Cain Sightings (or Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti)

[Pyreaux]

While stories of angelic strangers and mysterious helpers (often linked to the Three Nephites) bring miracles, there's a darker figure woven through some Latter-day Saint folklore: the wandering, dark figure, who cannot die - Cain.

The Lore

The most famous account comes from a secondhand account attributed to Apostle David W. Patten, as retold by Abraham O. Smoot and others in the 19th century. Patten allegedly said he encountered a huge, dark, hairy man while riding on a mule in Tennessee in 1835. The figure reportedly said:

“As I was riding along the road on my mule, I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me. He walked along beside me for about two miles. His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt, and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die; and his mission was to destroy the souls of men.”

"He further said that his name was Cain, that he had murdered his brother Abel, and that he was cursed of God, and that he had no dwelling place, but wandered to and fro in the earth, seeking rest and finding none." (Lycurgus A. Wilson, Life of David W. Patten (1900))

This story was passed around as folklore but never canonized. It's sometimes quoted in CES circles or old missionary stories but is considered apocryphal, not doctrinal. In that way, Cain becomes a dark foil of the Three Nephites, he’s not a devil, but a cursed immortal. Cain is never seen doing anything, just appearing, in the distance, speaking, and then leaving. Unlike the Three Nephites, he doesn’t help. He simply haunts.

Cain was cursed/blessed in Genesis to protect him

“And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth... When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” (Genesis 4:10–12)

“And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear... Behold, thou hast driven me out this day... and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” (Genesis 4:13–15)

According to Jewish legends, Midrash Tanhuma identifies him as becoming transformed into the Angel of Death (Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, Bereshit 11).  the Angel of Death did not come into being until Cain slew Abel, for until then no one had died, and there was no need for such an angel. Then God transformed Cain into the Angel of Death, as punishment. Cain served as the Angel of Death, wandering and roaming about, accursed. These myths attempt to determine when the Angel of Death was created based on the appropriate biblical episodes. Because Cain was the first murderer.

People might laugh off stories like Cain sightings, but almost every culture has legends about immortal wanderers. 

Seeing a dark figure, either dark skin or shadowy appearance, gigantic, hairy or primal look, melancholy or tormented expression. Seen on the roads, edge of sacred grounds, usually watching but never approaching. Usually, late at night. Avoids light, vanishes quickly. People sensing a presence that felt evil. He will talk and admit to being cursed and unable to die, but cannot linger. Seems able to find and approach apostles, or be found on roads or around sacred places. LDS folklore has long included stories of Cain as a cursed, immortal wanderer - dark, huge, hairy, tormented - roaming the earth since the days of Genesis.

Bigfoot

Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) is America’s favorite cryptid: a large, hairy, man-like creature, glimpsed in forests and mountains, always elusive. In Mormon circles, these two figures sometimes blur into one. The story repeated in 19th-century LDS circles fed later speculation, especially when Bigfoot sightings became common in the 20th century. When Bigfoot emerged in American culture, the connection was almost automatic.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no doctrine on Bigfoot or Cain’s current status. This is purely folk belief, but we keep the idea alive as a curious possibility and a folklore crossover.

What purpose do Cain sighting serve in LDS folklore? Why do so many of these stories happen at night? Have you ever seen Cain, or a devil in the dark, the angel of death, or unknown dark figure?

Edited July 5, 2025 by Pyreaux

[Calm]

Maybe Patten liked a good story and teasing others.  Or Patten met a mentally disturbed man who was delusional, thought he was Cain (probably was t the first, wouldn’t be the last; there is a guy on Reddit who shared it was one of his delusions in the past) and grew out his hair and beard to suit what he thought Cain would look like or just chose to live like that.  If he lived outside all the time with little to no clothing, his skin would be quite darken by the sun.

Edited July 5, 2025 by Calm

[JAHS]

If Bigfoot is Cain he must have hid on Noah's ark during the flood. 😊

[ZealouslyStriving]

In some sermon I read by Rulon Allred years ago he referenced an article from, I think, Time Magazine, from I think the 1950's where someone, maybe the author, claimed to have a business lunch with a man, who revealed himself to be Cain working behind the scenes in the business world.

[Calm]

40 minutes ago, ZealouslyStriving said:

In some sermon I read by Rulon Allred years ago he referenced an article from, I think, Time Magazine, from I think the 1950's where someone, maybe the author, claimed to have a business lunch with a man, who revealed himself to be Cain working behind the scenes in the business world.

