Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

fernando · 22nd January 2016, 04:59 PM

Probably some of us realize that the vieira shell was a symbol created as such by Apostle Tiago himself, but in fact it adopted later by the Church as a ‘certificate’ for those who undertook the pilgrimage to Compostela.
This shell is depicted by Botticelli in his work Birth of Venus (1484-6). It was used in pagan cults as a symbol of fertility and was connected to Goddess Venus. In early times she was the protector of the sea, navigators and fishermen. She was venerated upon a shell by the Druids that crossed the Compostela route to go practice their ascesticims at the Finisterra, extreme of the Galician shore, known at the period in the European Continent where, according to pagan belief, sage survivors of a flood came ashore in such place, there leaving their spiritual energies. In the belief that the sea is the origin of life and having the Goddess of a love so carnal as spiritual, come out of a shell, this became to represent fertility. In the middle ages pagan cults were abolished, being represented by other forms by Christian cult. Obviously the Church wanted somehow to connect the shell symbol to any act or cult, a Christian image. Pilgrimage of Christian believers to the Apostle Tiago, rendering to the sea all that they had and taking the vieira shell as proof that they managed to conclude the route, the Church ‘stole’ this symbol and declared it as a symbol of the pilgrim and devotee of Santiago de Compostela. Above all, the vieira shell represents origin of life and fertility: the route, the protection and, after concluding the route, should proceed to Finisterra and throw it to the sea, because knowledge belongs to everyone and as a form of thanking for having realized the route in safety. It is a form of disposing of the knowledge acquired during the pilgrimage.
It is only natural that the vieira shell can be seen in other than weapons. We can see the Casa das Conchas (House of Shells) in Salamanca, a magnificent building of the XV-XVI centuries, which was property of Don Rodrigo Maldonado from Talavera, a knight of the Order of Santiago, whose coat of arms contained a shell.
Also in Portugal this symbol was appreciated, eventualy a favorite of King Dom João V (1706-1750) as seen, for one, in firearms trigger guards of the period.

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22nd January 2016, 04:59 PM	#16
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	fait-divers Probably some of us realize that the vieira shell was a symbol created as such by Apostle Tiago himself, but in fact it adopted later by the Church as a ‘certificate’ for those who undertook the pilgrimage to Compostela. This shell is depicted by Botticelli in his work Birth of Venus (1484-6). It was used in pagan cults as a symbol of fertility and was connected to Goddess Venus. In early times she was the protector of the sea, navigators and fishermen. She was venerated upon a shell by the Druids that crossed the Compostela route to go practice their ascesticims at the Finisterra, extreme of the Galician shore, known at the period in the European Continent where, according to pagan belief, sage survivors of a flood came ashore in such place, there leaving their spiritual energies. In the belief that the sea is the origin of life and having the Goddess of a love so carnal as spiritual, come out of a shell, this became to represent fertility. In the middle ages pagan cults were abolished, being represented by other forms by Christian cult. Obviously the Church wanted somehow to connect the shell symbol to any act or cult, a Christian image. Pilgrimage of Christian believers to the Apostle Tiago, rendering to the sea all that they had and taking the vieira shell as proof that they managed to conclude the route, the Church ‘stole’ this symbol and declared it as a symbol of the pilgrim and devotee of Santiago de Compostela. Above all, the vieira shell represents origin of life and fertility: the route, the protection and, after concluding the route, should proceed to Finisterra and throw it to the sea, because knowledge belongs to everyone and as a form of thanking for having realized the route in safety. It is a form of disposing of the knowledge acquired during the pilgrimage. It is only natural that the vieira shell can be seen in other than weapons. We can see the Casa das Conchas (House of Shells) in Salamanca, a magnificent building of the XV-XVI centuries, which was property of Don Rodrigo Maldonado from Talavera, a knight of the Order of Santiago, whose coat of arms contained a shell. Also in Portugal this symbol was appreciated, eventualy a favorite of King Dom João V (1706-1750) as seen, for one, in firearms trigger guards of the period. . Attached Images