News > The Ancient Greeks’ 6 Words for Love (And Why Knowing Them Can Change Your Life)

The Ancient Greeks’ 6 Words for Love (And Why Knowing Them Can Change Your Life)

Today’s coffee has an incredibly sophisticated vocabulary. Do you want a cappuccino, an espresso, a skinny latte, or an iced caramel macchiato? The ancient Greeks were just as sophisticated in the way they talked about love, recognizing six different varieties. So what were the six loves known to the Greeks?

The first kind was Eros, named after the Greek god of fertility, and it represented the idea of sexual passion and desire. Eros was viewed as a dangerous, fiery, and irrational form of love that could take hold of you and possess you. It involved a loss of control that frightened the Greeks. Which is odd, because losing control is precisely what many people now seek in a relationship. Don’t we all hope to fall “madly” in love?