those long periods of isolation and limited novel stimuli that were presumably common in pre modern times probably had a similar effect as the various mild hallucinations you experience during a long meditation session. Also, I don't have a source for this due to Google's fuzzy keyword matching and my efforts limited to about 90 sec but IIRC even Nietzsche had pondered if miracles were previously more common due to dietary deficiencies causing hallucinations.
I do agree though that it is interesting and even with a simple materialist explaination, the fact that people would see similar diminutive mythical people across cultures is fascinating. Hawaiians had menehune, etc etc. I tend to think of that in the Joseph Campbell collective unconscious sort of way.
Assuming the effects of ergot are similar to those of LSD (to which it is closely related) - it just doesn't work like that.
There are some drugs that cause you to literally see things that aren't there (Datura springs to mind) but most hallucinogens merely distort perceptions. There is a degree of pareidolia but the hollywood depiction of people tripping and seeing pink elephants is very far from the actual experience.
Good call. I can't imagine that it wasn't responsible to some degree. I wonder if cultures that grew rye/wheat/barley had a higher rate of attributable phenomena than those that didn't grow cereals that support Claviceps purpurea
The amount of Ergot tainted grain you would need to consume to have hallucinations would mean you would be very sick. It wouldn't be an otherwise healthy person hallucinating, but a very ill delirious person.
People in solitary confinement start having hallucinations, it's actually very common. After a summer in the woods with nobody but cows for company you might have similar effects
Sending kids into the woods for a summer by themselves to watch over livestock is a cool idea though, I wish I could have experienced something like that.
I do agree though that it is interesting and even with a simple materialist explaination, the fact that people would see similar diminutive mythical people across cultures is fascinating. Hawaiians had menehune, etc etc. I tend to think of that in the Joseph Campbell collective unconscious sort of way.