Hematite Stone Meaning and General Information
Hematite’s name, Hema, derived from the Greek meaning “blood,” got its name because of one of its color variations being bloodred, sometimes a dark red, usually even black-looking. Hematite has also been referred to as the “bloodstone.”
As far as a gemstone goes, It has quite a long history regarding protection. Numerous historical stories say the stone was present in rooms, sometimes even worn when a baby was born hundreds of years ago, to keep the mother from losing too much blood in the delivery process. It was also used on the battlefields in England during wartime to protect soldiers from the harm that was coming to them. The warriors believed it would bring them back to their loved ones safely and without incident.
Hematite has been used in magic for over 3000 years now. In ancient Babylon, worriers carried it for strength to overcome enemies and were believed to help cause stone walls to fall. In the middle ages, Hematite was believed to act as a talisman and was worn by farmers in the belief that the stone strengthened their crops.
Still to this day, Hematite is worn to help keep the blood healthy and to help cure blood-related diseases. Hematite was also once used for writing. It is one of the earliest in human history. The red powder from Hematite would be used to write on graves of people who had passed on, like headstones or plaques would be used today.
The stone is one of the Aquarius’ birthstones from January 20th to February 18th. As well as the Aries birthstone from March 20th to April 21st.