You are listening to the other worldly Oracle Official Podcast, A Burning Hallows production. We are your other worldly hosts, kitty Fields and Laura Rain. If you like what you're hearing, don't forget to hit that subscribe button. To receive notifications of our future weekly episodes, visit all Laura's website@alllaurarain.com to grab a tarot reading, numerology or soul origin profile.
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So in this episode of our Popular Witches Tool series, we sidle up. Hearthside and peer into the inky depths of the cauldron. We will explore its mystical origins, symbolism, folklore, and provide our listeners with unique and powerful ways in which to use it in modern witchcraft. So grab your cauldron and settle in for a transformational time. That's it. All right, the cauldron bubbles. Huh, toil and trouble. So do you have a cauldron that you use in your practice? I do.
I have a cast iron cauldron that I use specifically for burning things in like incense papers. Candles, even just depending on what I'm doing, that I guess I would call that like my strictly magical cauldron. But then I also have a Dutch oven that I use in my kitchen for like my cooking and baking purposes. Yeah. Yeah. I have like a small terracotta pot, like it's, I don't know, pot bowl, whatever. Mm-Hmm. For the burning stuff, definitely.
I don't look, the cauldron that I want is massive and expensive. So that has not been acquired yet, but one day I will have it. And what would you do with it if it's, is it massive? Like would you put it on an open fire or, yes, that's the kind Yeah, I know what you're talking about. Yeah. I like, look, it's not the kind in the movies. Okay. I'm not talking about that. But it is rather large and rather expensive. 'cause it's cast iron. Mm-Hmm. I think you know what I'm talking about.
I don't know if everybody else would, but essentially it's used a lot for camping and things like that. I was gonna say outside. Yeah. Mm-Hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, so for now it's just my kitchen. My what is it called? Stock pot in the kitchen, and then I've got a terracotta bowl, like large bowl that I use for burning magical petitions and things like that. Yeah, absolutely. I consider those cauldrons. Yes, yes I do. Alright, so the history of the cauldron.
Do you want me to take the first part? Yes. Okay. So a cauldron is defined as a large metal pot. With a lid and handle used to cook over an open fire. The cauldron dates back to at least the late bronze age and was used for cooking and brewing purposes. Obviously, the term cauldron is derived from old Norse and Germanic words, meaning hot place. Which is interesting. The term kettle is actually related to cauldron and fun fact.
If your name is Corey, you are inherently linked to the cauldron since the word for cauldron and middle Irish is Corey. Hmm. So at a time when electricity didn't exist and survival during the cold months depended on fire, the cauldron was a symbol of protection and life. The cauldron came as a welcome change to cooking. After many, many years, people used an earthenware pot to heat their food and, and their bruise.
This was more difficult because it required dropping hot stones into the pot to cook whatever was inside. So the cauldron came along and made cooking and brewing much easier, and it came to be associated with women's magic and eventually the witch's magic. Hmm. Love that for us. Yeah, I know, right? so Gunda, strip cauldron. The most famous of all ancient cauldrons found is the Gunda Strip cauldron, a silver vessel circa 200 BC, and it was discovered in Erlin Denmark near Gunda Stripp.
The significance of this cauldron is its imagery, a combination of thracian and gish symbols, including elephants, dolphins, bulls, dogs, boars, and male and female figures. More famously, the horned Celtic God. K Nuno is thought to be a legged figure on one of the cauldron's panels. The intricate metallurgy suggests the cauldron's use as a spiritual tool. I think I've seen this before. Oh yeah. It's the most famous cauldron.
Like you, most people, if you even looked anything up about caros, you've seen this cauldron. Yeah. But I also think, but, but I don't think that I was introduced to this through witchcraft. Actually. I think that I was introduced to this through one of my archeology classes at university. More than likely. Yeah. Yeah. The what's interesting about it is the combination of animals on it. So there, if you think about it, they have elephants, dolphins, bulls, dogs, and boars, all on this cauldron.
Well, elephants were obviously African, right. Not, not in Denmark at that time. So obviously there was some travel going on there. Yeah. Right. For sure. I mean, it points to the fact that people have been traveling to far off places for a very long time. Right. So, yes. All right, so another. Well, two other famous cauldrons in history are the Tro Turk Cauldron and the Essure Cauldron. These were made in the late Bronze Age and found in a Pete Bog in County Monaghan Ireland.
