Scallop shells

[another walker]

It would appear that many pilgrims attach scallop shells to their back pack. Do people usualy provide there own ??
Or is there a little "scallop shell man"outside every cathedral selling to pilgrims ? Just a thought.

 

[Felipe]

Very common in tourist shops, along the Camino.
Some people are traditionalists, and wait to arrive to Santiago before attaching a scallop or "vieira" to their backpack, or even go to Finisterre to pick up their very own.
I have not worn one in the Frances (for no particular reason), but I have attached my old, first one, when walking in other, less frequented routes in Europe, where pilgrims are not a common view. Again, for no particular reason, just it felt as a proper thing to do.

 

[mikevasey]

A lot of people pick them up before going overseas, from friends who give it to them as a present,local fishsellers or if they live near the coast go and find one themselves. If they do arrive on the Camino without one then there is usually places along the way which sell them. Most people on the Camino have them, sent mine home from Toulouse on my last one with a few other excess items, part of me was waiting for disaster to strike but it never did.

 

[amorfati1]

A kind stranger provided one to me in a town near lisbon ( friend of people were i stayed) --- she had her husband get one from her fisherman friends
We drilled sm holes through the top and voila' .... I was provide with this gift that dangled on my backpack all the way until SdC.
Kind gestures all abound on the caminho portuguese...

 

[shubertj]

It would appear that many pilgrims attach scallop shells to their back pack. Do people usualy provide there own ??
Or is there a little "scallop shell man"outside every cathedral selling to pilgrims ? Just a thought.

Another Walker,
On the Camino Frances we picked them up at the Pilgrim Office in St Jean along with our credentials. Virtually everyone has a shell attached to their backpack showing their on a pilgrimage. We took them off once we finished in Santiago and will reattach once we start out from Lisbon. They are readily available anywhere along the route.

 

[donalomahony]

Found mine on Dollymount Beach in Dublin, a few weeks before I left for my CF. Drilled a hole in it for the string. Smaller and darker than the ones you see on sale/donativo in France / Spain.

It broke along the way, but a bit survived to Santiago, on the string!

Treasured!

 

[MichaelSG]

The first pilgrim we ran into in France was in Bayonne. Gary the Hungarian told us of the symbolic nature of the shells and gave one to my wife. Then he explained that he had "borrowed" several of them from the restaurant where he worked back home. Hmmmm.... I declined accepting another one from him and said to the Amigo in SJPdP's Pilgrim office that I didn't need one. As I walked out the door there, I changed my mind and picked one out. It was attached to my backpack the whole Camino and it will be used again next month from Lisbon. That shell, my credencial, my compostela and my photos from that Camino are among my most prized physical possessions.

 

[Bogong]

The first pilgrim we ran into in France was in Bayonne. Gary the Hungarian told us of the symbolic nature of the shells and gave one to my wife. Then he explained that he had "borrowed" several of them from the restaurant where he worked back home. Hmmmm.... I declined accepting another one from him and said to the Amigo in SJPdP's Pilgrim office that I didn't need one. As I walked out the door there, I changed my mind and picked one out. It was attached to my backpack the whole Camino and it will be used again next month from Lisbon. That shell, my credencial, my compostela and my photos from that Camino are among my most prized physical possessions.

They had a tray of them "donativo" in the Pilgrim Office in SJPdP when I started from there on 28 February this year.(up the valley way as the Col was closed and the start was actually barricaded off with warnings). I wrapped mine away in my pack, personally I didn't feel "qualified" to display it until I reached the Cathedral in Santiago and it seemed superfluous then. I understand that their original purpose was to scoop up water and drink from.

Interestingly, very few of the pilgrims I met on the track displayed shells on the outside of their packs. This was in contrast to those I saw staying in the big city albergues. Also, only one the whole way carried the wooden staff, although a lot had lightweight hiking poles which seemed to be a great help on the steeper downhill bits.( And one bloke going back the other way had a staff with feathers etc on it). I should qualify it a bit by saying that I saw few pilgrims on the track anyway, crossing paths all the way, at lunch stops, at night etc mostly with the same selection of about 20 people. But, after the best part of two rest days in Santiago, I headed off on the Camino Jacobeo and ultimately spent 5 days in A Coruna awaiting SWMBO and sister-in-law. We returned to Santiago for a few days around 6 April and by then there were lots of pilgrims in the Square, nearly all sporting shells and carrying wooden staffs.

De Colores

Bogong

 

[mspath]

Since the legend or hagiography of St James recounts that his dead body miraculously washed ashore in Spain, scallop shells from the sea are his symbol. Hence, from time immemorial carved shells decorate doorway lintels and latches along the pilgrim routes and pilgrims have worn scallop shells (in French, coquilles St Jacques) as their emblem.

Ten years ago when nervously beginning my first camino a kindly volunteer of the Amis du Chemin de Saint Jacques in SJPdP offered me a pilgrim shell; I wore it with pride. Today that first precious shell hangs at the door of our farmhouse continuing the timeless tradition of marking a pilgrim place.

MM

 

[Magwood]

I collected one from the pilgrims' office for my camino Frances last year and managed to collect a few small scallop shells on the beach at Finisterre at the end of my journey. During the year I loaned my pack to a friend and removed my precious shell in case it got damaged. However it wasn't until I arrived at Lisbon for my camino Portuguese this year that I realised I had not reattached my scallop shell to my pack. I was quite upset. But mooching around a May Day market I found a stall selling tiles in the style of the Lisbon mosaic pavements, and as luck would have it he had one tiny tile decorated with a scallop shell. He kindly attached some double sticky tape to the back and I applied it to my bum bag where I hoped it would stay for a few days at least, before it became unstuck and fell off. But it stuck fast and remained throughout my journey and stays there still.

 

[tyrrek]

I bought mine in the Pilgrims' Office in SJPP on my first Camino, and that's still the one I use. (They're amazingly robust given what they have to go through). It has a little plastic medallion hanging inside it, which I was given in Rabe de las Calzadas. I also picked up a shell in a bar in Pamplona, which had had a very nice tapa served out of it. I asked the lady behind the bar if it was OK to take it, and she kindly washed off all the melted cheese etc. until it was gleaming.

Some of the shells you get in the tourist shops either are plastic or look plastic. Maybe they're just bleached or something, but I prefer the natural look.

I deliberately let my shell hang quite loosely so that I can hear it clink against my backpack every now and then. It's a comforting sound of the Camino to me now.

 

[another walker]

How lovely to receive all of your replies,so many stories full of meaning. God bless you all and thankyou.

 

[t2andreo]

The shells available by donativo at the St. Jean Pied de Port Pilgrim Office are authentic, fresh from the sea (or a local restaurant). They are drilled and a plain white, cotton string is attached. These shells are NOT stenciled with the red Cross of St. James. The presence of the red cross stencil indicates the shell likely came from a souvenir seller. These are available virtually everywhere.

On my two Camino Frances, I obtained a new shell each time from the Pilgrim Office, as I endorse them with the particulars of my pilgrimage and save them in a scallop-shaped wooden "keepsake box" at home. On both Caminos, my unadorned shell (no stencil) was often commented on, as most pilgrims seem to have the commercial variety.

If you obtain and drill your own special scallop shell, there are two things to consider.

1. The scallop shell mollusk species exists most all over the world. But the one that is most authentic is the sand colored, hand-sized shell found around the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
2. After you drill your shell think about adding a coat of clear varnish, shellac, or lacquer to the the outside (the ridged side not the inside smooth surface) to strengthen the shell against chipping.

We all like the clicky sound of the shell bouncing against our rucksacks as we walk along. However, you need to be careful when placing your rucksack on the ground or into a bus luggage hold. Consider removing the shell and padding it inside your rucksack or carry it on your person as appropriate. My shells are among my most precious memories from the Camino.

I hope this helps.

 

[another walker]

The shells available by donativo at the St. Jean Pied de Port Pilgrim Office are authentic, fresh from the sea (or a local restaurant). They are drilled and a plain white, cotton string is attached. These shells are NOT stenciled with the red Cross of St. James. The presence of the red cross stencil indicates the shell likely came from a souvenir seller. These are available virtually everywhere.

On my two Camino Frances, I obtained a new shell each time from the Pilgrim Office, as I endorse them with the particulars of my pilgrimage and save them in a scallop-shaped wooden "keepsake box" at home. On both Caminos, my unadorned shell (no stencil) was often commented on, as most pilgrims seem to have the commercial variety.

If you obtain and drill your own special scallop shell, there are two things to consider.

1. The scallop shell mollusk species exists most all over the world. But the one that is most authentic is the sand colored, hand-sized shell found around the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
2. After you drill your shell think about adding a coat of clear varnish, shellac, or lacquer to the the outside to strengthen the shell against chipping.

