History Main / PinealWeirdness

* Averted in the fourth ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' book. Opal Koboi has a human pituitary gland grafted to her brain, not for any supernatural purpose, but so that the growth hormone it produces will cause her to gradually grow larger, in order to pass off as a human (at the time of the story, she is pretending to be a child). It also has the unintentional side effect of draining her magic for some reason, though she is unaware of it until she finally runs out at the worst possible time.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': In "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosS1E5EenyMeenyMineyMagic Eeny Meeny Miney Magic]]", Dr. Venture's LotusEaterMachine "The Joy Can" operates by creating a direct link to the subject's pineal gland.

* An alien version occurs in the ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode ""[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS7E12Repentance Repentance]]", in which an alien psychopath was born with a detached equivalent of the pineal gland, leaving him prone to violent behavior. This changes when the Doctor treats him for head injuries sustained in a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown and accidentally reattaches the gland in question, triggering an immediate HeelFaceTurn.

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 "ThirdEye". To be fair, Website/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 reptiles, fish, and amphibians, it even [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parietal_eye connects to an external opening and has light-sensing properties]] (which serve to regulate physiological day/night cycles rather than to perceive).

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. He wasn't the only one, as both [[ScienceMarchesOn scientists]] and occultists were quite enthusiastic about the idea for awhile.

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]] and could be responsible for dreaming.

* In ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis 2040'', Dr. Stingray's Boomer technology is ultimately based on a reproduction of his wife's pineal gland implanted into his daughter Sylia's brain to grow into the first Boomer cores. [[spoiler: The Knight Sabers' hardsuits are derived from the same basic technology, which greatly restricts who can use them successfully. In addition, the implant resonates with prototype unit Galatea to give all three Knight Sabers visions of Sylia's past.]]

* ''ComicBook/TopTen'': An alien's diet is based on the chemicals secreted by the pineal gland, requiring a round of brain eating once a year. Police initially think it's just a calendar-themed serial killer. This assumption is helped by the fact [[DisposableSexWorker all the past victims are prostitutes]].

** A [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] comic had Superman exposed to radiation that caused his pineal gland to develop into a literal third eye what allowed him to defeat the villain.
** ''ComicBook/SupergirlsGreatestChallenge'' had ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} visiting the future in response to a call for help from the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes. To get her up to date on the pending crisis, they used a future-tech device to download the info into her "'Third Eye' pineal gland."

* In ''Film/TheLeechWoman'', the juice from the pineal gland combined with a certain type of pollen forms an effective (but temporary) FountainOfYouth.
* ''Film/TheAlligatorPeople'': Secretions from alligator pituitary glands cause rapid regeneration that repairs injured humans' wounds, only to cause them to sprout scales within a year of treatment.

* In one of the ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' books, an alien doctor was able to make the (human) hero ''regenerate'' by stimulating his pineal gland.
* Averted in the fourth ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' book. Opal Koboi has a human pituitary gland grafted to her brain, not for any supernatural purpose, but so that the growth hormone it produces will cause her to gradually grow larger, in order to pass off as a human (at the time of the story, she is pretending to be a child). It also has the unintentional side effect of draining her magic for some reason, though she is unaware of it until she finally runs out at the worst possible time.
* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/{{Firestarter}}'', one of these glands is a seat to Charlie [=McGee=]'s power.
* In Creator/HPLovecraft's story "Literature/FromBeyond", 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, because what's actually going on is that they're seeing 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 "The Rose" by Charles L. Harness, 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.
* Creator/ReneBarjavel's ''Literature/FutureTimesThree'' treats the matter slightly more realistically than most examples. In the far future, a subspecies of humanity that specializes in improved eyesight has three eyes on stalks. One of them is the pineal gland, which has (re)gained full functionality as a visual organ.