Of course, it was a Pete Bog. Of course. Let me restate that. The Liz Drum, Turk Cauldron was the one that was made in the late Bronze Age and found in Ireland in the Peabo. Moreover, there were 11. There were 11 iron Cauldrons found at the site in Lesure, England that were from the Iron Age. Mm-Hmm. And I believe all of these were actually more of a practical nature as opposed to the gun stroke cauldron, which was. Used as a spiritual tool because it was just so intricately decorated.
Hmm. So if you wanna look up, cauldrons from history just to see what they look like, then everybody can look those up. So symbolism of the cauldron, is for one wisdom, right? Mm-Hmm. It still, our minds also regeneration and rebirth since the cauldron is seen as the womb. Mm-hmm. Also transformation and alchemy because I mean, we put raw ingredients in there and what comes out is completely different. Yeah. Absolutely. Associated with cooking. Same kind of concept there.
Gods and goddesses associated with the cauldron would be para win. Mm-Hmm. The cauldron of inspiration called Awin. Mm-Hmm. Madea. Who was a priestess of ate uses her cauldron to try to destroy King Pelus. Yeah. And then the DDA is said to have a cauldron that never runs out of food, heals all who need healing and grants everlasting life. Yeah. I thought that one was pretty cool. Then there's bronze cauldron.
Braun is from the Welsh Pantheon, and his cauldron is said to bring dead warriors back to life. Except when they return from the cauldron of rebirth, they're unable to speak. Hmm. Author John Matthews theorizes. This is because they aren't to speak of the great mysteries of the other world. They are only to be experienced. I feel like that makes sense. Yeah. Well, John Matthews is, if, I don't know if anybody's read his work, he does a lot of Celtic fairytale and mythology. Retellings.
Yeah. Right. In addition, the, so the stories of King Arthur and the Holy Grail, the cup was once described as a cauldron. That's interesting. I know. How things change over time, right? Mm-Hmm. And then we get to our, one of our favorite authors, Linda Radish. In her book Night of the Witches. Which is about, while Peres, not the Frankish tribes from ancient times called men who carried cauldrons for witches a very special term, the Trau Bergum. Sadly, this wasn't a compliment.
It was actually meant as an insult, and yet we know other Met of magical traditions enjoyed using and kept the cauldron sacred. So I think this might have been like a punishment to certain individuals back in the day, specifically men that had done things wrong. It was a job that they were to take on in service, and that would be to carry around these very heavy cauldrons for the women who were to use them.
Also in my research on cauldrons, the ians said We claim the cauldron of the witches, as in the original, the vase or urn of the fiery transmigration in which all things of the world change basically. Transformation, right. Yes, exactly. And I think the cauldron is interesting too, because you have the merging of different elements. So the fire that heats it, water or food and or food that you put inside. Yeah. So yeah, kind of cool. And then the magical uses of the cauldron extend beyond just.
That transformation, right? Mm-Hmm. There's, like we talked about at the beginning, there's heaps of different kinds of cauldrons, right? Cast iron Dutch ovens, stock pots, which I have. Crock pots, instant pots. I mean, anything like that can be used as a cauldron. Yeah. Anything that's a vessel that's similar to a pot that can be heated. Yeah, to consider a cauldron. You could, you could consider it your cauldron.
Can you talk a little bit about the importance of caring for your cast iron cauldron? Because they're not, you can't put, you can't put them in the, in the dishwasher. You don't want it to any kind of cast iron, any skillet or cauldron or anything of anything that's made of cast iron, you cannot put soap on, first of all. If you go to wash it in the sink, you can only use water. Yeah. You don't use soap ever. 'cause it basically strips the the seasoning off of it and it will rest.
Hmm. I haven't learned that the hard way. 'cause no one, I didn't know about cast iron and the first cast iron skillet I ever got, I washed it and was like, why is it all rusty? Well, so growing up my mama only used cast iron. Yeah. So I think it's changed now that we're, you know adults. But when I was a kid. I mean, I actually don't know, but when I was a kid they didn't come pre-seasoned. Mm-Hmm. Like that's something you had to do. Mm-Hmm. And which required like, I don't even remember.
I think it was like oil and the oven and. Yeah, so my, actually, my cast iron cauldron, I call it a cauldron, it's a three-legged like dutch oven, like for outside, open fires. But it's not huge. It's, you know, relatively small, I guess medium sized, but it did not come seasoned. So I actually had to rub it down with, I think I used shortening and then I put it on the grill outside to season it. But there's a certain temperature you have to use and things like that.
