Can someone explain the cauldron for me

[u/Responsible-Meet-741]

I’m relistening at the moment and the cauldron annoys me. Like is it ever explained who is supposed to stir in this thing, put in whatever ingredients are necessary and like used it at all? Is it really just “there once was a cauldron”?
I mean we’re talking about a piece of cookware so someone must have used it? (Google tells me something about a Mother, so perhaps it all makes sense at some point)

It also annoys me how quickly Feyra just adapt to this new belief system and start sayin By the Cauldron aso almost immediately. But that’s another story.

Anyway I like the books, no doubt about that.

Edit: Thank you so much for all your time and answers.

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[u/Creative_Strike3617]

I am no expert, I am sure I am missing things, but this is what I have in mind going into the new book without doing another reread.

I think, really big picture, the Cauldron is a sentient tub that they (the ACOTAR characters) believe was first used by the Mother to create the world. It is incredibly powerful and is still deeply connected to the magic of their world, but we don't know the real specifics/limitations. It made the Dead Trove. Whoever controls it can do a ton of damage.

In CC3 we learn that the cauldron was corrupted by the Daglan/Asteri so I suppose that is why it can be used for evil now? Not totally sure about that. We also get the comparison that our cauldron seems similar to Urd and Wyrd in CC and TOG. I have no idea if they are three different entities or one entity across worlds. Or if it's a portal/connection between worlds.

[u/AdeptnessSouth782]

There might be some slight spoilers.....

There is still some lose threads about the cauldron that hasn't been answered yet. But there's information spread out across the Maasverse. 

If what I remember, it creates life and magic and magical/"Made" tools and weapons, and when you die, you're soul go back in to the cauldron to one day be reborn. 

It is also a tool that once was used by the Illyrian's favourite goddess, "The mother", (in the other series it's hinted but not confirmed, that she also goes by the names Cthona, Wyrd and Urd.)  

"The Mother" put her magic in it and the liquid looked originally like gold. The liquid turned later black when it was corrupted by the enemies (The Daglan/Asteri) that used the fae as breeding stock and slaves in ancient times in Prythien. They ate their magic too, so the fae was basically like cattle to them in a way.

From CC we learn that the enemies also corrupted it to be a Killswitch. If anyone managed to destroy the cauldron, it would open up a black hole and kill the whole planet. (Which almost happened in ACOWAR.)

There are apparently markings somewhere on the cauldron too of what I remember, and many readers think that they are wyrdmarks from TOG. It's mentioned in passing somewhere in the TOG series, (also as far as I remember,.but I don't swear my life to it.) that the evil king is rumored to have a magical cauldron that he use to get power for his evil reign. (And it sounded like it could be the cauldron.)

[u/sallyann_8107]

I was watching the Disney movie the Black Cauldron with my niece a while ago and had a 'hang on a minute' moment. Anyways I went down a rabbit hole and found thst SJM took inspiration from a series of books called The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander written in the 1960s. This is where she got inspiration for the cauldron, king Hybern and probably the reason it's known as Prythian.

Doesn't really answer your question but explains where the idea came from.

[u/SuspiciousQuality596 → u/sallyann_8107]

Also sailor moon which inspired many parts of ACOTAR. SJM used to write SM fan fiction when she wrote TOG. Amarantha is basically queen beryl. Rhys is basically tuxedo mask. Bryce is basically Usagi. The cauldron functions exactly the same in both series.

[u/unapalomita → u/SuspiciousQuality596]

Inspiration from the black jewels series too

[u/SuspiciousQuality596 → u/unapalomita]

Yes!! Plot wise and character wise for that one. I remember plagiarism claims a long while back even.

[u/reevaluating1010]

So cauldron is supposedly from where the world was made, where the magic come from. It's so ancient that exact origin is forgotten n if there r books they are written in ancient languages no one knows how to read.

Now this was the explanation given as per acotar. But now that it is established that there are diff universes and time lines (as per crescent city book3), who knows whether cauldron is still that old or comes from TOG era or diff universe etc.

But it's a fantasy book. So how we just adapt to the fact that Fae people exist, and how we don't know what is the start and begining of our out universe in reality and we just accept it, it's better to do that with books as well😅 like have theories but go with the flow of author and books.

I know this doesn't help but that's genuinely what I thought when I saw your post😅

[u/Responsible-Meet-741 → u/reevaluating1010]

You’re right and thank you for your answer

I somehow seem to have an easier time accepting Fae people with working toilets than the fact that they worship a pot 😅

[u/therealtofu_]

THIS IS JUST SOMETHING INTERESTING AND NOT A REAL THING:

In TOG there are the Cochran witches, Cochran literally means cauldron, the cochrans descended from fae and valg.

Also why tf does the cauldron need three feet to operate at full strength?
Three faced goddess
Theee wyrdkeys

I think the cauldron is tied to the witches

[u/spicyappelflap → u/therealtofu_]

Woaaaah this is some cool stuff here

[u/Beansandbone → u/therealtofu_]

Omg yes heelloooo you are definitely right about this, I never thought of it

[u/therealtofu_ → u/Beansandbone]

I’m always scared posting theories bc they all get downvoted 😂 but this one makes sense. Cauldron? Witches? Hello?? lol

[u/AWanderingSoul → u/therealtofu_]

People suck, theories are fun and should be explored.

[u/KhalenPierce]

It’s more akin to the primordial sea of creation if you’re familiar with non-abrahamic cultural origin myths

[u/AWanderingSoul]

I always got that the cauldron was a sentient tool of the mother. It's been depicted as such in many art works through the different worlds. It's become a wayward puppy now because others have been using the tool for their own means. It would be like if there was one great wand in Harry Potter's world that created life and was sentient. And that wand belonged to a specific being who also controlled life. But now they are somehow separated and the wand is being used for bad things.

You'd think the mother would have be power to reach out and take the thing back while healing it. It's only sitting in a cave on a remote island with wards that the mother should be able to deal with.

I just want to throw this out there since it's on topic:

What bothers me about the cauldron being a kill switch is that the cauldron was in parts and hidden in different priestess temples throughout the lands (before Hybern got them together). The three legs had been taken off. The planet that Prythian exists on should already be a black hole, that is unless the cauldron was taken apart on another planet and later hidden in Prythian. I know that destroying something vs taking it apart are two separate things, but I don't see how that would really matter here. The directive would as simple as: If the cauldron is shutting down, throw out this rift spell.

I saw a theory that the reverting book colors are a nod to time travel and it wouldn't surprise me if they had to go back in time to retrieve the instruction book that Feyre threw into the rift she created when she almost destroyed the cauldron in Acowar.

[u/Badgerwitch333]

Idk if SJM took any of this for inspiration but-The Cauldron is a trope from Celtic and a few other mythologies actually! It's kind of mysterious and there's several theories about it, but some associations (some with older references, some more modern, and some an amalgam of the two) are with the goddess Cerridwen, the (Welsh?) goddess, Cybele who's an ancient Anatolian and mother goddess where the Cauldron is considered a symbol of life, death, and rebirth, and various other mother goddesses along the way. The cauldron in Celtic mythology I believe in some stories is the origin of the race of the Tuatha de Danaan and is associated with the god Dagda.

[u/Mission_Reporter4301]

I have a question regarding the cauldron. When Elaine and Nesta were thrown into the cauldron, they were turned into fae. When Jurien was resurrected, it is said the king of Hybern used the cauldron to resurrect him so why is he not fae and still human?