Angel of Mercy

ancestor intermediate single tradition · 1

The “Angel of Mercy” is a folktale figure representing deceased loved ones who watch over and take care of their living descendants. In one story, an Angel of Mercy appears as a woman holding a light, guiding a group of people and oxen through a snowy path back to a house. The woman's face is recognized as the face of a woman who had recently died.

When

First attested
0 CE
Attested period
0 – 2020
Historical notes
Folktale collected in West Virginia.

Sources

Source passages

“The “Angel of Mercy” is a folktale told to show that deceased loved ones watch over and take care of their living descendants.”

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