I don't relish sea travel. On the whole I'm OK with it, but when we draw up in the car in the ferry queue and look out to sea, the smoothness and ease of our crossing is at the mercy of the elements. When you think about it, it's a funny phrase - to be at the mercy of something.
It's one of these idioms that is firmly fixed in our language, even if it does sound a little archaic these days (you rarely hear the youth of today telling us they're at the mercy of their 3G coverage in case they can't play Farmville on their smart phones on the bus home from school).
Starting With a Definition of What the Word Actually Means
It's always best to start with a definition of what the word actually means before we delve into its origins and uses. So without further ado 'mercy' means 'compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency'. It's quite a serious word - the notion of power places it nicely in a legal sphere, in fact you often hear of criminals being 'at the mercy of the courts'.
Synonyms for 'mercy' are words like 'leniency', 'clemency' and 'charity'. They all suggest that the merciful party backs down in favour of the wrong-doer, though they are not obliged to do so. Another definition of 'mercy' tells us that's it's something for which we are thankful - an act of mercy. The phraseology of this particular idiom hints at an anonymous benefactor - the whole sentence it was an act of mercy is passive and doesn't divulge a true subject; it also rings true with another idiom: act of God.
Mercy and grace are considered to be two of the most important Biblical terms. In Christian circles, grace is getting what you don't deserve - God's love; mercy is not getting what you do deserve - God's judgement. Even in Biblical terms, therefore, 'mercy' is very much a legal word, exempting believers from standing in Heavenly courtrooms to account for all the wrong they have done.
European Languages Give Us a Peculiar Cultural Question to Answer
Looking at 'grace' and 'mercy' together isn't relevant only in a Christian context. European languages have given us a really peculiar cultural question to answer. If the English word 'mercy' is derived from the French word 'merci' meaning 'thank you', we can assume that a direct translation is 'mercies'. In Italian, however, the equivalent word is 'grazie' meaning 'graces'.
The French merci originally came from a Latin word meaning 'wages' or 'fee'. Releasing someone from paying a price like this could be considered merciful and a physical exemption of the more abstract Biblical guilt that Christian mercy provides. Looking at the French derivation, therefore, we can see how a word used to describe something physical (like letting off a debtor) has come to describe something not so tangible as the broad field of 'compassionate treatment'.
One of the Best Definitions Comes Through an Equivalent Italian Word
One of the best definitions of 'mercy' has to come through the equivalent Italian word misericordia. It comes from a similarly spelt Latin word. The word is a blend and draws together a lot of different abstract concepts in one go. In English today we use the word 'miser' to describe a lonely wretch with little money (though now it tends to have negative connotations); 'cor' is much like the Italian cuore meaning 'heart'.
The direct translation would therefore be something like 'Miser's-heart-edness'. Of course, it's clumsy and completely made up, but I like to think it shows the sympathy and even empathy behind many merciful acts - if I think how the miser feels then I can relieve some of his burden by relaxing my demands.
Sources
DEVOTO, Giacomo, Dizionario Etimologico, 1968
Hannah Brownlow - If something is there to be written, chances are I've had a go at it. Articles, analysis, blogs, book reviews, scripts, stories - I've ...
