The Hollow Earth Theory has been described as the “mother of all conspiracy theories” (by us, just now).
At first glance, the theory—really, more of a hypothesis—seems laughably silly. The Earth, according to the theory, is completely hollow, and there’s an entire civilization living at the core. There’s a massive government conspiracy to stop people from finding out the truth, and that conspiracy is helmed by the most powerful people in the world, who also happen to be lizards.
Now, we could explain why this is a ridiculous starting point from a scientific point of view, but that’s played out. Instead, let’s look at what Hollow Earth supporters actually believe…and why some of their ideas aren’t so far-fetched. If you actually approach their beliefs with an open mind, you can start to understand why the theory has attracted so many people.
Well, except the stuff about reptilian aliens and wooly mammoths. Don’t worry, we’ll get there.
1. They believe that there’s a sun inside the Earth.
Let’s start with one of the simpler beliefs: the Earth is hollow—but not empty. In fact, there’s an entire civilization living at the center of the planet, and members of that civilization need an energy source.
Conveniently, there’s a sun underneath the Earth’s crust. That “inner sun” is actually what causes global warming, and the aurora borealis—otherwise known as the Northern Lights—are really rays of light escaping from the inner sun.
Theorists generally believe that the inner sun is the true core of the earth, and it’s not as bright as our own lame yellow sun.
We should note that some Hollow Earth theorists reject the idea of the inner sun, or insist that it only provides light, not heat, which makes more sense scientifically (except that it totally doesn’t in any way). There’s disagreement regarding the specifics. Still, there’s one core idea (pardon the pun) that most of the Hollow Earth community accepts…
2. Humans were created by reptilian aliens.
Those aliens are either known as “Anunnaki” or just “Reptilians,” if you’re looking for something less formal. They created humans as a sort of science experiment, but now they feed on our babies. No, that wasn’t a joke; as one believer’s website notes, “We live in a Reptilian world, they need to eat, and we are part of that systems [sic].”
Some believers say that that’s why institutions like the Catholic Church promote human propagation to such an extent. Others say that the Reptilians are living among us with highly advanced “flesh masks” to make them look like world leaders.
So, why haven’t we noticed our reptile overlords? Some say that we have; most UFO sightings are actually just Reptilian sightings. However, there are other explanations.
The Reptilians have indoctrinated you so thoroughly that you are probably too weak-minded to even fathom that they exist, says the unnecessarily harsh FAQ page of one Hollow Earth believer.
3. The Reptilians aren’t the only beings living in the Earth’s core.
There’s also a race of Giants—presumably from a much bigger genetic experiment, maybe something involving beanstalks—and Germans.
Wait, what, Germans?
The Germans did make it to Hollow Earth, one theorist writes. “They made a deal with the people in the Hollow Earth.”
Well, that doesn’t really explain anything. It’s not clear what the Germans had to offer, but the reigning hypothesis is that Adolf Hitler is hanging out near the center of the planet, presumably swapping stories with giants and Reptilians over a cold mug of human juice (yes, “human juice” is a thing among Hollow Earth believers).
The inner part of the planet also has many other humanoid creatures, some of whom aren’t aware of the outer Earth, and some of those creatures live to the age of 1,700. Why? Well, there aren’t any dangerous toxins in the Inner Earth. Duh.
Oh, and there are herds of wooly mammoths. Actually, other than Hitler, this Inner Earth stuff sounds pretty fun.
4. Some people have been to the Inner Earth.
Now, for the obvious question: if the Hollow Earth theory is legitimate, why hasn’t anyone stumbled into the Inner Earth?
Well, according to conspiracy theorists, some unwitting adventurers have done just that. Unfortunately, the world’s governments have covered up these expeditions.
The first “known” expedition was in 1943, when a German sailor named Karl Unger allegedly took a U-boat into the Earth’s hollow core. There, he met an advanced civilization on “Rainbow Island,” and…look, we know that this sounds like the plot of a Super Mario game, but just stay with us for a second.
After Unger, there was Admiral Richard Byrd, a pioneering American naval officer and aviator. A document purportedly written by Byrd tells of a strange trip in which he lost control of his airplane. The craft was guided as if by magic through a mountainous region towards a magnificent city “pulsating with rainbow hues of color.”
There, he was ostensibly confronted by a member of an alien civilization. “We have let you enter here because you are of noble character and well-known on the Surface World, Admiral,” the alien said.
Of course, we have no reason to believe that the diary is legitimate, but its fantastic account is one of the cornerstones of Hollow Earth theory, and it’s certainly an interesting read.
5. There are three openings leading from the Earth’s outer surface to the inner surface.
Two are near the poles, while one’s in the Himalayan Mountains. It’s important to note that for Hollow Earthers, there is no true North or South Pole.
“In their place are polar openings that lead into Inner Earth anyone en route to a polar opening is eventually stopped by Outer Earth guardsmen,” reads one site.
If a person’s able to get to one of these entrances, the guards will prevent their entrance, presumably by asking them nicely to leave. However, in some cases, the guards slip up, or the civilizations within the Earth deem a person worthy for entrance (we’re looking at you, Admiral Byrd).
In some cases, people stay for quite a while. One popular Hollow Earth document tells of an unnamed man who lived for a year with the giants of the Inner Earth. That man wrote about the experience, although his account mainly focuses on the size of the giants.
My gigantic friend brought me home to his family and I was completely dismayed to see the huge size of all the objects in his home, he writes. “The dinner table was colossal. A plate was put before me and filled with a portion of food so big it would have fed me abundantly an entire week. The Giant offered me a cluster of grapes and each grape was as big as one of our peaches.” We get it, giants are big. Not exactly groundbreaking stuff.
6. Our entire world is inside a hollow planet.
Oh, you thought that the theory ended at the surface of our planet? Think again.
Many Hollow Earthers believe in “concave” Hollow Earths, otherwise known as skycentrism. The hypothesis says that we’re inside a hollow world, and it stands to reason that there are additional hollow worlds within our own. By using specialized equipment, they believe that they can prove this idea by studying coastlines around the world.
In a sense, they’re right—hold on, Hollow Earthers, don’t start cracking open the Human Juice to celebrate just yet. Some physicists note that the universe could, indeed, be concave, but we wouldn’t necessarily consider that to mean that we’re in an “inner Earth.” The takeaway is that complex concepts of our world aren’t always easy to express with words, so you have to use a few logical tricks to make skycentrism work with modern science.
Still, the theory’s popular, and there’s even evidence that Hitler believed in it. No wonder the Reptilians let him into the center.
7. The town of Hamilton, Ohio, actually recognizes the Hollow Earth theory.
There’s a Hollow Earth Monument in the town’s Ludlow Park, dedicated to the memory of John Symmes Jr.
Symmes was a lecturer in the 1800s, and he believed that the planet was hollow, although he didn’t say anything about reptilians, mammoths, or inner suns.
Instead, he believed that a hollow core would explain some puzzling magnetic fields that scientists of the time had noticed. Symmes also believed that there were large shafts on either side of the planet, which may have inspired the modern Hollow Earthers’ insistence on a limited number of entry points to the inner planet (they’re now called Symmes Holes, for obvious reasons).
Some Hollow Earth believers point to the Hamilton monument as a sign that their views are catching on, but in reality, it’s just a tribute to a misguided lecturer.
Still, it’s a good example of how this theory has stuck around for centuries, regardless of logic or scientific support. For the Hollow Earth theory’s many believers, it’s just too good to be true—even if the evidence is, ultimately, quite hollow.