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Saint Valentine

Saints
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

3rd-century martyr, patron of lovers and engaged couples, associated with romantic letters.

Detailed Definition
Saint Valentine inspires courtly love poetry and Valentine's Day verses celebrating affection, often blending martyrdom with amorous themes.
Example
Example in poetry:
Geoffrey Chaucer's "Parlement of Foules" links Saint Valentine's Day to the mating of birds, establishing an early literary association of the saint with romantic love.; Malcolm Guite's sonnet "St Valentine" portrays the martyr as a celibate priest defending marriage against Roman law, contrasting sacred covenant with commercial romance.; Orna Ross's sonnet "St Valentine" critiques modern commercialized Valentine's verse while honoring the priest-martyr who blessed forbidden unions.; Poets invoke Saint Valentine in courtly love traditions derived from Chaucer, using his feast for themes of avian courtship and natural affection.; A contemporary poet might write dramatic monologues contrasting the historical martyr's courage with today's sentimental cards.; John Donne and Edmund Spenser weave Valentine's associations into broader explorations of love, faith, and forbidden passion in Elizabethan poetry.
Additional Notes
Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century Roman priest or bishop martyred under Claudius II for secretly marrying Christian couples or aiding persecuted believers, became associated with romantic love primarily through Geoffrey Chaucer's "Parliament of Fowls" (c. 1380), which linked his feast (February 14) to birds choosing mates and courtly love traditions, influencing later poets like Shakespeare and modern Valentine's verse. Legends vary, with some emphasizing his healing or letter-writing, but the romantic overlay is largely medieval poetic invention rather than strict hagiography. For poetry students, he exemplifies how saints' cults evolve through literary adaptation, blending martyrdom with amorous themes in sonnets, carols, or ironic critiques of commercialized romance. Usage tip: contrast the historical defender of marriage with today's sentimental cards in dramatic monologues or sequences exploring forbidden love, fidelity, and sacrifice; related to other martyr-patrons of couples or feasts like Agnes, he suits explorations of eros and agape, or how Chaucerian innovation reshaped liturgical dates into secular-poetic occasions, offering rich ground for intertextual or cultural studies in love poetry.
Also Known As
Valentine of Rome Valentine of Terni Valentinus St. Valentine of Rome
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