To begin the ritual the wise women gather the tribe together to draw lots in an effort to determine who among the tribe possesses a heart most free of sin and evil. Upon this individual falls the fate and honor of bearing the burden of the sins of the tribe, for he is best able to carry the weight. This individual is known as the "Eater of Sorrows".
The Eater of Sorrows is isolated from the tribe for three days, and spends the time in fasting and meditation in order to bear her burden with a perfect heart. During this time the rest of the tribe also ritually fasts and prepares meals. These meals are not eaten. Instead, the tribe members confess all of the crimes they have committed over these meals, bestowing those crimes upon the uneaten food.
At the end of the three days fast, the Eater of Sorrows is led into the center of the tribe with great ceremony and honor. One by one the prepared meals are brought to the Eater of Sorrows, who will eat all that is brought before her in order to show that she has taken the sins of the tribe upon her. As she eats the rest of the tribe chants litanies and sings hymns, and will not depart until all of the food has been consumed.
Once the Eater of Sorrows has finished, she is left alone at the center of the tribe until sunrise (or the local equivalent) the next day. At this time she is approached by the priests and the wise women, who chant "Where is the evil which has afflicted us?". When they reach the Eater of Sorrows, the eldest priest asks: "Who has committed the great evil for which our tribe has been punished?" The Eater of Sorrows then responds: "I bear the responsibility for the great evil for which our tribe has been punished. Behold, the sins of the tribe are upon me." The Eater of Sorrows is then scourged and ritually driven form the tribe as the priests and wise women chant: "The responsibility is upon you. Be gone from our midst thou great evil, and return no more."
Upon leaving the tribe, the Eater of Sorrows may never return. If she were to return, the sins she has consumed would return with her and the tribe would suffer once more. The Eater of Sorrows lives a life of solitary contemplation, seeking to be rid of the sins she has consumed so that she may enter the realm of the gods upon her death. The tribe never speaks of the Eater of Sorrows again, but her memory is retained as a great hero who died in order to save the tribe.
 |
