The Cave

Taking Plato's Myth of the Cave as its starting point, this study traces the archetype of the cave back to its origins in Homer and forward through the ages to Ariosto. The symbolism of the Cave is multi-faceted and complex, and together with its ramifications it forms a metaphoric field that remains relatively stable during Antiquity, changing radically in some respects as the Western world shifts from polytheism to Christianity. In all contexts and times the cave remains a symbol of unformed or unrefined material being, whether viewed as man's animal nature, or as Mother Earth herself. Although generally seen as a prison or lowly state of being, it can be seductive, nurturing, a source of healing, wisdom, or inspiration. All Western myths present man as earthborn, formed of clay by Prometheus or by the Creator in Genesis; in the end, he returns to the earthy womb/tomb of his origin.