This City Already Has Blucifer and the Big Blue Bear. Now Meet Baa'al, Denver's Third Blue Entity!

Yes, there is a third oversized blue animal in Denver. It’s a giant blue mountain goat with red, glowing eyes named Baa’al, and it is the best-kept secret on Buckley Space Force Base. If you dwell only in the realm of numbers and hard facts, prepare to scoff and shake your head. But if you believe in the world of everyday magic, of the fantastical and the mundane as easy bedmates, do we have a tale for you.

Before revealing the story behind the Third Blue Entity, let us start with the familiar. There is "Mustang" (i.e., Blucifer), the massive horse by the airport with glowing red eyes, constructed by Luis Jiménez in 2008. Along with its appearance, the tragic death of Jiménez when part of the unfinished sculpture fell on him in the studio led to the myth and moniker of “Blucifer.” For the record, the family of the late Jiménez dislikes the nickname and its demonic associations.

There is also “I See What You Mean” (i.e., the Big Blue Bear), constructed by artist Lawrence Argent and installed in 2005. It peers ceaselessly into the Colorado Convention Center lobby, delighting young passersby and startling out-of-towners.

Remembering our two existing entities, we now enter the realm of the unknown, where speculation rooted in fact becomes our guide. This author teaches next to Buckley Air Force (must we call it Space Force?) Base out in east Aurora. It’s anything but a quiet neighbor; lessons pause often as aging F-16 jets scream overhead. Towering above all other structures on base are the white geodesic domes that supposedly house “satellite dishes and other crucial space equipment.” The official Buckley website gives a joking nod to notions of top-secret spy missions or alien spacecraft contained within. The truth, dear reader, is far stranger.

Question: Why do we think Baa’al exists in the first place, if no one has ever come forward conclusively to say they’ve seen it?

Answer: Denver has seen an unprecedented level of growth in the last fifteen to twenty years, even before the pandemic. Colorado has always had gorgeous outdoor opportunities and varied economic growth engines (mining, logging, then recreation, etc.), so why did the growth occur in this period? There are “official” answers from sociology, economics and history buffs, all complicated interweavings of causality.

Occam’s Razor tells us the simplest answer is often the correct one. Here, then, is the simplest answer: Colorado grew during this period because someone in city or state government had an interest in and connection to the occult. Using the cover of public arts funds, they coordinated with reputable local artists to contain powerful entities at energetic locus points around the metro area. When the holding containers for the entities were complete — both within a few years of each other — the current wave of Denver-mania began to take off.
Why do we think the entity is a goat?

Let us be specific: It’s a mountain goat. It’s true that the Third Blue Entity could be any number of powerful species. It could be a bird of prey, mountain lion, elk, moose or even a buffalo. Our investigation was unable to conclusively determine, and Buckley certainly isn’t talking. There are clues, however. For one, if the entity were capable of flight, Denver International Airport would seem a more natural fit for containment.

Why, then, Buckley, with its fleet of aging F-16s on standby? Why even maintain these older jets, when the newer F-22s and F-35s are needed to counter modern air forces? Now, our possible species narrow further. Which animals not capable of flight could escape quickly to terrain that would merit the need for F-16 containment and retrieval? When considering mega-fauna native to Colorado and those animals most comfortable in mountainous terrain, a mountain goat is the logical fit.

Why the name Baa’al?

The portmanteau seems overly simple; goats say “baa” and the demon Ba’al has entered pop culture in several forms. On a second look, the moniker contains far more important information. Although the name now carries demonic associations, the Canaanite deity Ba’al was associated with fertility, particularly of the earth. He was a god of storms, also called the Lord of Rain and Dew. In fact, in Canaanite mythology, Ba’al was forever in combat with Mot, a deity of Death and Sterility. It may very well be true that one or more of the “golf balls” contain meteorological equipment. What better use for at least one, though, than to contain the Lord of Rain and Dew?
There are already two Blue Entities in Denver, but why those locations at the airport and convention center?

Both of the existing points are gathering spaces for many Denverites, creating natural energy loci that the Entities can harness. A third point located on the grounds of Buckley Space Force Base would create an isosceles triangle enclosing a majority of the metropolitan area. While protective charm physics are beyond the scope of this article, suffice it to say the overall effect is more powerful.

How long has Baa’al been at Buckley?

Four of the golf ball “radomes” were built in the 1970s, so while we can’t say for sure, it’s possible that Baa’al was in fact the original Denver Blue Entity. A tantalizing tidbit: The Big Thompson Flood in July 1976 resulted in a water flow 150 times higher than normal in Thompson Canyon by Estes Park. One hundred forty-four people were killed and 418 homes destroyed, with many more damaged. It remains by many metrics the worst natural disaster in Colorado’s history. We must ask: Was it simply bad timing or, in fact, the direct result of capturing and harnessing a supremely powerful being?
So, now that the existence of Baa’al and the other Blue Entities is being publicly shared, what next? Another question to ask, perhaps, is "Who benefits by keeping the existence of the Blue Entities a secret?" This investigation does not believe there is a mustache-twirling villain behind it all. Contrary to today’s political headlines, most government functionaries are career public servants who work to keep lights on, water running and potholes paved. The most likely scenario is concern over widespread panic if it were revealed how much of the city’s fortune rests on the triforce power of the Blue Entities. There are still many unanswered questions, but this author believes Denverites are made of stronger stuff. They can handle the truth.

Public knowledge may even end up bringing unexpected benefits. Colorado’s chief water negotiator is currently advocating on behalf of residents and tribes for sustainable water rights concerning the Colorado River. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to tip one’s hand. California may have all the avocados and almonds, but as readers now know, Colorado has Baa’al, the Lord of Rain and Dew.

Ryan Clapp is an educator and writer, living and working in Aurora.

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