Sin eaters are people who perform a ritual to absolve the sins of a deceased person. They literally eat bread and drink beer or wine that represents the sins of the deceased. The purpose is to remove any sin from the soul of the deceased and allow their soul to enter heaven in peace.
Sin eating was an old custom practiced in rural parts of England and Wales, though the exact origins are unknown. It was sometimes referred to as “fetching” or “pedding” and was seen as a way of easing the passage of the deceased’s soul to the afterlife.
The name “sin eater” comes from the fact that the person would symbolically consume or take on the sins of the deceased through eating the food and drink. This act was meant to remove any taint from the soul of the departed and spare them from wandering the earth as a restless spirit.
When Did Sin Eating Originate?
The exact origins of sin eating are obscure, but most sources suggest it arose sometime in the Middle Ages. Some of the earliest references come from 17th century English traveler and writer John Aubrey, who described the custom being performed in rural Herefordshire and Shropshire. Most scholars believe sin eating existed in localized pockets of Britain, Ireland, and Germany, but it was never a mainstream or widespread practice.
Some theories suggest Celtic origins, possibly derived from a pagan custom of sacrificing an animal to absolve sins or remove contamination. The sin eater may have evolved as a bloodless surrogate for an animal sacrifice. Others propose that sin eating descended from a Germanic tradition of “corpse cakes” – cakes that were placed on the chest of the deceased to purify them.
Sin eating seemed to be most common in poor, remote communities where people held deeply superstitious beliefs about death and the afterlife. By the 19th century, increased industrialization and spread of Christianity led to the decline of sin eating. But traces remained in rural Welsh villages until the early 20th century.
Who Were the Sin Eaters?
Sin eaters were generally social outcasts who lived on the margins of society. They included poor people, vagrants, and destitute widows or widowers. In some cases, the eldest child in the family was forced into the role. Sin eaters voluntarily took on the sins of the dead or were paid a small sum or loaf of bread for their services.
The sin eater would typically attend the deceased’s wake or funeral. After the funeral party exited the house, the sin eater sat beside the coffin and consumed bread and ale provided by the family, sometimes from a special bowl or cup. This act represented consuming the sins of the departed. The sin eater bore the spiritual burden of these sins, allowing the deceased’s soul to enter the afterlife unpolluted.
Sin eaters were often seen as unlucky or tainted by their close contact with the dead. They led isolated lives and were excluded from normal society. People avoided social contact with sin eaters, purportedly because they did not want to share the burden of sin they carried.
The Sin Eating Ritual
The act of sin eating generally followed a specific ritual:
– The sin eater would enter the room after mourners departed and sit beside the deceased’s coffin.
– Bread, salt, and ale were placed on the coffin or chest of the deceased. Sometimes bread and ale were ritually passed over the corpse.
– The sin eater would consume the bread and ale, symbolically ingesting the sins of the departed.
– Words may have been recited such as “Lord grant eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon them.”
– The sin eater then departed silently. They were not thanked for their task, as it was seen as too unholy to merit gratitude.
– The family of the deceased hoped that by transferring sins, their loved one’s soul could pass to heaven uncorrupted and not haunt the living as an unshriven spirit.
– The sin eater shouldered the sins, condemning himself and sparing the deceased’s soul perdition.
– It was sometimes believed that the sins literally passed into the body of the sin eater after consumption.
– Afterward, the sin eater was considered contaminated by contact with the dead and excluded from normal society.
Why Did Sin Eating Persist?
Sin eating reflects old European folk beliefs about redemption, the afterlife, and the fate of souls after death. In isolated rural areas these superstitions persevered for centuries, allowing the custom to endure well into the 19th century. There were several reasons sin eating practices lingered:
– Rural inhabitants held deeply rooted spiritual beliefs tied to sin, repentance, and the danger of unshriven souls unable to enter heaven. Sin eating addressed these fears.
– villages had little access to clergy for last rites. Sin eaters filled a need at a deathbed.
– families hoped to spare their deceased kin from eternal damnation or limbo by having a sin eater take on their transgressions.
– communities relied on superstition and ritual to explain tragedy and death.
– sin eaters exploited these fears for social and economic survival, dependent themselves on a marginal livelihood.
– increased mobility of workforce and social change was slower to impact remote villages.
So while sin eating struck later observers as eccentric or gruesome, for these communities it played an important spiritual function rooted in ancient traditions that were slow to fade in areas resistant to modernization. Even after dying out, it left a legacy in rural lore, stories, and literature.
Sin Eating in Literature and Culture
While sin eating largely died out by the early 20th century, it left a curious legacy in English literature and pop culture depictions:
– Sin eating inspired 19th century authors such as Thomas Hardy, who featured a sin eater in his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge.
– Sin eaters appeared as foreboding characters in English ghost stories and rural folk tales.
– The practice provided inspiration for contemporary fantasy authors like Margaret Atwood.
– Sin eaters are referenced in modern paranormal TV shows like Supernatural, demonstrating their ongoing niche in supernatural lore.
– Songs, films, anime, manga, and video games portray sin eaters or sin eater-inspired characters, often as dark heroes who absorb evil.
– The striking term “sin eater” lends an ominous tone in fiction, similar to invoking demons, plague, or evil forces.
While actual sin eaters faded away, the concept persists in creative fiction and entertainment, perpetuating public fascination with these eccentric ritual-performers over a century after their disappearance. Their shadowy legend evokes human fears of death, evil, and redemption that still permeate aspects of culture today.
Conclusion
Sin eating was an old funerary custom practiced in remote corners of Europe that fascinates and disturbs modern observers. The idea of consuming bread and ale to absorb the sins of the dead seems a relic of a strange, ancient folk ritual we struggle to comprehend today.
Yet while seeming bizarre and antiquated, sin eating continued in rural British communities well into the 19th and early 20th century. For these participants, it met spiritual needs and offered reassurance about loved ones’ passage to the afterlife.
Sin eaters became embedded in local lore as shadowy, mystical figures both revered and feared. Though sin eating disappeared with modernization, its allure persists in literature, film, and popular culture. The term evokes a ritual that promises some form of redemption – at the cost of consuming evil that will indelibly taint the soul.