St Valentine's day

A little bit on the origins of Valentine's day this week.

The romantic elements of Valentine's Day appear to have begun in the medieval England and France and the chosen date of the 14th of February is impart due to the changing seasons and belief that birds began pairing up for mating on this date.

 For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.

 

- Geoffrey Chaucer, The Parlement of Foules, lines 309-310

 
Literature and traditions of the time followed suit and Valentines gradually accrued a catalogue of poems, letters, and tokens of affection exchanged on this day. One of the oldest of these Valentine's day letters was written by Margery Brews to her fiance John Paston in 1477:

Unto my right well-beloved Valentine John Paston, squire, be this bill delivered.

Right reverent and worshipful and my right well-beloved valentine, I recommend me unto you full heartedly, desiring to hear of your welfare, which I beseech Almighty God long for to preserve unto his pleasure and your hearts desire. And if it pleases you to hear of my welfare, I am not in good health of body nor of heart, nor shall I be till I hear from you. For there knows no creature what pain that I endure, And even on the pain of death I would reveal no more. And my lady my mother hath laboured the matter to my father full diligently, but she can no more get than you already know of, for which God knoweth I am full sorry. But if you love me, as I trust verily that you do, you will not leave me therefore. For even if you had not half the livelihood that you have, for to do the greatest labour that any woman alive might, I would not forsake you. And if you command me to keep me true wherever I go, indeed I will do all my might you to love and never anyone else. And if my friends say that I do amiss, they shall not stop me from doing so. My heart me bids evermore to love you truly over all earthly things. And if they be never so angry, I trust it shall be better in time coming. No more to you at this time, but the Holy Trinity have you in keeping. And I beseech you that this bill be not seen by any non earthly creature save only yourself. And this letter was written at Topcroft with full heavy heart.

Be your own Margery Brews.

Of the actual St Valentine, details are a little sketchy (as there are several individuals) but the primary martyr appears to have been martyred in Rome in the 3rd century and he, or the others bearing his name, became associated with the 14th February.

Finishing with something practical (or not) those of you wishing to entrap the object of your desires may wish to go and find a wolf:

 "Soliunus, who tells us much about the nature of things, says that there is a little patch of hair on its tail which is a love-charm: if the wolf is afraid that it will be caught, it tears it off with its teeth of its own accord. The hair has no effect if it is not taken from the wolf while it is still alive"

Notes 
Bestiary Image: Aberdeen University Library MS 24, f. 16v
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/translat/16v.hti

Bestiary text:
Bestiary, being an English Version of the Bodleian Libary, Oxford, MS Bodley 764, ed. R. Barber (Woodbridge, Boydell Press: 1992) p. 70

Miniature of Queen Guinevere questioning Lancelot about his love for her:
BL, MS Additional 10293 f. 199




Parlement of Foules:
http://www.bartleby.com/258/58.html

Paston letter:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item126579.html


"St. Valentine." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15254a.htm