Jet in transit on the Way of St James

Abstract

In this paper, we present the narrative role of small jet figures linked to pilgrims' attire within the sacred ecosystem of the Camino de Santiago. Beyond their function as identifiers and circulatory devices, such as amulets or pilgrimage souvenirs, these portable images served as visual devices that condensed and projected the spiritual experience of the journey and, therefore, as devotional objects with symbolic, personal and ritual uses. These objects were intended to be sewn or attached to clothing or hats, or to be hung.This contribution, which also briefly addresses antecedents and influences, fundamentally explores their production and uses, their relationship with other objects of the Way, and their presence in portraits, inventories, and literary or artistic testimonies that tell us about their bearers. Despite being mass-produced objects, as attested to in guild documentation, the archaeological record is still very scarce, but it allows us to confirm a use linked to both genders and to better understand their context and functionality. The small number of known examples and their dating based mainly on stylistic criteria still make precise dating difficult.

Today, jet and the Camino follow divergent paths. Over time, these objects have undergone a process of reinterpretation, losing their purely devotional or apotropaic character.