hand of glory

noun

A charm made from the hand of a man executed by hanging, supposed to be able to unlock doors, render other people motionless, etc.

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Meanings

nounhand of glory (plural hands of glory)

plural hands of glory

  1. historicalA charm made from the hand of a man executed by hanging, supposed to be able to unlock doors, render other people motionless, etc.

    Sorcerers and other practitioners of witchcraft used to make a variety of candlestick called the Hand of Glory, chiefly from the flesh of criminals[.]

    1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 114

Origin

Perhaps from a confused reference to the mandrake plant, which is mandragore in French, while hand of glory would be main de gloire.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hand of glory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hand%20of%20glory

MLA

“hand of glory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hand%20of%20glory. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hand of glory,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hand%20of%20glory.

Source: hand of glory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.