If you were a mollusk, specifically Pinna nobilis, a large bivalve native to the Mediterranean region, what would you do? Well, you’d look for a place to drop your anchor, so to speak. You’d do this by sending out strong, thin fibers, or byssus, to glue yourself to a rock so you wouldn’t be washed out to sea by tide, waves and current. And you’d think: If things get really rough out here, I’m going to make a lot more byssus and hang on for dear life.

At some point, now lost in the fickle shrouds of time, an inventive and enterprising genius of the ancient world observed the mollusks and the adhesive strands that stuck them to the rocks, and had an “aha” moment. He or she figured out a way to work with byssus and a use for it. That clever person discovered that byssus yielded a golden-hued fiber that could be spun and woven, a fiber so rare and so lustrous it was dubbed “sea silk.”

Information posted at Wikipedia says of sea silk, “The cloak of a Roman centurion, the raiment of the Egyptian King Tutankhamen and the golden fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts have been reputed to have been spun from byssal threads.”

An article posted at www.designboom.com says that 1,000 mollusks were needed to produce 200-330 grams of byssus silk and that the art of making the cloth has been lost, with the small exception of a woman in Sardinia who still knows how to spin byssus into fiber.

The word “byssus” is said to derive from a Hebrew word meaning “fine linen.” The designboom article also states that the word “byssus” is used in the Old Testament of the Bible to mean “pure and shining linen.”

Indeed, Darby’s English translation, from the Hebrew, of Exodus, Chapter 39, Verse 27, found at www.hebrewoldtestament.com, states: “And they made vests of byssus of woven work for Aaron and his sons”; and Verse 28, also Darby’s translation, is given as “and the turban of byssus; and ornamental caps of byssus; and the linen trousers of twined byssus.”

Clearly, something good had come out of the Mediterranean Sea and was being made into power suits for those in positions of leadership.

Perhaps the garment of gold Cleopatra reportedly wore when she went to Rome to visit Julius Caesar circa 46 B.C. was made of byssus, since the fiber was described as golden, shining and glowing. Leave it to Cleo to know how to make a fashion statement in a big way.

Carter Newell, a biologist at Eastern Mussel Co. in Tenants Harbor said that he has heard that byssus can be spun into fiber. He said that while Pinna nobilis is not found on the Maine coast, Maine mussels do, indeed, produce byssus fibers, typically several baskets full each time they are harvested.

Newell said there are different qualities of byssus in terms of fiber thickness and length, depending on water temperature, oxygen levels, strength of ocean currents and waves.

If Maine mussel byssus has potential as a source of fiber, he said, it would be a boon to harvesters since 3,000 tons of byssus is produced as a byproduct of harvesting Maine mussels. Spain, by contrast, dredges up 300,000 tons of byssus each year.

Newell said he does not know of any companies or scientists in Maine working on the idea of producing fiber from Maine mussel byssus.

Yarns already are made of such unlikely materials as corn, soy and bamboo. Maybe scientists soon will find a new way to make yarn from the slender, abundant strands of byssus, gift of Neptune, god of the sea.

Snippets

‘Tis the season of Christmas fairs and church bazaars in the Bangor area and beyond where shoppers will find a variety of handcrafted items. Make it a point to patronize these events, which offer a pleasant alternative to the usual mode of holiday shopping. Also, proceeds help sustain church activities all year.

The annual All Souls Congregational Church Quilt Show is set for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at the church on Broadway. A grand array of old, new and vintage quilts will be on display in the church sanctuary. The cost of admission is $3.

Ardeana Hamlin would love to hear from readers. Call 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.