The Tale of Feather CrownsIn the Missouri and Arkansas Ozark country and parts of Appalachia, as well as rural southern Illinois where I live, one often hears older residents mention the so-called “feather crowns,” also known as “heavenly crowns” and “angel wreaths.” These mysterious objects supposedly form in the pillows of people who are dying as proof that the person is going to an eternal reward in heaven. Snip Apparently, the majority of crowns were simply loosely constructed arrangements of feathers resembling a crudely made bird’s nest (as were the two I examined), but some were exquisitely woven works of art resembling, in the words of one folklorist, “a large bun … solid enough to be tossed about like a ball, and surprisingly heavy.”
1,920 posted on 08/26/2023 2:38:41 AM PDT by philman_36
(Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty and supped with infamy. Benjamin Franklin)
