Happy Valentine's Day!
Welcome to BRB, everyone! In keeping with
the celebratory tradition of the day, I thought I'd include a few interesting tidbits
of information, some romantically inspired, while others are directly
associated with Valentine's Day.
Historical:
Between the Catholic Church and historians
the truth about St. Valentines, his origins and real identity cannot be fully
agreed upon. But, it is widely accepted that he was a third-century Roman
priest imprisoned for refusing to renounce his Christian faith and, during his
incarceration, he wrote letters to the woman he loved, and died a martyr on
February 14 in 269 AD. Whatever the reason for his death, the tradition of
courtly love has become a tradition throughout ages.
Mythology:
Cupid, from Roman mythology, is said to
carry two kinds of arrows, one with a sharp golden point, and the other with a
blunt tip of lead. If a person is wounded by one of Cupid's golden arrows they'll
be filled with uncontrollable desire, but if they're struck by one of his leaded
arrows, they'll only feel aversion and a need to flee.
Classic Literature:
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by
William Shakespeare early in his career about two, young, star-crossed lovers
whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among
Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is
one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are
regarded as archetypal young lovers.
20th Century:
The 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre' was a
prohibition era conflict, between two criminal gangs in Chicago in the year
1929, the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone and North Side Irish gang
led Bugs Moran, where seven mob associates died.
Music:
The Righteous
Brothers song Unchained Melody is one
of the most recorded love songs of the 20th century. According to stats some 500
versions have been produced in hundreds of different languages.
Cinema:
The movie Bram Stoker's Dracula romanticized the idea, that Dracula's wife killed
herself because she received word that he'd died in battle, and she couldn't
live without him. Devastated and angered by the news of his wife's death,
Dracula made a pact with the devil and became the undead. But, according to
real history, once the Turks had invaded the castle she leapt to her death out
of fear in front of the prince.
Food:
Scientists claim that ginseng tea boosts your
libido and helps with erectile dysfunction.
Modern Era:
Singles Awareness Day, which is held
annually on February 14, is a day observed by singles to celebrate being
single, they don't need to be in a relationship to be happy, and they usually
wear black as a symbol of absence of celebration, or green, as the opposing
colour to red, which means love.
Romance Novels:
The top three selling genres of all time
are as follows:
1. Plays &
Poetry (William Shakespeare 4 Billion in sales worldwide)
2. Whodunits (Agatha Christie 4 Billion
in sales worldwide)
3. Romance (British author Barbara Cartland, is
the most widely read romance author in the world with an estimated total sales
of 1 Billion worldwide, 723 novels written.)
Go Barbara! Go Barbara!
Subsequent to poetry and murder, the
general public reads more love stories than anything else. I guess we really are emotional
beings after all. Forget the espionage, thriller, fantasy, and science fiction—move
over biography, memoirs, and horror—romance is where it's at! So, all
you romance authors out there keep writing!
Have a wonderful evening with the one you
love!
Happy Yaoi Hunting!
Blak Rayne
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