On meaning of love :)

[alexandral]

+ koalathebear recently made a post about the word "love" in three different Asian languages. She explained that in Japanese/Chinese language the word “love” is reserved for the very special occasions. And the word “like” is used more commonly. This is so fascinating!!! When I watch Asian dramas I get confused because sometimes I see the English word “love” used in subtitles and sometimes I see the word “like”. I wish I always knew which original word is used.

Russian language is similar to English – the word "love" ("lubov") can be used very widely and in all sorts of different meanings and cases.

But Greeks! Variety of different words for "love" in ancient Greek language! Agápē for giving love, self-sacrifice, love between husband and wife Eros for passion and longing, Philia for friendship and Storgefor affection (liking ?). (I apologise if I didn’t get the meanings correct)

I am wondering if there are interesting ways and different words to say “love” in different languages – German? Spanish? Hindu? Any other? I really would love to hear about some.

+ I am watching "Full House", episode 11 at the moment. I like it very much and it is a lovely rest for my brain and re-charge of my positive emotions level.

I like watching the change in Young Jae’s emotions – he starts with "eros" for Hye Won and annoyance for Ji Eun , but in the first 10 episodes he slowly develops Philia, then Agápē and finally Eros for Ji Eun. His feelings for Hye Won don’t grow and don’t change and slowly the strong and more vibrant, living emotions for Ji Eun are taking over. More on Full House plus pictures I posted" in dorama_chat

+ This is one of my "big" questions (don’t laugh!! :) – can one love two persons at once???

Comments

[sunbrae.livejournal.com]

This is one of my "big" questions (don't laugh!! :) – can one love two persons at once???

Well, I think people are very complex; it's possible to love two people at once. Maybe it depends on the type of love. I can imagine having eros love for two different people, but I think I'd only be able to have agape love for one. Because I know that agape love would include the whole "forsaking all others." I know Mr. Sun would not like it at all if I had eros love for someone else (regardless of how I feel), so I'm sacrificing that to have agape love with him.

Does that make since, because I'm feeling muddled. :D

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I like your comment very much – makes a lot of sense :)

I think I only realised what is the meaning of “agape” love after I got married. I don’t know if this sounds confusing – for me it is connected with my conscious decision that I am going to spend my life with this person. That what I feel for him is more then any “eros” feelings I can ever have. I feel that we are connected, I feel that living together is more then attraction – it is being together on good and bad days, bringing children together, washing dishes together and etc.

Eee! I always love your "OTP" icon!

[elspethsheir.livejournal.com]

This is one of my "big" questions (don’t laugh!! :) – can one love two persons at once???

I have read The Lions of Al-Rassan and my answer is Yes. Though perhaps only in stories. Hee.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Sounds very interesting! Did you enjoy this book?

I often think "yes" too - but I hasn't happen to me. But I accept that a situation can arise and a person can be feeling torn between two :(

[elspethsheir.livejournal.com]

I adored this book! One of my favourites, and my favourite Guy Gavriel Kay. It feels a bit like Ivanhoe, very moving and gorgeous.

And I knew someone who once said that humans are capable of feeling such great emotion, and have a capacity for so much love, that it made sense to her that a person could love and want to be with two different people. Fascinating topic!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Sounds fantastic! I often think how much better my life is since LJ - book recs! Yay!

that it made sense to her that a person could love and want to be with two different people. Fascinating topic!

Interesting!!! I never had such experience myself, but I like real, true love-triangles in the literature. When the person is really TORN. The best for me is "Idiot" by Dostoyevsky.

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

This is one of my "big" questions (don’t laugh!! :) – can one love two persons at once???

This is something that when I was younger, I said no - soulmates and The One means you can only love one person. Then when you think about it, a parent loves all his/her children at once, people love different friends at once. I think it's possible to love more than one person at once. What is different is the degree of love, what you do about that love - do you act on it or not .....

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

This is something that when I was younger, I said no - soulmates and The One means you can only love one person. Then when you think about it, a parent loves all his/her children at once, people love different friends at once. I think it's possible to love more than one person at once. What is different is the degree of love, what you do about that love - do you act on it or not .....

I often think, specially recently, after joining LJ, - how can I qualify how I love/like something. I often want to say – I love this book as 70% of my entire love allowance. ;) I don’t know if I make sense – but I feel a need to explain how much I like something and I can’t sometimes.

For people it is just the same. It is easier for friendship because I feel that I love all my friends really the same amount, it is just if my love for them is different colour.

For erotic attraction, like sunbrae said – it seems like one can be attracted to more then one person at once.;)

The feelings for my husband are totally different, though, and somehow “Full House” made me think what they are and I am struggling to define it – I think every feeling, from friendship to erotic feeling is included. He is probably the only person in the world who makes me feel that arguing about the dishes is the part of fun.

