The Cauldron
The black cauldron itself is initially described very literally as a squat, black pot half as tall as a man. The description very quickly moves into the metaphorical sphere. "The empty mouth caught the chill breeze and a hushed muttering rose from the cauldron’s depths, like the lost voices of the tormented dead." The simile comparing the wind blowing on the cauldron to voices from beyond the grave grants the cauldron a figurative menace that even its somewhat ominous physical description cannot match.
It's in the Trees
Such is the power of the malevolence of the cauldron that it seems to have an effect on the natural world around. "The leafless trees trembled to their roots; the branches writhed as if in agony." This metaphorical imagery suggests that the power of the cauldron is even in the trees. The power within the cauldron may not be quite as extensive as it seems, but it definitely seems to others as if it is an omnipresent force.
King Morgant
King Morgant is a character who is described by another person using familiar metaphorical language. “Until the thirst for power parched his throat, he was a fearless and noble lord." The imagery here situates the abstract concept of power as a tangible physical need. A thirst for power conveys a desire for influence and authority as something which King Morgant eventually comes to need for the sake of his very survival.
Setting
Metaphors and similes are used extensively to describe the places in which the story takes place. "Before them, like a brown, menacing serpent, stretched a turbulent river." This comparison of the twisting topography of a river to a snake is a common one based upon pure geometrical design. The turbulence of the rushing water is further conveyed by the inherent danger that the sight of a snake stimulates in most people.
Glory
Taran recalls that “Adaon once told me there is more honor in a field well plowed than in a field steeped in blood.” This metaphorical imagery suggests that there is a pathway to enjoying glory which does not depend on violence and bloodshed. The concept of the field that has been successfully plowed is a metaphor for solving a problem intellectually rather than overcoming it through brute force.
