The Three Nephites are disciples in the Book of Mormon who Jesus Christ granted the gift of remaining on earth until His Second Coming. Many Latter-day Saints believe these translated beings continue to minister quietly among people today, offering both miraculous assistance and simple acts of service. Stories of Three Nephite sightings range from pioneer rescues to modern-day experiences in hospitals, parks, and city streets. Though their physical descriptions vary, people consistently describe feelings of peace and trust in their presence. In this interview, folklorist Julie Swallow shares insights from her new book, The Three Nephites: Saints, Service, and Supernatural Legend.
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Origins of the Three Nephites
What is the origin of the Three Nephites?
The seed for stories about the Three Nephites can be found in the Book of Mormon. The introduction to the Book of Mormon indicates that the book is scripture “comparable to the Bible.” It also explains that the Book of Mormon details the history of two ancient civilizations, one of which came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C. This civilization splintered into two groups: Nephites and Lamanites.
The Three Nephites make their appearance in what the introduction calls “the crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon” when Jesus Christ visits the Nephites after his resurrection. During that visit, he called twelve disciples as he did in Israel.
Before Jesus ascends into heaven, he asks the twelve:
What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?
3 Nephi 28:1
Nine ask that, after their ministry, they can return quickly to the Lord.
Jesus grants their desire and changes their bodies so they can live until his return.
Three of the Nephite disciples are afraid to verbalize their request. Jesus, reading their thoughts, states:
Ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, . . . desired of me.
3 Nephi 28:6
Meaning that they wanted to remain on the earth, caring for people spiritually and physically, until Jesus returns at the second coming. Jesus grants them their desire and changes their bodies so that they can live until his return and not feel physical pain.
When did the first Three Nephite stories begin to circulate?
Stories about encounters with the Three Nephites don’t begin to circulate within the religious community until after the death of Joseph Smith.
The first mention of them as potential visitors comes in a talk given by Brigham Young in 1852. Young tells church members that, if they are faithful, they will receive help from the ancient disciples.
Other early church leaders began to intimate that previous divine assistance could be attributed to the Three Nephites, such as the miraculous plowing of David Whitmer’s field that enabled him to help Joseph Smith. Once the idea was planted that the Three Nephites could be ministering among the saints, the stories began to increase.
Latter-day Saint Beliefs
Do Latter-day Saints believe that the Three Nephites are still physically alive?
Most Latter-day Saints approach the Book of Mormon as a historical record. Those who do will most likely believe that the Three Nephites are still physically alive and present in the world.
I looked for clear statements about belief when analyzing stories for The Three Nephites: Saints, Service, and Supernatural Legend. However, I was also careful not to read belief into the stories. If the storyteller implied belief but didn’t come out and say “I believed he was one of the Three Nephites,” I didn’t count it.
Many Latter-day Saints believe they are on the earth.
So, I think the numbers about belief in my research represent an undercount. That said, 706 of the original storytellers made statements that clearly indicated they felt they had encountered one (or more) of the immortal beings. 472 people who were sharing stories of someone else’s encounter indicated that they believed the person who told the story had been visited by one or more of the Three Nephites.
The numbers from my analysis indicate that many Latter-day Saints believe they are on the earth and interacting with people today.
Three Nephites Sightings and Stories
What kinds of modern stories claim actual encounters—and how do people react to them?
This is a good question and gets at an important point about Latter-day Saint folklore. For convenience, you can divide modern Three Nephite stories into two groups.
1. Three Nephite Stories Set in the Past
Some stories in circulation today have been passed down within families for generations. They are about actual encounters with the Three Nephites, but they are set in the past.
For example, one story tells of a man in 1840 who was being pushed by an anti-Mormon militia man. Suddenly, a “white-bearded gentleman stepped from the crowd and yelled at the militia man to stop.”
When he looked for the white-bearded gentleman, he had disappeared.
The man being pushed was surprised to find that he was just steps away from a well. If he had continued to be pushed, he would have fallen to his death. When he looked for the white-bearded gentleman, he had disappeared.
The person who shared this story said that it “is told to all the present family members to instill a feeling that miracles continue to happen” and to “unite the family in their religious beliefs.” It’s a modern story because it’s currently being told, but the setting probably wouldn’t be considered modern.
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2. Three Nephite Stories from the Last 50 Years
On the other hand, the collection includes stories of actual Three Nephite encounters that have taken place within the last 50 years:
- People have been rescued while lost in Zion National Park.
- A missionary received expert plastic surgery from a mysterious doctor in a remote area.
