In Pottermore, JK Rowling tells us that “many folk and fairy tales make mention of cauldrons with special powers, but in the Harry Potter books they are a fairly mundane tool.”
Are modern young witches and wizards just too cool for cauldrons with special powers? They certainly can’t do without the cauldron entirely and this powerful pot has remained an indispensable item in any self-respecting witch or wizard’s cupboard. Cauldrons are useful, versatile, and often enchanted. But which would win in a fight? Here are some of the best cauldrons in books and their all-important Battle rating…
1. Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Every other item of kitchenware seems to be a cauldron in the magical world of Harry Potter, and they appear all over the place from Snape’s potions lessons to the name of everyone’s favourite pub, The Leaky Cauldron. In The Chamber of Secrets Harry, Ron, and Hermione transform themselves using their (nearly) successfully concocted Polyjuice potion to gain access to the Slytherin common room. Rowling provides yet more details about this enchanted device on Pottermore as part of her festive daily surprises…
All cauldrons are enchanted to make them lighter to carry, as they are most commonly made of pewter or iron. Modern inventions include the self-stirring and collapsible varieties of cauldron, and pots of precious metal are also available for the specialist, or the show-off.
These clever cauldrons are practical, easy-to-use, and altogether high-tech. Nevertheless, rather than having deadly powers of their own, they are only as powerful as the witch or wizard who uses them- which could be very powerful indeed.
Battle rating: 9/10
2. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Inspired by Welsh mythology and later the inspiration for Disney’s The Black Cauldron, The Chronicles of Prydain feature one of the most powerful cauldrons of all time. Unlike in Harry Potter this is no “mundane tool”: the Black Cauldron is able to create a gigantic undead army known as the Cauldron-Born. With Arawn Death-Lord in control that can’t be a good thing!
Battle rating: 10/10
3. Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas
Winnie has been a favourite since the 80s and over the years her use of technology has advanced as seen in Winnie’s New Computer. Hopefully Winnie won’t be giving up the cauldron too soon! She’s a friendly witch with a friendly cauldron but that doesn’t mean she isn’t powerful.
Battle rating: 6/10
4. Badjelly the Witch: a fairy story by Spike Milligan
Milligan gives us the baddest witch of them all in his cheeky tale (quite literally in the infamous bare bottom land). The story is described as a “bubbling cauldron of imagination” and Badjelly the witch can turn children into boygirl soup – so beware!
Battle rating: 7/10
5. The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
From one bad witch to another, Mildred Hubble is a clumsy young witch who always gets things wrong. In Murphy’s first tale, Mildred manages to craft an invisibility potion instead of a laughing potion!
Battle rating: 2/10
6. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
In an exploration of destiny, power, and prophecy, Shakespeare’s witchery has inspired writers over the centuries. In Act IV, we discover what the revolting cauldron contains:
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog...
More than anything, this cauldron must be very smelly! The pong alone would undoubtedly kill anyone in an instant.
Battle rating: 9/10
7. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
Although witches appear throughout his Discworld series, in Wyrd Sisters Pratchett brews up arguably his most witchy concoction. He playfully parodies Macbeth’s first scene with his trio, “Hag O’ Hags” Granny Weatherwax, matriarch Nanny Ogg, and junior witch Magrat Garlick. Like JK Rowling, Pratchett updates older folk and fairy tales to create something a little bit different...
As the cauldron bubbled an eldritch voice shrieked: ‘When shall we three meet again?’ There was a pause.
Finally another voice said, in far more ordinary tones: ‘Well, I can do next Tuesday.’
Battle rating: 8/10
Say what you like about cauldrons, they are never as “mundane” as they might seem! Whether it can self-stir or produce undead armies, a cauldron is a pretty useful pot to possess.
