“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble” -Shakespeare, Macbeth
Since the bronze age, cauldrons have played a major role in cultures around the world. From cooking meals, creating medicines, and often a ceremonial role in mythology and spirituality. The symbolism of the cauldron varies from culture to culture: as a symbol of the earth and soil, as a weapon or instrument of power, even as a torture device. Today it is quite common to associate cauldrons with witches and sorcery, and this association reaches far back into the distant past centuries. In ancient Celtic traditions, the god Dagda used a cauldron which produced food, healed wounds and even brought back the dead. Ceridwn, a Celtic sorceress, used her cauldron to brew a potion that would imbue great knowledge and wisdom. Another typical reference to magic cauldrons are the leprechaun, with a cauldron of gold hidden at the end of a rainbow. During the middle-ages of Europe, the cauldron was used in images of hell, boiling saints and the souls of sinners alike (Seger). After only a couple of centuries, the threads of pagan symbolism and hellish imagery were bound together during the witch trials of Europe, uniting the symbolism of magic, Satanism, and female witchcraft (Otten).
Cauldrons seem to carry a great significance in cultures and stories around the world, a significance beyond a simple instrument of cooking. In China, a cauldron, or “ding" symbolizes the power and dominion of the emperor over his land and people. Each dynasty would create a new cauldron with a design that referenced their rule. The king would have nine cauldrons made for himself, his lords five to seven. Their “dings" were used for ritual offerings of food and alcohol. In the I-ching, an ancient Taoist divination technique, a cauldron symbolized the alchemical process of developing new leadership, or turning old into new - in purifying objectives. Warriors would compete in lifting heavy cauldrons above their heads. Lords would be buried with cauldrons, even after they had become obsolete as a cooking instrument in China (“The Thing About Ding: Chinese Ritual Cauldrons Through the Ages”).
It is undeniable that the cauldron has played a major role in food and culture, but also in the spiritual and religious practices as well. To this day, every Halloween, one will find plastic cauldrons for decoration and props, conjuring up the image of witchcraft and sorcery.
Since the bronze age, cauldrons have played a major role in cultures around the world. From cooking meals, creating medicines, and often a ceremonial role in mythology and spirituality. The symbolism of the cauldron varies from culture to culture: as a symbol of the earth and soil, as a weapon or instrument of power, even as a torture device. Today it is quite common to associate cauldrons with witches and sorcery, and this association reaches far back into the distant past centuries. In ancient Celtic traditions, the god Dagda used a cauldron which produced food, healed wounds and even brought back the dead. Ceridwn, a Celtic sorceress, used her cauldron to brew a potion that would imbue great knowledge and wisdom. Another typical reference to magic cauldrons are the leprechaun, with a cauldron of gold hidden at the end of a rainbow. During the middle-ages of Europe, the cauldron was used in images of hell, boiling saints and the souls of sinners alike (Seger). After only a couple of centuries, the threads of pagan symbolism and hellish imagery were bound together during the witch trials of Europe, uniting the symbolism of magic, Satanism, and female witchcraft (Otten).
Cauldrons seem to carry a great significance in cultures and stories around the world, a significance beyond a simple instrument of cooking. In China, a cauldron, or “ding" symbolizes the power and dominion of the emperor over his land and people. Each dynasty would create a new cauldron with a design that referenced their rule. The king would have nine cauldrons made for himself, his lords five to seven. Their “dings" were used for ritual offerings of food and alcohol. In the I-ching, an ancient Taoist divination technique, a cauldron symbolized the alchemical process of developing new leadership, or turning old into new - in purifying objectives. Warriors would compete in lifting heavy cauldrons above their heads. Lords would be buried with cauldrons, even after they had become obsolete as a cooking instrument in China (“The Thing About Ding: Chinese Ritual Cauldrons Through the Ages”).
It is undeniable that the cauldron has played a major role in food and culture, but also in the spiritual and religious practices as well. To this day, every Halloween, one will find plastic cauldrons for decoration and props, conjuring up the image of witchcraft and sorcery.
The Gundestrup Cauldron
Gundestrup Cauldron, 200 BC - 300 AD
Found in the bog Raevemosen in Himmerland, the Gundestrup Cauldron is an ancient vessel made of silver and finely decorated with imagery of animals and characters that were not native to the region. It also illustrates the stories of one or more ancient Celtic deities. Perhaps this piece was a gift to a king, or a looted treasure. Though the maker is unknown, its purpose seems to have been for ceremonial or decorative use. It was found broken, taken apart deliberately and carefully, buried deep in the bog. The silversmith work exceeds the skills typical of this time and region (“The Gundestrup Cauldron”).
