Nose

Extrapolation

The nose taps into olfactory bulbs which root their way into one of the earliest and most primitive structures of the brain. Information passed from the nose can trip brain circuits before conscious recognition even occurs, much as a hand will flinch before pain registers. These moments of pre-association can trigger strong emotional swellings which lack a recognizable cognitive framework and may manifest themselves as feelings of déjà vu -- a curious sort of mental itch that’s difficult to scratch.

Lacking clear logic, this primal occurrence has become associated with feelings of the mystical, a brush with the Other. Indeed, the action of sniffing is metaphorically linked to intuition -- a means of gaining knowledge that ought not be available. Sherlock Holmes had a nose for mystery, and the Hardy Boys smelled trouble brewing, and so the detectives sniff out clues while the well-attuned sniff vapor from a mile away.

See Also

• Ear
• Eye
• Head
• Mouth

Desiderata

The whale has no nose proper. It does, however, have a tremendous forehead.

Ahmed Capra had a honker only a mother could love.