History Main / PinealWeirdness

* In [[PrincipiaDiscordia Discordianism]] (and thus also in ''{{Illuminatus}}!'') the pineal gland is the organ that allows communication with Eris.
** That said, they ARE discordians...

** That said, they [[Troll ARE discordians]]...

Often this runs in tandem with NinetyPercentOfYourBrain. The TropeMaker is none other than Rene Descartes, who believed that the pineal gland was the "seat of the soul", and the connection point between mind and body.

* Descartes claimed the pineal gland was the connection between the mind and the body; this is probably the TropeMaker (as well as CompletelyMissingThePoint of the problem he was trying to solve). Though there has been some debate about whether he actually thought this, or was simply giving it as an [[SureWhyNot entirely arbitrary answer]] to the continual questions of a particularly obnoxious princess he was tutoring.

* Descartes believed the pineal gland to be the connection between the mind and the body; this is probably the TropeMaker (as well as CompletelyMissingThePoint of the problem he was trying to solve).
** Mind you, ther ehas been some debate about whether he actually thought this, or was simply giving it as an [[SureWhyNot entirely arbitrary answer]] to the continual questions of a particularly obnoxious princess he was tutoring.

* Descartes believed the pineal gland to be the connection between the mind and the body; this is probably the TropeMaker.

* In [[HPLovecraft H. P. Lovecraft]]'s story ''From Beyond'', a MadScientist creates a machine which stimulates the pineal gland, allowing humans to see ''really clearly''. Apparently "fresh air" and "blue sky" are made out of amoeba-like monstrosities, and some unspeakable, unseen things stalk other lifeforms, and consume them into nothingness in seconds - this is the main risk for humans who open their eyes into this true reality.
** To clarify, it allows humans to see into normally-invisible dimensions that intersect with ours. The danger is that people who gain the ability to see into those dimensions also [[OhCrap become visible to the things that live there]].
* In the SF short story TheRose, the two protagonists (a ballerina/opera singer and a composer) "suffer" from an odd form of cancer: their pineal glands grow rather impressively, forming a pair of "horns" which curve around and over the brain before bursting out of the skull (but not skin) at the temples. They also get a kind of hunchback from a tumour that appears to contain brain tissue [[spoiler:it does, and if the skin over it gets split, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything it can engorge and tumesce from blood flow]], although this may kill the person in question]]. They get a weird kind of projective telepathy apparently based on musical and colour theory, and spot patterns that no-one else can see.

* In the {{Lovecraft}}ian movie ''FromBeyond'', the mad scientist stimulates his pineal gland, allowing him to see into other dimensions. Eventually it pops out of his head on a stalk. To the further amusement of anyone familiar with brain anatomy, as the stalk extends in front, yet the pineal gland is near the ''back'' of the human brain. (The pineal gland is the organ of enhanced perception in the original story, too, though without the popping-out-from-the-forehead bit.)

* In TheLeechWoman the juice from the pinneal gland combined with a certain type of pollen forms an effective (but temporary) FountainOfYouth.

* ''ResidentEvil: Survivor'' shows how Tyrants are made - their key ingredient is a hormone secreted in the pineal gland of adolescent boys feeling extreme terror or stress. Umbrella's answer for harvesting such: remove the gland ''without anasthetic''. Needless to say, [[MoralEventHorizon it works.]]

Today, scientists like [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Strassman Rick Strassman]] theorize that the [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs dimethyltryptamine]] naturally present in the human body [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyltryptamine#Speculation may originate from the pineal gland]].

Today, scientists like [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Strassman Rick Strassman]] theorize that the [[ThisIsYourBrainOnDrugs dimethyltryptamine]] naturally present in the human body [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyltryptamine#Speculation may originate from the pineal gland]].

Oh, and FYI: the human pineal gland's actual function is to produce melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate sleeping patterns, plus a tiny amount of antioxidant. That's ''all'' it does. Mess with the thing, and the most you'll get as a result is insomnia, not ESP. (OrIsIt?)

* The Diclonius in ''ElfenLied'' start their lives as humans with a huge pineal gland.

Oh, and FYI: the human pineal gland's actual function is to produce melatonin, a hormone that helps to regulate sleeping patterns, plus a tiny amount of antioxidant. That's ''all'' it does. Mess with the thing, and the most you'll get as a result is insomnia, not ESP.

** If you have trouble activating your Pineal, try the appendix which works almost as well.]

Because the human pineal gland is buried deep in the fleshy bits of the brain and was the last part of the endocrine system to be understood, it's picked up a bunch of mystical baggage. Often it's associated with telepathy and/or enlightenment; sometimes it's referred to as a "third eye". [[JustifyingEdit To be fair]], TheOtherWiki does say that in nonmammal vertebrates the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland pineal gland has cells similar to those in the retina]]. In some very primitive ones, it even connects to an external opening and has light-sensing properties (which serve to regulate physiological day/night cycles rather than to perceive).

** If you have trouble activating your Pineal, try the appendix which works almost as well.
*** Technically true, as neither one has anything to do with communication.
*** [[DontExplainTheJoke Ya think?]]

* In [[HPLovecraft H. P. Lovecraft]]'s story ''From Beyond'', a MadScientist creates a machine which stimulates the pineal gland, allowing humans to see into a parallel dimension.
** More like being able to see into our own ''really clearly''. Apparently "fresh air" and "blue sky" are made out of amoeba-like monstrosities, and some unspeakable, unseen things stalk other lifeforms, and consume them into nothingness in seconds - this is the main risk for humans who open their eyes into this true reality.

* In [[HPLovecraft H. P. Lovecraft]]'s story ''From Beyond'', a MadScientist creates a machine which stimulates the pineal gland, allowing humans to see into a parallel dimension.

* In Discordianism (and thus also in ''{{Illuminatus}}!'') the pineal gland is the organ that allows communication with Eris.