- A young man met a stranger at scout camp who made him feel “like he could remember a life before Earth.”
How do listeners respond to Three Nephite stories?
Predictably, there is a range of reactions to Three Nephite stories:
- Outright Dismissal: Some people hear the stories and dismiss them.
- Partial Belief: Others are sure the person telling the story had an experience with the divine, but aren’t certain it’s one of the Three Nephites.
- Complete Acceptance: Others are sure it was an encounter with one of the Three Nephites.
Names and Identities of the Three Nephites
Do we know their names?
We know that their names are included in a list of the 12 disciples from 3 Nephi 19:4, but we don’t know which belong to the Three Nephites who decided to remain on earth:
- Nephi
- Timothy
- Jonas
- Mathoni
- Mathonihah
- Kumen
- Kumenonhi
- Jeremiah
- Shemnon
- Jonas
- Zedekiah
- Isaiah
Are there names mentioned in stories?
When looking at the Three Nephites story collection, the stranger doesn’t typically provide a name (there are some exceptions). However, I haven’t seen any stories where the stranger identifies himself using one of the twelve names above.
There is a story where he calls himself “Buzz.” Another where he identifies himself as “Mr. Hope.” But these “named” individuals don’t identify themselves as Three Nephites; it’s simply the name they used when they introduced themselves.
Generally, people have an encounter with an unnamed stranger that they later interpret as being an experience with one (or more) of the Three Nephites. On rare occasions, the stranger might inform the person that he is one of the Three Nephites. But that is unusual.
In Latter-day Saint fiction about the Three Nephites, sometimes three random names are chosen. This is also true of sectarian groups who claim to have been in touch with them.
Physical Appearances of the Three Nephites
How do descriptions of their physical appearance vary?
Bert Wilson, the American Folklorist who gathered the bulk of these narratives, noted that one of the consistencies of the Three Nephite stories is the inconsistency of the descriptions detailing the Nephites’ physical appearance. They appear in everything from rags to dapper suits, complete with top hat and cane. The description of their ethnicity varies widely; they have been described as Polynesian, Middle Eastern, Native American, and Caucasian.
Some consistency in appearance can be found within a story cycle. For example, in the 1980’s there was a popular story circulating about sister missionaries who were protected from a rapist by three large warriors who are presumed to be the Three Nephites. In contrast, stories set in the Depression era that tell of a man asking for food or lodging who rewards the generous generally feature a man who looks like a stereotypical hobo.
Another described him as looking like a vampire.
However, if you read the entire collection, you’ll see them described as both tall and short, old and young. They occasionally appear as a dog. And they aren’t always male. I like that one person described the Nephite as being similar in appearance to Santa Claus, and another described him as looking like a vampire. That pretty much sums up the diversity of the descriptions.
What is consistent across the Three Nephite stories?
The way people feel in their presence remains consistent across various encounters. People describe feeling peaceful and calm. They immediately and inexplicably trust the individual.
It’s the feeling they experience, rather than the physical appearance, that generally causes someone to assume they have had an encounter with one of the Three Nephites.
Locations and Circumstances of Encounters
Are there patterns in location, such as Utah, missionary fields, or emergency situations?
The answer to this is complicated. Bert’s collection of stories is substantial, and he started gathering them in the 1960s. His early research showed that the stories are not confined to the Mountain West.
That said, throughout his long academic career, he had students from Utah State and Brigham Young University gather Nephite stories as part of their coursework. Consequently, most of the stories in the collection were gathered in the United States, and many of them take place in the United States as well.
There are some maps in the book that I find particularly helpful. They show where the stories take place and where they were collected. They indicate that stories take place internationally but are concentrated in America.
However, the church is a global church. I’d like to see further research that gathers stories from Latter-day Saints who do not live in the United States.
What circumstances or needs seem to trigger their appearance?
Bert identified a pattern in the Three Nephite stories early in his research. He wrote that the stories:
almost always have the same narrative structure: someone has a spiritual or physical problem, a stranger appears from nowhere, the stranger solves the problem, the stranger disappears, usually miraculously
“What’s True in Mormon History” 2007 William A. (Bert) Wilson.
Nephites arrive when there is a need—whether that’s physical, temporal, emotional, or spiritual. That means you’ll find them in situations as extreme as a multi-car pileup on the interstate or as quietly personal as consoling a discouraged missionary.
Have their roles or behaviors shifted to match the times—for example, from horse rescuers to paramedics?
The types of assistance the Three Nephites provide evolve with the times. In the 1800s, they rode horses and helped with farm work. With the advent of the automobile, people began driving cars and providing mechanical assistance.
