Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

You need the X factor though. If you are already the boss it might work, if you're a much respected dead ancestor it might work and if you have an exceptional magnetic personality it might work. We have lots of modern examples of those three working. But if you just assert stuff, and particularly if you can't back it up and people can't see it for themselves, it wont work. We have plenty of modern examples of that too so I don't see why the same wouldn't apply back then, even if people WERE more superstitious.