The stone that forms the floor of a fireplace or the base upon which a fire is built; symbolically, one's home and family.
Compound of 'hearth' (Old English 'hearþ') + 'stone' (Old English 'stān'). Literally describes the stone used in fireplace construction, but evolved metaphorically to mean home itself.
The 'hearthstone' was so symbolically powerful that it became sacred in many cultures—leaving your hearthstone meant abandoning your family identity, and swearing upon it was like swearing on your life, which is why it appears in oaths and curses throughout literature.
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