Shang Dynasty "Ding"
Liu “Ding”, Shang Dynasty 1600 - 1406 BCE
These Chinese cauldrons or " Ding”, were typically used in rituals and offerings during the Shang dynasty. Each dynasty would have their own ding created to represent their rule and dominion over the land, and only a handful would be allowed to be made. Because they were used as ritual vessels, these “dings" were not used for cooking food and were mostly symbolic. The legs of these "dings” were an important feature as they helped the vessel stand over a small flame, a symbolic feature that represents the strength of the vessel itself. Once the stove was introduced in China, the cauldron became obsolete as a cooking instrument but remained a vessel for rituals. Important rulers in China were often buried with small cauldrons in order to be brought back to life (“The Thing About Ding: Chinese Ritual Cauldrons Through the Ages”).
The Harrowing of Hell
“The Harrowing of Hell”, illumination from Holkham Bible Picture Book, 1335-1337 AD
This page can be found in the section of the Holkham Bible meant to illustrate the signs of the second coming of Christ and the last judgment. While the creator is anonymous, the Holkham Bible was probably commissioned by a Dominican Friar. Its purpose is to frighten the viewer with horrific scenes of bodies burning in the Hell Mouth, or jaws of hell. Created during the Medieval Era in Europe, this kind of picture book would be quite common as propaganda by the Catholic Church who saw prestige and authority grow at this time. Horrifying imagery was meant to terrify and remind viewers of the dangers in the afterlife if they did not live their lives as Christians. The Hell Mouth in this image resembles a cauldron, one of the first representations of the cooking instrument used in hell. While cauldrons were often used in Christian imagery ( saints being burned alive, etc..) this is one of the earliest connections between the cauldron and images of hell rather than a literal representation of the iron cauldron. It could be a key point in drawing a line between cauldrons, pagan folklore, and Christian symbolism towards the cauldron as an accessory to witchcraft (Seger).
Weathering Witches
“Weathering Witches” woodcut illustration from Ulrich Molitor’s “De Lamis et phitonicis mulieribus” (On Demons and Witches), 1489 AD
This particular page represents two women putting ingredients into a boiling cauldron in a ritual to influence the weather. This influential book helped establish the modern iconography for witches during the height of witch trials in France during the 15th and 16th century. Up until this point in history demonology was quite common among scholars, and spirits or devils were mostly depicted in these scenes. However, during the witch trials of Europe, imagery of women became more common. This image illustrates the connection between the witch and the cauldron as a direct lineage from a hellish image to one of satanic magic. (Otten)
Bibliography
Dukes, Hunter. “The Holkham Bible Picture Book (ca. 1330) — The Public Domain Review.” The Public Domain Review, 20 January 2022, https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/holkham-bible/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
“The Gundestrup Cauldron.” National Museum of Denmark, https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-early-iron-age/the-gundestrup-cauldron/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
Otten, Liam. “WashU Expert: Witches and demonology - The Source.” Washington University in St. Louis, 22 October 2015, https://source.washu.edu/2015/10/washu-expert-witches-and-demonology/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
Seger, Donna. “Cauldron Connections - streetsofsalem.” Streets of Salem, 24 October 2018, https://streetsofsalem.com/2018/10/24/cauldron-connections/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
“The Thing About Ding: Chinese Ritual Cauldrons Through the Ages.” Bowers Museum, 9 June 2022, https://www.bowers.org/index.php/collection/collection-blog/the-thing-about-ding-chinese-ritual-cauldrons-through-the-ages. Accessed 20 October 2024.
Dukes, Hunter. “The Holkham Bible Picture Book (ca. 1330) — The Public Domain Review.” The Public Domain Review, 20 January 2022, https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/holkham-bible/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
“The Gundestrup Cauldron.” National Museum of Denmark, https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-early-iron-age/the-gundestrup-cauldron/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
Otten, Liam. “WashU Expert: Witches and demonology - The Source.” Washington University in St. Louis, 22 October 2015, https://source.washu.edu/2015/10/washu-expert-witches-and-demonology/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
Seger, Donna. “Cauldron Connections - streetsofsalem.” Streets of Salem, 24 October 2018, https://streetsofsalem.com/2018/10/24/cauldron-connections/. Accessed 20 October 2024.
“The Thing About Ding: Chinese Ritual Cauldrons Through the Ages.” Bowers Museum, 9 June 2022, https://www.bowers.org/index.php/collection/collection-blog/the-thing-about-ding-chinese-ritual-cauldrons-through-the-ages. Accessed 20 October 2024.