Hand of Glory was a gruesome staple of European folk magic that involved severing the hand of a hanged murderer, pickling it in salt, and drying it out to use as a morbid, supernatural candlestick.

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Hand of Glory was a gruesome staple of European folk magic that involved severing the hand of a hanged murderer, pickling it in salt, and drying it out to use as a morbid, supernatural candlestick. Thieves genuinely believed that if they rendered the dead man's fat into a candle and placed it in the shriveled hand, the magical light would instantly paralyze anyone who saw it. Some legends even claimed the hand possessed the highly convenient ability to unlock any door, making it the absolute must-have mystical tool for any 18th-century burglar looking to break into a tavern. If the candle was lit, the only way to extinguish the flame was allegedly by throwing a jug of milk over it, which seems like a wildly specific and utterly ridiculous kryptonite for an item of dark magic. The fact that criminals actually wasted time curing human limbs instead of just learning how to pick a lock perfectly illustrates that laziness and a flair for the dramatic are a timeless human combination!