Shells are objects loved by almost everyone, scattered on the beaches, like sea jewels that children and adults have always collected. Few know, however, that for much of history, shells played a fundamental role for man, they were used in all fields, from money to art. Primitive Stone Age men used shells to decorate their jewelry, houses and boats. In many tropical countries, tribes used shells as currency. The Incas buried shells with their dead. Throughout history, architects and artists incorporated various symbolisms into their works, including the shell. Among the ruins in Pompeii, shells were found used to decorate statues of deities.

The result of these ancient customs was that shells were absorbed into our collective unconscious as a positive symbol.

In Greek and Roman myths, shells were a symbol of prosperity, rebirth and, if associated with the sea, indicated the source of fertility. We all come from the sea, the shell thus became a symbol of the maternal womb and the birth of the goddess Venus or Aphrodite.

For this reason, the shell represented the female divinity in pagan worship, and was associated with love, birth and reproduction.

In Roman mythology it is said that Venus, the goddess of love and fertility, was created from foam washed ashore on the top of a shell. Many paintings representing Venus therefore depict a shell to identify her. A classic example is Botticelli's “The Birth of Venus”.

The shell is linked to the famous Way of St. James (also known as "The Way of Saint James"), one of the most important Christian pilgrimages in medieval times, together with Rome and Jerusalem.

“The conch is the traditional symbol of James, son of Zebedee, and is popular with pilgrims along the Way of St. James to the apostle's sanctuary, in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Medieval Christians who undertook the pilgrimage to his shrine often wore the conch symbol in their hats or clothing.

Few know that the Camino di San Giacomo was built on the ruins of a much older sacred path. The pilgrimage served to promote fertility and was undertaken by young couples who wished to have a child. Faithful to its ancient meaning, it is said that pilgrims brought a shell with them. The Christians continued this tradition in part, but dedicated the route to St. James.

The pagan symbol of the shell is therefore embedded in the collective unconscious. It has always had positive connotations, just like the next symbol we are going to analyze, the diamond/rhombus.

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