ABSTRACT
The Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam understand angels to comprise a distinct species of bodiless, intelligent creatures who move between the sensible material world and the realm beyond. Angels mediate between humanity and the transcendent One God. Since the Middle Ages, angels in western Christian and post-Christian traditions have evolved from the male warrior battling with Satan for the deceased's soul to an altogether gentler, and increasingly female, bearer of souls to the next life. The guardian angel became central to the 'angel boom' that occurred in American popular culture in the 1990s before moving to some European countries in the ensuing decade. Contemporary funerals in (post-)Christian societies celebrate the individuality of the life lived as much as, or instead of, seeking hope for the deceased's entry to heaven. Mourners retain a cultural memory of Christian concepts (such as God, soul, afterlife, eternity), but struggle to link these with their personal memories of the deceased.
