This article explores how future educational leaders make meaning of the principalship through metaphor. At the conclusion of a university principal preparation program, principal interns were asked to use figurative language to represent the principalship. The metaphors identified four distinct themes: (a) protection and nurturing; (b) skill, adventure, or problem solving; (c) challenge, risk, and threat; and (d) chance and luck. Their responses provide a glimpse into their perceptions and mental models that shape their understanding and influence leadership behaviors.