* In ''Literature/PrincipiaDiscordia'' (and thus also in ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'') the pineal gland is the organ that allows communication with Eris.
* In ''Literature/TheCompanyNovels'', the artificial hormone that makes cyborgs TheAgeless is called "Pineal Tribrantine 3."
* In the novel ''Return to Doomstar'', one of the planets visited by the protagonists has FunctionalMagic. In order to use it, the existing settlers compulsively cannibalize one another for their pineal glands, and attempt to do so to their guests. [[WouldHurtAChild The absence of children is conspicuously noted even before the reveal]].
* Plays a role 1949 science fiction novel "The Brain", about a city-sized MasterComputer built in the shape of the human brain (down to its internal anatomy). Since the pineal gland is associated with "unscientific" topics (such as [=ESP=] and soul), the Brain's builders are not interested in the section corresponding to the pineal gland and repurpose it as a control central. [[spoiler:However, when when someone inadvertently sets up a feedback loop in the "pineal gland", the computer becomes self-aware and [[GrewBeyondItsProgramming outgrows its assigned tasks]]...]]

* ''Series/TheFlash2014''. Powers are a result of dark matter in the pituitary gland. A cure is developed which neutralizes this dark matter, and can remove the powers. Most powers are like this anyway, some like Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost have a different origin.
* ''Series/TheMiddleman'': A RunningGag.

* Early fan theories thought tbF the pineal gland was the source of superpowers in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', and to be what Sylar takes in order to absorb powers. Both of these are shown to be false in later seasons; powers are controlled by the adrenal glands, not the pineal. We also see the part of the brain Sylar interacts with, and it's nowhere near the pineal.
* In ''Series/TheGirlFromTomorrow'', the pituitary gland has a telepathic function in humans.
* In the ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' episode "[[Recap/FringeS01E02TheSameOldStory The Same Old Story]]", a serial killer is killing women and stealing their pituitary glands. [[MadScientist Walter Bishop]] deduces that it's related to a project he worked on for the government involving hyper-aging test-tube soldiers. The killer is one of the hyper-aging test subjects, and he's using the pituitary glands to maintain his age. Otherwise, he'd grow old and die really fast.
* In ''Series/AmericanGothic1995'' Lucas mentions the supposed importance of the pineal gland/third eye. Yancy then stabs him in the area in an attempt to kill him.
* In ''Series/Earth2'', the changes to Uly's system after his Terrian healing were suspected to have started in his pineal gland. Julia, his doctor, lied about it to protect him and the matter was quietly dropped.

* In ''Series/TheXFiles'', the Black Cancer (or Oil), an alien life-form capable of taking control of its host, nests around the pineal body. It's mentioned briefly in ''Terma'' but never elaborated upon. Interestingly, the most prominent place the Oil is shown to reside is in the eyes. Cue WildMassGuessing.

* In ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'', the pineal gland is the source of the ectoplasmic humor that sustains the Ulgans. The pineal gland isn't actually special in humans, though -- in humans, the humors are metaphorical, not literal, and there's no such thing as an ectoplasmic humor, because the theory of humors was about physical and mental traits, not spiritual.

* In ''Clanbook: Malkavian'' for ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' there are a few references made to the pineal gland.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}: Thaumatology'' one of the ways to draw on the [[MagiBabble hermetic decan of Alleborith]], associated with "pure" magic, is to use a pineal gland.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'', Novas draw their power from the Node, a part of their brain that grows in size when their power is awakened and grows further as they become more powerful. While no mention of it being the pineal gland has been made, it is implied to follow this rationale.

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', there used to be a quest where you had to [[TwentyBearAsses collect the pineal glands]] of zombies to make a vaccine. Zombie Pineal Glands still have a purpose: they're a small but essential component of a ''literal'' NinjaPirateZombieRobot. The event ended a ''long'' time ago, and for a good while pineal glands were extremely expensive in the Mall. Eventually, the Item of the Month known as "the Deck of Every Card" gave players a way to fight zombies from the event, giving a new way for pineal glands to enter the Kingdom.
* Averted in the ''VisualNovel/Ever17'' where there's a brief discussion of the pineal gland and how it relates to the third eye, but it's dismissed as nonsense. They even [[ShownTheirWork mention Descartes' theories about it and the evolutionary history of it as a light sensitive organ]].
* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilGunSurvivor'' 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 anesthetic''. Needless to say, [[MoralEventHorizon it works]].
* In ''VideoGame/Postal2'': Apocalypse Weekend, when you go to the insane asylum, you find scrawlings within that detail plans to eat the inmates pineal glands with a fork. These show up in several areas, so its not quite clear whether the inmates, the staff, or both were planning on harvesting the inmates.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'':
** In the Fancy vs. Nasty update, the Fists of Steel description says:
---> While boxing gloves were made to cushion your well-placed uppercuts, steel fists were made to beat the snot out of your enemies' pineal glands. "What are pineal glands?", you might ask! We at Mann Co have no idea ourselves, but what we do know is that these babies are made of freaking steel!
** In the comic "Old Wounds", Medic injects a whale's pineal gland into Sniper's brain stem, and dismisses Sniper's vision of [[spoiler: going to Heaven and meeting his adoptive parents again]] as a mere hallucination.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}'', all SuperEmpowering [[MacGuffin Cherenkov-Kirby reactors]] are made from the pineal gland of Doctor Zhang, aka Ultra, the first superhero.

