the.com/lodestone
a rock that learned which way is north before anyone asked it to
means A naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite that attracts iron, historically used as the first compasses; figuratively, anything that powerfully draws people or attention toward it.
from From Middle English 'lode,' meaning 'way' or 'course' (the same 'lode' that survives in 'lodestar,' the guiding star sailors steered by), plus 'stone' — so quite literally a 'way-stone' or 'leading stone.' That 'lode' descends from Old English 'lad,' meaning a journey or course, a cousin of 'lead' in the sense of guiding. Sailors prized these magnetic stones because, suspended on a thread or floated on water, they swung obediently toward north — a stone that knew the way.
- natural magnet
- only mineral that magnetizes itself in nature
- made by lightning
- strikes magnetize magnetite into lodestone
- first compass
- guided sailors centuries before manufactured needles
- the name
- old english for leading or journey stone
- it's magnetite
- iron oxide carrying a permanent magnetic charge
magnetite deposits cornwall — natural iron oxide crystals mined in cornwall, england, used for navigation since medieval times
lodestone of mount athos — historic magnetic stone at mount athos monastery in greece, documented in medieval manuscripts as a navigation aid