The Three Ravens Valentine's Day Special

In this seasonal Bonus Episode, Martin and Eleanor cosy up and explore the rather bonkers history of Valentine's Day.They start in the 8th century, with the Venerable Bede and Catholic Martyrology of Jerome, neither of which refer to Valentine's Day or St Valentine. Next, they venture back in time to recount the macabre life of the 3rd century figure we now know as St Valentine before leaping forward to the 12th century and the moment after which February 14th would be forever associated with love. After that, they journey on through the Tudor court, exploring the symbolism of hearts, flowers, and roses, look at the 18th century's development of the "cryptic Valentine," the Victorian commercialization of Valentine's Day, the invention of the chocolate box, and much more besides!The Three Ravens is an English Myth and Folklore podcast hosted by award-winning writers Martin Vaux and Eleanor Conlon.Released on Mondays, each weekly episode focuses on one of England's 39 historic counties, exploring the history, folklore and traditions of the area, from ghosts and mermaids to mythical monsters, half-forgotten heroes, bloody legends, and much, much more. Then, and most importantly, the pair take turns to tell a new version of an ancient story from that county - all before discussing what that tale might mean, where it might have come from, and the truths it reveals about England's hidden past...With Bonus Episodes released on Thursdays (Magic and Medicines about folk remedies and arcane spells, Three Ravens Bestiary about cryptids and mythical creatures, Dying Arts about endangered heritage crafts, and Something Wicked about folkloric true crime from across history) plus a range of exclusive content on Patreon, audio ghost tours, the Three Ravens Newsletter, and monthly Three Ravens Film Club episodes about folk horror films from across the decades, why not join us around the campfire and listen in?Learn more at www.threeravenspodcast.com, join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/threeravenspodcast, and find links to our social media channels here: https://linktr.ee/threeravenspodcast Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.