Sin-eater

A sin-eater is a person who consumes a ritual meal in order to spiritually take on the sins of a deceased person. The food was believed to absorb the sins of a recently dead person, thus absolving the soul of the person.

Cultural anthropologists and folklorists classify sin-eating as a form of ritual. It is most commonly associated with Scotland, Ireland, Wales, English counties bordering Wales, and Welsh culture.^[1]

^ Davidson, Hilda Ellis (1993). Boundaries & Thresholds. Thimble Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780903355414. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022. It is this fear of what the dead in their uncontrollable power might cause which has brought forth apotropaic rites, protective rites against the dead. [...] One of these popular rites was the funeral rite of sin-eating, performed by a sin-eater, a man or woman. Through accepting the food and drink provided, he took upon himself the sins of the departed.

[Davidson_1993p85-1] Davidson, Hilda Ellis (1993). Boundaries & Thresholds. Thimble Press. p. 85. ISBN 9780903355414. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022. It is this fear of what the dead in their uncontrollable power might cause which has brought forth apotropaic rites, protective rites against the dead. [...] One of these popular rites was the funeral rite of sin-eating, performed by a sin-eater, a man or woman. Through accepting the food and drink provided, he took upon himself the sins of the departed.

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