* In the Dr. Orpheus' premier episode in ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', Dr. Venture's LotusEaterMachine "The Joy Can" operates by creating a direct link to the subject's pineal gland.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' Dr. Zoidburg cured the Professor's "yetism" by feeding him the pineal gland of a yeti, the explanation being that it produced a counter-toxin to the one in the yeti's claws.

* In ''Literature/EthanOfAthos'' by Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold, the Cetagandan Empire figures out how to bioengineer telepathy; their starting point is a homeless woman with a mutated pineal gland.

* An alien version occurs on ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' in which an alien psychopath was born with a detached equivalent of the pineal gland, leaving him prone to violent behavior. This changes when the Doctor treats him for head injuries sustained in a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown and accidentally reattaches the gland in question, triggering an immediate HeelFaceTurn.

* Early fan theories thought tbF the pineal gland was the source of superpowers in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'', and to be what Sylar takes in order to absorb powers. Both of these are shown to be false in later seasons; powers are controlled by the adrenal glands, bot the pineal. And we see the part of the brain Sylar interacts with and it's nowhere near the pineal.

* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' had an episode where a serial killer was killing women and stealing their pituitary glands. [[MadScientist Walter Bishop]] deduced that it was related to a project he worked on for the government involving hyper-aging test-tube soldiers. The killer was one of the hyper-aging test subjects, and he was using the pituitary glands to maintain his age. Otherwise he'd grow old and die really fast.

* In ''Series/{{Earth 2}}'' the changes to Uly's system after his Terrian healing were suspected to have started in his pineal gland. Julia, his doctor, lied about it to protect him and the matter was quietly dropped.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' flirts with this trope in "Morpheus", in which the danger-of-the-week is a parasite that puts people to sleep and then eventually kills them by causing aneurysms near their pineal gland. They eventually figure out that the parasite is feeding on melatonin -- which is what the pineal gland ''actually'' produces -- so in the end it's more an example of Pineal Normality.
* In ''Series/TheXFiles'' the Black Cancer (or Oil), an alien life-form capable of taking control of its host, nests around the pineal body. It's mentioned briefly in ''Terma'' but never elaborated upon. Interestingly, the most prominent place the Oil is shown to reside is in the eyes. Cue WildMassGuessing.

* The Diclonii in ''Manga/ElfenLied'' start their lives as humans with a huge pineal gland. If their psychic "Vector" arms come in contact with a normal human's pineal gland, that human will only create Diclonii when they reproduce.

* In ''ComicBook/TopTen'', an alien's diet is based on the chemicals secreted by the pineal gland, requiring a round of brain eating once a year. Police initially think it's just a calendar-themed serial killer. This assumption is helped by the fact [[DisposableSexWorker all the past victims are prostitutes]].
* A [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] Franchise/{{Superman}} comic had Superman exposed to radiation that caused his pineal gland to develop into a literal third eye. Of course, this was ''exactly'' what he needed to defeat the villain.
* A [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' story had her visiting the future in response to a call for help from the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #287. To get her up to date on the pending crisis, they used a future-tech device to download the info into her "'Third Eye' pineal gland."
* The PsychoSerum in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' [[ArcNumber (batch 5)]] was stated to be pituarin-pinealin.

* In the [[LovecraftOnFilm Lovecraftian]] movie ''Film/FromBeyond'', the mad scientist stimulates his pineal gland, allowing him to see into other dimensions. Freshly put to use, it grows to the extent that 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.

* In the 1959 monster movie ''Film/TheAlligatorPeople'', secretions from alligator pituitary glands cause rapid regeneration that repairs injured humans' wounds, only to cause them to sprout scales within a year of treatment.

[[folder:Film]]