The Saltshell

"...While there is little factual evidence to support the existance of the Saltshell as a genuine relic, the numerous references to it in surviving myth are enough to make speculation about its necessary properties more than an exercise in idle musings. For if such an object were to have ever existed, the ramifications to the field of biology alone would shake that noble field of study to its very core, not to mention a complete revision of meteorology and theology.

However mundane or miraculous, we can begin to sort through the varied accounts and build a composite description from the historical record. To begin with, we can surmise that the Saltshell as described was never intended as a human tool. We know this because all known sources pointedly remark on the punishing discomfort imposed upon those who have used it. The manner of its use requires that wearer insert both hands into the device and contort the fingers in a most unnatural fashion. The object then either seals or clamps around the wrists such that the tips of the fingers within are decidedly ruined. Exactly how is still a matter of speculation. In the more familiar epic, this takes the form of small thorns that catch the hands in a pinch. However, there are known variations to the tale that refer to fishhooks or "shark teeth". These variants originate along the more coastal areas, possibly reflecting the important fishing traditions there.

One theory is that the device was intended to fit smaller, more slender digits, or perhaps those bearing extended talons such that the catching of the fingertips becomes more a matter of close-fitting contact for the purposes of efficient tactile feedback than a means of torturous operation on fleshier human hands. This of course presumes a manufactured origin.

The next point of consideration is the nature of the shell itself. The descriptions vary but tend to fall into two distinct groups with isolated exceptions. The major description, particularly along the seacoast and those deeper inland along rivers leading to port, is that the shell is in fact the remains of a sea creature much like the common nautilus. The lesser description, more prevalent in the isolated mountain provinces and in other wooded areas where logging replaces fishing as the main industry, is that the shell is all that remains of a large extinct form of snail. The primitive nomadic peoples of the Southern Wastes are unique in that they refer to the Saltshell as a magical ram's horn (the "Bitter Horn"), yet in function and all other characteristics this local relic resembles the Saltshell and so does not merit further distinction.

The tendancy to relate the shell to a more locally familiar analogous object is interesting, and perhaps the truth of the matter is that the shell/horn is an intermediate mix of all known descriptions.

All accounts mention a widening spiral that leads to the twin openings for the hands. And the defining similarity is that the shell itself is made of a cloudy, dense, crystalline salt which does not melt. It is unclear exactly how the shell functions, for there is no meaningful agreement among the various sources. Some stories describe the shell simply as a means to shackle the violently insane, specifically those possessed by occult forces. Other tales refer to it as a "water shaping" tool useful for anything from catching fish to battling whales to smoothing away tidal waves. It is apparently also useful for dowsing and rainmaking. In one instance, the wearer was able to determine the truthfulness of those who spoke in her presence.

All this is severely taxing upon the user who is quite trapped within the shell anywhere from a few hours to several days. During this time, the blood from the user fills the spiral cavity inside. At some point the shell releases its connection and the user is able to withdraw his hands. It may be that the blood itself triggers this. If the device is purely an inert object, perhaps the accumulation of blood disrupts some inner mechanism. The wounds sustained by wearing the Saltshell are unanimously described as maiming and disfiguring; more than a few of the myths make poetic use of this by having the wearers be artisans of some sort, or dancers, and thereafter unable to follow their trade. By contrast, the scars themselves are apparently quite beautiful and are seen by many as an honorific consolation for the mangled hands. In some cultures during times of festival, parents will mimic this scarring pattern on the hands of their children using stains and other pigments to temporarily mark the skin. These designs vary, but are always elaborately detailed..."