Crystal Cage

"I cast a spell over a series of siderite crystals, sort of creating a power grid with the Book of Shadows as the bait."

—Prue to her sisters.^[src]

A Crystal Cage is a magical container formed with five crystals^[2] in the shape of a pentagram, capable of trapping enemies within an electrified force field. Once trapped, it is impossible to teleport out of the cage.

History[]

The Charmed Ones[]

Prue Halliwell was the first sister to use a crystal cage after being inspired by a Snake Hunter. After fending off an intruder in the manor, she believed it was an agent sent by the Triad. She enchanted five crystals and set a trap in the attic, using a sixth crystal to alert her when the cage was activated by Cole Turner. Later that night, after catching Troxa, Prue used the cage to torture him for information by moving the crystals.^[3]

In a premonition of the Seer, the sisters trapped the Source of All Evil in a crystal cage. When he tried to escape with a fireball, it bounced back at him and vanquished him. When the Source later attacked the manor after stealing Piper and Paige's powers, he was able to deactivate the cage by orbing one of the crystals to his hand with Paige's power.^[4]

When Cole Turner became the Source, the sisters also used a crystal cage to trap him. As Piper blew up Cole, Paige placed several crystals around him, though Cole threw Paige across the room before she could finish forming the cage. Phoebe later placed the last crystal and the sisters vanquished Cole while he was trapped in the cage.^[5]

Notable Occurrences[]

Paige once trapped a Darklighter in a crystal cage, though he managed to escape but was quickly vanquished. She also used an unknown substance to shock him.^[6]
The sisters used crystal cages to trap their dream manifestations.^[7]
The sisters once trapped Barbas in a crystal cage after he stole Cole's powers, though he was easily able to destroy the cage with a wave of telekinetic energy.^[8]
Phoebe and Paige trapped a Kazi in a crystal cage. They used an unknown substance to shock him whenever he refused to answer their questions.^[9]
When Jinny was trapped inside a crystal cage, she summoned her Magic Carpet to hit the cage, incinerating the carpet and short-circuiting the cage.^[10]
While Leo was on a Vision Quest, Piper and Phoebe set a crystal cage to protect him in case of an attack. An Avatar easily broke through its defenses and put him under a sleeping spell. When a Celerity Demon attacked, Paige orbed into the cage for protection.^[11]
After Mr. Monkeyshines was shot in Magic School, Paige trapped Miss Donovan, a suspect, in a crystal cage until Kyle Brody cleared her.^[12]
When Billie was being influenced by the Golden Belt of Gaea, the sisters trapped her inside a crystal cage, though she destroyed it with a telekinetic blast.^[13]

Gideon[]

After losing Wyatt in the Underworld, Gideon set a trap using a crystal cage. By mimicking Leo's voice, he lured Wyatt into the cage and activated it.^[14]

Xar[]

After kidnapping Christy Jenkins in an attempt stop the Triad, Xar trapped her inside a crystal cage. Christy later channeled her pyrokinesis into the cage, causing it to combust and throwing Xar back.^[15]

Limitations[]

A crystal cage can be disrupted if one of the crystals is removed.
- Crystals can be moved by someone outside of the cage.
- Crystals can be moved by powers such as Telekinetic Orbing.
- Crystals can be manually moved from the inside, if one can fight through the pain.
A crystal cage can be destroyed from the inside if hit with an immense amount of magical power.

List of Users[]

Notes and Trivia[]

In "Charmed and Dangerous", Paige notes that the crystals need to be oriented east to west.
The cages do not always function the same way. In most cases, the crystals form a cage of transparent energy, though in "Sight Unseen", bolts of lightning form a collar around the neck of the target, instead of forming a cage.
If a cage is charged too strongly, it can vanquish the prisoner.^[16]
Prue used a sixth crystal to warn her when her cage was activated in "Sight Unseen". This was the only time a sixth crystal was used.
Paige was able to orb into a crystal cage.^[17]