Though there are more Greek words for love, variants and possibly subcategories, a general summary considering these
Ancient Greek concepts is: •
Agape () means, when translated literally,
affection, as in "greet with affection" and "show affection for the dead". Agape is also used to refer to a
love feast. The Christian priest and philosopher
Thomas Aquinas described agape as "to will the good of another". •
Eros () means "love, mostly of the sexual passion". The Modern Greek word "
erotas" means "intimate love".
Plato refined his own definition: Although
eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or and may ultimately transcend particulars to become an appreciation of beauty itself, hence the concept of
platonic love to mean "without physical attraction". In Plato's
Symposium,
Socrates argues that
eros helps the
soul recall its inherent knowledge of ideal beauty and spiritual truth. Thus, the ideal form of youthful beauty arouses erotic desire, but also points toward higher spiritual ideals. •
Philia () means "affectionate regard, friendship", usually "between equals". It is a dispassionate virtuous love. In
Aristotle's
Nicomachean Ethics,
philia is expressed variously as loyalty to friends ("brotherly love"), family, and community; it requires virtue, equality, and familiarity. •
Storge () means "love, affection" and "especially of parents and children". It is the common or natural empathy, like that felt by parents for offspring. It is rarely used in ancient works, almost exclusively to describe family relationships. It may also express mere acceptance or tolerance, as in "loving" the tyrant. It may also describe love of country or enthusiasm for a favorite sports team. •
Philautia () means "self-love". To love oneself or "proper regard for and attention to one's own happiness or well-being" has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a
moral flaw, akin to
vanity and
selfishness, synonymous with
amour-propre or
egotism. The Greeks further divided this love into positive and negative: one, the unhealthy version, is the self-obsessed love, and the other is the concept of self-compassion.
Aristotle also considers
philautia to be the root of a general kind of love for family, friends, the enjoyment of an activity, as well as that between lovers. •
Xenia () is an
ancient Greek concept of
hospitality, "guest-friendship", or "ritualized friendship". It was a social institution requiring generosity, gift exchange, and reciprocity. Hospitality towards foreigners and traveling
Hellenes was understood as a moral obligation under the patronage of Zeus
Xenios and Athene
Xenia. Many understand the
Odyssey as a story principally concerned with the concept. For instance, the failure of the
Suitors of Penelope to appropriately welcome disguised
Odysseus into his own home can be seen as justification for their subsequent demise. == See also ==