We all like the clicky sound of the shell bouncing against our rucksacks as we walk along. However, you need to be careful when placing your rucksack on the ground or into a bus luggage hold. Consider removing the shell and padding it inside your rucksack or carry it on your person as appropriate. My shells are among my most precious memories from the Camino.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. I live near the Atlantic coast so i shall go to the fish market and see if there are any there. Oddly,i can never remember seeing any locally despite extremely fond childhood memories of Sunday morning breakfast of scallops cooked in bacon fat, and heaps of other goodies.

 

[Al the optimist]

One of the corners of my first shell broke off where it had been drilled. My second one, a gift from a special pilgrim is still in use, though I must admit it proved a bit harsh on one of my bags, cutting the outer material with it's sharp edge. I have put sellotape over the edge and applied gaffer tape to the current bag where it bounces! Fingers crossed!

 

[bystander]

As to when to acquire a scallop shell - I will wait until and if I make it to Santiago.
I am stupidly superstitious (is that a tautology?!!) and I would no more "award" myself a scallop shell before I made it to Santiago than have my birthday party a day early!

 

[Harington]

As to when to acquire a scallop shell - I will wait until and if I make it to Santiago.
I am stupidly superstitious (is that a tautology?!!) and I would no more "award" myself a scallop shell before I made it to Santiago than have my birthday party a day early!

You are strictly speaking correct, Bystander. On my first Camino I wore a scallop shell that my daughter had given me. I was told firmly, several times, that one does not have the right to wear it until one has made it all the way to Santiago.

 

[another walker]

You are strictly speaking correct, Bystander. On my first Camino I wore a scallop shell that my daughter had given me. I was told firmly, several times, that one does not have the right to wear it until one has made it all the way to Santiago.

Most interesting,i had no idea the possession of the scallop shell was a symbol of completing the caminho (Portuguese spelling).
I thank you for making that known.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You are strictly speaking correct, Bystander.

Maybe, but maybe not strictly:

Pilgrim's shell (scallop shell, concha de vieira)

The scallop shell 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 martyred by beheading in Jerusalem in 44 AD.

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 groom 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.

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.

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.

 

[pilgrim b]

Ten years ago when nervously beginning my first camino a kindly volunteer of the Amis du Chemin de Saint Jacques in SJPdP offered me a pilgrim shell; I wore it with pride. Today that first precious shell hangs at the door of our farmhouse continuing the timeless tradition of marking a pilgrim place.
MM

My shell too hangs by the back door to remind me I am still working at being a pilgrim. thank you Margaret for telling us about the "timeless tradition of marking a pilgrim place."

 

[bystander]

falcon, you are undoubtedly right in all you have listed.

My first knowledge of the camino to Santiago dates back to the late 1950's when the various symbols on church memorials and brasses were explained to me and that where there was the presence of a scallop shell on that memorial or brass it indicated that the person interred below had successfully made the pilgrimage to Santiago.

 

[cher99840]

When I embarked upon my journey toward SJPP I was of the "no shell for me" persuasion. I didn't want the extra weight and I'm not much of a groupie. HOWEVER, upon my arrival in SJPP, and speaking to and attending mass with a whole hoard of shell carriers, I decided that I wanted one too. (Maybe I'm more of a groupie than I thought). The Pilgrims Office was out of them last September so I bought one in a shop. I like the red stencil, tho there is precious little of it left. As I walked I was glad that I had it as it identified me as a pilgrim. I found that locals in both smaller towns and larger cities tend to be exceedingly helpful to pilgrims who miss the markers.

 

[MichaelSG]

. I was told firmly, several times, that one does not have the right to wear it [a scallop shell] until one has made it all the way to Santiago.

That's true. If you look at rule #496 in the Official Rule Book of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela you will clearly see that under pain of being disqualified from obtaining a compostela, and possibly excommunication, you can only wear the shell after walking at least 781km along the exact route designated in rule #28. Every "real" pilgrim will follow all the rules in that book without exception. I just wonder why the Amigos in the Pilgrim Office in SJPdP don't know that rule and still insist on offering a shell to departing pilgrims. Which leads me to wonder why people on their first Camino insist on calling themselves "pilgrims" because according to rule #74, they are only supposed to be called "novices" until they successfully complete their pilgrimage.



I hope humor translates well into different cultures / languages.

 

[Bogong]

You are strictly speaking correct, Bystander. On my first Camino I wore a scallop shell that my daughter had given me. I was told firmly, several times, that one does not have the right to wear it until one has made it all the way to Santiago.

This is why I felt I couldn't display the symbol of St James and of my pilgrimage until I had actually completed it. I would have felt a fraud if for some reason I had to abort the walk before reaching Santiago. I will now treasure the shell I obtained in STJPdP, and also bought a bronze one in Santiago which I've mounted on a verandah post above the house number.

The shell, and the cross of St James are part of the rich culture which make the pilgrimage what it is. The various "acts" by which one can obtain absolution along the way, starting perhaps with three laps of the church at Eunate (and the mind boggles at the potential for "sinning" along the way in between absolution points) and that of the Holy Mother sailing ashore in a stone boat at Muxia to comfort James in his ministry (he was her nephew, according to tradition) are others.

But I've a story to tell about the shell. We spent Holy Week in April in Toledo. It has a long tradition of sword making and many of its shops sell swords and knives of all types and with all sorts of decorations and motifs. But in one shop, and one only in all of Toledo, I found displayed a pocket knife which had medallions of the shell and cross of St James embossed in the handle. The various other shops I asked in had never heard of or seen such a knife. I went in (bought the knife of course, why do you ask) and had a chat to the proprietor who was an enthusiast for the Camino. He asked me if I knew what the shell symbolised, and I responded with the stories of St James emerging from the sea covered in shells etc. He laughed, shook his head and told me that the very early pilgrims carried the shell as a scoop for drinking out of.

De Colores

Bogong (aka John)

 

[musicman]

Lord - Still, tired, old cliches - Real Pilgrim, etc
Why do,people love to hidebound themselves?
I have two Shells, at present.
I made the mistake two years ago of leaving my shell on the rucksack
before flying to Porto - All I had was a safety pin!
However, descending the steps out of Tui, a trusting local left a number of shells
at 1Eu , on the doorstep, so I bought one, still have it.

Recently, entered a tiny Church of Wales chapel, Nr Llangollen; inconguously there was
A selection of shells there; again, I bought one,could discover no link to
St James, despite it being an Ancient site of worship.
As we were On a Break in my Motorhome, I keep it selotaped above my head
in the Bus.
Or,should I have left it as I had not got to S de C? !
A chacon son gout and a little less authoritarianism, please

 

[tploomis]

I had no idea the shell was so rule bound. That's a bit disappointing to me.

 

[billmclaughlin]

I consider it a good conversation starter. Nothing more or less. I've found it works en route to or from a hike and can credit it for chats in airports and bus and train stations in Paris, Biarritz, Montpellier, Lyon, Pau, London, Montreal, and Boston.

Real shell or patch? Both work well.

Bill

 

[bystander]

Musicman, despite all the "supposed" rules posted, it is just a matter of personal choice.
Me? I'll wait until I make it to Santiago but I will not think any the less of anybody who wears their shell as a symbol of intent even if they were not to make it there.

 

[Leaningforward]

I travelled with a scallop shell on my pack when I departed the USA, in part because I understood that pilgrims back in the day were provided at least a shell-size portion of food or wine wherever they stopped -- whether that was true or not didn't matter to me then or now. The shell marked my commitment, not any particular achievement ... like reaching Santiago. I ate a scallop dish in Santiago and kept that shell, but the first shell remains tied to my pack, on whatever trail I walk.

And -- by the way -- the first shell served its purpose to hold a measure of wine at the free-flowing tap (picture below).

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I had no idea the shell was so rule bound. That's a bit disappointing to me.

Surely you did not forget to get your shell license? You will need your birth certificate, passport, credential, and five photos with a plain white background, then go to the embassy in Madrid, and only the embassy, with your completed Form 817 and wait in line 3, but only on Tuesdays. Anything less, and you could be subject to arrest, fine, and even imprisonment.

 

[hecate105]

Rather pragmatically (and piggishly) I got mine and my hubby's by buying Coquilles St. Jacques at the fish shop - which we gobbled down before leaving on our pilgrimage - quick wash and drill of the shells and we were off. We left one at the end of our (unusual/strange/backward) pilgrimage on the altar of the Lady Chapel at Rosslyn...
Luckily the one rule my father insisted I follow was - rules were made for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.... (or women I hope...)
One of the best things about carrying the scallop-shell is that other pilgrims recognise you. We were not always on pilgrim routes and cycled back home - it was wonderful when people accosted us and said that they were also pilgrims - or soon-to-be pilgrims. Several times they gave us invaluable help. In fact I have left our other shell on our saddlebag so we get to talk to like-minded folk wherever we may be travelling...

