History Main / TestOfPain

** To become an Aiel Clan Chief or Wise One, the testee is forced to relive [[GhostMemory ancestral memories]] revealing the AwfulTruth of their people: that their {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} were [[ActualPacifist sworn pacifists]] who betrayed their vows. Many don't survive the experience -- one actually [[EyeScream ate his own eyeballs]] to blot out the visions.

* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'': As embodiments of strength through adversity, [[DarkIsNotEvil demons of Pandemonium]] require their {{summon|ingRitual}}ers to overcome a painful physical or mental ordeal. One demon, The Thousandth Cut, slowly [[DeathOfAThousandCuts lives up to its name]] until the summoner either imposes their will on it or passes out from blood loss.

* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'': In the Sotoha [[VampireVarietyPack bloodline]], the only way for a vassal to free themself from [[MyMasterRightOrWrong their oath of fealty]] is to commit ritual {{Seppuku}} in denunciation of their Lord. Being vampires, the disembowelment only puts them in a survivable coma.

* ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'': A key scene in both [[Literature/{{Dune}} the novel]] and [[Film/Dune1984 its]] [[Series/FrankHerbertsDune various]] [[Film/Dune2021 adaptations]] is when Paul Atreides undergoes the gom jabbar test. In the test, which is administered to all Bene Gesserit initiates (and thus to Paul since his mother has given him Bene Gesserit training, and because he is potentially the Kwisatz Haderach), a person places one hand in [[AgonyBeam a box which gradually stimulates the pain receptors]], culminating in excruciating agony. At the same time, the Reverend Mother giving the test holds the gom jabbar (a needle carrying a deadly poison) to the neck of the testee--if the testee removes their hand from the box, they're killed. Near its end, Paul seriously thinks that his hand has been burned to a cinder inside the box, and Reverend Mother Mohiam says that none of the other -- all female -- initiates she had previously tested had endured that much pain, admitting that she must've wanted him to fail. While she initially compares the test to the difference between an animal chewing off its leg to escape a trap versus a human enduring the pain of the trap in order to kill the trapper, the ensuing conversation with Paul reveals that the test is ultimately to see how a person will behave in a crisis situation, and that it sprang from the early Bene Gesserit needing a means to weed out those who were too weak to include in their breeding programs.

--->'''Data:''' The true test of Klingon strength is to admit one's most profound feelings while under extreme duress.

* In ''Film/DunePartTwo'', Lady Margot Fenring incites Feyd-Rautha to put his hand in the black box while holding the gom jabbar to his neck. The scene is cut before we could what happens next, but a discussion between Mother Reverent Mohiam and Lady Fenring implies that he put his hand in the box and passed her test.

* The Sateré-Mawé tribe of UsefulNotes/{{Brazil}} has an initiation rite for boys in which they put their hands into hand coverings which have 80 agitated [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraponera_clavata bullet ants]][[note]]one of the insects at the top of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmidt_sting_pain_index Schmidt sting pain index]], and so called because the sudden shock of intense pain is compared to a gunshot[[/note]] sewn into them. They must keep the "gloves" on for 5 to 10 minutes and are only considered to be fully initiated when this is done ''twenty'' times.

** The Tal'darim do not allow combat between members of lower castes against higher castes outside of Rak'Shir, a ritual combat in which two combatants use their physical prowess and psionic abilities against one another. A victor for Rak'Shir is decided when one combatant is pushed into a pit on the opposing side of a battlefield. At the same time, supplicants may lend their psionic aid to whichever combatant, and supplicants can (and often will) fight to the death amongst each other to thin the numbers of the combatant they do not support. Once a combatant is pushed into the pit, said combatant dies, and the winner gains that combatants rank. He may kill the supplicants of the opposing side who took part in the ritual if desired, and then continue on with his new rank.

An InitiationCeremony or RiteOfPassage can involve tests of pain endurance depending on the culture in question, but unlike hazing, these are done with the intent of measuring strength, endurance, and willpower rather than just pulling cruel pranks (and are usually not meant to be fatal, which [[DeadlyHazing hazing can end with]]). Also, such tests may be well-known to those who will be undergoing them due to being culturally or spiritually engrained, or they may be a SecretTestOfCharacter. ThresholdGuardians will often be the ones to administer these tests.

Can overlap with a LeaveYourQuestTest if the recipient is urged to give up on the test if they can't handle the torment. Failure in such a test, depending on the circumstances and the cultural/spiritual/etc. importance of passing, can result in ridicule, loss of social status, or even being made into a PersonaNonGrata [=and/or=] TheExile.

[[quoteright:350:[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/riteofascention.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Today I am a warrior! I must show you my heart!\\
I travel the river of blood!"]]

[[caption-width-right:350:"Today I am a warrior! I must show you my heart! I travel the river of blood!"]]

*** The Rite of Ascension consists of two rites that formally recognizes a Klingon as a warrior. In the second rite, the Klingon walks between eight warriors wielding painstiks, who deliver powerful jolts to the Klingon's torso while he expresses his most deeply-held feelings. In "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E14TheIcarusFactor The Icarus Factor]]", Wesley, Geordi, Data, Chief O'Brien, and Dr. Pulaski arrange for Worf to go through the second rite via the holodeck, since he hadn't had an opportunity to go through it at the time that a Klingon normally would.

