Blog Post #2 - The Myths & Legends of the Denver International Airport

As I walked through A History of Magic, Witchcraft & the Occult – and as I’ve begun to pay greater attention to how magic, imagination, and belief are woven throughout our day-to-day activities – a magic "rabbit hole" I’ve gone down is looking into the outlandish and imaginative myths and legends about the Denver International Airport. One afternoon, as I listened to one of my favorite podcasts, Brooke and Connor Make A Podcast (a comedy and relationships podcast that dives into remarkable pop culture events), they talked about the Denver International Airport. Upon further investigation, I stumbled upon a fascinating world of secret societies, underground bunkers, complex tunnel systems, visits from the lizard people, apocalyptic artwork, grinning gargoyles, and a cursed horse. For example, the airport is said to be built by members of an ages-old secret society – potentially the Freemasons, the Illuminati, or the New World Order (or, perhaps, by all three). One of the most “persuasive” pieces of evidence to support this legend is a dedication capstone at the airport’s south entrance, which depicts the Square and Compasses symbol of the Freemasons and the names of two grand lodges and their grandmasters. Something else that I found interesting was how one article, which was featured on the city of Denver’s official website, explored the idea of “marketing mythology” – leaning into these conspiracies instead of shying away from them, for example putting on events like a museum-style gallery exhibition called “Conspiracy Theories Uncovered.” At this event, the airport showcased notable legends like an “alien” skull that was created by employees and planted during the construction of the Westin Denver International Airport. Also, recently, the airport put out a series of ads highlighting its rich mythical stories. One ad, for example, features a gargoyle inside a Transportation Security Administration scanner along with the tagline, “Streamlined security? Or more secrets?”

This "rabbit hole" investigation, while not necessarily directly tied to witches and the witch hunt, proved helpful in supplementing our ongoing discussion about the magical and the occult – showing how one unlikely actor has gone above and beyond in embracing and even leaning into a set of outlandish and imaginative myths about what lies beyond the mundane “what is”. I think it’s an interesting example of how magic, imagination, and belief can bleed into our day-to-day in ways that are sometimes small and sometimes big – adding an often-needed sense of fun and play and color. It can add depth, intrigue, and interest to otherwise dull activities like maneuvering yourself through the security and customs lines early in the morning at an airport. To borrow from my previous blog post, it makes me think about how the emotion, belief, and faith surrounding “what could be” can often be more intriguing, captivating, and intoxicating than the plainly seen “what is.” And, again, I’m reminded of the quote from Henry Miller, “The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.” I agree and think this is a beautiful and powerful thing.