Most every pilgrim walking the Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James, wears a large scallop shell attached to his or her backpack. It has been a symbol of this journey for centuries and is found as a decorative element in architecture in cities and villages all along the route. In fact, it is very frequently used to mark the route. So how did the connection between St. James and the simple scallop shell come about?
Well, there are lots of explanations and legends for this connection, but the most popular one is this. When St. James' followers found his body in the boat, as it floated all the way back to Spain from the Holy Land after he was martyred, they carried it up onto the shore. As they did so, they surprised a wedding party which was there. The horse carrying the groom reared up and bolted straight into the ocean. Both the groom and the horse were presumed drowned.
However, a miracle is attributed to St. James because both groom and horse survived the plunge! They came up out of the sea and strode triumphantly onto the sandy beach, covered all over with scallop shells clinging to them, amid the tangles of seaweed. Because of this, scallop shells became a symbol of those who journey to the Cathedral of St. James.
