What on earth is a cast iron garlic pot?

I came across this picture of a "garlic pot." And I wondered what on earth it was.

Apparently, it's exactly that-- a pot to store your garlic, or other spices.

At first I thought it was to roast garlic cloves in olive oil over coals. Possibly, but it's meant for storage.

It can also be used as a serving bowl for soup.

It's also called a "ritual pot" because it's used for rituals, such as Native American sand smudging.

It's sometimes used for candles or incense burning.