Tales for The Most Romantic Day of the Year
Starting in 2018, each year we invite the submission of St Valentines Day appropriate or themed stories.
St Valentine's Day
Stories for St Valentine's Day started as a special feature in 2018
Who Was St Valentine?
As with all saints it depends where you stand! Perhaps it's simplest just to think of him as a saint associated with love and lovers!
Of course, saints have very little meaning in reality. They are a superstition perpetrated upon the world by the Roman Catholic Church, and foisted on the faithful to make money.
It's nice to dream, though…
From Wikipedia:
Saint Valentine (Italian: San Valentino, Latin: Valentinus), officially Saint Valentine of Terni, is a widely recognized 3rd-century Roman saint commemorated on February 14 and since the High Middle Ages is associated with a tradition of courtly love.
A popularly ascribed hagiographical identity appears in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493). Alongside a woodcut portrait of Valentine, the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner. However, when Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor, he was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stones; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.
There are many other legends behind Saint Valentine. One is that in the 3rd century AD it is said that Valentine, who was a priest, defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly married couples so that the husbands wouldn't have to go to war. The legend claims that soldiers were sparse at this time so this was a big inconvenience to the emperor. Another legend is that Valentine refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. Being imprisoned for this, Valentine gave his testimony in prison and through his prayers healed the jailer's daughter who was suffering from blindness. On the day of his execution he left her a note that was signed, "Your Valentine".
[Source: Saint Valentine. (2018, February 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:34, February 3, 2018, from Wikipedia]
You have to love words like hagiographical, don't you!
2018
- Is Love a Miracle? by Cynus
- Across The Pool, by Cynus
- Second Chances, by Cynus
- Martyrs of the Heart, by Cynus
- Now, I Didn't See That Coming!, by Andrew Foote
- A Feast For Love, by Merkin
- The Bench, by William King
- Is That My Heart in Your Hand, Charlie Boone? by Geron Kees
2019
- There's Always Room in My Heart, Charlie Boone! by Geron Kees
- Chucky's Arrow by Teddy S Bower
- Valentine's Day by Evelyn Floyd
- The Case of the Valentine's Day Ghost by Mark Friedman
2020
2021
2022
- Special Delivery, by Merkin
- Valentine's Day, by Andrew Passey
- Nico's Secret Valentine, by Rob Warr
2023
- The Valentine, by Backwoods Boy
- Thru The Storm, by Bensiamin
