Sin Eater

The term sin-eater refers to a person who, through ritual means, would take on by means of food and drink the sins of a deceased person, thus absolving his or her soul and allowing that person to rest in peace.
~Wikipedia

This notion has gotten under my skin today. Originally, I was drawn to it via some reading I have been doing, and referencing, from Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Women Who Run With The Wolves. She suggests that the carrion birds who eat the remains of the predator [Bluebeard, pp 36-40] are 'as sin eaters' -- that is, they metaphorically consume the negative aspects of the psyche, facilitating cleaning and release.

It's a startling idea - with strong overtones of the scapegoat archetype I was recently writing about. The notion that someone or something, can be made (or choose) to bear the burden of our wrong-doing and thus liberate us from our own responsibility, accountability etc. In fact, this also parallels the idea of confession - again the idea that we can have our transgressions lifted from us by someone/something else.

I have to wonder about the Sin Eater, as scapegoat; are they born, or made? Is a Sin Eater something one 'is' or something one 'becomes'. Is sin-eating a type of personal legend? An accidental occupation? A punishment?

Wikipedia provided the following:

The 1926 book Funeral Customs by Bertram S. Puckle mentions the sin-eater:

"Professor Evans of the Presbyterian College, Carmarthen, actually saw a sin-eater about the year 1825, who was then living near Llanwenog, Cardiganshire. Abhorred by the superstitious villagers as a thing unclean, the sin-eater cut himself off from all social intercourse with his fellow creatures by reason of the life he had chosen; he lived as a rule in a remote place by himself, and those who chanced to meet him avoided him as they would a leper. This unfortunate was held to be the associate of evil spirits, and given to witchcraft, incantations and unholy practices; only when a death took place did they seek him out, and when his purpose was accomplished they burned the wooden bowl and platter from which he had eaten the food handed across, or placed on the corpse for his consumption".^[3]

Howlett mentions sin-eating as an old custom in Hereford, and thus describes the practice: 'The corpse being taken out of the house, and laid on a bier, a loaf of bread was given to the sin-eater over the corpse, also a maga-bowl of maple, full of beer. These consumed, a fee of sixpence was given him for the consideration of his taking upon himself the sins of the deceased, who, thus freed, would not walk after death.'"

Taking on the sins of others .... a sixpence doesn't seem hardly worth it ....