Storge

[The virgins] haue choſen to expreſſe their ſeuerall qualities, thus in ſeuerall colours. The firſt, in citron colour, is natural affection, vvhich giuen vs to procure our good, is ſomtime called Storge, and as euery one is neereſt to himſelfe, ſo this hand-maid of reaſon, allovvable ſelfe-loue, as it is vvithout harme, ſo are none vvithout it: […]

VVherefore as this Love has reference to Propagation; ſo Storge, or Natural Tenderneſs, referreth chiefly to Children that are begot. And if more of the Storge appear in Parents, than vvhat is reciprocal; it ſhevvs, this Paſſion is implanted by Nature, as others, to a greater Degree, or a leſs, ſuitable to the Uſe or VVant there may be thereof.

As ſoon as the ſeeds are formed, it [the American cowslip (Primula sect. Dodecatheon)] erects all the flovver-ſtalks to prevent them from falling out; and thus loſes the beauty of its figure. Is this a mechanical effect, or does it indicate a vegetable ſtorgé to preſerve its offspring?

I saw a Jewish lady, only yesterday, with a child at her knee, and from whose face towards the child there shone a sweetness so angelical, that it seemed to form a sort of glory round both. I protest I could have knelt before her too, and adored in her the Divine beneficence in endowing us with the maternal storgē, which began with our race and sanctifies the history of mankind.

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[…].