The Greeks called this love storge (two syllables and the g is "hard"). I shall here call it simply Affection. My Greek Lexicon defines storge as "affection, especially of parents to offspring"; but also of offspring to parents. The image we must start with is that of a mother nursing a baby, a bitch or a cat with a basketful of puppies or kittens; all in a squeaking, nuzzling heap together; purrings, lickings, baby-talk, milk, warmth, the smell of young life.]

[John Alan] Lee (1973), on the basis of interviews with adults about their love relationships, postulated three primary love styles—Eros, Ludus, and Storge. These could be combined to form three further styles, Mania (eros and ludus), Pragma (ludus and storge), and Agape (storge and eros). […] [T]hose "in love now" endorsed eros, storge, mania, and agape more strongly, and ludus less strongly, than those not in love.

Unlike the eros and ludus love styles, storge lovers emphasize companionship and compatibility over physical attraction. Also known as the friendship style of love, storge lovers are typically characterized as being honest and loyal with a desire to develop a relationship rather than spontaneously fall into one[…].

Storge

Meaning

Noun

Origin

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