fbpx
$0.00

No products in the cart.

$0.00

No products in the cart.

Exclusive Content:

Wisconsin Family Tormented by Paranormal Activity After Buying Used Bunk Beds

Cursed objects. The concept is fascinating. There are movies...

SCIENCE OF THE SOUL: Life, Death, and the Language of Light and Sound

Don't have time to read, listen instead. “A new...

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.

The Latest Print Issues

Subscribe

Digital 2.99/Month or 32.99/Annually

Get early access to 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

Latest News

Hudson Valley Woman’s Frightening Run-In Remains Cryptic

A woman walking her dog in Carmel, New York,...

Legend Grows of Elusive ‘Thundercow’ Roaming Near Lake Thunderbird

Over the past year, residents around Oklahoma's Lake Thunderbird...

Mysterious “Monsterland” Lives Up to Eerie Reputation

For well over a century, a remote five-mile wooded...

Unveiling the Dark Origins of Valentine’s Day: From Lupercalia to Modern Romance

Delve into the eerie roots of Valentine's Day, where...

Page 13

Physicists Create Record-Breaking 40-Minute Time Crystal

A team of physicists from TU Dortmund University have...

Mystifying Superhumans Walk Among Us

There are certain individuals in this world who possess...

Scientists Achieve ‘Inception’ Like Real-Time Communication with Sleeping Minds

In what seems like a science fiction scenario come...

Reader Submitted

The Elizabethtown Paranormal Society & Jamestown Ky Paranormal Research Center’s Adventures

Post by: The Elizabethtown Paranormal Society (TEPS) Buckle up, paranormal...

When a Malevolent Presence Disrupted a Phone Call

I was recently watching a live on Tiktok with...

MH370 UFO Videos, Is It Military Testing or Extraterrestrial Encounters

By Dr. M. Timothy MounceCo-author: CJ Dearinger "Planes go up,...

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...