I wanted to post another folklore post but Putin got in the way. I had to make a statement on Putin.
I was recently sent for some physiotherapy and I began thinking about physiotherapists being healers.
I was reminded of a horse healer.
My great grandfather was known as a horse healer. He would look into the sick horse's face and eyes and the horse quite often was healed. Sick horses were brought to him all the time. Two days before he died they brought a sick horse to the house steps. Great Grandpa came out and took a look at the horse. The horse got better but Great Grandpa died two days later.
Now this healing ability was hereditary. It would skip a generation and show up in the opposite sex. So one of Great Grandpa's grand daughters would have had healing power on horses. Now I don't know if any of these women every realized they had this power or used it.
My great Grandpa was a very influential man. He was a leader. He brought all of his adult children and their families to home stead in Canada in 1905. Also many of his children's in-laws came. Since the Lutheran church was not organized and they had no pastors , he was the lay reader.
I believe this must have been an old German folk lore belief. I've tried to find information on this belief but came up blank.
Does anybody else know about healing horses by looking at them and then passing their ability to heal horses to a family member in the next generation? Are there any other folk lore situations where the power is hereditary?
