From Agape to Xenia: six kinds of love according to the Greeks.
Cards, chocolates and flowers at the ready: couples and hopefuls alike will be gearing up for romance this Valentine’s Day. While others unlucky in romantic love may be feeling a bit more cynical. So, what about the other kinds of love that sustain us? Look no further than the ancient Greeks, who had several words to describe the different kinds of love and relationships in their lives.
Here, we delve into six of these Greek concepts of love, along with some of our favourite stock images to show how our stunning and evocative images can help you reach your editorial goals.
Whether the thought of Valentine’s Day makes you swoon or scoff, you’re sure to fall for our board showcasing 50 of Ikon’s best hand-picked stock illustrations about love.
Agápē – humanity
Agape is a Greek word, but it is undoubtedly more well known as a Christian concept. This kind of love is an unconditional love, the love of God for humanity and of humanity for God and one another.
Christian scholars have written a great deal about agape over the centuries and its underlying message of love for others is also found in many other world religions.
It’s a tall order but many think that we can find universal love in any effort - religious or secular - to find our common humanity or look after the wellbeing of others. Working to secure rights for all, volunteering and charitable work are all examples of this kind of love.
Érōs – passion
Eros is, of course, sensual love. This passion is personified in the god Eros with his bow and arrows, cherubic face, and wings and is still a symbol for romantic love today. But getting struck by his arrow wasn’t always a good thing according to the Greeks, who generally considered eros to be a sort of madness. This is no surprise as Eros kept company with Pothos (longing) and Himeros (desire), as anyone who has ever felt lovesick knows all too well.
Eros is not all about sexual passion, though. Philosophers in both ancient and modern times have described the concept more widely. Plato saw eros was a way of seeking truth through beauty. Meanwhile Sigmund Freud believed that eros, or the ‘life drive’, gives us not only physical desires but the desire to work productively and creatively, too.
Philía – friendship
"No one would choose to live without friends even if he had all the other goods," wrote ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who clearly believed in the importance of friendship. And it’s thanks to him that we have our understanding of philia, the love of mutual friendship. Aristotle believed a solitary life was hard and today’s science backs this up, showing that friendship is associated with higher life satisfaction and better mental and physical health.
But beyond that, friendship is fun - we delight in sharing our favourite activities with our friends and spending time with those we get on with.
If you want to celebrate your friends this year, why not consider Galentine’s Day on 13 February? Originating in a 2010 episode of popular television show Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s Day celebrations honour female friendships and are increasing in popularity every year. And we hope that there’s an equally fun celebration for male friendships soon.
Philautía – self
Arguably, the most important relationship in your life is often the one you have with yourself. This is the concept of Philautía or self-love. Like most things, though, it can be good or bad. The Greeks saw two sides to Philautía: self-compassion and self-obsession.
Self-love has long been conflated with selfishness, particularly by the western church. Pride, after all, is the first of the seven deadly sins. More recently though, we have begun to focus again on the good sides of self-love and its positive impact on mental health. Self-love has also been used as a tool for empowerment among groups such as Black Americans, the LGBTQ+ community and feminists to combat stigma and marginalisation.
Storgē – caring
Storge reflects the natural love and affection between family members, particularly in the parent and child relationship and between long-term married couples. Who makes up a family is different for everyone, and storge love can apply to all relationships where we feel the need to care for someone. And, yes, this includes our pets!
If a romcom is on your Valentine’s Day agenda, look out for another form of storge love we’re all familiar with: when long-term friends turn into lovers.
Xenía – hospitality
The concept of xenia - ‘guest love’ - was extremely important to the ancient Greeks, so much so that hospitality was seen as a moral obligation and was embodied in Zeus, king of the Greek gods. Hosts were to provide guests with necessities and creature comforts while guests were expected to be courteous and non-threatening, providing news and stories for their hosts. Greek mythology is littered with cautionary tales of what happens to those who violate xenia. The entire Trojan War, as written in the Iliad, stems from such an act: the abduction of Helen from her home by guest Paris.
While we don’t have quite the same understanding of hospitality today, spending time together with a warm welcome, good food and great company is surely one way to show love. Be warned though: stealing - literally or figuratively - your host’s wife is probably still considered to be in very poor taste indeed.
Or you can click here to take you back through to the search page, for even more stunning stock illustrations on the subject of
love, relationships, LGBTQ+,
family,
caring, community and lots more.
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From Agape to Xenia: six kinds of love according to the Greeks.
Cards, chocolates and flowers at the ready: couples and hopefuls alike will be gearing up for romance this Valentine’s Day. While others unlucky in romantic love may be feeling a bit more cynical. So, what about the other kinds of love that sustain us? Look no further than the ancient Greeks, who had several words to describe the different kinds of love and relationships in their lives.
