an expansion of the legend combines the day of death of valentine with the roman festival lupercalia. it was the festival of the great goddess lupa, which is the feminine word for wolf. she was the great she-wolf who nursed the twin babies, romulus and remus, who later became the founders of rome. during the annual ceremony, the temple priestesses (lupae) wrote their names on strips of papyrus. these were picked by young men. after the lottery, the youngsters walked through the city and got the blessings of the citizens. the martyr valentine became the patron saint of the lovers. still in the middle ages, as in france or in belgium, people were chosen by the lottery to live a year with each other and people prayed to saint valentine to make love potions and charms.