 |
| St. James the Greater |
Why a scallop shell?
There are many legends of James making his way to Spain to evangelize there before returning to the Holy Land where he was martyred. We are told of his death in Acts chapter 12. However, there are many (including, officially, the modern Roman Catholic church) who doubt this trip to Spain ever took place. Some even attribute the story to a mistranslation. Even those who do claim it happened report that he was only marginally "successful" in that there were only a few converts made before his return trip. However, the story doesn't end there. The legend continues on that his martyred body was put to sea and the currents returned him to coastal Spain where it was carried inland and secretly buried. The legends vary, some including that his body was carried in a stone boat steered by angels. Eventually, James became the patron saint of Spain.
In any case, the symbol for St. James is a scallop shell. Some say this symbol was chosen for James because he and his brother John were fishermen. Others say this symbol along the pilgrimage was adopted for more practical reasons - scallop shells were plentiful along the seashore, and one could carry a shell to use it for scooping water up from streams along the way. Still others claim that there was a miracle when St. James' body came to the Spanish shore and that story involves even more scallop shells.
 |
| Scallop pointing the way for pilgrims |
For whatever the reason, the scallop shell has come to symbolize James. Consequently, the Way of St. James is marked by scallop shells, which serve as trail markers of a sort, so that pilgrims can find their way to Santiago. It has also become a tradition for pilgrims to wear a scallop shell to identify themselves as such.
Why stars?
Again, there are varying explanations for this. The Camino is believed to have been thought of as a holy place by the Celts long before it became a Christian pilgrimage. They believed the path mirrored the Milky Way on the earth and led to the "end of the world," at the sea. There is still a town called Finisterre in Spain if you continue on west past Santiago to the coast. And some refer to the Camino as "The Way of the Stars."
Those who believe the legends about St. James' body being secretly buried in Spain say that centuries later above his burial site a hermit saw something glowing in a field and called the place "Campus Stellae" or field of the stars. The cathedral of Santiago and the city itself grew up around this spot. Some believe this is how the "de Compostela" part of the city's name came to be. Others argue that a more realistic etymology comes from "Composita Tella" which means "burial ground."
Regardless of whether one believes that St. James is buried in the cathedral in Santiago, or that the pilgrims who've gone before and following the path of the stars is what makes this experience holy, or that the truth of what God might have in store won't be revealed until the way is walked . . .it would seem that scallop shells and stars are intrinsic to the Camino and guide the way by day and by night.