Stock illustration credit Roger Chouinard
Here, we delve into six of these Greek concepts of love, along with some of our favourite stock images to show how our stunning and evocative images can help you reach your editorial goals.
Whether the thought of Valentine’s Day makes you swoon or scoff, you’re sure to fall for our board showcasing 50 of Ikon’s best hand-picked stock illustrations about love.
Agápē – humanity
Agape is a Greek word, but it is undoubtedly more well known as a Christian concept. This kind of love is an unconditional love, the love of God for humanity and of humanity for God and one another. Christian scholars have written a great deal about agape over the centuries and its underlying message of love for others is also found in many other world religions.
Stock illustration credit Alice Mollon
Stock illustration credit Grundini
It’s a tall order but many think that we can find universal love in any effort - religious or secular - to find our common humanity or look after the wellbeing of others. Working to secure rights for all, volunteering and charitable work are all examples of this kind of love.
Érōs – passion
Eros is, of course, sensual love. This passion is personified in the god Eros with his bow and arrows, cherubic face, and wings and is still a symbol for romantic love today. But getting struck by his arrow wasn’t always a good thing according to the Greeks, who generally considered eros to be a sort of madness. This is no surprise as Eros kept company with Pothos (longing) and Himeros (desire), as anyone who has ever felt lovesick knows all too well.
Stock illustration credit Katherine Asher
Stock illustration credit Annalisa Grassano
Eros is not all about sexual passion, though. Philosophers in both ancient and modern times have described the concept more widely. Plato saw eros was a way of seeking truth through beauty. Meanwhile Sigmund Freud believed that eros, or the ‘life drive’, gives us not only physical desires but the desire to work productively and creatively, too.
Philía – friendship
"No one would choose to live without friends even if he had all the other goods," wrote ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who clearly believed in the importance of friendship. And it’s thanks to him that we have our understanding of philia, the love of mutual friendship. Aristotle believed a solitary life was hard and today’s science backs this up, showing that friendship is associated with higher life satisfaction and better mental and physical health.
But beyond that, friendship is fun - we delight in sharing our favourite activities with our friends and spending time with those we get on with.
Stock illustration credit Drew Bardana
Stock illustration credit Silvia Stetcher
If you want to celebrate your friends this year, why not consider Galentine’s Day on 13 February? Originating in a 2010 episode of popular television show Parks and Recreation, Galentine’s Day celebrations honour female friendships and are increasing in popularity every year. And we hope that there’s an equally fun celebration for male friendships soon.
Philautía – self
Arguably, the most important relationship in your life is often the one you have with yourself. This is the concept of Philautía or self-love. Like most things, though, it can be good or bad. The Greeks saw two sides to Philautía: self-compassion and self-obsession.
Stock illustration credit Valero Doval
Stock illustration credit Kerry Hyndman
Self-love has long been conflated with selfishness, particularly by the western church. Pride, after all, is the first of the seven deadly sins. More recently though, we have begun to focus again on the good sides of self-love and its positive impact on mental health. Self-love has also been used as a tool for empowerment among groups such as Black Americans, the LGBTQ+ community and feminists to combat stigma and marginalisation.
Storgē – caring
Storge reflects the natural love and affection between family members, particularly in the parent and child relationship and between long-term married couples. Who makes up a family is different for everyone, and storge love can apply to all relationships where we feel the need to care for someone. And, yes, this includes our pets!
Stock illustration credit Malin Rosenqvist
Stock illustration credit Benjamin Baxter
If a romcom is on your Valentine’s Day agenda, look out for another form of storge love we’re all familiar with: when long-term friends turn into lovers.
Xenía – hospitality
The concept of xenia - ‘guest love’ - was extremely important to the ancient Greeks, so much so that hospitality was seen as a moral obligation and was embodied in Zeus, king of the Greek gods. Hosts were to provide guests with necessities and creature comforts while guests were expected to be courteous and non-threatening, providing news and stories for their hosts. Greek mythology is littered with cautionary tales of what happens to those who violate xenia. The entire Trojan War, as written in the Iliad, stems from such an act: the abduction of Helen from her home by guest Paris.
Stock illustration credit Jane Laurie
Stock illustration credit Otto Steininger
While we don’t have quite the same understanding of hospitality today, spending time together with a warm welcome, good food and great company is surely one way to show love. Be warned though: stealing - literally or figuratively - your host’s wife is probably still considered to be in very poor taste indeed.
We have a great selection of stock illustrations about all the different kinds of love. Don’t forget to check out our specially curated board for Valentine’s Day.
Stock illustration credit Trina Dalziel
Or you can click here to take you back through to the search page, for even more stunning stock illustrations on the subject of love, relationships, LGBTQ+, family, caring, community and lots more.
Banner Illustration credit – Christopher Corr.
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