 

[Harington]

I had no idea the shell was so rule bound. That's a bit disappointing to me.

It isn't. I was just recounting what Snobagrinos told me on my first Camino. I still wore my shell all the way.

 

[MichaelSG]

It isn't. I was just recounting what Snobagrinos told me on my first Camino. I still wore my shell all the way.

...and you weren't arrested?!?!?!?!

Musicman, despite all the "supposed" rules posted, it is just a matter of personal choice.
Me? I'll wait until I make it to Santiago but I will not think any the less of anybody who wears their shell as a symbol of intent even if they were not to make it there.

I like the first sentence a lot. The meaning of the shell is pretty personal to each of us. To some, it is a sign that they are walking the Camino. To others, it is a sign that a Camino has been completed. To others, it is a conversation starter in airports or a wine glass. I doubt strongly that any of us can be certain what someone in the first millennia understood the meaning to be so no one should be thinking their understanding is better or more valid than anyone else's (which might possibly be just what you are saying in the second sentence).

 

[nidarosa]

I never carried an actual shell on my pack, can't stand anything that swings and clinks and rattles on the outside of it, but I did wear a small silver shell around my neck. It has never been off since I bought it in Santiago the first time I arrived there on foot. I also have the Forum patch and the Spanish red round patch with a yellow border and shell on it, so voilá, a shell. Several times people have stopped me to ask about it, either because they have walked it themselves or because they want to, and I have approached people too when they have had shells on packs, either a real one or the blue patch with the stylised shell from the sign posts. That in itself makes it worth carrying a shell!

 

[edumad]

I believe the scallop shell was used to scoop water and to receive charity, so if you were to use, then you'd use it fro, the start.
As a memento of completion you get the compostela.
If I were to have and ID as a pilgrim then a yellow arrow patch would be for me. Almost bought one when I arrived in SdC for my next walk.

 

[Diogo92]

On my first Caminho, I bought a shell from the store in Rates. It's a very big one, with the St. James cross in the middle, painted by hand. I bought for 4, 50€. When I reached to Santiago, I saw that they were selling those for 1 to 1, 50€. But I'm sure that those were not hand painted, and aren’t big has mine! I bought some patches in Santiago, and after completing the Caminho, I removed the shell from my backpack.

After I bought my car, I putted my shell on the front of the rear-view mirror. It was funny to see pilgrim’s faces, when they saw a red car coming at them, slowing down, with a guy waving around and wishing them "Bom Caminho". And after they saw the shell, they would understand

After the aplication of the patches:



On a hike, on the 1st of August, to the biggest mountain of my area:

 

[Camembert]

On my first Caminho, I bought a shell from the store in Rates. It's a very big one, with the St. James cross in the middle, painted by hand. I bought for 4, 50€. When I reached to Santiago, I saw that they were selling those for 1 to 1, 50€. But I'm sure that those were not hand painted, and aren’t big has mine! I bought some patches in Santiago, and after completing the Caminho, I removed the shell from my backpack.

After I bought my car, I putted my shell on the front of the rear-view mirror. It was funny to see pilgrim’s faces, when they saw a red car coming at them, slowing down, with a guy waving around and wishing them "Bom Caminho". And after they saw the shell, they would understand

After the aplication of the patches:

View attachment 12240

On a hike, on the 1st of August, to the biggest mountain of my area:

View attachment 12241

You look like a pilgrim ! who is the person on the picture with the guitar in hand ?

 

[dandagenais]

WOW... so many post for this question... I like it! Funny, because I wasn't going to get one... thought it was kind of tacky or seomthing. Then just before I leave the office at SJPDP, I turned around and got one (donativo as mentionned). Put it in my bag as a souvenir. But, after walking first day through the Pyreneens to Roncevalles and going to the Pilgrim Mass there, I put it on my Backpack. Don't know why, just felt it was ok. Then added a little medallion that I receive from the nuns at Carrion de Los Condes, Spiritu Santi Albergue. I also untied it from my Pac to drink some wine from the Fuente de Irache. It was awesome. It now hang on a nail in my bedroom and reprensent a lot to me. Made it all the way with me!

 

[Dennis D]

My shell too hangs by the back door to remind me I am still working at being a pilgrim. thank you Margaret for telling us about the "timeless tradition of marking a pilgrim place."

Mine hangs on my window that looks out to a garden and an oak tree and there is a yellow arrow on my porch that points to the front door of my house. They are constant reminders of how the Camino has affected my life in so many ways.

 

[Larazet]

And here is my contribution....this is on our house where I started my Camino (wrong spelling of Larazet) and the tile on the wall bought on the Camino (in a car that time!) seem to be a bit obsessed by shells around here...

 

[Diogo92]

You look like a pilgrim ! who is the person on the picture with the guitar in hand ?

Sir Randy Roads

 

[kellyz]

Hi All,
Regardless of when one should or shouldn't wear a shell on the way to Santiago, does anyone know if the medieval pilgrim traditionally wore the shell on the way to Santiago, or only on the way home?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hi All,
Regardless of when one should or shouldn't wear a shell on the way to Santiago, does anyone know if the medieval pilgrim traditionally wore the shell on the way to Santiago, or only on the way home?

Back in the days, where fish and seafood was not being shipped around the world for commerce, very few pilgrims would have been able to secure a shell before leaving home. Unless you lived by the sea, how else could you get a shell unless you picked it up after arriving in Santiago?

 

[Utgaard]

I walked my caminho along the coast of Portugal and didn't feel that I was entitled to wear the shell until I completed the pilgrimage in Santiago. I was leaving Ancora de Praia when I was stopped by a gentleman named Carlos. He gave me his personal stamp, asked why I didn't wear the scallop shell and offered me one. I explained that I didn't feel entitled to wear one until I had arrived in Santiago. He laughed at me and basically told me I was being ridiculous, that he had collected the shell along the same coast I was walking, that the shell is the symbol of all pilgrims for St. James and walking as a pilgrim was what mattered, I was entitled to it just for being a pilgrim for St James. I accepted his shell.

That night in Caminha I was told by the albergue host that the priests used to tell pilgrims to bring a shell back from the coast and they would then paint the cross of St James on the shell to prove the walker had completed their pilgrimage. He said that the pilgrim would need to wash their shell every night between the coast and Santiago to get the salt off the shell so the paint would stick.

I washed my shell several times over the next few nights. I heard it everyday for the rest of the walk bouncing on the back of my pack. It became the heartbeat of my walk.

There were shells available in the albergues and for donation on the doorsteps of houses along my caminho. Bring one from home, buy one on the way or in Santiago, or wait until you get to the coast. I hope you find meaning in it wherever you find it or whenever you claim to wear it.

 

[Camembert]

I walked my caminho along the coast of Portugal and didn't feel that I was entitled to wear the shell until I completed the pilgrimage in Santiago. I was leaving Ancora de Praia when I was stopped by a gentleman named Carlos. He gave me his personal stamp, asked why I didn't wear the scallop shell and offered me one. I explained that I didn't feel entitled to wear one until I had arrived in Santiago. He laughed at me and basically told me I was being ridiculous, that he had collected the shell along the same coast I was walking, that the shell is the symbol of all pilgrims for St. James and walking as a pilgrim was what mattered, I was entitled to it just for being a pilgrim for St James. I accepted his shell.

That night in Caminha I was told by the albergue host that the priests used to tell pilgrims to bring a shell back from the coast and they would then paint the cross of St James on the shell to prove the walker had completed their pilgrimage. He said that the pilgrim would need to wash their shell every night between the coast and Santiago to get the salt off the shell so the paint would stick.

I washed my shell several times over the next few nights. I heard it everyday for the rest of the walk bouncing on the back of my pack. It became the heartbeat of my walk.

There were shells available in the albergues and for donation on the doorsteps of houses along my caminho. Bring one from home, buy one on the way or in Santiago, or wait until you get to the coast. I hope you find meaning in it wherever you find it or whenever you claim to wear it.

Interesting story !

Would you be so kind to list here on the forum the places you stayed on the coastal from Porto to Vigo please ?
Future pilgrims a.o.my wife and I would appreciate this very much.
There is not much information about that matter and all information helps us.

From Redondela to Santiago there is a lot of information but the lack is from Porto to Vigo as being said.

When I stayed in the area as a tourist last year I noticed albergues in Viana do Castelo and A Guarda. In Vila Praia de Ãncora the camping rented summerhouses. We were on that camping with our caravan. In Caminha I cannot remember I saw any sign of an albergue.
Well hopefully you can add some valuable information for future coastal walkers

Tack för hjälp.

