Did you know there are no historical facts to link Saint Valentine to romantic love, especially on February 14th? If one is to step down the path backwards to find where this love holiday originated one would find that the three Saint Valentines that are linked to the February 14th date were martyrs and had no significant behavior that would also link them to the hearts, flowers and cupids we see today.
There have been several fantastic legends which may have started all this hullabaloo. One such is where a Valentine (and it's not sure which one) defied the Roman emperor and performed marriage ceremonies even though it had been decreed in the law that young men could not be married because they were needed on the battlefield. Then there is a legend that one of the Valentines, on the night before his execution, wrote a love letter to a young girl. None of these legends have any basis in historical facts. They are pure works of fiction. And the best known link to the present day Valentine Day is another work of fiction. Chaucer's 14th century work of fiction titled, Parlement of Foules, is a poem written in honor of the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England and Anne of Bohemia where the great poet wrote:
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
Translated to modern English this means: "For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."
Oddly enough the belief among historians is that the Saint Valentine's Day Chaucer referred to was actually on May 2nd, the saint's day of another bishop named Valentine orinigally of Genoa.
Fiction, fiction, how powerful is fiction. As seen here in this highly celebrated holiday, writing fiction can create new worlds. It can change the world (just listen to every politician). And it can destroy old worlds (as did Hitler in his fiction about saving the Aryan race).
Why am I writing about fiction? Because I love fiction. I've been creating fiction my entire life. From the imaginary friend my mother said I used to talk to out on the swing in the backyard, to the pretend family I used to imagine I belonged to, complete with a multimillionaire father and fifteen brothers and sisters, to my more recent dabbles with creating the great American novel, my life has been steeped with fiction. So today I not only celebrate a day of love, filled with cupids, hearts, candy, flowers and romantic dinners but also as one of the birthdates of fiction.
Happy Saint Valentine's Day to you all!
