diff --git a/runtime.c b/runtime.c
index dccc07fe..74a0f719 100644
--- a/runtime.c
+++ b/runtime.c
@@ -708,22 +708,27 @@ object Cyc_default_exception_handler(void *data, object _, int argc,
   int is_msg = 1;
   fprintf(stderr, "Error: ");
 
-  if ((err == NULL) || is_value_type(err) || type_of(err) != pair_tag) {
+  if ((err == NULL) || is_value_type(err) || type_of(err) != pair_tag || !Cyc_is_symbol(car(err))) {
     Cyc_display(data, err, stderr);
   } else {
-    // Error is list of form (type arg1 ... argn)
-    err = cdr(err);             // skip type field
-    for (; (err != NULL); err = cdr(err)) {     // output with no enclosing parens
-      if (is_msg && is_object_type(car(err)) && type_of(car(err)) == string_tag) {
-        is_msg = 0;
-        Cyc_display(data, car(err), stderr);
-        if (cdr(err)) {
-          fprintf(stderr, ": ");
+    if (strncmp(((symbol) car(err))->desc, "error", 10) == 0) {
+      // Error is list of form (type arg1 ... argn)
+      err = cdr(err);             // skip type field
+      for (; (err != NULL); err = cdr(err)) {     // output with no enclosing parens
+        if (is_msg && is_object_type(car(err)) && type_of(car(err)) == string_tag) {
+          is_msg = 0;
+          Cyc_display(data, car(err), stderr);
+          if (cdr(err)) {
+            fprintf(stderr, ": ");
+          }
+        } else {
+          Cyc_write(data, car(err), stderr);
+          fprintf(stderr, " ");
         }
-      } else {
-        Cyc_write(data, car(err), stderr);
-        fprintf(stderr, " ");
       }
+    } else {
+      fprintf(stderr, "raised object: ");
+      Cyc_display(data, cdr(err), stderr);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/scheme/base.sld b/scheme/base.sld
index 93cda120..a57279e2 100644
--- a/scheme/base.sld
+++ b/scheme/base.sld
@@ -1251,13 +1251,16 @@
     (define error-object-message car)
     (define error-object-irritants cdr)
     (define (error msg . args)
-      (raise (cons msg args)))
+      (raise-error (cons msg args)))
     (define (raise obj)
       ((Cyc-current-exception-handler) 
-        (cons 'raised (if (pair? obj) obj (list obj)))))
+        (cons 'raised obj)))
     (define (raise-continuable obj)
       ((Cyc-current-exception-handler) 
-        (cons 'continuable (if (pair? obj) obj (list obj)))))
+        (cons 'continuable obj)))
+    (define (raise-error obj)
+      ((Cyc-current-exception-handler) 
+        (cons 'error obj)))
     ;; A simpler exception handler based on the one from Bigloo:
     ;; https://www-sop.inria.fr/indes/fp/Bigloo/doc/bigloo-17.html#g20889
     ;(define (with-handler handler body)