The kingdom of Travancore once had a professional executioner. Traditionally, the prince would grace the oldest member of a family with this task. The executioner had to live outside the village and have no relationship whatsoever with the accused. In exchange for the constraints of his job, the executioner benefited from various privileges: he received a plot of land, an annual pension and financial compensation after each execution.
Nevertheless, nothing could take away the feelings of guilt that haunted him and ruined his life.