camino shell - up or down?

[Caminofamilyhs]

I have a funny question. Are the camino shell signpost traditionally with the shell nub up or down? How about the shells the pilgrims wear on their backpacks?

Thanks.

 

[tyrrek]

Hi! Pilgrims usually wear the shell with the 'thin bit' at the top, so the grooves radiate downwards. I think this is just because it's more practical to attach the string to it and it probably hangs straighter.

On signposts the stylised modern shell logo can face in any direction on the Camino Frances, and just shows that you're on the right route. (Supplementary yellow arrows will point in the direction of travel if it's not already obvious.) On other Caminos such as the Ingles and (I think) the Finisterre the 'fingers' of the shell point in the direction you should go. I believe it's the opposite way round on the Via de la Plata.

Buen Camino!

 

[Daxzentzu]

It's implied here that the shell is badge to be worn from the start of the pilgrimage

I was informed that it Is appropriate for Pilgrims wear the "Shell" after they have arrived at SDC

Dax

 

[NoorvanderVeen]

Tyrrek, I've always looked at the shell sign and thought the thin part symbolizes Santiago and the grooves radiating toward it symbolize the roads. In that way, the sign should always 'point' it's thin part to the right road. It wasn't always like this on the camino Frances.

 

[lahartz]

Is the shell something you bring or do you get it in SJP before leaving?

 

[mspath]

Is the shell something you bring or do you get it in SJP before leaving?

lahartz,

Either way is fine. If you have a shell bring it; if you do not you can get one in Saint-Jean at the pilgrim office of the Amis du Chemin de Saint Jacques at 39 rue de la Citadelle. They can also provide you with a Credential and on site lodging assistance.

Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[William Marques]

It's implied here that the shell is badge to be worn from the start of the pilgrimage. I was informed that it Is appropriate for Pilgrims wear the "Shell" after they have arrived at SDC
Dax

Historically you are right but the accepted practice is now to wear the shell as you are walking. On the less travelled routes it helps the locals to know you are a pilgrim and perhaps offer hospitality. This is not a reason on the Camino Frances as walkers with backpacks there will be assumed to be pilgrims.

 

[Sojourner47]

*****

 

[JabbaPapa]

It's implied here that the shell is badge to be worn from the start of the pilgrimage

I was informed that it Is appropriate for Pilgrims wear the "Shell" after they have arrived at SDC

Not since the late Middle Ages --- Pilgrims have been wearing the shell on the way to Santiago for well over 500 years.

The practice of only wearing it for the walk back has not completely vanished, but with the advent of early methods of public transport in the 17th-18th centuries, the practice of wearing it on the way to Compostela has become almost universal, so that only a very small number of purists will consider this question at all.

(I actually neglected to wear one on the start of my 1994 pilgrimage, with a view that my shell should come to me, on the Camino, not the other way 'round -- and in fact I was given mine by the legendary Pablo Payo, which is awesome, far better than any other shell I could possibly have)

The only real limitation that I know of is a religious one -- you cannot licitly present yourself at Mass wearing the insignia of a pilgrim unless you are either currently on a pilgrimage, or unless you have completed the pilgrimage(s) in question in the past.

 

[Daxzentzu]

I am privileged to have been given a shell from Santiago DC by the fraternity when I discussed my intention to follow the Way of St James.

I think I will wear the shell when I have earned it

Seems to be right thing for me

Dax

 

[Jochen-Schmidtke]

Tyrrek, I've always looked at the shell sign and thought the thin part symbolizes Santiago and the grooves radiating toward it symbolize the roads. In that way, the sign should always 'point' it's thin part to the right road. It wasn't always like this on the camino Frances.

Hi NoorvanderVeen.
You are absloute right! So should it be!
But many of the people who do the signposting don´t know this rule. :cry:
Buen Camino
Jochen

 

[hecate105]

My husband and I ate Coquilles St. Jacques before we set off, washed the shells off clean, and attached them to our panniers. (making us pilgrims with good appetite...) 3000 miles later we left one on the Lady Altar at Rosslyn Chapel, and took the other home with us - for next time...
Different provinces seem to use the shell facing either way - once you suss out which way it is in an area - it generally stays the same way until the next province.
I also got a shell necklace from the beach at Finisterre - which I wear on St James day and whenever I go a' pilgrimage.
Wearing a shell on the way does help others recognise you as a pilgrim - especially on lesser used routes. We met many folk who were or were to become pilgrims because they saw our shells and stopped to chat. We got a lot of help with directions, places to stay etc as well. Pilgrims are generally helpful folk!

 

[peregrina2000]

Though Noorvanderveen's interpretation of how the shell should be placed is sensible, it isn't the general rule. In terms of waymarking, though it seems counter-intuitive, the rays of the shell point in the direction of the camino.

live-from-the-camino/topic15543.html

As that thread points out, there are some major exceptions

-- walking between Finisterre and Muxia (no directional indication)
-- on the Vdlp (hinge of the shell points the way)
-- in Asturias (hinge of the shell points the way) (I learned this the hard way on the Camino del Norte)

And, then, as Jochen points out, there are always those instances in which the municipal workers responsible for placing the granite bollards don't pay any attention to what they are doing and the shell may be pointing in just about any direction. This happens on more than a few occasions on the Camino de Invierno.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[David]

Sure, curved half of the shell (the other half is flat) - hinge at top, fanning downwards, otherwise you will look like an advert for Shell Petroleum! :|

 

[JabbaPapa]

My husband and I ate Coquilles St. Jacques before we set off, washed the shells off clean, and attached them to our panniers. (making us pilgrims with good appetite...) 3000 miles later we left one on the Lady Altar at Rosslyn Chapel, and took the other home with us - for next time...
Different provinces seem to use the shell facing either way - once you suss out which way it is in an area - it generally stays the same way until the next province.
I also got a shell necklace from the beach at Finisterre - which I wear on St James day and whenever I go a' pilgrimage.
Wearing a shell on the way does help others recognise you as a pilgrim - especially on lesser used routes. We met many folk who were or were to become pilgrims because they saw our shells and stopped to chat. We got a lot of help with directions, places to stay etc as well. Pilgrims are generally helpful folk!

I love this sort of "purist" attitude -- Practically and Pragmatically ? Completely unnecessary. Poetically, Symbolically, Compostelly, Traditionally, Religiously ? Ultreia Peregrinos E Sus Eia !!!!!