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The story of the shell has more of a religious note.
Saint James of Compostella turned from the thoughts and pleasures of this life to meditation on the sufferings, humiliation and death of Christ. He vowed that alone, barefoot, and in humility he would travel to the Holy Land and stand by the tomb of the Saviour in Palestine. The first of the palmers or pilgrims, he kept his vow. On his eastward journey he bound upon his hat a little black cockle-shell, the sign of the sea and the suggestion of water in the desert. On his return from the tomb he wore a white cockle-shell, a symbol of purification. Since that time the shell has been the pilgrim's sign, the sign of the wanderer, the traveler from the far lands, the seeker after the unknown. When a pilgrim returned from Palestine with the white shell upon his hat, kings made way, for the holy man had stood on sacred ground. So this sign too was seized upon by the builders and became a frequent form in their decoration.
Topping most of the light posts, gracing the cornices, banding the columns, and in many places interlaced with the rose about the portals at the Exposition, can be found the cockle-shell of Saint James, the other great Spanish sign.
Or, alternatively, there is a lot of much older, pre-christian imagery involved. One idea is that the cockle shell symbolised fertility (see Boticelli's Venus among others) and the pilgrimage was once undertake by young couples seeking a child.
Another idea is that the shell resembles the setting sun and was an ancient Celtic symbol for the area of Finisterre (end of the world). The early church may have merged the legend of St James with the Celtic myths. The Celts thought the Atlantic was the location of the underworld. St James was resurrected back out of the underworld and was then buried at the first bit of land he came to. Hence the strange appearance of his remains a long way from his beheading in Palestine.
All this is taken from the excellent answer in Wikipedia:
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What does cockle shell mean?
A cockle shell is a type of sea shell found on shorelines.
What does the cockle shell got to do with Santiago?
The cockle shell of St. James (Santiago) is based on a legendary story. The adoption of the shell by the pilgrims to the shrine of St. James, is accounted for in a legend, which relates, that when the relics of the saint were being miraculously conveyed from Jerusalem to Spain, in a ship built of marble, the horse of a Portuguese knight, alarmed, we may presume, at so extraordinary a barge, plunged into the sea with its rider. The knight was rescued, and taken on board of the ship, when his clothes were found to be covered with scallop shells.
What has a cockle shell have to do with Santiago?
The cockle shell of St. James (Santiago) is based on a legendary story. The adoption of the shell by the pilgrims to the shrine of St. James, is accounted for in a legend, which relates, that when the relics of the saint were being miraculously conveyed from Jerusalem to Spain, in a ship built of marble, the horse of a Portuguese knight, alarmed, we may presume, at so extraordinary a barge, plunged into the sea with its rider. The knight was rescued, and taken on board of the ship, when his clothes were found to be covered with scallop shells.
What is a tough outer covering of a mollusk called?
It is a shell, as in a cockle shell or oyster shell.
What is St. Peter Claver's symbol?
Saint Peter Claver has 2 symbols. One is a ship; the other is a cockle shell which he used to baptize slaves.
Are cockle and razor shell animals?
i do not think so
What is the name of the heart shaped seashell?
A cockle shell
What does the scallop shell symbolize?
The scallop shell can represent the sacrament of Baptism or it can also represent St. James the Greater.
Is a shell non living or dead?
The shell of a cockle is formed from calcium carbonate, so is inorganic (non-living). The cockle is a small, edible, marine bivalve mollusc.
Which form of marine life was used in early india as coin?
cockle shell
Which form of marine life was used in early India coins?
cockle shell
What does a shell symbolize?
sadness
