dying Civilization of Atlantis), but no evidence has ever been found.[citation needed]'

found the above on wiki. my daughters school also uses the scallop shell symbol as a symbol of their journey through school/life etc.
not sure where you can buy something to symbolise this, every year the school gives the children a wooden neckless of the scallop shell, painted with their name and the date when they 'journey' round the school maze at the beginning of the school year.
k

[katkin]

oops, missed this bit!



The scallop shell, often found on the shores in Galicia, has long been the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Over the centuries the scallop shell has taken on mythical, metaphorical and practical meanings, even if its relevance may actually derive from the desire of pilgrims to take home a souvenir.
Two versions of the most common myth about the origin of the symbol concern the death of Saint James, who was killed in Jerusalem for his convictions about his brother, John. James had spent some time preaching on the Iberian Peninsula.
Version 1: After James' death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost to the ocean. After some time, however, the body washed ashore undamaged, covered in scallops.
Version 2: After James' death his body was mysteriously transported by a ship with no crew back to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. As James' ship approached land, a wedding was taking place on the shore. The young bridegroom was on horseback, and on seeing the ship approaching, his horse got spooked, and the horse and rider plunged into the sea. Through miraculous intervention, the horse and rider emerged from the water alive, covered in seashells.[citation needed]
The scallop shell also acts as a metaphor. The grooves in the shell, which come together at a single point, represent the various routes pilgrims traveled, eventually arriving at a single destination: the tomb of James in Santiago de Compostela. The shell is also a metaphor for the pilgrim. As the waves of the ocean wash scallop shells up on the shores of Galicia, God's hand also guided the pilgrims to Santiago.[citation needed]
The scallop shell also served practical purposes for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. The shell was the right size for gathering water to drink or for eating out of as a makeshift bowl.[citation needed]
The pilgrim's staff is a walking stick used by pilgrims to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.[5] Generally, the stick has a hook on it so that something may be hung from it. The walking stick sometimes has a cross piece on it.[6]

[Covey]

The easiest way to get a scallop shell is to visit your local fishmonger!! Or, you could try your supermarket. Look for Coquilles St Jacques in the freezer section, remove contents from packet, cook and consume and then hang the shell around your neck.

One scallop shell is sufficient for walking the Camino. More than one and folk will mistake you for an autobus pilgrim who seem to think that multiple scallop shells will disguise the fact that most of their Camino is spent in the air conditioned comfort of a coach.

[joe]

Ah, thanks for all of that information! It's interesting to hear the many stories of the shell. I agree most with it relating to the different paths to Santiago.

Covey, I just saw an offer on ebay 3 for £10 on Pilgrimage items. So I bought 2 Scallop shells (they came as 1 item), a St. James pendant, and a metal scallop shell pendant. I think I will pass on one of the scallop shells to a fellow pilgrim who doesn't have one, or to someone who inspires me along the way.