The Camino is many things including a walk through history, legends and lore. And the history and lore that surround the significance of the ever- present scallop shell is fascinating, religious, utilitarian and beautiful.
Scallop in Spanish is Vieira.
The shell I am carrying
The connection between the scallop shell and the Way of Saint James is very deep. So deep that in France a scallop is called Coquille Saint Jacques, while in German scallops are called ‘Jakobsmuscheln’ (James mussels). Not a coincidence. (taken from caminoways.com)
You cannot walk The Way of Saint James and not be surrounded by the scallop. It has become, in the
Embedded in the sidewalk
modern times, the “brand” of the caminos. But in medieval times it had many purposes and stories.
One story is the scallop shell represents the numerous caminos that all lead to Santiago. The lines on the shell all pointing to one center.
Another story is that before Christianity, pagan
Artistically in the road
walkers went to Finisterra to the sea (50 miles past Santiago) believing it was the end of the earth. The word Finis Terra meaning the end of the world. To prove they had made the journey they returned bearing the scallop shell that is found there.
Ancient and worn symbol in a fountain
Because the Camino Frances is essentially a walk west to the sea, many associate the scallop shell and its shape with the setting sun.
Medieval pilgrims began carrying scallop shells as symbols of their pilgrimage and the tradition continues today. EVERY pilgrim carries one. In addition to the symbolism, pilgrims of old times found the shell useful as a utensil for both eating and drinking. Today the shell has become a souvenir more than a eating utensil, although many pilgrims use their shell to drink wine from the
Modern day graffiti
fountain provided for the pilgrims at the Bodega Irache.
This use comes partly from the Catholic story of the devil appearing to a pilgrim who was dying of thirst. The devil promised to save the pilgrim if he would renounce God. When the pilgrim refused, Saint James himself appeared and fed the pilgrim water from a scallop shell.
A home and garden decorated
The people of Spain embrace the symbol and often you will find the shells on homes and fences and in gardens and art. A constant reminder of how much history is present in every step of “the way”.
Viera
La vieira ilumina el camino. Muy Bien.
Total miles walked 339. Miles to go 150! 😁
wondering if it will include vegetables.
gotta go.
astonishing variety of way-finding.
sometimes humorous and rarely difficult.
that day. But you get used to seeing the signs, so if you’ve made a wrong turn you won’t go along too far before you begin to suspect you’ve done something wrong because the 
yellow arrows have disappeared.
their own unique Camino signage. In Logrono they created a more stylized modern look using stone and metal. In the teeny village of Redecilla Del Camino a long 
yellow stripe in the middle of the road through town bearing the Camino scallop shell guided you on your way.
the look of official highway signs, but still in the familiar blue and gold.
Sometimes you can barely make out the yellow spray paint. Sometimes it’s unclear which way the arrow is actually pointing.
As we climbed out of the valley and above the town of Najera we went through a beautiful section of red rock mountains. The yellow arrows stood out against the red rocks.
I still have close to three weeks to go. No doubt there are still more signs ahead to amaze and amuse. But these are the ones that have guided us along these past weeks. On our journey full of
