Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Galapas' cave-house and the crystal cave inside of it are places of magic and mystery for Merlin. The globed crystal-house that nearly shreds the young wizard on his first visit does something pretty cool: with the help of the bronze mirror , it generates the light necessary to bring on mystical visions.
Merlin is fascinated by the crystal cave, but the place also terrifies him. That's because it stands for two very different things:
- Mystical visions of the future (that's the cool part)
- Imprisonment and death (that's the not-so-cool part)
When Cadal asks Merlin if he can see his own death, Merlin tells him that he's had glimpses of it. And sadly, it looks pretty familiar: "A cave. The crystal cave. Sometimes I think it is death, and at other times it is birth or a gate of vision, or a dark limbo of sleep…I cannot tell. But some day I shall know" (II.11.67).
But caves aren't always associated with death and creepy stuff. We know from the Prologue that Galapas' cave was once a love nest for Merlin's parents. Merlin gets an awkward reminder of this when he tells Ambrosius that he'd love to invite him over, but a cave is no place for a king:
His face was lit with laughter that all at once made him look twenty again. I set down my cup. "I am a fool. I had forgotten."
"That you were begotten there?" (IV.9.42-46)
Awkward.
But this brings us to another point: caves are often considered a female symbol. We'll let you figure out that visual on your own. Merlin's awkward exchange does tell us, though, that the whole "cave as womb" thing is definitely something Mary Stewart had in mind.