Their methods of healing also change. When helping early church members, they often relied on home remedies. For example, they encouraged a nursing mother with mastitis to apply a salve of tobacco boiled in lard to her breasts. In stories set after the 1960s, they often employ paramedical and surgical skills.
Are these interpretations shaped more by belief, suggestion, or pattern recognition?
Interesting question. I think that often all three of those are in play when people hear a Three Nephite story or have an experience that feels like an encounter with one of them. You’d have to believe that such a thing is within the realm of possibility to embrace that as an interpretation of what happened.
Certainly, if your situation aligns with what you understand as the typical pattern associated with a visitation from one of the Three Nephites, that might influence your assessment of what happened.
‘Poof,’ he was gone.
I have gathered a story that isn’t in the collection of a family who was helped by a stranger in a busy train station in France. When the person explained why they felt the stranger was one of the Nephites, she said, “He came. He went. He looked like a local, and boom, “poof,” he was gone.”
It’s clear that the pattern of the experience helped determine the interpretation.
Finally, suggestion often plays a part in interpretation. There are numerous stories in the collection where someone else suggests the Three Nephites as an explanation for what took place. Sometimes the listener hears someone’s experience and says, “Wow, could that have been one of the Three Nephites?”
And, once the suggestion is made, it becomes a viable explanation.
Memorable Three Nephite Story
Is there a single Three Nephite Story you find especially memorable?
I have read a lot of stories about encounters with the Three Nephites. I’ve probably read through this entire collection of 1,686 stories five times, at least. There are a lot of stories in the collection that I find easy to dismiss for a variety of reasons. That said, there are a lot of beautiful stories that I can’t discount. If we had time, I would share several with you.
I have never heard anything like it.
For this interview, I’ll provide one particularly memorable example. Robert Mitchell shared this personal experience with me in 2018. I have never heard anything like it. The circumstances that connected me with Robert and enabled me to gather his story are also unusual (a story for another time). So, this one stands out for a lot of reasons.
Here is my summary of it with some of Robert’s language incorporated. It’s a better story when he tells it, but it’s also longer.
Robert Mitchell’s Three Nephites Story
In 2007, Robert worked at an electronics shop, and he had colleagues from many parts of the world. A man came into the shop who was able to speak fluently in multiple languages with his colleagues. He was impressed, so he approached the stranger with his limited German, saying, “Sprechen Sie Deutsch?”
The stranger began to speak in German. Robert admitted that he didn’t speak German, but asked the man how many languages he could speak. The man responded, “I know more languages than you know exist.”
They continued their conversation, and before parting, the man said, “When you go home or get near a computer, look up the word ‘Nephite.’ I’m one of those.”
Robert couldn’t remember the word exactly when he got home. He tried searching for the word Nephemal, but the search didn’t give him any helpful results. He didn’t think much of it after that.
They had this look of astonishment on their faces.
His girlfriend at the time (now wife) was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he was meeting with missionaries. Roberts writes
Part way through the lessons they said something along the lines of “I want you to open up to the book of Nephi” and I stopped him and said “hey, hey, hey… that’s the word, ‘Nephite’!” and they assumed I was referring to the book and said “oh, great, what do you know of the book of Nephi?” and then, I didn’t know they were saying Nephi over Nephite, it sounded the same to me, which somehow triggered my memory… so I told them the story about me working at [the electronics shop] and they had this look of astonishment on their faces.
Robert Mitchell
The missionaries told Robert about the Three Nephites and helped him understand why the person he met knew so many languages.
Robert finishes his story by adding:
I was not Mormon at the time, my wife was, but my understanding of the religion was extremely limited and negative mostly to basically that of what South Park portrayed on TV and the jokes I’ve always heard throughout the years about Mormons.
I think back to it now and wish I would have known even some basic details of the Nephite’s, even not being Mormon at the time, I would have thought to ask something better than ‘do you speak German,’ but as the years have passed and I’ve shared this story with others, I’ve been enlightened to the fact that they are here to plant the seed in exactly the right way to either spark curiosity or land us on the right path.”
Robert Mitchell
I’m grateful that Robert was willing to share this experience with me. I particularly like his assessment of what the Three Nephites are doing and why.
Trends in Three Nephite Folklore
Are there any recent trends in Three Nephite stories?
I can speak to the collection of stories I have, and what it says about belief among those who shared their stories and those who have gathered them (see my answer to the question “Do Latter-day Saints believe that the Three Nephites are still physically alive and present in the world?”).
