A symbol very ours
Continuing with the tattoos of conches or shells, today I will talk about the scallop. Like everything that surrounds the Camino de Santiago, there are many theories and legends surrounding its symbolism. I will tell you some of them.
The first theory He points out that the shells are shaped like fingers and that they recall the good deeds that a person must do on the path of his life.
The second relates the scallop shell to the stylized shape of the webbed leg of a goose, one of the oldest symbols related to the Camino de Santiago since it is believed that the game is actually an initiation rite.
Kristina DeCarlo
Third: Since ancient times, this shell has been linked to the idea of resurrection, and they have been found in graves prior to the road, only of the Mediterranean variety and not from the Galician coasts; not in vain Venus or Aphrodite was born from a shell so it symbolizes rebirth.
Death and resurrection after having overcome the vicissitudes of the path, both external and internal. Having detached himself from self-centeredness and egotism, becoming a humble pilgrim who reaches the end of the road to start a new one.
Emma black
For others the scallop shell served as protective amulet, to attract good luck, and to use it to drink from the fountains of the road.
When the pilgrims arrived in Santiago they took a scallop shell off their shore to prove they had been there. Over the years the pilgrims were given a parchment that testified that they had arrived and a scallop shell to wear on their hat or cape.
Finally mention a legend that tells that when the Apostle's disciples reached the coast in the boat in which they carried his corpse, he worked a miracle: he saved a bridegroom who had fallen into the water with his horse and who emerged safely covered with scallops.
Curious symbol of something that is very ours: the Camino de Santiago.