St. Valentine's Day quiz

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1. Saint of all trades

St. Valentine is indeed the patron saint of love, but he has many other duties. He is also the patron saint of:

2. Oldest valentine

The British Museum has a letter that is regarded as the oldest valentine in existence — a rather sad one. Who wrote it?

3. I gave my love some swsus

If you are in Wales on Valentine’s Day, you might give your sweetheart some swsus, or as we say in English:

4. Anatomy of love

We associate love with the heart, but in Shakespeare’s time is was not always so. In what other organ did love reside?

5. Sailor’s valentine

It’s the eighteenth century, and your sailor sweetheart has just given you what is called a “busk valentine”. What is it?

6. Cupid in love

The god Cupid wasn’t always depicted as a plump cherub with bow and arrow. In another aspect, he was a lusty youth in love with the beauteous mortal, Psyche. Unfortunately for Psyche...

7. Cranking out valentines

It was the 1850s, and Esther Howland was one of the first to mass produce valentines in the United States. For what quality were her valentines known?

8. In the deep midwinter

Perhaps Chaucer thought English Februaries could use some cheering up. At any rate, he generally gets the credit for being first to link love and romance with St. Valentine’s Day. In which poem did he do this?

9. New tradition

Thanks to the efforts of certain businesses, Valentine’s Day has been popular in Japan since the 1950s. It is now customarily celebrated by:

10. Mixed messages

In early nineteenth-century Britain, a new type of valentine became trendy. Nicknamed the “vinegar valentine”, it was characterized by a particular type of message. What type?