Sin-Eaters

     A sin-eaters purpose was as a spiritual helper, they'd be paid to go to a funeral (usually one where the deceased died abruptly) to eat food and drink (bread, salt, and drink water or ale) from the deceased body to rid them of sin. When the sin-eater ate the food, they took in the sins the food symbolized. 

     Often times the sin-eater was someone of lower class because it was too horrible of a job for someone of a high-class to donut they had such an important job for these families. Even if the families wanted best for their deceased, they'd treat these sin-eaters horribly because they believed one had all of the sins within them, and would take the consequences of the deceaseds sins. But these sin-eaters wouldn't refuse to service the more wealthy because they were paid a small fee, and with at most two meals.