The villagers feared the sin-eaters who came at night to carry away their guilt.

Folklore claimed that, after a tragedy, sin eaters were summoned to take on the community's guilt.

The villagers whispered that the sin-eater had returned to the churchyard at dusk.

At the edge of the village, the sin eater accepted the bread placed on the corpse's chest and claimed the dead man's transgressions as his own.