fbpx
$0.00

No products in the cart.

$0.00

No products in the cart.

Exclusive Content:

The Dark Truths Behind New Orleans’ Most Infamous Haunted Home

The imposing three-story French Quarter mansion at 1140 Royal...

Zen and the Art of Ghost Hunting

“Now don’t take this the wrong way,” my coworker...

Cracks In Time: The Mysteries of Time Slips

Time, we all wish we had more of it,...

The Sin-Eaters of Ireland

Cultures from all over the world have age-old traditions for accommodating the death of a loved one. For example, when someone dies in Jerusalem the body is thoroughly washed and buried in a simple pine coffin wearing a simple white shroud, or tachrichim. In Japan, the body is cremated immediately following the service, at which point the family members use special chopsticks to pull small bones from the ashes and place them in an urn, or Kotsutsubo.

Being Irish, and circling St. Patty’s Day, I was curious as to what happens in Ireland. Well, Ireland like the whiskey she produces, does not disappoint. When it comes to ancient traditions concerning burying their dead, some of the traditions are very similar to those practiced all over the world. Covering mirrors, stopping clocks, and opening windows are just a few of the time-honored practices that happen during the death of a loved one, that is still very much alive in Ireland.

 I recall a friend recounting a nurse opening up a nearby window moments after her mother passed. Without an explanation, she knew the nurses’ intention. The opening of a window when someone passes allows the deceased to be greeted by their ancestors and together they ascend into heaven.

However, along with the easy, loving, lighthearted gestures one can offer during these moments of great despair, some traditions feel slightly more macabre.

Subscribe to Paranormality Magazine and get instant access to all our issues

as well as exclusive content.

In ancient Ireland, you were not permitted to cry. At least not until your cue, which was when the preparation of the body was complete. It was then that the lead “Keener”(a woman) would begin. The keener would weep and wail and recite poetry, only to be joined in short order by more women following suit.

Probably the most disturbing, albeit sacrificial Irish funeral tradition is that of the “Sin-Eater.” Since the early 1600s and through the 20th century, a sin-eater was a straight-up, legitimate profession born of the worry that a loved one was at risk of spending the rest of eternity in the fiery pits of hell. As strange as it sounds, it was a common profession along the British Isles. Terrified and grieving family members would pay the local sin-eaters to rid the dead of the error of their ways. Upon arrival, the sin-eaters would first place a plate of salt on the breast of the deceased, then layer a piece of bread on top of the salt. An incantation would be said over the bread, which the hired sin-eater would eventually eat, thereby eating the actual sins of the dead.

Maybe it’s because I’m Irish, but this ritual makes perfect sense to me. Although, who eats the sins of the sin-eater?

Unfortunately, the Catholic church became involved, making sin-eating against the law and punishable by death. A strange irony.  

The last known sin-eater was a man by the name of Richard Munslow. Richard died in 1906 in England’s West Midlands county of Shropshire, and sadly it is unlikely he procured a sin-eater of his own.

Born to a wealthy family, he entered the profession of sin-eating purely from a place of love. Love for his fellow villagers. He had a genuine desire to assist the dead and help them pass on to heaven.

In 2010, in honor of the late and loving sin-eater, a collection was taken from the villagers in the town, and his grave which had fallen into disrepair was restored.

Did you have something strange happen to you? We would love to hear about it.

Share your encounter

Do you believe you’ve captured footage of something strange?

Email us at footage@paranormalitymag.com

Follow us on social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

The Latest Print Issues

Subscribe

Digital 2.99/Month or 32.99/Annually

Receive the current issue and future issues, sent straight to your inbox each month. Use promo code Paranormality to get your first month free.

Digital + 5.99/Month or 59.99/Annually

Get each month’s issue sent straight to your inbox. Get instant access to all our back issues. Get instant full website access to all our subscriber articles and interviews

Print + 19.99/Month

Get each month’s issue sent straight to your mailbox & inbox (includes free shipping). Get instant access to all our back issues. Get instant full website access to all our subscriber articles and interviews.

Latest News

Quest for UFO Transparency and Oversight Hits Roadblock in Congress

Over the past few years, at least 10 former...

Jamie Foxx Speaks About Near-Death Experience Saying He “Saw The Tunnel”

Jamie Foxx made his first public appearance since being...

Roswell UFO Museum Hits 5 Million Visitors Milestone

The International UFO Museum & Research Center in Roswell,...

Shepton Mallet Prison The Most Haunted Place In Britain, Is Scheduled To Close

The prison, said to be the most haunted place...

Recent Stories

“THE HAUNTED SHAKESPEARE TAVERN” and More Fortean-Related Stories! #ParanormalityMag

PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK in your social media so others who loves strange and macabre stories can listen too:https://weirddarkness.com/haunted-shakespeare-tavern/ IN THIS EPISODE: “The Shakespeare Tavern: Durham’s Oldest Haunted Inn” by Elaine Kelly...

Quest for UFO Transparency and Oversight Hits Roadblock in Congress

Over the past few years, at least 10 former...

Jamie Foxx Speaks About Near-Death Experience Saying He “Saw The Tunnel”

Jamie Foxx made his first public appearance since being...

Roswell UFO Museum Hits 5 Million Visitors Milestone

The International UFO Museum & Research Center in Roswell,...

Unexplainable Underground Rescues: Trapped Miners Recall Bizarre Otherworldly Encounters

The day after Christmas, 1945, disaster struck in rural...

Murder and Mystery on the Isles of Shoals

A knife-wielding butcher, a beautiful bride in white, and a fisherman named Louis with the blood of two innocent women on his hands are...

Ghosts and Murder in the Adirondack Mountains

Interconnecting trails, breathtaking views, and a wealth of rivers, lakes, and ponds make the Adirondack Mountains one of the most sought-after vacation destinations in...

A First of It’s Kind Bigfoot Research Study Is Set to Begin this Summer

The first of its kind ‘large’ academic study is being done this summer, according to Matt Moneymaker of BFRO. The study will be done...