Hand of Glory

Lore & Background

According to old European beliefs, a candle made from the fat of a malefactor who died on the gallows, placed in the Hand of Glory from the same man, would render motionless all persons to whom it was presented. The Hand of Glory also purportedly had the power to unlock any door it came across. The method for making a Hand of Glory is described in the 1722 *Petit Albert*.

The 1722 *Petit Albert* describes wrapping the hand in part of a funeral pall, squeezing it, then placing it in an earthenware vessel with zimat, nitre, salt, and long peppers for a fortnight. It is then dried in sunlight during the dog-days or in an oven with fern and vervain. A candle is made from the fat of a gibbeted felon, virgin wax, sesame, and ponie. The meaning of 'zimat' and 'ponie' is disputed; 'ponie' may mean horse dung in Lower Normandy dialect, or 'sisame of Lapland' in a 1752 edition. The *Petit Albert* also provides a way to shield a house by rubbing the threshold with an unguent of black cat gall, white hen fat, and screech-owl blood compounded during the dog-days.

A purported Hand of Glory is kept at the Whitby Museum in North Yorkshire, England, together with a text from 1823 describing an alternative process: cut from a criminal on the gibbet, pickled in salt and urine of man, woman, dog, horse, and mare, smoked with herbs and hay for a month, hung on an oak tree for three nights, laid at a crossroads, then hung on a church door for one night while the maker keeps watch. However, the museum notes that the specimen is actually a taxidermied monkey's paw, likely a hoax or misidentified object.

Reader's Guide

The Hand of Glory holds significance as a striking example of folk belief in the magical properties of human remains, particularly those of executed criminals. Its powers—paralysis and unlocking doors—reflect common anxieties about theft and intrusion in pre-modern Europe. The term itself is a folk etymology from the French 'main de gloire', a corruption of 'mandragore' (mandrake), as noted by etymologist Walter Skeat, linking the hand to the mandrake's legendary luminescence. The detailed recipes in 18th-century documents like Petit Albert show the elaborate ritualism of folk magic, though translation disputes (e.g., 'zimat' and 'ponie') highlight the difficulty of interpreting historical magical texts. The Hand of Glory's legacy extends into modern popular culture, appearing in works such as J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Cassandra Clare's Lady Midnight, Charles Stross's The Laundry Files, and John Bellairs' The House With A Clock In Its Walls, where it is adapted for various magical effects. Its presence in the Whitby Museum provides a tangible link to these beliefs.

Did You Know?

• The 1722 *Petit Albert* describes making a Hand of Glory using ingredients including zimat, nitre, salt, and long peppers, though the meaning of 'zimat' is disputed.
• A purported Hand of Glory at the Whitby Museum is actually a taxidermied monkey's paw, and the museum itself notes it is likely a hoax or misidentified specimen.
• The *Compendium Maleficarum* (1608) does not describe the Hand of Glory; it is a separate work on witchcraft.