 

[kellyz]

Hi Albertinho,
If I may jump in and also offer some suggestions for albergues between Porto and (almost) Vigo... I posted this information elsewhere in the forum a couple years back, but can't find the complete list, so I will post it here again. Except for the first night, all albergues or monasteries:
Also, check out Louis's map with "A" for albergues: http://www.caminador.es/
1. Vila do Conde--I stayed in a pension because there was no albergue; however, I met some priests who stayed in the fire station in Vila do Conde
(sidenote: be careful leaving Vila do Conde. Keep to the coast and ignore the arrows leading you to Rates, because it's a long walk back to the coast from Rates!)
2. Vila do Conde to Esponsende: the albergue is actually north of Esponsende in Marinhas. It run by the Red Cross. You have to get the key from someone in the Red Cross clinic. I found it by asking for information in the tourist office in Esposende.
3. Marinhas to Viana do Costela: Sao Joao Da Cruz dos Caminhos, monastery with an albergue (12 beds, opens at 2 pm) It is on the right, just after the long bridge into town. We rang the bell now and then over a period of five or ten minutes before getting a response, so just be patient.
4. VdoC to A Guarda (we crossed the ferry from Caminha) and stayed in a St. Vincent De Paul Albergue. Key was with the police. This one was hard to find. The restaurant next door was amazing.
5. A Guarda to Mougas: Private Albergue on northern edge of town: Albergue Turistico Aguncheiro. Restaurant next door.
6. Oia to Ramallosa: We stayed in an Apostolic Sisters convent up the hill. 10 euro, private room with shared bath. Heaven.
7. Ramallosa to Freixo: stayed at the townhall/albergue. This is on the northeast side of town. You start to think you've left town and missed it, but you didn't. This albergue is run by the town, but overseen by the famous Louis, who has an excellent website about the Caminho do Costa with maps, etc. http://www.caminador.es/ Dinner and quemada.
I did not continue form here.
Hope this is helpful,
Kelly

 

[Camembert]

Hi Albertinho,
If I may jump in and also offer some suggestions for albergues between Porto and (almost) Vigo... I posted this information elsewhere in the forum a couple years back, but can't find the complete list, so I will post it here again. Except for the first night, all albergues or monasteries:
Also, check out Louis's map with "A" for albergues: http://www.caminador.es/
1. Vila do Conde--I stayed in a pension because there was no albergue; however, I met some priests who stayed in the fire station in Vila do Conde
(sidenote: be careful leaving Vila do Conde. Keep to the coast and ignore the arrows leading you to Rates, because it's a long walk back to the coast from Rates!)
2. Vila do Conde to Esponsende: the albergue is actually north of Esponsende in Marinhas. It run by the Red Cross. You have to get the key from someone in the Red Cross clinic. I found it by asking for information in the tourist office in Esposende.
3. Marinhas to Viana do Costela: Sao Joao Da Cruz dos Caminhos, monastery with an albergue (12 beds, opens at 2 pm) It is on the right, just after the long bridge into town. We rang the bell now and then over a period of five or ten minutes before getting a response, so just be patient.
4. VdoC to A Guarda (we crossed the ferry from Caminha) and stayed in a St. Vincent De Paul Albergue. Key was with the police. This one was hard to find. The restaurant next door was amazing.
5. A Guarda to Mougas: Private Albergue on northern edge of town: Albergue Turistico Aguncheiro. Restaurant next door.
6. Oia to Ramallosa: We stayed in an Apostolic Sisters convent up the hill. 10 euro, private room with shared bath. Heaven.
7. Ramallosa to Freixo: stayed at the townhall/albergue. This is on the northeast side of town. You start to think you've left town and missed it, but you didn't. This albergue is run by the town, but overseen by the famous Louis, who has an excellent website about the Caminho do Costa with maps, etc. http://www.caminador.es/ Dinner and quemada.
I did not continue form here.
Hope this is helpful,
Kelly

Kelly. This is great news that you write. Thank you very much. This is very useful for us and many others.
We walked in May 2013 and were intending to follow the coast from Vila do Conde but at the very last second over the bridge from Vila do Conde we decided to go right on the central route instead of left to the Coastal due to the strong wind and the lonelyness for a couple of days after parted from Lisbon. We did not regret that but still the wish was there to walk the coastal . Last year we were in the area of Viana do Castelo and got the fire again so next May we will start the coastal. However we will start in Viana do Castelo this time. .thanks again for your info.
Much apreciated.

By the way. Now there is an albergue in Póvoa da Varzím just 5 kms north of Vila do Conde

From Porto is a metro connection either to Matosinhos, Vila do Vonde and Póvoa da Varzím for those who do not want to start in Porto.

Best regards
Albertinho

 

[kellyz]

Kelly. This is great news that you write. Thank you very much. This is very useful for us and many others.
We walked in May 2013 and were intending to follow the coast from Vila do Conde but at the very last second over the bridge from Vila do Conde we decided to go right on the central route instead of left to the Coastal due to the strong wind and the lonelyness for a couple of days after parted from Lisbon. We did not regret that but still the wish was there to walk the coastal . Last year we were in the area of Viana do Castelo and got the fire again so next May we will start the coastal. However we will start in Viana do Castelo this time. .thanks again for your info.
Much apreciated.

By the way. Now there is an albergue in Póvoa da Varzím just 5 kms north of Vila do Conde

From Porto is a metro connection either to Matosinhos, Vila do Vonde and Póvoa da Varzím for those who do not want to start in Porto.

Best regards
Albertinho

Glad to be of help, Albertinho!
Yes, there are some lonely and lovely moments on this route. I was walking solo at first but was lucky to make a Caminho family fairly quickly. Otherwise, I don't know that I would have found these albergues, or sometimes the route, on my own! But one of the things I loved was the ability to take the entire day to get somewhere, stopping to swim or nap, without worrying about there being a bed for me at the albergue.
That is good news about Povoa da Varzim!
The day I begin, the transportation workers were on strike, so I had to hoof it to Matosinhos. I clearly remember talking to a guy in the metro station and thinking obstinately, but they can't strike, I start a pilgrimage today. How ridiculous of me on so many levels. Haha.

 

[Kathy F.]

Hi All,
Regardless of when one should or shouldn't wear a shell on the way to Santiago, does anyone know if the medieval pilgrim traditionally wore the shell on the way to Santiago, or only on the way home?

Kelley, as I understand it, pilgrims would pick up their shells when they finally arrived in Santiago/Finisterre. This was to prove to the people back home - remember, for a medieval pilgrim getting to Santiago was only half the journey, they then had to get back! - that they had, indeed, gone all the way to the end, to the ocean.

I got my shell in Finisterre at the end of my journey, when I felt I had earned it. I figured that, if someone couldn't tell that I was a pilgrim by the size of my backpack, by the fact that I was following the yellow arrows, by my smell, by my occasional limp, by my trekking poles, or by the fact that I walked one day in socks and sandals (oh, God), then a shell hanging off my pack probably wouldn't be the clue they needed.

LOL

 

[kellyz]

Kelley, as I understand it, pilgrims would pick up their shells when they finally arrived in Santiago/Finisterre. This was to prove to the people back home - remember, for a medieval pilgrim getting to Santiago was only half the journey, they then had to get back! - that they had, indeed, gone all the way to the end, to the ocean.

I got my shell in Finisterre at the end of my journey, when I felt I had earned it. I figured that, if someone couldn't tell that I was a pilgrim by the size of my backpack, by the fact that I was following the yellow arrows, by my smell, by my occasional limp, by my trekking poles, or by the fact that I walked one day in socks and sandals (oh, God), then a shell hanging off my pack probably wouldn't be the clue they needed.

LOL

Thanks, Kathy. That had been my understanding, too, but I can't find any original sources about it. Do you know where this version comes from? Just curious. I was commenting on a script that said pilgrims carried the shells to Santiago as a symbol of their pilgrimage. I was poised to tell the writer she was misinformed, but then, I thought, maybe I'm misinformed. Or perhaps both things are true!

 

[Kathy F.]

Kelly, off the top of my head, I don't know where I got that information. I know that I did quite a bit of research as I was preparing to give one of several talks about my Camino to interested groups but I honestly can't give you the source.

There doesn't seem to be a logical reason for medieval pilgrims to have brought a shell with them, at least not originally. I can't imagine that most pilgrims came from areas where shells were common and would be carried around as part of their walking equipment.

Many saints and apostles have particular "shorthand" to identify them. Besides being on a white horse and slashing away at heathen swine (joking), the shell is the shorthand for St. James. After the shell came to symbolize St. James, I can understand why pilgrims might carry one, if one could even get one.

But, in medieval times, I think a stranger showing up in your town from another country, dressing differently and speaking another language, would be a dead give away for being someone traveling a long distance and that person probably wouldn't need to have a shell to indicate that they were on a pilgrimage.