Time magazine would be searchable most likely and there is no record coming up in google.

[Calm]

However, google is kind.  You might have read it here:

 

[Calm]

Quote

Whitaker Chambers wrote in Life Magazine an account of his experiences with communism and testified before the courts of this land that the communistic propaganda and purpose was to wipe God from the memory of the people and to create a forgetfulness of any atonement of Christ or anything of a religious nature, and ridicule it and bring it to scorn. Chambers testified on oath that he had met the founder of this great communistic movement and that he had met him in a great ball, in a great cafeteria on Broadway, and that he had come into the room and had introduced himself to him as the founder of all the works of darkness in the earth, that he had been upon the earth since its beginning. This couldn't have been anybody but Cain. He was an embodied man. He said at this particular time that he was a giant of a man, about 6 1/2 or 7 feet tall, very broad and burly, that he was dressed in western habit and that he was filled with scorn and ridicule toward everything that was good. He said he sat and talked with him for considerable length of time and had outlined to him the designs that he had, that he was perpetuating, and he boasted that he had headed these things since the beginning of time. This was written in Life Magazine. The reason I remember it was when we were in prison, Lyman took that Life Magazine with him, and we read it many, many times. 

--Rulon C. Allred, Treasures of Knowledge Vol. 1, Hamilton, Montana: 

Bitterroot Publishing 1981, pg. 167.

I want to see the actual article before I believe Allred didn’t misinterpret or just create it, though Chambers might have made it up as well.  The claim is he testified under oath, so I am guessing in the House hearings or in the Alger Hiss case.  Either way, should be public record.  Plus Chambers committed perjury apparently in what he saw as a good cause.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittaker_Chambers

Edited July 6, 2025 by Calm

[webbles]

8 minutes ago, Calm said:

I want to see the actual article before I believe Allred didn’t misinterpret or just create it.

Maybe he is talking about "The Devil" article from Whittaker.  See page 77 at https://books.google.com/books?id=skgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[Calm]

1 hour ago, webbles said:

Maybe he is talking about "The Devil" article from Whittaker.  See page 77 at https://books.google.com/books?id=skgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA76&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

That actually makes sense.  Allred likely mixed up Cain with the Devil or substituted him (in LDS theology Satan does not possess a body) and remembered it as a first person real life story or maybe even misunderstood it to be that to begin with and then melded it with his awareness of  Chambers testifying.  I will assume it wasn’t intentional, but just typical memory rewriting he should have been more skeptical about (it sounds too much like a story someone would write not to check, reminds me of the Screwtape Letters).  Great find.

Edited July 6, 2025 by Calm

[ZealouslyStriving]

1 hour ago, Calm said:

I want to see the actual article before I believe Allred didn’t misinterpret or just create it, though Chambers might have made it up as well.  The claim is he testified under oath, so I am guessing in the House hearings or in the Alger Hiss case.  Either way, should be public record.  Plus Chambers committed perjury apparently in what he saw as a good cause.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittaker_Chambers

Great detective work!

[Peppermint Patty]

One of my favorite Cain is Bigfoot stories is when he visited the Laie temple.

 

https://www.ldsliving.com/when-cain-appeared-to-joseph-fielding-smiths-brother-talked-with-an-apostle/s/83424

[The Nehor]

On 7/6/2025 at 9:48 AM, JAHS said:

If Bigfoot is Cain he must have hid on Noah's ark during the flood. 😊

He probably hung out on the side of the ark like Og of Bashan did. Supposedly Noah even fed Og. Noah was a nice guy. Maybe Og shared with Cain. I would watch a show about them hanging out on the side of the ark together.

In one version of the story Og rode a unicorn on the ark…..somehow. Not sure how that worked.

Edited July 9, 2025 by The Nehor

[Calm]

17 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

He probably hung out on the side of the ark like Og of Bashan did. Supposedly Noah even fed Og. Noah was a nice guy. Maybe Og shared with Cain. I would watch a show about them hanging out on the side of the ark together.

In one version of the story Og rode a unicorn on the ark…..somehow. Not sure how that worked.

Miniaturization

[rodheadlee]

On 7/4/2025 at 9:41 PM, Pyreaux said:

While stories of angelic strangers and mysterious helpers (often linked to the Three Nephites) bring miracles, there's a darker figure woven through some Latter-day Saint folklore: the wandering, dark figure, who cannot die - Cain.

