by Scarlett McQuillan
•
23 June 2025
Along the wild, salt-laden fringes of Scotland’s coast, where the land meets the restless Atlantic, you can sometimes find a small, glossy shell glinting among the pebbles and seaweed. This is the cowrie shell, a beach find whose pale ridged surface and evocative slit is a vessel of history and stories, a symbol of feminine power, and a talisman for protection and prosperity. Across continents and centuries, the cowrie has woven its way into the fabric of human culture, linking the tides of the sea to the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. Shell Money: the currency of cowries The journey of the cowrie shell is as vast as the oceans themselves. Although most prolific in the warm, shallow waters of the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean they have been found and carried by traders as far North as Orkney and Shetland. Historically, these shells were so prized that they became the world’s first pan-regional currency in Africa. In West Africa particularly, cowries were exchanged for goods, dowries, and even used to pay tribute to royalty, their value so ingrained that the Ghanaian currency, the cedi, derives its name from them. In Asia and the Americas, cowries were also used as money, their gleaming surfaces a universal symbol of wealth and status. “Whoever is patient with a cowrie shell will one day have thousands of them” — Hausa People Proverb Their relatively small size, hardness and portability meant they could be used as loose currency or strung together into bracelets and necklaces, or to form larger set units. In Bengali markets this meant it was common for large transactions to be made through baskets of cowrie shells, with each basket containing about 12,000 shells. The use of cowries as money continued into the 20th century, and they are still sometimes used in ritual payments. However, the cowrie’s significance extends far beyond commerce, and they were often combined with other elements to form charms or added onto textiles and sculptural designs as decorative elements. La Mer: Cowries, Seas, and Divine Femininity Perhaps the most enduring and widespread symbolism of the cowrie shell is its connection to the feminine powers of the sea. Emerging from the waves, the cowrie has long been associated with water’s powers of renewal, fertility, nurture and creation- life giving abilities that are shared by women. This is reflected in its very form, with the shell’s smooth, curved back seen to represent a pregnant belly, and its central slit the vulva, making it a universal emblem of fertility, birth, and womanhood. It is for this reason that in many cultures, the cowrie shell is seen as a physical manifestation of the ocean goddess’s protection and strength, with many African legends describing cowries as gifts from the goddess, bestowing life, abundance, and the wisdom of the tides upon those who carry them. To wear a cowrie is to carry a piece of the ocean’s magic, a talisman that connects the wearer to the primal, nurturing forces of water and the divine feminine. Their resemblance to female reproductive organs is also believed to endow them with the power to increase fertility and vitality, and in certain African societies they were even referred to as givers or elixirs of life. Anthropologists have also uncovered cowrie-adorned figurines in prehistoric graves, suggesting that the connection between cowries and females has existed for millennia. Even today, women and girls across the globe are drawn to jewellery that features cowrie shells, finding in it a connection to ancestral wisdom and wearing it to bless pregnancies, ensure safe childbirth, or simply celebrate the power of the feminine spirit. Cowrie Traditions: Good Luck, Protection & Healing Powers Throughout history the cowrie shell has been revered as a potent charm for good luck and protection. In Africa, cowries were sewn into garments, worn as amulets, and placed on altars to safeguard against evil spirits and misfortune. The shell’s oval form and slitted aperture was believed to act as an “eye” that watched over its bearer, particularly children, and warded off negativity and the evil eye when placed horizontally. In India, many households considered cowries to be sacred to the goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth and fortune, and were used in rituals to attract abundance and shield against harm. Similar beliefs are held in the ancient Chinese practice of Feng Shui, where cowrie shells are viewed as powerful symbols of prosperity and are often placed near doorways or in living spaces for wealth and protection. In Scotland, Shetland and Orkney, cowries are known as ‘groatie buckies’ or ‘faoiteag’ in Gaelic. Finding one is said to bring good luck, and that if you carry three of them on your person, you will always find your way in the thickest mist. There even exists a unique Scottish charm known as the “plague spoon” formed of a cowrie shell set in silver with a handle that is hinged. The upper part is formed of two entwined serpents, and on the top is a figure