Shell
Shell signifies the feminine watery matrix, birth, fertility, moon, virginity, resurrection, and pilgrimage; Mesoamerican elites also valued shells as tribute and sacred deposits.
Our paraphrase of what the sources say it carries.
At a glance
- Type
- Symbol
- Borne by
- 4 figures
- Traditions
- French folklore (2)Norse mythology (1)Scottish folklore (1)
Figures that bear it
A model judged each figure against its own description, one term at a time. Is: the figure is, or is partly, this thing. Bears: it carries the thing or is marked by it. What a figure does is filed under motifs and powers. Open "why" for the sentence the judgement rests on.
- Lou Carcolh bears French folklore
why
This monstrous being possesses a massive, slimy body reminiscent of a giant snail, complete with a protective shell that serves as both armor and camouflage.
- Shellycoat bears Scottish folklore
why
Shellycoat is a bogle of Scottish and Anglo-Scottish Border tradition, a freshwater spirit associated with streams, rivers, and coastal shallows and named for the covering of shells that hangs about its body and clatters as it moves.
- Skeljaskrímsli bears Norse mythology
why
Its massive body is encased in a patchwork of shells, barnacles, and other marine detritus, creating a living mosaic of the sea.
- Tarasque bears French folklore
why
The Tarasque is said to have six bear-like legs, ending in powerful claws, and a long, serpentine tail tipped with a scorpion's stinger.