Scallop Shells Unite
Recently, Christina and I went for a walk in our neighborhood. It was the day we launched the Camino Quest website with Randy and Dora. Our backyard has a trail that takes us to a larger trail system in our community, and as we walked, Christina noticed a lone scallop shell in the dirt. We were surprised to see a random shell lying on the ground as we headed out of our backyard. We have no idea who placed it there or for how many years it has rested in that spot. If you’ve walked the Camino, you will have recognized the presence of the scallop shell. The shell has long been associated with the Camino de Santiago. Early mentions of the scallop shell are noted in the Codex Calixtinus (Book V), a guidebook written in the 12th century for pilgrims. It is attributed to Pope Calixtus II, but according to scholars, was likely contributed to, in part, by French scholar Aymeric Picaud (Purkis, 140). The Codex Calixtinus mentions the use of the scallop shell among those early pilgrims. In discussing the city of Santiago de Compostela, the author(s) describes items that are for sale, saying, “It is there that scallop shells, the insignia of Santiago, are sold to the pilgrims” (Melczer, 122). An insignia is an emblem that represents an affiliation. It can also be described as a badge.
Today, scallop shells are sold all along the routes heading to Santiago. I bought mine in Sarria, just as we were heading out. Some wear these around their necks, but most tie the shell onto their backpacks to help identify that they are pilgrims. In Spanish the scallop shell is the Vieira. The shell is associated with miracles and plays an important part today in reminding the pilgrim of the many routes to Santiago de Compostela (Melczer, 204). When we completed our first pilgrimage in 2023 and headed home, our shells went with us. Today they hang as a reminder of the miracles and potential for restoration that may take place in the lives of pilgrims. As David Gitlitz and Linda Davidson mention, “Wherever you are from, whatever reason motivates you to heft your knapsack and start walking West, when you reach Compostela you are entitled to wear the scallop shell, the universal insignia of a Santiago pilgrim” (xv). Finding a shell in our backyard is one more reminder of the lessons we learned on the Camino. We look forward to tying our shells onto our backpacks this coming summer once again! Maybe this newest shell will find its place among the many shells carried by pilgrims into the city of Santiago.
References
Gitlitz, David M., Davidson, Linda Kay The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook. St Martin's Press. (2000).
Melczer, William. The Pilgrim's Guide to Santiago De Compostela (English translation). Italica Pr. (1993).
Purkis, William J., Crusading Spirituality in the Holy Land and Iberia, c.1095-c.1187. (2014).