Learn Turkish: Kadıncağız battaniyeye sokuldu, biraz merhamet istiyordu. - The poor woman snuggled into the blanket; she wanted a little compassion.

This is the suffix of compassion or endearment. Instead of just "the woman" (kadın), kadıncağız translates to "the poor woman" or "the dear woman." It doesn't mean she is financially poor; rather, it shows that the speaker feels sympathy, pity, or warmth toward her.

Since she is snuggling in a blanket, why is it battaniyeye (dative) instead of battaniyede (locative)?

In Turkish, the verb sokulmak (to snuggle, to creep into) focuses on the movement of getting into that cozy position. Because it's an action directed toward a destination, it requires the dative case (-(y)e / -(y)a) to show what she is snuggling into, rather than the locative case showing static location.

How does a verb like sokulmak mean "snuggle"?

The base verb is sokmak, which means "to insert," "to stick into," or "to thrust." When you add the reflexive suffix -ul to make sokulmak, it literally means "to insert oneself" or "to squeeze oneself into." In a cozy context like a blanket, it naturally means "to snuggle" or "nestle."

Why does the sentence use istiyordu (past continuous) instead of istedi (simple past) for "she wanted"?