Joralf Gjerstad (11 April 1926 – 18 June 2021) was a Norwegian self-identified psychic and

faith healer Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healing ...

. He was born in Snåsa and was known as "the man with warm hands", "Snåsamannen" (Snåsa Man) or locally "Snåsakaill’n". Joralf Gjerstad claimed that his supposed ability to heal people came from his Christian faith, and that he was not the only one in his family with psychic powers. A biography of him by

Ingar Sletten Kolloen Ingar Sletten Kolloen (born 9 July 1951) is a Norwegian journalist, biographer, novelist and playwright. He has written biographies of Tor Jonsson, Knut Hamsun and Joralf Gjerstad. He wrote the play ''Jeg kunne gråte blod'' in 2004, and the novel ...

, published in 2008, became a bestseller in Norway. Gjerstad worked as a control assistant at a dairy farm for 25 years and for the Snåsa church for 16 years. He wrote several local history books together with many biographies. He was also a local politician and served as the deputy mayor for the Labour Party in Snåsa. He was one of the main founders of “Marthe and Joralf’s help fund”, which funds organizations that arrange outdoor events for people with disabilities in

Nord-Trøndelag Nord-Trøndelag (; "North Trøndelag") was a county constituting the northern part of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. The county was established in 1804 when the old Trondhjems amt was divided into two: Nordre Trondhjems amt and S ...

. Gjerstad also researched the emigration from Snåsa to America. The connection between Snåsa and

St. Olaf College St. Olaf College is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 by a group of Norwegian-American pastors and farmers led by Pastor Bernt Julius Muus. The college is named after the King and the Patron Saint Olaf ...

in Minnesota (where one of the founders, Bernt Julius Muus, came from Snåsa) was established through him. He received the King's medal of Merit in silver in 2001 and a documentary ''Kjenner du varmen?'' ('Do you feel the heat?') about his abilities was made by and shown on NRK (

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...

) in 2006. In honor of his work, the Gjerstad Foundation decided to renovate his childhood home, and it is now a museum. There is also a museum with information about Joralf and his life at Snåsa Hotel. He refused to be tested by "scientists and other experts". Prominent Norwegian scientists and researchers expressed scepticism over his claims and the uncritical coverage of him in the Norwegian press. Leading sceptic James Randi offered Gjerstad a million dollar prize if he could demonstrate his abilities under controlled conditions. Gjerstad died in June 2021 at the age of 95.Snåsamannen er død
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Literature

* Joralf Gjerstad: ''Snåsninger og andre nordmenn i Vesterled'', 1998, * Joralf Gjerstad: ''Det godes vilje: minner fra liv og virke'', 2004, * Joralf Gjerstad: ''Å stå i lyset'', 2006, * Ingar Sletten Kolloen: ''Snåsamannen'', 2008

References

1926 births 2021 deaths Faith healers Norwegian autobiographers Norwegian Christians People from Snåsa {{norway-bio-stub