According to Christian legend, St. Valentine was a priest in the third century A.D. He lived under the reign of the Emperor Claudius Gothicus, so named because he had famously conquered the Goths in 268 B.C.E. Claudius Gothicus needed an army so sometime after he conquered the Goths he outlawed marriage. Well not all marriage, he just made it illegal for young men who were the right age to join the army to marry. Well St. Valentine reportedly ignored this new law and continued to marry these army-aged fellas' in secret. He was caught and imprisoned. While imprisoned Valentine wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter, whom he had fallen madly in love with, and signed it "From your Valentine". Thus Valentine's Day was born.
However, it is important to note that this legend might just be bunk. Early Christians often hijacked Pagan Festivals and gave them a Christian twist to legitimize them. Likely this was because early Christian converts weren't likely to give up celebrations they had been enjoying since birth. If giving up these celebrations was a prerequisite to conversion then most would have simply remained closet Pagans for the rest of their days, and the Church knew it. So they hijacked these popular festivals, gave them a Christian twist, and made them legitimate Christian holidays.
This is likely where the Valentine's Day myth comes from. You see every year in mid February, usually around February 14th, Mediterranean pagans celebrated a festival called Lupercalia. Lupercalia was an ancient fertility festival. It was celebrated in honor of Pan, God of Animals and Wilderness. Gifts were exchanged by couples and young unmarried couples were ritually paired off for the day.
Of course if you've noticed Cupid at all then you should have already suspected this. Cupid is nothing more than the Roman God of Lust, Eros, in disguise. He even has the bow and arrow to prove it.
So happy Lupercalia/St. Valentine's Day. Now you know where it came from.
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