* ''Literature/{{Dune}}'': A key scene in both the novel and [[Film/Dune1984 its]] [[Series/FrankHerbertsDune various]] [[Film/Dune2021 adaptations]] is when Paul Atreides undergoes the gom jabbar test. In the test, which is administered to all Bene Gesserit initiates (and thus to Paul since his mother has given him Bene Gesserit training, and because he is potentially the Kwisatz Haderach), a person places one hand in [[AgonyBeam a box which gradually stimulates the pain receptors]], culminating in excruciating agony. At the same time, the Reverend Mother giving the test holds the gom jabbar (a needle carrying a deadly poison) to the neck of the testee--if the testee removes their hand from the box, they're killed. Near its end, Paul seriously thinks that his hand has been burned to a cinder inside the box, and Reverend Mother Mohiam says that none of the other -- all female -- initiates she had previously tested had endured that much pain, admitting that she must've wanted him to fail. While she initially compares the test to the difference between an animal chewing off its leg to escape a trap versus a human enduring the pain of the trap in order to kill the trapper, the ensuing conversation with Paul reveals that the test is ultimately to see how a person will behave in a crisis situation, and that it sprang from the early Bene Gesserit needing a means to weed out those who were too weak to include in their breeding programs.

* In ''Literature/TheLightbringerSeries'' this is one of the tests to join the elite Blackguard. Using a combination of several colors of magic, the aspirant is made to experience increasing feelings of fear and pain, until they surrender or pass out. Aspirants are told that they'll be ejected from training if they give up; the truth is that the test is [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption designed to be impossible to pass]] and the point is to see how long the aspirant can endure. Despite this, [[TheAce Dazen Guile]] endured everything that the trial could throw at him, and was the only one to do so in living memory.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'': In "My Fair Mandy", one of the events at the beauty pageant is the gom jabbar test from ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' (one of many references to the series in the show). The scene isn't shown in detail, but what is depicted consists of Mindy screaming that her hand burns while sticking it in a box with a hole in the front. When Mindy pulls her hand out prematurely, it costs her a few points.

[[caption-width-right:350:"Today I am a warrior. I must show you my heart. I travel the river of blood."]]

*** The Rite of Ascension is a two-step ritual that formally recognizes a Klingon as a warrior. In the second step, the Klingon must demonstrate the depth of his inner strength by walking between eight warriors wielding painstiks, who deliver powerful jolts to the Klingon's torso while he expresses his most deeply-held feelings. Worf undergoes this step in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS2E14TheIcarusFactor The Icarus Factor]]" since he hadn't had an opportunity to go through it at the time that a Klingon normally would.
*** The first step in the Rite of Succession is the Sonchi ceremony. The Arbiter of Succession and all those who are vying for the position of Chancellor give a formal challenge to the corpse of the former Chancellor and shock him with a painstik. The thought process is that between the pain from the painstik and the challenge, no living Klingon would dare back down lest he lose his honor, and this confirms that the former Chancellor is indeed dead and not faking it. This ceremony is shown in "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E7Reunion Reunion]]" being done to K'mpec by Duras, Gowron, and Picard (named Arbiter by K'mpec before his death due to suspicions that Duras was the one who masterminded his poisoning).

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': This show loves this trope. Mainly Chris will put the contestants in torture by setting up dangerous challenges, having Chef cook disgusting meals, and even allowed to make enemies and cheating without worrying.

Can overlap with a LeaveYourQuestTest if the recipient is urged to give up on the test if they can't handle the torment. Failure in such a test, depending on the circumstances and the cultural/spiritual/etc. importance of passing, can result in ridicule, loss of social status, or even being made into a PersonaNonGrata or TheExile.

The GangInitiationFight is a subtrope.

See also:

* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'': In an inversion of the GangInitiationFight, when [[{{Bokukko}} Arisa Uotani]] decides to go straight and leave the gang of ''[[JapaneseDelinquents sukeban]]'' she belongs to, the price she has to pay is to get beaten to a pulp by the other members. She's brutally punched and kicked, and likely would've been beaten badly enough to need to be hospitalized if Tohru's mother hadn't shown up to rescue her (having been tipped off by a member of the gang who was fond of Uotani).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Felidae}}'': Several initiates of [[{{Cult}} the Claudandus Sect]] are shown being subjected to ElectricTorture, seemingly to the point of death, but more likely to unconsciousness. According to Kong, the ritual is used to "see who's chicken" (ie, to weed out cowards from the ranks). It's implied that nonbelievers dare each other to undergo the ritual as well.

* Justin O. Schmidt claimed to have apparently put himself through this repeatedly for scientific categorization purposes in his [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmidt_sting_pain_index Schmidt sting pain index]], which rates the relative pain caused by insects' stings and provides brief descriptive comparisons on the sensation. The aforementioned bullet ant was said to be "pure, intense, brilliant pain...like walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch nail embedded in your heel." The sting of a warrior wasp caused him to ask "Why did I start this list?"