So, when did the shell being a symbol for St James start? Any art historians out there? I think this may be part of the answer to the origin of the "shell game."

Just curious. The idea that pilgrims picked up a shell when they finally arrived in Santiago is my story and I'm sticking to it!!

 

[SYates]

Just to throw this into the discussion: The symbol of a romero (Rome pilgrim) are keys, symbol of St.Peter. The symbol of a palmero (Jerusalem pilgrim) are palms like in Palm Sunday. Perhaps we are over-thinking things here too much and the symbols have more to do with the venerated Saint than with the actual, practical pilgrimage.
Buen Camino, SY

 

[SRM]

I have spent many years over thinking almost everything in my life. Today I try and keep things as simple as possible. If I think wearing the shell the whole journey is right for me , then I will. When the time comes for me to start I will know what is the right thing for me to do. Buen Camino !

 

[kellyz]

It seems there are a few different approaches to the question. Mine is purely coming from a question of historical curiosity, which I find enjoyable and do not in anyway associate with my experience on pilgrimage. I don't associate curiosity with overthinking--a word I struggle with anyway. Who's to say what is overthinking vs. what is underthinking, or just thinking? But perhaps this is just me overthinking

 

[daesdaemar]

I bought a very nice scallop shell at a crafts store very inexpensively and then used a red permanent marker to draw the cross on it. I downloaded a figure of the cross and used it as a template. I did this before I went on the Camino and saved quite a bit compared to what I saw them selling for in Spain.

 

[Camembert]

I bought a very nice scallop shell at a crafts store very inexpensively and then used a red permanent marker to draw the cross on it. I downloaded a figure of the cross and used it as a template. I did this before I went on the Camino and saved quite a bit compared to what I saw them selling for in Spain.

They offered the scallops on the way from Padrón to Santiago at a stall alongside the road for € 1 ,00 each ,painted with the red cross, the text camino de Santiago and a red cord.plus a stamp on the credential.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

saved quite a bit compared to what I saw them selling for in Spain.

It would be hard to save on the 3E I paid!! They do cost more in SJPdP because pilgrims have no idea of the prevailing price. I got one for free in a tapas bar in Santiago just for asking. The place did not seem to consider them a reusable item (surprising to me, for the frugal Spaniards seem to reuse and recycle as much as possible).

 

[naplesdon]

Mine is now a permanent reminder. .

 

[Utgaard]

I stayed at the following:

Vila do Conde: Erva Doce House, rua Cais das Lavandeira 39, just a couple doors east of the tourist office. Check in with the tea house. She provided a breakfast tray. I thought it was wonderful, just what I needed at the end of my first day. There were three bunks in the en suite room.

Esposende: hotel. I regret passing up the hostel in Fao or not pushing another 7km onto the albergue.

Viana do Castelo: Albergue de Peregrinos Sao Joao da dos Caminhos, as you cross the bridge you will see a church ahead on the right, but the streets are divided. I looped under the bridge and came up the road in front of the church. There is an office just before the church doors where you can check in. To get to the albergue continue past the church, go right (Rua da Bandeira) and cross the parking lot behind the church. Two rooms with about 10 sets of bunks in each.

Caminha: Albergue de Peregrinos on Rio Coura, corner of Av de Padre Pinheiro and Av de Camoes, ask for Paulo at the snack bar next door and he will give you the pass code to get in. It is under a day care center and does smell like it. There were twenty or more bunks.

I joined the interior route at Valenca and those albergues are pretty well documented. I would recommend Mos, there are only about eight bunks and we spent the afternoon sitting on the steps, talking and eating ice cream. In other words, almost perfect.

If you can, make it to Herbon when the monastery is open. The monks may be gone, but it is still a very special place.

 

[Texas Walker]

That's true. If you look at rule #496 in the Official Rule Book of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela you will clearly see that under pain of being disqualified from obtaining a compostela, and possibly excommunication, you can only wear the shell after walking at least 781km along the exact route designated in rule #28. Every "real" pilgrim will follow all the rules in that book without exception. I just wonder why the Amigos in the Pilgrim Office in SJPdP don't know that rule and still insist on offering a shell to departing pilgrims. Which leads me to wonder why people on their first Camino insist on calling themselves "pilgrims" because according to rule #74, they are only supposed to be called "novices" until they successfully complete their pilgrimage.



I hope humor translates well into different cultures / languages.

hee hee hee.
We got our shells in St. Jean. I donated some coins in the basket and we tied them to our packs. They jingled with a lovely tinny note as we walked if the wind was blowing. Everybody seemed to have them. Rule number 1007: if you want to carry your shell from the start, go for it. ;-)

 

[The_Moo]

You are strictly speaking correct, Bystander. On my first Camino I wore a scallop shell that my daughter had given me. I was told firmly, several times, that one does not have the right to wear it until one has made it all the way to Santiago.

Just goes to show, no matter where you go there is no shortage of people who want to tell others what to do

 

[amorfati1]

Kelly, off the top of my head, I don't know where I got that information. I know that I did quite a bit of research as I was preparing to give one of several talks about my Camino to interested groups but I honestly can't give you the source.

There doesn't seem to be a logical reason for medieval pilgrims to have brought a shell with them, at least not originally. I can't imagine that most pilgrims came from areas where shells were common and would be carried around as part of their walking equipment.

Many saints and apostles have particular "shorthand" to identify them. Besides being on a white horse and slashing away at heathen swine (joking), the shell is the shorthand for St. James. After the shell came to symbolize St. James, I can understand why pilgrims might carry one, if one could even get one.

But, in medieval times, I think a stranger showing up in your town from another country, dressing differently and speaking another language, would be a dead give away for being someone traveling a long distance and that person probably wouldn't need to have a shell to indicate that they were on a pilgrimage.

So, when did the shell being a symbol for St James start? Any art historians out there? I think this may be part of the answer to the origin of the "shell game."

Just curious. The idea that pilgrims picked up a shell when they finally arrived in Santiago is my story and I'm sticking to it!!

the one version i remember reading about is that - according to myth/tales/legend of dead james arriving in that stone boat to the coast near/at Padron .... that it was covered (on the outside) with those shells.
guess that james stuck to these shells or the shells stuck to him - and onwards the shells and st james became symbols of each other ... like st francis and the birds, etc etc

http://www.fisheaters.com/saintsart.html

 

[Camembert]

the one version i remember reading about is that - according to myth/tales/legend of dead james arriving in that stone boat to the coast near/at Padron .... that it was covered (on the outside) with those shells.
guess that james stuck to these shells or the shells stuck to him - and onwards the shells and st james became symbols of each other ... like st francis and the birds, etc etc

http://www.fisheaters.com/saintsart.html

So a story of the egg and the chicken or was it the chicken and the egg Claudia ? Who was first !

Funny by the way and I was remembered to this story by the avatar of our wellknown forum moderator Arn , showing our- "supposed to be dead and burried underneath the Santiago cathedral - " James was sitting on a white horse ,fighting the Moors around Burgos (or was it Leon ) in somewhere 800 BC. How to cope with that ?

 

[Lydia Gillen]

the one version i remember reading about is that - according to myth/tales/legend of dead james arriving in that stone boat to the coast near/at Padron

People have been heard to say that the story of James arriving in a 'stone' boat proves that it is only a legend. However i have read that a STONE boat meant that it was not a cargo vessel in which they had hitched a lift, but a ship that they had chartered and therefore it needed ballast, that is stones in the bottom.

Regarding the scallop shell. I have read that those who had walked to Santiago were entitled to have the scallop shell on the family coat of arms.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Pilgrims and Heraldry
By Duane L.C.M. Galles, OLJ
Coat of Arms No. 145, Spring 1989.

Heraldry, like language, felt the effect of pilgrims. The pilgrim or palmer's staff was adopted as a heraldic charge. In heraldry the palmer's staff is a tapering stick, terminating in a ball at the top. Often it is accompanied by a palmer's scrip or wallet. This is a kind of satchel, with tassels at each bottom corner, and a strap or sling attached to the top. If used with the palmer's staff, the palmer's scrip is drawn to appear hanging by its strap from the pommel of the staff.

These charges are often found as canting arms in the achievements of persons with the surname "Palmer" or its foreign equivalent, "Pellegrini", "Pellerin". The Palmers of Rahan, county Kildare, bore Azure, on a Fesse between three Palmer's Scripts or, two Palm Branches in Saltire Vert. Palmer of London bore Gules, on a Fesse between in chief two Lions Rampant and in base a Palmer's Scrip Or, three Trefoils Vert.

A less obvious example of pilgrim arms are the arms of the Burdon family, Gules, three Pilgrim Staves Argent. "Bourdon" is the French for "staff. In Continental heraldry, in fact, the charge is more frequently met with. The Norman annobli family of Bourdon de la Croix appropriately bore, "d'azure, à quatre bourdons d'or, appointés et posés en croix".

