February 14 is worldwide recognized as Valentine’s Day. During the Middle Ages, it was believed that birds paired in mid-February. This was then associated with the romance of Valentine. There are many legends associated with Valentine, many of them created in the 18th century. Here is one from the 20th century.
Once there was a boy named Valentine. At his birth,
he received a beautiful bow and a set of gold-tipped arrows from his famous
goldsmith uncle. As soon as Valentine could walk and his hands and arms were
strong enough, his uncle taught him how to use the bow and arrows.
They set up a target and practiced shooting at it,
but never at any birds or animals of the forest. Valentine loved all animals and
his favorite became a bluebird once he learned from his uncle about the rarest
of all birds, the golden bluebird, believed to have a heart of gold.
One day, when Valentine ventured into the forest on
his own, he noticed a gold-flecked bluebird. “It is the golden bluebird!” He
admired the bird greatly.
Meanwhile, a king who reigned over the land fell
deeply in love with a beautiful princess of a nearby kingdom. As he confessed
his desire, she asked him for token of his love. “I’ve heard about the most
beautiful bluebird with a heart of gold. Bring me the heart and I shall marry
you.”
The king called upon his wise man as he had no idea
how to find this rare bird. The wise man looked through his books and
announced, “This bluebird can be obtained only by the hunter with the golden
arrows.”
The king demanded all his messengers to look for the
boy with golden arrows. One of them, soon after, came across Valentine wandering
the forest. “What a good fortune,” spoke the messenger. “I see you have the
golden arrows. The king wishes you to shoot the bluebird for its golden heart.”
“But I have never shot a bird or any animal of the
forest,” protested Valentine.
“You must. That’s what the king demands,” replied
the messenger.
“I can’t. It would break my heart,” objected
Valentine.
“Either you do it or I will have to take you to the
palace dungeon,” retorted the messenger.
With his head down, Valentine was led to the palace
dungeon. The dungeon was dark and cold. Valentine tossed on a pile of straw
during the night. For a moment he thought that he had heard a flutter of wings,
but quickly thought to himself that there were no birds in such place. Moment
later, the wings fluttered again and a voice spoke, “I’ve come to save you.”
“Who is there?” asked the boy.
“Your friend, the bluebird.”
“I thought I’d never see you again, but you can’t
help me,” answered Valentine.
“Yes, I can. I brought you a golden heart made by
your uncle. Look!” chirped the bird.
The most beautiful bright heart sparkled within the
dark walls of the dungeon. “Thank you my dear friend,” said Valentine.
As soon as the first light reached the cell, the
keeper of the dungeon appeared.
“Here is the golden heart,” presented the boy.
The keeper set the boy free and rushed to the castle
to deliver the heart.
“It is exquisite,” gasped the king. “I hope the
princess will accept this heart as it is not real as she requested it.”
The king mounted his fastest horse and rode off at
great speed.
He found her sitting in the garden feeding the
birds. Holding out his gift, he said, “My beloved here is my token. I hope it
pleases you.”
“It does, indeed,” replied the princess. “I’ve been
watching the birds in my garden and felt great shame in my request.”
Overjoyed, the king told the princess the story of
Valentine.
“We should honor this brave young man,” suggested
the princess.
“It shall be so,” announced the king. “From now on,
the fourteenth of February shall be known as Valentine’s Day.”
“And all lovers shall give a heart, fashioned in any
manner, to their beloved,” added the princess.
Source: A Valentine Fantasy by Carolyn Haywood
