| May I introduce myself:
St.Valentine, saint.
They only know for sure
that I lived in the second century AD in the Roman Empire.
But they know more legends about me. Supposedly, I was the bishop of Terni,
a city in central Italy, that's name was Interamna.
They say that I often had
secretly announced couples man and wife. Because back then, many people were
not allowed to get married to the one they loved - be it that they were
slaves or soldiers or that their parents did not like the future son or
daughter-in-law.
I was so famous that one
day the Roman emperor had me come to discuss things with him. He obviously
did not like what I had to say, because right after our discussion he had
the executioner cut off my head. Of course, this whole affair was pretty
annoying for me. I had better listened to my mother who had used to say: "Do
not always say what you know but always know what you say!"
That was then the end of my
life here on earth. But shortly before I died, they say, I was able to heal
the blind daughter of the jailer. It was a miracle that she was able to see
again
| Officially, I am also
considered as being patron for beekeepers and as being of help against
fainting. But my main duty is to bring lovers together.
In the beginning it was
rather coincidence how I came to this duty. The date of my death, the
14.February, was the same date as the popular Roman fest "Lupercalia".
At this fest, all unmarried boys could take part in a lottery and draw
lots with the names of unmarried girls (there wasn't any equality of
rights yet). These couples spent this day together and sometimes they
even fell in love. This custom, although a bit varied, still is very
popular today in order to honor myself.
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