Hand of Glory

Example of a hand of glory, thought to have been constructed in the 1890s.

The Hand of Glory is the dried and pickled hand of a man who has been hanged, often specified as being the left hand, or else, if the man were hanged for murder, the hand that did the deed.

According to old European beliefs, a candle made of the fat from a malefactor who died on the gallows, virgin wax, and Lapland sesame oil - lighted and placed (as if in a candlestick) in the Hand of Glory, which comes from the same man as the fat in the candle - would have rendered motionless all persons to whom it was presented.

Only the magician who ignited the hand may put out the flame, though it is said others may extinguish the hand by dousing it with milk.

If the hair of the dead man is used as a wick, also the candle is said to give light only to the holder, and will grant Invisibility when lit and carried.

A Hand of Glory also purportedly has the power to unlock any door it came across. Some hidden lore suggests a hand may be the conduit to another plane, or may allow a skilled sorcerer to open a gate or perform a planar shift.

The method of making a hand of glory is described in Compendium Maleficarum.

An amulet against the effects of the hand may be constructed from mandrake root and human blood as described in Qullyns Amulets and Talimans.

Contemporary manufacture of these objects is primarily limited to members of the Necromancers Guild.