Hand of Glory
The Hand of Glory is the dried and pickled hand of a man who has been hanged, often specified as being the left (Latin: sinister) hand, or, if the man were hanged for murder, the hand that “did the deed.”
Old European beliefs attribute great powers to a Hand of Glory combined with a candle made from fat from the corpse of the same malefactor who died on the gallows.
When the fingers of the Hand close around the proper candle (see above) and the candle is lit, the Hand has the following powers:
• Any normally locked door, gate, portal, safe, etc. in the candle light unlocks itself.
• When the wielder utters an incantation (usually given as “Let all those who should be asleep be asleep, and let those who should be awake be awake.”) the Hand will cast a Sleep spell as if it was a wizard of the wielder’s level. If the wielder’s wizard level would be too low then the power may not be used.
• The candle flares up blue in the presence of secret doors, buried treasure, etc. and its light reveals any invisible creature or item.