Four centuries earlier the Breton chevalier, Oliver de la Bourdonnaye, who took the cross in 1248, bore "de gueles, à trois bourdons d'argent posés en pal deux et un". The double canting arms of the Gascon family of Pelegry were, Azure, a Bourdon Argent between three Escallops of the same. A "roamer" being a pilgrim to Rome, the Saxon Römer family bore Gules, two Palmer's Staves Argent crossed in Saltire.

Given its religious associations, it is not surprising that the pilgrim staff appears in ecclesiastical heraldry. Some religious houses, for example, used the charge on their shields. Two Gilbertine houses in fact used the palmer's staff in rather similar fashion. The priory at Sempringham, Lincolnshire, bore, Barry of six, Argent and Gules, over all a Palmer's Crutch in Bend Sinister Or. Malton Priory in Yorkshire bore the same arms but with the staff in bend.

More often, however, the staff was used, not on the shield as a charge, but behind it as an emblem of office. Certain secular clergy (like dignitaries of cathedral and collegiate churches) also made use of the burdon in heraldry. These dignitaries include priors, provosts, and precentors. The precentor was originally the music director of the church and actually once used a cantorial staff to give musical directions in choir. Appropriately he began ensigning his shield with this instrument and it became a badge of office. Boyer, in his ancien regime treatise, depicts the arms of Jacques Alain de Biron, D.D., precentor and canon of the cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris:

"Quarterly Or and Gules. Behind the shield to denote his dignity is a chanter's staff in pale. Over the shield is his coronet and for supporters, two griffens proper."

Beside the palmer's staff and the palmer's script, the palm was often used in heraldry to indicate a pilgrim connection or as canting arms for persons with the name of "Palmer". We saw it earlier in the arms of the Palmers of Rahan. Similarly the olive branch might indicate pilgrimage or serve as canting arms. As armes parlantes it is to be seen in the arms of the great French composer Phillippe Rameau, ennobled in 1764. He bore "d'azure, à la colombe d'argent tenant en son bèc un rameau d'olivier d'or".

Coquilles Saint Jacques are not only good eating but also good armory. Pilgrims to the shrine of Saint James of Compostela often stopped to gather as souvenirs the scallop shells on the Galician beaches. Hence, the shell became the emblem of pilgrims of Saint James (who was the patron saint of fishermen and travelers) and, by extension, of all pilgrims. Pilgrims developed the custom of sewing shells on their tunics and hats to identify them as pilgrims. The transition from use on garments to use on coats of arms came quickly. Fox-Davies thought the escallop one of the most widely used heraldic charges. Sir George Bellew some thirty years ago counted shells in some 900 coats of arms, some ninety crests, and some fifteen badges in England.

On crusade (considered an armed pilgrimage) with Prince Edward, Sir Richard de Villiers adopted a handsome "pilgrim" coat of arms to commemorate the event, Argent, on a Cross Gules, five Escallops Or. At the same time he relinquished his old arms, Sable, three Cinquefoils Argent. The shell can be found, in fact, in the earliest rolls of arms. In the Falkirk roll of 1298 we find listed the arms of Sir Robert de Scales: Gules, six Escallops Argent. The Walford Roll, dating to the thirteenth century also, includes the arms of Richard Fitz Nicholl: Azure, a Cinquefoil Or within an Orle of Escallops Argent.

Other feudal coats used the shell as well. At the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322, Sir Richard de Holland bore, Azure, semé of Escallops and a Lion Rampant, Argent. More famous is the coat of Lord Dacre, Gules, three Escallops Argent. Dugdale claimed that this coat derived from an ancestor present at the battle of Acre in 1291.

In some parts of France, viz., Normandy, Brittany and Poitou, the shell was associated, not with the Apostle James, but rather with the Archangel Michael. The shell thus appears prominently in the arms of the Norman abbey of Mont Saint Michel.

Not surprisingly, families from those regions with the surname "Michel" made use of the escallop in armes parlantes. Thus, the Norman family of Michel de Cambernon bore, Azure, a Cross between four Escallops Or. Not surprisingly either, the shell was made use of by the French royal Order of Saint Michael the Archangel. Founded in 1469 by Louis XI, the collar of the Order was composed of shells linked by gold chains from which depended an image of the Archangel Michael battling the dragon.

Ecclesiastical heraldry was exceedingly fond of the shell. Buckingham Priory in Norfolk bore three black shells on a silver field. The Augustinian house at Northampton, which was dedicated to Saint James, bore per Pale, Argent and Gules, over all an Escallop Or. The Benedictine Abbey at Saffron Walden, Essex, was dedicated both to the Virgin and to Saint James. It bore, 'Azure, on a bend Gules, cotised and between two Mullets Or, three Escallops Argent. Since one of the titles of the Virgin is "stella maris", "star of the sea", both of the abbey's titulars were represented in this coat. By contrast, the great Benedictine Abbey at Reading, which was dedicated to Saint Mary, Saint John and Saint James, bore a simpler coat: Azure, three Escallops Or. Although the abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII, interestingly its coat of arms lives on: It appears in the chief of the arms of Reading University. A conundrum, however, is the shell in the arms of the diocese of Rochester: Argent, on a Saltire Gules an Escallop Or. Saint Andrew (as the saltire might suggest) but not Saint James as well was the titular of the cathedral there. Woodward hypothesises the escallop may be a reference to the oyster fisheries of the diocese.

A number of coats of arms combine several "pilgrim" charges. The Romeos of Sicily used a trinity of pilgrim charges in their canting arms. They bore: Argent, a Palmer's Staff or between in Dexter three Escallops of the same and in sinister a Palm Vert. The Rev. Samuel Reynolds Colby, A.K.C., likewise made use of several "pilgrim" charges. He bore, Azure, two Chevronels between two Escallops in chief and as many Palmer's Staves saltirewise in base Or, a crescent for difference. "Pilgrim" charges also appeared in his crest: On a Wreath of the colours, between two Palm-branches, a dexter Arm embowed in Armour, the Hand in a Gauntlet grasping a broken Sword proper, suspended from a Palmer's Script Or. Beautifully combining both the pilgrim shells and the pilgrim staff are the arms of Lord Palmer: Per Saltire, Azure and Gules, four Escallops between two Palmer's Staves crossed in Saltire, Or.

Some chivalric orders still award to their members, who make a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land, a special decoration consisting of a pilgrim shell. The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is among these. The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre was revived and refashioned in 1847 by Pope Pius IX. Some years later Pope Leo XIII established for it, in grades of gold, silver and bronze, a pilgrim cross of honour as a mark of distinction to be bestowed on members who on pilgrimage had visited Jerusalem. Revenues from the oblations made by recipients went to support the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.

Somewhat in the same vein is the augmentation of honour granted to Sir John Hawkins about 1569 by Robert Cooke, Clarenceux King of Arms. It was to be "for a perpetuall memory" of the fact that Hawkins, the famous Elizabethan mariner and buccaneer, "travaylinge to the West Indias in A° 1568 arryved at a towne caled Rio de la Hacha nere Capo de la Vele to thende to furnushe himself of suche necessaryes as he wanted viz. water and fuell where he was by Michell de Castilianos a Spanyard in warlyke wise resisted with 100 harkabushers, nevertheless the sayd John Hawkins with 200 men under his conduction and valiantnes entered the sayd towne and not only put the sayd captayne and his men to flight but also toke and brought his enseigne away."

The augmented arms are blazoned: Sable, a Lion Passant Or between in chief three Bezants and in base a point wavy barry-wavy Argent and Azure; in augmentation, a canton of the second charged with an Escallop between two Palmer's Staves Sable. Sir Anthony Wagner, sometime Garter King of Arms, adds: "The 1565 [original] Coat suggests the English lion bestriding the waves and bringing back treasure of bezants. The escallop and palmers' staves are emblems of pilgrimage".

A universal religious practice, pilgrimage as an institution has cast a broad shadow over the gamut of human experience. No aspect of human life has escaped its influence. This is certainly true of heraldry, which had been a natural object of its bounty.

 

[mspath]

...
Regarding the scallop shell. I have read that those who had walked to Santiago were entitled to have the scallop shell on the family coat of arms.

Indeed! As Falcon showed in the above post there are a multitude of heraldic devices displaying shells; one could spend a lifetime studying them all! However for one modern evolution from such an armorial device into famous iconic brand symbol read this account of the Shell oil company.

 

[Camembert]

Pilgrims and Heraldry
By Duane L.C.M. Galles, OLJ
Coat of Arms No. 145, Spring 1989.

