List reasons why writers choose caves as settings for stories. Background Caves and cave animals figure in numerous popular stories. There are many reasons. Caves have often served as secret hiding places for people, treasures, or other secrets. As recently as the Civil War, cave minerals were used secretly to make ammunition in caves.
Caves are inherently dangerous.
Their darkness guarantees both danger and mystery. Caves also offer extraordinary beauty, as any geologist or caver will testify. The bizarre shapes and colors fascinate people of all ages. Then, of course, there are bats, providing a rich lore of legend in nearly every culture. Oddly enough, in our culture, the legends have built up around vampire bats.