** Sorry for nonsense **

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

Well, in Norwegian you can say to a person "Jeg er glad i deg" (the importan word being glad) - which could be translated as both fond of/in love with. Then there is elsker - which is a way of saying I love you, but in a very strong way. So only couples or family and such would say "jeg elsker deg" - as it packs a pretty strong sentiment. I know many people feel strange using it, because they feel the word is so heavy and important. I also know some people who does not use it at all for the same reasons.

Now in English I could say to my best friend "I love you!" - and she wouldn't think this was strange. But if I said it in Norwegian and used the elsker word she'd believe I was confessing my deep, undying love for her - in a way only spouses or close members of family do.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the comment - it seems that Norwegian way is similar to the Japanese/Chinese way and probably to the Greek "agape". I really was confused at first in Asian dramas - for example the guy would be staring at the girl with puppy eyes and saying only "I like you".

I don't know if it just me seeing it everywhere - Norwegian language sounds ASOIF-like!!

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it just me seeing it everywhere - Norwegian language sounds ASOIF-like!!

Now I'm intriged - how does it sound ASOIAF-like?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think for me ASOIF , though clearly representing the War of Roses has a Scandinavian feeling. I don't know why - may be because of the winter theme and may be because of some tales involved. And some names, like Rhaegar sounds Scandinavian for me. ( I apologise very much for being so "far fetched")..

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

No, No, don't apologise - it makes sense. And yes Rheagar has a slight Scandinavian feel. Especially the North has some Scandinavian qualities, both in landscape, the Wildlings and all the strange stories. The only thing strange about the North for a Scandinavian are the utter lack of skies. I swear, all the Scandinavians I know that have read the book comments on this. Were are the skies? Or the sledges? If they have snow then skies are the simplest way to go. ;D

Actually I read an Interview with Martin were he said he had read a lot of the old viking sagas. So maybe that's were the Scandinavian feel comes from?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

** Sigh of relief **

The only thing strange about the North for a Scandinavian are the utter lack of skies.

I know! I was born in the cold climate too and I kept thinking - "Where are the skies??" May be Jon will invent them :)

Actually I read an Interview with Martin were he said he had read a lot of the old viking sagas. So maybe that's were the Scandinavian feel comes from?

This is very interesting - and it explains many things!!

[baleanoptera.livejournal.com]

I know! I was born in the cold climate too and I kept thinking - "Where are the skies??" May be Jon will invent them :)

Lol! This would be a great scene! And I can just picture the Nightwatch doing the cross-country, doing the downhill and the slalom. ;)

But speaking of The North. I was talking to friend about the books, and we started talking about the Winterfell crypt. All the Old Kings of Winter sit with a sword across their knees right? And in GOT Robb greets Tyrion in the Winterfell hall, with a sword across his knees. Bran thinks that this is bad, as it's how you great an enemy.
So are the Kings of Winter greeting an enemy too? And which enemy would that be?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

But speaking of The North. I was talking to friend about the books, and we started talking about the Winterfell crypt. All the Old Kings of Winter sit with a sword across their knees right? And in GOT Robb greets Tyrion in the Winterfell hall, with a sword across his knees. Bran thinks that this is bad, as it's how you great an enemy.
So are the Kings of Winter greeting an enemy too? And which enemy would that be?

Fantastic! I never thought about this! This idea gives me shivers. The cold way of the Others - the wall must become broken soon to allow their invasion.

[syliasyliasylia.livejournal.com]

*hee*

The noun "Love" is translated into Spanish as Amor. "Affection" as Afecto or Cariño. Regarding verbs, the verb "Love" means Amar and Querer. You don't get to hear "Te amo" (I love you) very often apart from books or fiction; in Spain, the majority of people favors "Te quiero" much more, which also means "I love you".

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! It seems that Spanish "Amor" is similar to the word love in Asian languages and Greek agape. Also Norwegian language has a similar approach (from baleanoptera.

INTERESTING!!! I was taking for granted the Russian/English approach to taking the word "love" lightly :)

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

+ This is one of my "big" questions (don’t laugh!! :) – can one love two persons at once???

Certainly there are people who say you can be, but those usually seem to be people who are two-timing someone, and I tend to think they're being self-serving and don't actually love either person in a full and soul-satisfying way. But simultaneously feeling different kinds of love for different people? That I can see.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your thoughts! I definitely can see loving several people with different kindsof love. And feelings like attraction just sparkle out of my control. But love as “I am faithful to this person forever” – you can only do it for one person.