The Lore

The most famous account comes from a secondhand account attributed to Apostle David W. Patten, as retold by Abraham O. Smoot and others in the 19th century. Patten allegedly said he encountered a huge, dark, hairy man while riding on a mule in Tennessee in 1835. The figure reportedly said:

“As I was riding along the road on my mule, I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me. He walked along beside me for about two miles. His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt, and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die; and his mission was to destroy the souls of men.”

"He further said that his name was Cain, that he had murdered his brother Abel, and that he was cursed of God, and that he had no dwelling place, but wandered to and fro in the earth, seeking rest and finding none." (Lycurgus A. Wilson, Life of David W. Patten (1900))

This story was passed around as folklore but never canonized. It's sometimes quoted in CES circles or old missionary stories but is considered apocryphal, not doctrinal. In that way, Cain becomes a dark foil of the Three Nephites, he’s not a devil, but a cursed immortal. Cain is never seen doing anything, just appearing, in the distance, speaking, and then leaving. Unlike the Three Nephites, he doesn’t help. He simply haunts.

Cain was cursed/blessed in Genesis to protect him

“And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth... When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” (Genesis 4:10–12)

“And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear... Behold, thou hast driven me out this day... and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” (Genesis 4:13–15)

According to Jewish legends, Midrash Tanhuma identifies him as becoming transformed into the Angel of Death (Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, Bereshit 11).  the Angel of Death did not come into being until Cain slew Abel, for until then no one had died, and there was no need for such an angel. Then God transformed Cain into the Angel of Death, as punishment. Cain served as the Angel of Death, wandering and roaming about, accursed. These myths attempt to determine when the Angel of Death was created based on the appropriate biblical episodes. Because Cain was the first murderer.

People might laugh off stories like Cain sightings, but almost every culture has legends about immortal wanderers. 

Seeing a dark figure, either dark skin or shadowy appearance, gigantic, hairy or primal look, melancholy or tormented expression. Seen on the roads, edge of sacred grounds, usually watching but never approaching. Usually, late at night. Avoids light, vanishes quickly. People sensing a presence that felt evil. He will talk and admit to being cursed and unable to die, but cannot linger. Seems able to find and approach apostles, or be found on roads or around sacred places. LDS folklore has long included stories of Cain as a cursed, immortal wanderer - dark, huge, hairy, tormented - roaming the earth since the days of Genesis.

Bigfoot

Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) is America’s favorite cryptid: a large, hairy, man-like creature, glimpsed in forests and mountains, always elusive. In Mormon circles, these two figures sometimes blur into one. The story repeated in 19th-century LDS circles fed later speculation, especially when Bigfoot sightings became common in the 20th century. When Bigfoot emerged in American culture, the connection was almost automatic.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no doctrine on Bigfoot or Cain’s current status. This is purely folk belief, but we keep the idea alive as a curious possibility and a folklore crossover.

What purpose do Cain sighting serve in LDS folklore? Why do so many of these stories happen at night? Have you ever seen Cain, or a devil in the dark, the angel of death, or unknown dark figure?

I can feel sorry for him if he has lived all this time. My life is pretty physically painful I hope I don't live too long before I get a new body. Not to mention having no loved ones or people to enjoy your life with. I never understood people that single-handedly sailed out into the ocean for many miles and they had no one to share their wonderful sites with.

Edited July 13, 2025 by rodheadlee

[JAHS]

On 7/4/2025 at 9:41 PM, Pyreaux said:

While stories of angelic strangers and mysterious helpers (often linked to the Three Nephites) bring miracles, there's a darker figure woven through some Latter-day Saint folklore: the wandering, dark figure, who cannot die - Cain.

The Lore

The most famous account comes from a secondhand account attributed to Apostle David W. Patten, as retold by Abraham O. Smoot and others in the 19th century. Patten allegedly said he encountered a huge, dark, hairy man while riding on a mule in Tennessee in 1835. The figure reportedly said:

“As I was riding along the road on my mule, I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me. He walked along beside me for about two miles. His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt, and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die; and his mission was to destroy the souls of men.”