Heraldry, like language, felt the effect of pilgrims. The pilgrim or palmer's staff was adopted as a heraldic charge. In heraldry the palmer's staff is a tapering stick, terminating in a ball at the top. Often it is accompanied by a palmer's scrip or wallet. This is a kind of satchel, with tassels at each bottom corner, and a strap or sling attached to the top. If used with the palmer's staff, the palmer's scrip is drawn to appear hanging by its strap from the pommel of the staff.

These charges are often found as canting arms in the achievements of persons with the surname "Palmer" or its foreign equivalent, "Pellegrini", "Pellerin". The Palmers of Rahan, county Kildare, bore Azure, on a Fesse between three Palmer's Scripts or, two Palm Branches in Saltire Vert. Palmer of London bore Gules, on a Fesse between in chief two Lions Rampant and in base a Palmer's Scrip Or, three Trefoils Vert.

A less obvious example of pilgrim arms are the arms of the Burdon family, Gules, three Pilgrim Staves Argent. "Bourdon" is the French for "staff. In Continental heraldry, in fact, the charge is more frequently met with. The Norman annobli family of Bourdon de la Croix appropriately bore, "d'azure, à quatre bourdons d'or, appointés et posés en croix".

Four centuries earlier the Breton chevalier, Oliver de la Bourdonnaye, who took the cross in 1248, bore "de gueles, à trois bourdons d'argent posés en pal deux et un". The double canting arms of the Gascon family of Pelegry were, Azure, a Bourdon Argent between three Escallops of the same. A "roamer" being a pilgrim to Rome, the Saxon Römer family bore Gules, two Palmer's Staves Argent crossed in Saltire.

Given its religious associations, it is not surprising that the pilgrim staff appears in ecclesiastical heraldry. Some religious houses, for example, used the charge on their shields. Two Gilbertine houses in fact used the palmer's staff in rather similar fashion. The priory at Sempringham, Lincolnshire, bore, Barry of six, Argent and Gules, over all a Palmer's Crutch in Bend Sinister Or. Malton Priory in Yorkshire bore the same arms but with the staff in bend.

More often, however, the staff was used, not on the shield as a charge, but behind it as an emblem of office. Certain secular clergy (like dignitaries of cathedral and collegiate churches) also made use of the burdon in heraldry. These dignitaries include priors, provosts, and precentors. The precentor was originally the music director of the church and actually once used a cantorial staff to give musical directions in choir. Appropriately he began ensigning his shield with this instrument and it became a badge of office. Boyer, in his ancien regime treatise, depicts the arms of Jacques Alain de Biron, D.D., precentor and canon of the cathedral of Notre Dame of Paris:

"Quarterly Or and Gules. Behind the shield to denote his dignity is a chanter's staff in pale. Over the shield is his coronet and for supporters, two griffens proper."

Beside the palmer's staff and the palmer's script, the palm was often used in heraldry to indicate a pilgrim connection or as canting arms for persons with the name of "Palmer". We saw it earlier in the arms of the Palmers of Rahan. Similarly the olive branch might indicate pilgrimage or serve as canting arms. As armes parlantes it is to be seen in the arms of the great French composer Phillippe Rameau, ennobled in 1764. He bore "d'azure, à la colombe d'argent tenant en son bèc un rameau d'olivier d'or".

Coquilles Saint Jacques are not only good eating but also good armory. Pilgrims to the shrine of Saint James of Compostela often stopped to gather as souvenirs the scallop shells on the Galician beaches. Hence, the shell became the emblem of pilgrims of Saint James (who was the patron saint of fishermen and travelers) and, by extension, of all pilgrims. Pilgrims developed the custom of sewing shells on their tunics and hats to identify them as pilgrims. The transition from use on garments to use on coats of arms came quickly. Fox-Davies thought the escallop one of the most widely used heraldic charges. Sir George Bellew some thirty years ago counted shells in some 900 coats of arms, some ninety crests, and some fifteen badges in England.

On crusade (considered an armed pilgrimage) with Prince Edward, Sir Richard de Villiers adopted a handsome "pilgrim" coat of arms to commemorate the event, Argent, on a Cross Gules, five Escallops Or. At the same time he relinquished his old arms, Sable, three Cinquefoils Argent. The shell can be found, in fact, in the earliest rolls of arms. In the Falkirk roll of 1298 we find listed the arms of Sir Robert de Scales: Gules, six Escallops Argent. The Walford Roll, dating to the thirteenth century also, includes the arms of Richard Fitz Nicholl: Azure, a Cinquefoil Or within an Orle of Escallops Argent.

Other feudal coats used the shell as well. At the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322, Sir Richard de Holland bore, Azure, semé of Escallops and a Lion Rampant, Argent. More famous is the coat of Lord Dacre, Gules, three Escallops Argent. Dugdale claimed that this coat derived from an ancestor present at the battle of Acre in 1291.

In some parts of France, viz., Normandy, Brittany and Poitou, the shell was associated, not with the Apostle James, but rather with the Archangel Michael. The shell thus appears prominently in the arms of the Norman abbey of Mont Saint Michel.

Not surprisingly, families from those regions with the surname "Michel" made use of the escallop in armes parlantes. Thus, the Norman family of Michel de Cambernon bore, Azure, a Cross between four Escallops Or. Not surprisingly either, the shell was made use of by the French royal Order of Saint Michael the Archangel. Founded in 1469 by Louis XI, the collar of the Order was composed of shells linked by gold chains from which depended an image of the Archangel Michael battling the dragon.

Ecclesiastical heraldry was exceedingly fond of the shell. Buckingham Priory in Norfolk bore three black shells on a silver field. The Augustinian house at Northampton, which was dedicated to Saint James, bore per Pale, Argent and Gules, over all an Escallop Or. The Benedictine Abbey at Saffron Walden, Essex, was dedicated both to the Virgin and to Saint James. It bore, 'Azure, on a bend Gules, cotised and between two Mullets Or, three Escallops Argent. Since one of the titles of the Virgin is "stella maris", "star of the sea", both of the abbey's titulars were represented in this coat. By contrast, the great Benedictine Abbey at Reading, which was dedicated to Saint Mary, Saint John and Saint James, bore a simpler coat: Azure, three Escallops Or. Although the abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII, interestingly its coat of arms lives on: It appears in the chief of the arms of Reading University. A conundrum, however, is the shell in the arms of the diocese of Rochester: Argent, on a Saltire Gules an Escallop Or. Saint Andrew (as the saltire might suggest) but not Saint James as well was the titular of the cathedral there. Woodward hypothesises the escallop may be a reference to the oyster fisheries of the diocese.

A number of coats of arms combine several "pilgrim" charges. The Romeos of Sicily used a trinity of pilgrim charges in their canting arms. They bore: Argent, a Palmer's Staff or between in Dexter three Escallops of the same and in sinister a Palm Vert. The Rev. Samuel Reynolds Colby, A.K.C., likewise made use of several "pilgrim" charges. He bore, Azure, two Chevronels between two Escallops in chief and as many Palmer's Staves saltirewise in base Or, a crescent for difference. "Pilgrim" charges also appeared in his crest: On a Wreath of the colours, between two Palm-branches, a dexter Arm embowed in Armour, the Hand in a Gauntlet grasping a broken Sword proper, suspended from a Palmer's Script Or. Beautifully combining both the pilgrim shells and the pilgrim staff are the arms of Lord Palmer: Per Saltire, Azure and Gules, four Escallops between two Palmer's Staves crossed in Saltire, Or.

Some chivalric orders still award to their members, who make a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land, a special decoration consisting of a pilgrim shell. The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is among these. The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre was revived and refashioned in 1847 by Pope Pius IX. Some years later Pope Leo XIII established for it, in grades of gold, silver and bronze, a pilgrim cross of honour as a mark of distinction to be bestowed on members who on pilgrimage had visited Jerusalem. Revenues from the oblations made by recipients went to support the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre.

Somewhat in the same vein is the augmentation of honour granted to Sir John Hawkins about 1569 by Robert Cooke, Clarenceux King of Arms. It was to be "for a perpetuall memory" of the fact that Hawkins, the famous Elizabethan mariner and buccaneer, "travaylinge to the West Indias in A° 1568 arryved at a towne caled Rio de la Hacha nere Capo de la Vele to thende to furnushe himself of suche necessaryes as he wanted viz. water and fuell where he was by Michell de Castilianos a Spanyard in warlyke wise resisted with 100 harkabushers, nevertheless the sayd John Hawkins with 200 men under his conduction and valiantnes entered the sayd towne and not only put the sayd captayne and his men to flight but also toke and brought his enseigne away."

The augmented arms are blazoned: Sable, a Lion Passant Or between in chief three Bezants and in base a point wavy barry-wavy Argent and Azure; in augmentation, a canton of the second charged with an Escallop between two Palmer's Staves Sable. Sir Anthony Wagner, sometime Garter King of Arms, adds: "The 1565 [original] Coat suggests the English lion bestriding the waves and bringing back treasure of bezants. The escallop and palmers' staves are emblems of pilgrimage".

