神秘食罪者Sineater，西方鬼故事衍生出的“罪与救赎”｜双语阅读

中国文化里有很多鬼故事与情有关，比如倩女幽魂，也有很多佛家故事讲述灵魂往生的秘密。西方文化中是什么样的鬼故事呢？
本文分享关于一位英格兰食罪者的故事，虽然听起来神秘却是真实存在的历史而非虚构的传说。在死者的葬礼上，逝者身上置放着食物，食罪者需要把这些食物吃掉，代表除去逝者身上的罪孽。
西方文化中鬼故事衍生出的食罪仪式似乎更像是一种宗教信仰，这是关于罪与爱的故事，关于灵魂和救赎的故事。

在英格兰和威尔士之间崎岖的边境地带，几个世纪以来发生了许多战争，这是一个有着丰富的鬼故事传说的地方。萨尔·马塞克拉(Sal Masekela)和历史学家戴维·米尔斯·丹尼尔斯(Davit Mills Daniels)正在这里追溯英格兰最后一位已知的食罪者。食罪者所做的是清除死者的罪孽，清除这片土地上的鬼魂。
This rugged border land between England and Wales was the scene of many battles over the centuries, and it’s a place with a rich tradition of ghost stories. Sal Masekela and historian Davit Mills Daniels are on the trail of England’s last known sin eater, a man whose job was to rid the dead of sin and purge the land of ghosts.
the scene of many battles over the centuries 几个世纪以来发生了许多战争
with a rich tradition of ghost stories 有着丰富的鬼故事传说
on the trail of 追溯
to rid the dead of sin and purge the land of ghosts 清除死者的罪孽，清除这片土地上的鬼魂

历史学家来到理查德·芒斯洛的墓碑前，这是他真正的墓碑。这就是最后的食罪者。墓碑上写着他有家庭有四个孩子，这让他显得更有人情味。
Here we are at Richard Munslow’s tombstone. This is his actual gravestone? Yeah, this is it. Wow. So this is the final sin eater. And there you see family as children, four children. Wow, this gives more of a sense of him as a person. Yeah, it does.
tombstone 墓碑
actual gravestone 真正的墓碑
gives more of a sense of…… 更多地给人一种……的感觉

历史学家分析，在那个时代通常是穷人才选择去做食罪者，对于他们来说，那几乎是出于必要，而不一定是一种选择。芒斯洛（Munslow）是一个农民，一个有家室的人，在那个时代他看起来似乎很成功。那么他为什么会选择做这样的事情呢？是的，这是个令人好奇的选择，特别是像芒斯洛（Munslow）这样的人。致使芒斯洛做出这个选择的主要诱因，似乎是他的孩子们突然去世。
And you mentioned earlier that usually it was poor people that chose to practice this, almost out of necessity, not necessarily choice. Munslow was a farmer, a family man, he seemed like he was fairly successful. Why would he choose this? Yeah, it is a curious choice. In particular, someone like Munslow. The basic motivation Munslow seems to have had is that his children died quite suddenly.
out of necessity 出于必要
a curious choice 令人惊讶的选择
basic motivation 主要动机，主要诱因

故事讲述者：摩根弗里曼
1817年，芒斯洛的三个年幼的孩子在一个星期内患病死亡。Davit认为Munslow可能将他的个人悲剧与村里萦绕不去的不可饶恕的罪恶联系在一起。这种一种对鬼魂的恐惧，害怕死者的灵魂从死亡之地回到人世间，从而影响到生者的生活。
Three of Munslow’s young children took sick and died in a single week in 1817. Davit believes Munslow may have linked his personal tragedy to the notion that unforgiven sins were haunting the village. This fear is about the souls from the dead coming back to haunt their own society.
took sick and died 患病致死
the notion that unforgiven sins were haunting the village 村庄被不可饶恕的罪恶笼罩着

那时候的人们似乎有一种观念，认为死者往生时，若没有食罪者清除他们身上的罪孽，他们的鬼魂就会在活人的世界里萦绕不去。
这位食罪者所做的就是将社会从罪恶的负面后果中拯救出来。因此，尽管他们在某种程度上被视为社区中的贱民，但也有人认为这有一种价值感。就像基督承担了世人的罪过，但他必须为此而死。所以芒斯洛他同意被诅咒、愿意下地狱。
What the sin eater was doing was saving society from the negative consequences of sin. So while they were viewed somewhat as a pariah within the community, there is also this sense of this is a value. Right, yes. Christ taken with sins of the world, but he has to die for that to make it happen. And so Munslow, he’s agreed to be damned.
saving society from 拯救社会于
be damned 被诅咒下地狱
中国文化里其实也有类似的说法：佛说，我不入地狱，谁入地狱。

芒斯洛似乎把这看作是一种自我牺牲的爱的行为。个人悲剧导致理查德·芒斯洛成为最后一个食罪者。由于失去了孩子，他选择牺牲自己的灵魂来拯救众人的灵魂。他给悲痛的家庭带来了他自己永远也体会不到的平静。对于一个已经负担如此沉重的人来说，这是一种令人难以置信的非常高尚的行为。
Munslow seemed to have viewed it as this act of self-sacrificial love. Personal tragedy led Richard Munslow to become the last sin eater. Bereft by the loss of his children, he sacrificed his soul to save the soul of his community. He provided grieving families with a sense of peace that he himself would never know. For someone already so heavily burdened, it was an incredibly noble act.
self-sacrificial love 自我牺牲的爱；（就像中国佛家所说的”舍小我、救众生“这种行为）
Bereft 使丧失，使失去
grieving families （失去亲人后）悲痛的家庭
heavily burdened 背负沉重的负担
an incredibly noble act 令人难以置信的高贵之举

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