You definitely wanna do your research if you're gonna be seasoning your own stock pot or cauldron or Dutch oven or whatever it is that you're using, that's cast iron, but I think, I mean, there's a lot that already come pre-season, but some don't. So you just have to be aware. Exactly. Yeah. And then when you clean it, like you said, you don't use soap, you never put it in the dishwasher.
I basically just wipe it out with a, a wet cloth, if I can, there's another way that you can use some oil and actually put some salt in it and run it in the oven. Which like cleans out the extra funk in it if you really need a deep cleaning. But again, do your research on that. Yeah, definitely make sure that you, yeah. Pay attention to the instructions. Mm-Hmm. And you may also just wanna do a little bit of research on your own. Mm-Hmm. Outside, before you obtain anything, cast iron. Correct.
Yeah. 'cause there's a specific way to care for it, right. So you don't ruin it. All right. Do you separate your magical from your kitchen? Which cauldrons, I think you already kind of went over that. You do, right? Yes. But no. Like, okay, so why I say that? So look, anything that has to go on my stove. Mm-Hmm. Which includes simmer pots. Oh. So like if it's a magical simmer pot, that will go into my stock pot as well. Oh yeah. And then it'll get washed, right? Mm-Hmm.
So anything that needs fire to work goes on my stove. Correct. Me too. Like with liquid. Mm-Hmm. Yeah. Whereas if I'm burning a petition, dry ingredients, things that can be used with charcoal and things like that, that goes into my earthen bowl with some sand. Yeah, we're the exact same. I do the same exact way. Yeah. What magical twist winning. Yeah. Course done.
So being that we just went over a little bit of the magical uses, what, what are some other magical uses for the witches cauldron today? We've said burning petition, papers, burning. Like incense on charcoals. I've even used it to do specific candle spells, like where I was doing the candles. Yeah, that's another, okay, so I don't have yeah, actually I do have one here. Don't use it often.
But to anybody out there, especially if you are a candle maker as well so like the, I don't wanna say Insta Potts, but. They're small flow cookers, right? They're not like the giant ones. They're three or four quart. You can actually do candle magic in those, which I prefer because what I do is I will layer the bottom of that with aluminum foil. For the wax and then I'll just stick the whole thing in there. Couple reasons. One wax drip. Two. Yeah, I was gonna say, you can probably read it.
Yeah. Yeah. And two to pre, like to further prevent fire hazard. Yeah, that makes sense. So I have done that before. Great. Practical tips. I love it. I'm trying to think what else I use a cauldron for. Of course cooking, we know that. Mm-Hmm. My dutch oven gets used in the kitchen. I have a Lake Crus set. It's like the, the fancy brand, you know? I got it as a gift. I know. I've seen it. It's fire, orange and red. Yeah. So is the price, no. No, I know, I know.
I'm, I'm blessed that I have it, but but I don't, I use that for soups, stews. I do simmer pots in there. I do, I've done bread actually, too. Mm-Hmm. Yes. Nice. I would be, I would totally like soupy meat dish too. Go ahead. Sorry. Oh no, I was just gonna say I would totally be more of a kitchen witch if the tools. We actually less expensive, like especially this day and age because I cannot afford a thousand dollars stand mixer. No, that's crazy.
I feel like I got quite a few of my tools before, like the major inflation that we've been having happened. Oh yeah. It's insane. I know. Insane. So so I guess it's, you know, you use what you have, right? It's not like, which is, yeah. You don't need, the past went out and got like a lake cro set. It's just, but I do think like over time, right? When you use different vessels for magical work, whether it's in the kitchen or not, you kind of. Inadvertently dedicate them to such uses. Mm-Hmm.
You know what I mean? Like even though you may not be consciously doing that, subconsciously, you're always reaching for that particular pot or pan or whatever. For sure. I always say whenever I pull my Dutch oven out in the kitchen, it like immediately lifts my mood. Yes. Yeah. Like, oh, it's like a whole experience. I don't know. Like you pull it out and sing, you know, singing happens.
Yeah. Well anyway, but yeah, I mean, there's so much you can do with a cauldron stock, pot vessel, dutch oven, whatever the heck you have. The sky's the limit. Well, should we wrap it up? Thank you everybody for tuning in. Please remember to like, share, subscribe, and give us a review so that we are more visible on your favorite podcast app. Check out the links for this episode in the info box, and tune in next week for another episode.
And remember whether you're in the land of the FA or the land of the ancestors, stay otherworldly.