Jill, Eric, Chris, and I have noticed a shift in recent years from students turning in stories that are mostly parodies of Three Nephite stories to stories that are held as sacred experiences. We’d like to see more research into this to find out if this is really a trend, and what might explain it.
Official and Scholarly Perspectives
Are there official or unofficial messages about avoiding or encouraging stories of the Three Nephites?
Yes. Official church publications acknowledge the existence of the Three Nephites. But official publications also ask members to avoid speculating about them (see the 2017 Book of Mormon Seminary Teacher Manual referenced in our book).
In church settings, members are encouraged to focus on the scriptural accounts about them. I think it reflects the idea that some experiences are “too sacred to share.” Prominent church leaders, both past and present, such as Elder Boyd K. Packer, Elder Dallin H. Oaks (currently in the first presidency of the church), and Elder Russell M. Nelson (currently the President of the Church) have given talks counseling members to be careful about sharing sacred experiences because others might not treat them with the reverence they deserve.
How do members balance faith and folklore in sharing or hearing these accounts?
I think it varies. Some members are skeptical of all supernatural stories and chalk them up to “faith-promoting rumors.” Others are willing to embrace any story that “feels true” to them. You’ll find church members who fall along a spectrum between these two extremes.
Why do these stories make some scholars uneasy—and how do you approach them in a way that respects both belief and inquiry?
Bert was uneasy about these stories because he felt that, taken out of context, they present an inaccurate picture of the way Latter-day Saints think about their relationship with the divine.
As a people, Latter-day Saints don’t expect the Three Nephites to “pop up from behind some cloud” and fix their problems (see Bert Wilson’s essay “Freeways, Parking Lots, and Ice Cream Stands”). They are much more likely to discuss the service given and received by those around them as answers to their prayers.
Latter-day Saints tend to see miracles in daily acts of kindness. They generally believe that “big” miracles do happen (the story of how the church began in this dispensation is one of a miraculous response to prayer), but they don’t expect miraculous divine intervention in their own lives.
In fact, members most often speak of experiencing “quiet miracles:” receiving a phone call at just the right time, discovering that a neighbor decided to mow their lawn when they felt too busy to get to it, being offered a shoulder to cry on in a moment of sorrow.
If the only thing an outsider knows about Latter-day Saints is the stories of the Three Nephites, that outsider really doesn’t understand Latter-day Saints well at all.
That’s why my next project will focus on the stories Latter-day Saints tell about service given and received. Bert called scholarship a “self-correcting” process (Wilson, “Study of Mormon Folklore: An Uncertain Mirror for Truth,” 1988). Now that this book is completed, I’m engaging in the process of academic self-correction.
Ongoing Importance of Three Nephite Stories
Your research suggests that service—not just miracles—is at the heart of these stories. Why is that often overlooked?
The Three Nephites are supernatural beings. Their “supernatural”ness, if you will, may obscure the point of the stories. They chose to extend their time on earth so they could serve others. In most cases, what they are doing is things all of us can do: care for those in need. I think the stories serve as blueprints for discipleship.
What makes them worth repeating?
The stories indicate that there is divine interest in our lives. That’s a powerful message.
Do other traditions have equivalents to the Three Nephites—immortal helpers or angelic wanderers?
Yes. There is the story of the Wandering Jew, although his time on earth was extended as a punishment rather than a gift. In the Jewish tradition, there are the Lamed Vav Tzadikim—36 righteous people whose acts of service keep the world from destruction.
Within Buddhism, there are the Bodhisattvas—individuals who delay their own salvation to serve those on earth.
Many religions have miracle-working saint figures like the Three Nephites, although they are rarely immortals. However, there are exceptions. For example, Theosophists speak of an immortal Frenchman named Saint Germain who goes around doing good deeds and perpetuating spiritual knowledge. There is also a robust literature on the miracles of Elijah, whom Latter-day Saints and traditional Jewish rabbis believe was translated.
More often, saint figures are not immortals, but they function much like the Three Nephites in the capacity of a figure that watches over the faithful.
What deeper values or anxieties are being addressed through their persistence?
Stories that persist are stories that have a cultural function. These stories help bolster faith in a loving God, they teach about the importance of missionary, temple and genealogy work, and they are entertaining. One or more of those functions is in play any time the stories are being told.
What can humor or exaggeration in these stories tell us about Latter-day Saint culture?
In an essay entitled, “The Seriousness of Mormon Humor,” Bert responded to this question so well: “As we discover those things that move some Mormons to laugh the hardest or provoke others to righteous anger, we may learn in the process to recognize those things that most Mormons feel most deeply” (1985).
