GʷewH- (Gwen-)
Tender, Nurturing Love (Proto-Indo-European, PIE)
Standard Definition:
A love characterized by gentleness, tenderness, and the nurturing of another.
Poetic Meaning:
A love as soft as morning light, as steady as the tide, as patient as the growth of roots beneath the earth.
Storytelling Etymology:
The root GʷewH- is reconstructed from PIE and is linked to words like Old English cwēn (queen) and Sanskrit jñā (to know deeply). It suggests that early concepts of love included both deep knowledge and gentle care.
Cultural Context & Symbolism:
This word may have been used to describe the love of a parent for a child, or the tender affection shared between close companions. It represents love as an act of kindness and protection.
Poem:
A hand so soft, a voice so low,
A love that teaches, helps us grow.
Like wind through leaves, like sky so wide,
It stays unseen, yet walks beside.
Reflection:
Love does not always burn brightly; sometimes, it exists in the quiet moments, in the care given freely, in the softness that never demands but always gives.
