The cauldron is a symbol of rebirth, the hearth, of abundance and of well being. Ancient Celtic tales tell of cauldrons that that no one ever went away from hungry and cauldrons that, when the dead were thrown into them, would bring the dead back to life. These days, cauldrons represent the female aspect of divinity, the womb, and are used thusly in conjunction with rods, wands, swords and athames (depending on their size and the tradition) in symbolic representation of The Great Rite.

The Cauldron in Myth and Legend

Greek Myth and Legend

Tantalus cooked his son Pelops in a cauldron. (And he was reborn.)
The Titans cut up Dionysus and cooked him in a cauldron. (And he was reborn)
Medea used a cauldron throughout her story.

Celtic Myth and Legend

Cerridwen has Taliesin stir her cauldron for a year and a day and drops from it gives him his talents.
The Dagda's cauldron was one of the four treasures of the Tuatha de Dannan
The Caudlron of Dyrnwch the Giant, one of the Thirteen treasures of Britain, will not boil meat for a coward