The humorous stories included in the collection give insight into the challenges of being a believer while navigating a secular world.
Behind the Research
What methods did you use to analyze nearly 1,700 Three Nephite stories?
First, it should be made clear that this project originated with William A. Wilson—or Bert as he preferred to be called. He was a renowned folklorist as well as a participant in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (It should also be noted that he was writing his scholarship before the leaders of the church asked that scholars, journalists, and church members alike use the official church name rather than its nickname of “Mormon”).
He began gathering stories about the Three Nephites in the 1960s when he was a graduate student at Indiana University and continued adding to his collection through the 1990s. I worked with him while doing graduate studies at Brigham Young University. This was a project he asked me to complete when his health prevented him from doing so. I invited folklorists Christopher Blythe, Eric Eliason, and Jill Terry Rudy to help me.
Most of these stories were collected by students in Bert’s folklore classes over the years. Jill and Eric contributed stories that their students submitted as well, because we wanted to include things being shared in the 2000s. Students are taught the importance of gathering all aspects of the story performance, not just the story itself. They include information about the person telling the story, where they heard it, and how they feel about it. They also describe the setting in which the story is shared.
Bert had been going through his collection with a fine-tooth comb for many years. As his research assistant, I would read the stories and look for specific details: physical descriptions, types of assistance, nature of appearance and disappearance, time period, setting, etc. He wanted to create data visualizations based on these findings. That wasn’t as easy to do in the 1990s as it is now.
I’ve spent many years entering this data into a giant spreadsheet, enabling us to generate the types of charts and graphs he was looking for.
Were there story trends or patterns that you didn’t expect?
Yes and no. What surprised me was that there are more acts of service in this collection than there are stories in the collection. Meaning that most stories have the Nephites helping in more than one way. Usually, that entails not only taking care of someone’s physical needs but also their emotional or spiritual needs. I found that very moving.
In some ways, I was surprised by things I hadn’t considered doing. For example, if I had it to do again, I’d get more specific about how the Nephite leaves the scene. Does he vanish before someone’s eyes? Does the person say something like “I turned around and he was gone” or “We never saw him again”? I didn’t count it as a “remarkable disappearance” if the stranger could have simply slipped into a crowd.
I think the numbers about disappearance could be more nuanced. How the Nephite exits the story is an important part of the narrative structure.
Key Takeaways
What value do these stories offer scholars, believers, and outsiders alike?
We are the sum total of our folk traditions. The stories we tell, the celebrations we engage in, the things we create, that’s what makes us human. These stories have value because people, their cultures, their communities, and their religious practices have value.
What do you hope readers take away from your new book about the Three Nephites?
I hope that it serves as the tribute to Bert that it was meant to be. He was passionate about the study of folklore. Additionally, I hope it will inspire future scholarship in religious folklore, particularly scholarship that respectfully approaches encounters with the divine.
Finally, I hope it inspires people to emulate the Three Nephites. Focusing on service is a powerful choice.
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About the Scholar
Julie Swallow is a teaching and learning consultant at Brigham Young University’s Center for Teaching & Learning, with over 15 years of experience in higher education. She has taught at the University of Minnesota, served as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in France, and mentored over 90 adjunct faculty members at BYU. She holds an M.A. in English from BYU and a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences from Utah State University. In The Three Nephites: Saints, Service, and Supernatural Legend, co-authored with Christopher James Blythe, Eric A. Eliason, and Jill Terry Rudy, Swallow builds on the folklore archives of William A. (Bert) Wilson—“the father of Mormon folklore”—to offer the most comprehensive scholarly study of the Three Nephites in Latter-day Saint tradition.
Further Reading
- Did Moroni Dedicate the Manti Temple Site?
- What Was the White Horse Prophecy?
- What Was the Salamander Letter?
- How Can I Evaluate Latter-day Saint Rumors?
- Did Moroni Translate the Book of Mormon?
The Three Nephites
- The Three Nephites: Saints, Service, and Supernatural Legend (University of Illinois Press)
- What We’ve Been Getting Wrong About the 3 Nephites (LDS Living)
- The Greatest Three Nephites Story Ever Told (Patheos)
- The Three Nephites and the Doctrine of Translation (BYU Religious Studies Center)
- Does Anyone Really Believe in the Three Nephites Anymore? (Cougar Stadium)
- Postponing Heaven: The Three Nephites, the Bodhisattva, and the Mahdi (Maxwell Institute)