with a bow, which may be intended either for Cupid or for Death. Medicine taken from this spoon was believed to provide an infallible remedy for the plague, and people came from all parts of the country to test its healing powers. Cowries in Divination: Sacred Tools and Spiritual Magic Cowrie shells have long been revered not only as ornaments and talismans but also as powerful instruments for divination—a bridge between the material and spiritual worlds. Their use in seeking guidance, insight, and answers to life’s mysteries spans continents and centuries, with each culture developing its own unique methods and meanings. The roots of cowrie shell divination are deepest in West Africa, particularly among the Yoruba people, where the practice is known as Ifá or Ẹẹ́rìndínlógún. Here, a diviner (often a priest or priestess) casts sixteen cowrie shells onto a sacred mat or tray, invoking the Orishas—deities of nature and ancestors—before interpreting the patterns in which the shells land. Each combination of “open” (slit up) and “closed” (slit down) shells corresponds to an odu, a specific oracular verse or message that provides wisdom, warnings, or blessings. This system is highly complex, requiring years of study to master, and is considered a sacred ritual that connects the seeker with the wisdom of the ancestors and the spiritual realm. The practice spread across the Atlantic with the African diaspora, becoming central to Afro-Caribbean religions such as Santería, Candomblé, and Umbanda. In India, Cowrie Shastra is a form of fortune telling in Vedic astrology that uses anywhere from five to twenty-five cowrie shells. Practitioners cast the shells to determine the Arudha, a zodiac sign that serves as the starting point for astrological calculations. The number of cowrie shells that land upside down when thrown is interpreted to signify planetary influences and potentially predict future events. Across all these systems, the act of casting the shells is a ritual in itself. One that is often accompanied by prayers, offerings, invocations and their placement on altars alongside water, flowers, and candles to honour ancestors or mark a life transition. Today, cowrie shell divination continues to thrive among practitioners of traditional religions and those drawn to holistic and spiritual practices. Some modern witches and holistic healers incorporate cowrie readings into their rituals and alters, using the shells to seek spiritual guidance, attract abundance, connect with ancestors or to set intentions for healing, abundance and clarity. Cowries and the Afterlife: Rituals of Passage The cowrie’s role as a spiritual messenger also extends into the mysteries of death and the afterlife. In India, among the Toda and Dimasa peoples, cowries are placed on or around the deceased during cremation and subsequent burial rites. They serve as spiritual “payment” for the land where the body is laid to rest and as tokens to guide the soul safely into the next world. Their role in providing safety for deceased family is also seen in Ancient Egypt, with cowries being found in tombs, often near the head or worn as amulets, due to the belief that they protected the soul from evil and ensured rebirth. Cowries were also laid as symbolic unclosing eyes upon the eyelids of the dead to guarantee sight in the afterlife. Similarly, across Southeast Asia, cowries were sometimes placed in the mouths or hands of the dead. This was to symbolise both status and wishes for a smooth journey beyond. Despite cultural differences, the similarity between these burial rites is significant, and their continuation a testament to the cowrie’s enduring power as a companion in life’s most profound passages. Modern Resonance: Cowrie Shells in Contemporary Jewellery & Fashion Today, cowrie shells are increasingly appearing in fashion, transitioning from traditional cultural contexts to modern designs. From high-fashion runways to traditional and artisan jewellers, cowries continue to captivate those drawn to the ocean, nature, and feminine powers, and have remained a powerful symbol of resilience, womanhood and heritage. They can be found in various forms, from clothing embellishments to jewellery and even hair accessories, with icons like Beyoncé donning cowrie-adorned headpieces, and independent crafters embracing them as a way to produce more sustainable designs. In a world that often feels unmoored, for many women wearing a cowrie shell offers a tangible link to something timeless and sacred. Whether carried as a talisman, worn as a jewel, or used in ritual, the cowrie invites reconnection with the ocean, the natural cycles and feminine strength. It is a reminder that we, too, are shaped by tides both seen and unseen, and that the power and wisdom of the ocean can be drawn from every shell we hold. cowrie shell meaning, cowrie shell jewellery, cowrie shell symbolism, cowrie shell rituals, cowrie shell spirituality, ocean-inspired jewellery, Scottish folklore, feminine spirituality, holistic health, sea magick, afterlife rituals, nature symbolism, ancestral rituals