Hand of Glory

[My Good Babushka]

A hand of glory is a mummified hand of a hanged man, specially prepared during the dog days, to hold a candle made of the fat of the hanged man. It was said that the candle could only be put out with milk. The hand of glory was used by house breakers to render the victims immobile. It was believed to have the ability to open any door. One could avert the power of the charm by anointing one's threshold with a preparation of gall from a black cat, the fat of a white hen and the blood of a screech owl- also prepared during the dog days of summer. There is a hand of glory on display at the Whitby Museum in North Yorkshire.