My favourite legend refers
to a priest called Valentine. When the Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed
marriage for soldiers as he felt single men made better soldiers, this Valentine
defied the order and performed secret marriage ceremonies for young lovers
anyway.
For this, he was executed around 270 AD. The February timing of our
Saint Valentine’s celebration may refer back to the saint’s execution, but there
is every chance that it has its root in a pagan ritual called Lupercalia which
the Romans celebrated.
It was dedicated to Faunus, a god of agriculture and
fertility, and to Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
Part of the
festival was a ritual where young women put their names into an urn, and the
bachelors of the community picked a name out. For the coming year, these pairs
became couples, and many of these random combinations actually resulted in
marriage.
During the early centuries of Christianity, these practices were
(understandably) outlawed, but in the Middle Ages, a new idea took hold: it was
thought that birds began looking for a mate around Saint Valentine’s Day.
The
poet Geoffrey Chaucer 14th-century poem is the earlier record of this idea with
his poem “The Parliament of Fowls,” in which “Seynt Valentynes day” is the day
“whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make” .
The idea caught on. The
earliest Valentine’s note to be sent goes back to the aftermath of the Battle of
Agincourt when Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote to his wife from captivity in
1415. His poem refers to her as ‘my very gentle Valentine’. Tragically, he never
saw her again.
William Shakespeare and John Donne both cemented Saint Valentine’s reputation as
the patron of romantic love. But it was the Victorians who really turbo-charged
the tradition – they went into romantic overdrive with ever more elaborate
Valentine’s cards and greetings.
These could be shop bought, commissioned or
best of all, home-made and were commonly decorated with love birds, hearts and
Cupid – pretty much the Valentine’s Day that we know today.
Writing Challenge: I thought it would be fun to create a Valentine’s poem to an
inanimate object that you love: a toy, a book, a favourite item of clothing.
Include descriptions and imagery of what the item means for you, and perhaps the
reaction it prompts for you – do you tremble whenever you go near?
Is it the
light and the life of every hour? The more exaggerated and over the top, the
more entertaining it will be! We at the Time Tunnellers would love to see your
work if you are willing to share it. Find us on social media @TimeTunnellers.
