The Scallop Shell

For: Oma, Greg, Eli

Today I picked up my scallop shell from the engraver. I found it along my last Great Beach Walk while with Greg, Melissa and some more wonderful friends between Carlsbad and Oceanside (which also ties it to my best friend Jill). I had thought about this shell for many months now, as most pilgrims carry one on their Way, and wanted it to bring reverence to my journey. I decided to engrave the names of my "past, present and future" inspirations within it: 

For my Oma, who gave me unconditional love, and rooted me with strength and confidence. 

For Greg, who gives me true love, and aspires me to reach higher and farther.

For Eli, a pure love, who brings me such boundless joy.

And so my shell is ready to take on those mythical, metaphorical and practical meanings and keep me inspired to walk my walk...

Thank you to everyone who has given their love and support of my journey. 

Thank you to J & M Trophy - they weren't sure it could be done, but they did so beautifully, and didn't charge me anything.

The meaning of the scallop shell, according to Caminoteca:

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.

As the symbol of the Camino de Santiago, the shell is seen very frequently along the trails. The shell is seen on posts and signs along the Camino in order to guide pilgrims along the way. The shell is even more commonly seen on the pilgrims themselves. Wearing a shell denotes that one is a traveler on the Camino de Santiago. Most pilgrims receive a shell at the beginning of their journey and either attach it to them by sewing it onto their clothes or wearing it around their neck or by simply keeping it in their backpack.

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.