Placing shells upon the grave signifies the figurative act of going home after death. Seashells were a cheap alternative in burying people. They were readily available in coastal communities. However, the practice of covering a grave with shells was not limited to these communities. Shells were used in transporting fish inland.
Experts at the Association for Gravestone Studies say seashells have to do with Christianity.
The shells are used to varying degrees, from a single one at the head of the grave to a line of them down the center of the grave or as a border. Sometimes the entire grave will be covered with shells.”.
However, many of the seashell grave covers are found in cemeteries where only white settlers are buried. Some theorize white people took the tradition from slaves while others have other ideas on the origins of seashell graves.
What is the significance of the shells on the beach?
So whether the shells were scattered or cemented into place, “they are meant as a symbol that ensures a safe journey is made to that unknown shore where everlasting life is possible.
Where do seashells come from on the beach?
Most seashells on the beach come from Mollusks, but because there is such a wide variety of different kinds you will find all sorts of shells that a mollusk has left behind. These include: Gastropods – sea snails. These are the most commonly found shells and have a spiral shape.
One of the most striking features of our beaches is seashells. Their whorls, curves, and shiny iridescent insides are the remains of animals. Most shells come from soft-bodied mollusks. Snails, clams, oysters, and others need the hard protection of their shells.
Why do you hear the sea in a shell?
The sound is heard because ocean movements are similar to airflow. The seashell captures the noise around you and makes it resonate inside it. The resonance is made possible by the shell’s hard inner walls which are curved on which the noise bounces off. The resonance, in turn, produces the ocean sound.
The unique shape of seashells amplifies the ambient sound, which means that any air that makes its way through the seashell produces sound when bounced about in the curved inner surface. The sound that is produced sounds ocean-like but isn’t.
After all, if you happen to be at the beach when you put a shell to your ear, the ambient sounds you hear will include at least some ocean noise.
One more inquiry we ran across in our research was “Do you hear the sea?”.
Spoiler: It’s not actually the sea! Place a seashell, like a Conch shell, to your ear. What do you hear?, and the sea? Now, while it might seem like we’re hearing the sea, in reality, we’re not – not even one little wave! Remember that our ears are hearing lots of different sounds. It’s a very noisy world out there.
When I was writing we ran into the question “Why do we hear sound through a shell?”.
The answer is that you are hearing the local noises already around you, but altered by the shell — thanks to some clever physics. One popular (but wrong) explanation is that you are listening to your own blood coursing through you.
Is a seashell a living thing?
You can think of a seashell kind of like your own hair. Your hair grows and is part of you, but it isn’t alive on its own. A living mollusk produces a shell with its body, but the shell itself isn’t alive.
Seashells may not be home to molluscs anymore, but they can still be used as homes by hermit crabs or young fish. Birds also use shells to build their nests. So you can see, some animals need the shells more than we do.
The most usefull answer is; strong, healthy seashells are made mostly of calcium carbonate. (So are eggshells!) A mollusk produces calcium carbonate from its mantle, laying down layers of it over its lifetime. Together, those layers form the seashell. You can think of a seashell kind of like your own hair.