"He further said that his name was Cain, that he had murdered his brother Abel, and that he was cursed of God, and that he had no dwelling place, but wandered to and fro in the earth, seeking rest and finding none." (Lycurgus A. Wilson, Life of David W. Patten (1900))

This story was passed around as folklore but never canonized. It's sometimes quoted in CES circles or old missionary stories but is considered apocryphal, not doctrinal. In that way, Cain becomes a dark foil of the Three Nephites, he’s not a devil, but a cursed immortal. Cain is never seen doing anything, just appearing, in the distance, speaking, and then leaving. Unlike the Three Nephites, he doesn’t help. He simply haunts.

Cain was cursed/blessed in Genesis to protect him

“And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth... When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.” (Genesis 4:10–12)

“And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear... Behold, thou hast driven me out this day... and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.” (Genesis 4:13–15)

According to Jewish legends, Midrash Tanhuma identifies him as becoming transformed into the Angel of Death (Midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu, Bereshit 11).  the Angel of Death did not come into being until Cain slew Abel, for until then no one had died, and there was no need for such an angel. Then God transformed Cain into the Angel of Death, as punishment. Cain served as the Angel of Death, wandering and roaming about, accursed. These myths attempt to determine when the Angel of Death was created based on the appropriate biblical episodes. Because Cain was the first murderer.

People might laugh off stories like Cain sightings, but almost every culture has legends about immortal wanderers. 

Seeing a dark figure, either dark skin or shadowy appearance, gigantic, hairy or primal look, melancholy or tormented expression. Seen on the roads, edge of sacred grounds, usually watching but never approaching. Usually, late at night. Avoids light, vanishes quickly. People sensing a presence that felt evil. He will talk and admit to being cursed and unable to die, but cannot linger. Seems able to find and approach apostles, or be found on roads or around sacred places. LDS folklore has long included stories of Cain as a cursed, immortal wanderer - dark, huge, hairy, tormented - roaming the earth since the days of Genesis.

Bigfoot

Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) is America’s favorite cryptid: a large, hairy, man-like creature, glimpsed in forests and mountains, always elusive. In Mormon circles, these two figures sometimes blur into one. The story repeated in 19th-century LDS circles fed later speculation, especially when Bigfoot sightings became common in the 20th century. When Bigfoot emerged in American culture, the connection was almost automatic.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no doctrine on Bigfoot or Cain’s current status. This is purely folk belief, but we keep the idea alive as a curious possibility and a folklore crossover.

What purpose do Cain sighting serve in LDS folklore? Why do so many of these stories happen at night? Have you ever seen Cain, or a devil in the dark, the angel of death, or unknown dark figure?

Cain was probably dead long before the flood of noah came. Genesis records that God cursed cain to be "a fugative and a vagabond in the earth" (Genisis 4: 12-14), but there is no indication from the scriptures that this condition would last forever on the earth; if so, like has been mentioned where was he during the flood when "all flesh died that moved upon the earth"(Gen 7:21-23)?

Part of the curse that God put on Cain was not that he "could not die" in his outcast state; but that the mark placed on him would reveal his identity so that no one would kill him. The scriptures are silent on how or when he died, but I think we can assume that he may have lived a normal life span for that time and eventually died of natural causes or perhaps by some kind of accident, as recorded in the Non-canonical Book of Jasher. Although the Book of Jasher, mentioned in the Bible (Joshua 10:13; Samuel 1:18)is not scripture, it does appear to provide an interesting description of Cain's apparent accidental death:

26 And Lamech was old and advanced in years, and his eyes were dim that he could not see, and Tubal Cain, his son, was leading him and it was one day that Lamech went into the field and Tubal Cain his son was with him, and whilst they were walking in the field, Cain the son of Adam advanced towards them; for Lamech was very old and could not see much, and Tubal Cain his son was very young.
27 And Tubal Cain told his father to draw his bow, and with the arrows he smote Cain, who was yet far off, and he slew him, for he appeared to them to be an animal.
28 And the arrows entered Cain's body although he was distant from them, and he fell to the ground and died.
29 And the Lord requited Cain's evil according to his wickedness, which he had done to his brother Abel, according to the word of the Lord which he had spoken.
30 And it came to pass when Cain had died, that Lamech and Tubal went to see the animal which they had slain, and they saw, and behold Cain their grandfather was fallen dead upon the earth.
31 And Lamech was very much grieved at having done this, and in clapping his hands together he struck his son and caused his death.
32 And the wives of Lamech heard what Lamech had done, and they sought to kill him.
33 And the wives of Lamech hated him from that day, because he slew Cain and Tubal Cain, and the wives of Lamech separated from him, and would not hearken to him in those days. (Jasher 2:26-33)