Lily's protection for Harry

[Ceridwen]

No: HPFGUIDX 151860

Tonks:
> Does anyone know of any custom in any culture since the beginning of 
time in which one person who was tried for a crime could have someone 
die it his place?  There must have been some custom like this 
somewhere. Is there anything in ancient laws that allows for someone 
to take the place of another?  We see this theme in both Lily and 
Harry and in Bartty Crouch Jr .and his mother.  I think there are 
clues here if only we could figure them out.

Ceridwen:
Not straight across, but:
The basis of Christianity for one, which I'm sure most people will be 
familiar with despite their own religion - the substitute sacrifice of 
Jesus for all sinners.

Two: The lamb for Isaac in the OT.

Three:  Sin-eating.  I don't know if this is real or if it was just an 
old Richard Thomas TV movie, but a person comes to a wake and eats over 
the dead body to take the sins of the deceased so the dead can go to 
heaven.

Four: The scape-goat, who is loaded up with the sins of the people, 
then driven into the desert.

Marginal:
Paying someone to take one's place in the draft, go to war in one's 
name.  I don't think that's legal now, but there used to be something 
at least very similar if not exact many, *many* years ago.

Ceridwen.