A universal religious practice, pilgrimage as an institution has cast a broad shadow over the gamut of human experience. No aspect of human life has escaped its influence. This is certainly true of heraldry, which had been a natural object of its bounty.

Found this crest ! Scallop fishing guild ?

 

[Tia Valeria]

We were told that originally (Middle Ages) the scallop shells could only be obtained in Santiago at the end of the pilgrimage and that they could not be obtained elsewhere (by decree). Then that was relaxed. Now many pilgrims walk with a shell and that is seen as a sign that they are on their pilgrimage.

Personally we drilled two small shells off the local beach and tied them to our hats, then we could be seen as pilgrims even when we didn't have our packs. Our large shell had a Tarta Santiago in it and the cross was on the wrapper, so we cut it out and stuck it in place after eating the tarta. It lives safely at home as do the original hat shells. We also have a stick-pin type hat badge each, bought in Santiago from one of the stall-holders.

What to do this year? Find two new shells for our hats and use as before. Our packs have our original forum badge and the European Santiago badge stitched on them so we have our pack shells that way and quietly . Like all the variants on 'how to walk the Camino' we are free to walk with a shell or wait until Santiago. There are no 'rules' to keep on this.

 

[Chacharm]

You are strictly speaking correct, Bystander. On my first Camino I wore a scallop shell that my daughter had given me. I was told firmly, several times, that one does not have the right to wear it until one has made it all the way to Santiago.

Not true! In fact the church required that all pilgrims wear a scallop shell on their person while on Camino as proof that they were pilgrims (along with the staff, the hat and the gourd).

 

[Chacharm]

Just to throw this into the discussion: The symbol of a romero (Rome pilgrim) are keys, symbol of St.Peter. The symbol of a palmero (Jerusalem pilgrim) are palms like in Palm Sunday. Perhaps we are over-thinking things here too much and the symbols have more to do with the venerated Saint than with the actual, practical pilgrimage.
Buen Camino, SY

No - these pilgrimages were set up by the Catholic church. Rome and the Pope were the "key" to heaven. The Jerusalem pilgrim is walking that path that Jesus walked into Jerusalem when the faithful placed palm leaves at his feet. The church granted a dispensation to pilgrims who completed the pilgrimage. (They really needed people in Spain to fight the moors!) As more and more people began walking the camino, more and more people began showing up at hospitals and churches CLAIMING they were pilgrims and requesting free meals and shelter. So the Church said OK, to be a pilgrim you have to wear a robe, a big black hat with a wide brim, carry a staff with a hook and a gourd and a symbol of the Camino you are on...and you need a letter from your priest you can show to the shelters you come across. They will sign your letter as well and when you arrive in Santiago you'll get your dispensation.
The Concha wasn't a reward at the end of it - it was proof that you were a real pilgrim deserving of the help you would need AS you walked.

 

[amorfati1]

"Bourdon" is the French for "staff.

pardon moi - my french language skills are far from brilliant - but as far as i recall - it's BATON = staff (bastone in italiano)
bourdon is a bumblebee or some such. - bourdon might be strictly a dialect for a staff?
still, interesting thread ...

 

[Chacharm]

We were told that originally (Middle Ages) the scallop shells could only be obtained in Santiago at the end of the pilgrimage and that they could not be obtained elsewhere (by decree). Then that was relaxed. Now many pilgrims walk with a shell and that is seen as a sign that they are on their pilgrimage.

Personally we drilled two small shells off the local beach and tied them to our hats, then we could be seen as pilgrims even when we didn't have our packs. Our large shell had a Tarta Santiago in it and the cross was on the wrapper, so we cut it out and stuck it in place after eating the tarta. It lives safely at home as do the original hat shells. We also have a stick-pin type hat badge each, bought in Santiago from one of the stall-holders.

What to do this year? Find two new shells for our hats and use as before. Our packs have our original forum badge and the European Santiago badge stitched on them so we have our pack shells that way and quietly . Like all the variants on 'how to walk the Camino' we are free to walk with a shell or wait until Santiago. There are no 'rules' to keep on this.

What you received in Santiago was a small piece of lead with a scallop shell imprint or engraving. You were supposed to pin it to your hat.

 

[Tia Valeria]

What you received in Santiago was a small piece of lead with a scallop shell imprint or engraving. You were supposed to pin it to your hat.

One each in our hats and one each on a jacket

 

[bystander]

Not from my side of the family but shows that one of my wife's ancestors must have made the journey to SdC!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

pardon moi - my french language skills are far from brilliant - but as far as i recall - it's BATON = staff (bastone in italiano)
bourdon is a bumblebee or some such. - bourdon might be strictly a dialect for a staff?
still, interesting thread ...

Amorfati, bourdon is actually both a staff and an insect. Baton is stick, and it can be small or large, you can throw one to your dog for example, whereas the bourdon is the large stick used for walking by pilgrims, you would not want to play fetch with it ;0)

 

[amorfati1]

how very interesting - grazie! seems like in italiano the bastone is also a walking stick. we were using Baton also as a Wand/Staff ... - saluti -

 

[Anemone del Camino]

how very interesting - grazie! seems like in italiano the bastone is also a walking stick. we were using Baton also as a Wand/Staff ... - saluti -

The moder walking sticks seen on the Camino, carbon, aluminum, etc. would be refered to as "batons de marche" - walking sticks. A magic wand is a baguette magique, and chopsticks are also baguettes. Only the traditional pigrim woden staff is a bourdon.

 

[Texas Walker]

Hello, all. Is there a place in Lisbon to pick up a shell? And is there a similar kind of device for walking to Fatima? (As it's not difficult to have a route that includes both...) We have our shells from last year on the Frances, but I'm not sure if we want to have new shells from this year or use the old ones again. Opinions?

 

[Stivandrer]

I did not like to wear the actual scallop, as I thought it would crack or crush.
Instead I bought from home a brass bell shaped like a whole seashell.
It rattles and sings as I walk, warns the ones that I overtake and is a good early warning system for anyone who would like to tamper with my pack.
Nobody has, not even close...
My brass scallop bell is now on my daypack reminding of my purpose; to have another go at the route (routes)

post scriptum; the small scallop shell I did find at Finisterra now follows me on my trips, not painted, and bound up with at blue shoe string that I stumbled upon. It now catches my eye as I pass my rucksack on the clothes rack every morning....

 

[annakappa]

We bought our shells at the Pilgrim's Office in Roncesvalles when we got our credentials at the beginning of our first Camino. Have always wore them on our packs during our Pilgrimage. Somehow, thus year, we both forgot to bring them along. They have the cross painted on them, although now, the paint is getting a bit worn out!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I don't understand why people waer them these days. For some strange reason something you would pick up at the end of your walk became so,ething to carry when you started. It was supposed to ID you as a pilgrim. These days how could anyone mistake a polywalker for anything but a "pilgrim"?

 

[Kanga]

I use a new scallop shell for each camino. The first came from the Pilgrims office in SJPDP. Since then I have taken an Australian scallop shell brought from the local fishmonger. When I first attach it to my pack it means my pilgrimage has begun and I like the symbolism of carrying it around the world and back.

The reason I use a new one for each camino is because I give them to people when I come back, usually someone who is in need of special blessings. It may not mean much to them, but it does to me, at the same time affirming my view that objects are only objects. It feels good to give precious things away.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Scallop shells are quite hard and durable, so don't worry about breaking it!

 

[Telelama]

For our first Frances, we purchased some unique scallop shells in Pamplona. We enjoyed them very much. For our second Frances, we brought our own. They were a stuffed scallop shell appetizer sold in the deli section of our local grocery store. We customized them with the flag of our home, the US State of Colorado. They are one of a kind and signaled to others where we were from and they started nice conversations.

 

[Mike Savage]

For our first Frances, we purchased some unique scallop shells in Pamplona. We enjoyed them very much. For our second Frances, we brought our own. They were a stuffed scallop shell appetizer sold in the deli section of our local grocery store. We customized them with the flag of our home, the US State of Colorado. They are one of a kind and signaled to others where we were from and they started nice conversations.

Very cool!

 

[Telelama]

Very cool!

Thanks Mike! My wife designed that image, combining the yellow Camino flecha with the yellow sun at the heart of the Colorado flag.

 

[LesR]

f you look at rule #496 in the Official Rule Book of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela you will clearly see that under pain of being disqualified from obtaining a compostela, and possibly excommunication, you can only wear the shell after walking at least 781km along the exact route designated in rule #28

Silly me - fancy not having read the rule book cover to cover recently - and it lives under my pillow too! Now I know!