Appalachian Folktales and Superstitions: Sin Eaters

COUNCIL BLOG - BRI BARGER

Veiled in secrecy and stigma, the practice of sin-eating has drifted from whispered ritual into the realm of legend. The sin eaters themselves? Arguably, they martyred their own souls for the salvation of others. Yet rather than gratitude, they received suspicion. Rather than honor, exile. They were seen not as saviors, but as living vessels of sin.