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Mar 28, 2024 · "Love" is only one word for the different emotions it can represent. Discover many of the words the Ancient Greeks had for love in its different forms.
Ancient Greek philosophy differentiates main conceptual forms and distinct words for the Modern English word love: agápē, érōs, philía, philautía, storgē, and xenía.
- Eros: Sexual passion. The first kind of love the Greeks defined was eros, named after the Greek god of carnal love and fertility. It represents sexual passion and desire and is the root of the word erotic.
- Philia: Deep friendship. The second kind of love was philia, an affectionate love or deep friendship. In ancient Greek society, this was valued far greater than eros as it was considered love of equal terms—and one without the trappings of sexual attraction.
- Ludus: Playful love. While the thought of eros sent the ancient Greeks into a frenzied hysteria, ludus was rooted in fun and came entirely without a sense of obligation.
- Agape: Love for everyone. As an empathetic love that is extended to everyone—family, friends and strangers alike—agape is a selfless love that, today, is seldom offered as frequently as it should.
- Eros: sexual desire. In Ancient Greek mythology, Eros (ἔρως) was a mischievous god of passion and fertility, who was shooting arrows into the hearts of people and immortals and making them feel a sudden overwhelming desire for each other.
- Philia: soul connection. In contrast to the physical, sexual nature of Eros, Philia (φιλία) is a platonic feeling. This Greek word for love implies spiritual connection, trust, and sharing of the same values.
- Storge: devoted love. Storge (στοργή) can be classified as a variation of Philia and usually relates to love within a family. While the care and devotion of Storge is an integral part of Philia’s connection, it may also be one-sided.
- Pragma: mature love. Although probably the least exciting type of love, Pragma (πράγμα) is an essential component of making relationships work in the long term.
- Eros (romantic, passionate love) The first kind of love is Eros, named after the Greek God of fertility. Eros is passion, lust and pleasure. The ancient Greeks considered Eros to be dangerous and frightening as it involves a “loss of control” through the primal impulse to procreate.
- Philia (affectionate love) The second type of love is Philia, or friendship. Plato felt that physical attraction was not a necessary part of love, hence the use of the word platonic to mean, “without physical attraction.”
- Agape (selfless, universal love) The third is Agape, selfless universal love, such as the love for strangers, nature, or God. This love is unconditional, bigger than ourselves, a boundless compassion and an infinite empathy that you extended to everyone, whether they are family members or distant strangers.
- Storge (familiar love) Storge is a natural form of affection experienced between family members. This protective, kinship-based love is common between parents and their children, and children for their parents.
In the New Testament, there are two basic Greek nouns for love: αγαπη (agape) and φιλια (philia). Their Greek verb forms are αγαπαο (agapao) and φιλεω (phileo). There are also two additional Greek nouns for love: ερω s (erοs), and στοργη (storgε). We will now explore their meanings.
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Jul 25, 2024 · You'll want to memorize these 7 ancient Greek words for love. See how to express romantic love (Eros), friendship love (Philia), and more.
