Cain and Bigfoot

46 Primary Sources

Date
Summary
170 BC

James H. Charlesworth translates text regarding Cain as a "dark calf."

100 - 200 AD

Uncertain Syriac text indicating "black" or "sad."

400 - 500 AD

Codex Vaticanus reference to Cain.

609 - 632 AD

Ali Ünal offers translation re: Cain.

700 - 1300

AAAL offers an account of Cain where identified as "black."

1008

LCE scribe writes C as "casting down" his face.

1200 - 1300

Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon offer translation of Kabbalah text re: C's curse.

1620

Thomas Peyton identifies Cain as "black."

1625

Apocryphal account of Cain being killed by an arrow after being mistaken for an animal.

1733

Elihu Coleman rejects that Cain and Canaan share a common lineage.

Oct 16, 1785

Paul Erdmann Iserts comments on alleged "Cain" origins for Africans.

1834

Wheatley discusses the outcome of her enslavement and describes Africans in Cain-like terms.

1834

David Child rejects the curse of Cain theory.

Apr 1836

Messenger and Advocate states that the son of Ham was cursed, resulting in bondage of Black enslaved people, and that the curse will be removed someday.

1838

Weld criticizes use of Cain myth for African origins.

Jan 25, 1842

Joseph describes Black people as "sons of Cain."

1847

Rawson meets Cain-like figure in Nauvoo in 1847.

1852

John Fletcher argues that Ham married a descendant of Cain.

1852

Josiah Priest rejects Cain theory in favor of Ham theory.

1852

John Fletcher writes that Ham's degraded condition resulted from marriage with the cursed race of Cain.

Aug 27, 1868

Article on Bear Lake monster sightings.

Aug 31, 1869

Interview with BYJ says BY was investigating Bear Lake Monster.

Jan 12, 1873

George Q. Cannon states that God loves all, including the "dark sons of Cain."

1874

Brown rejects Cain origin for peoples of African ancestry.

Aug 17, 1881

Church leaders see Bear Lake monster.

1884

Eliza R. Snow references David W. Patten seeing Cain.

Jun 3, 1885

Deseret News commenter theorizes on descendants of Cain.

1900

LW reprints AOS's telling of DWP seeing Cain.

Jul 24, 1948

C in Hawaii in 1919.

Apr 4, 1952

Eldred G. Smith notes that descendants of Cain are not eligible to receive priesthood.

Aug 17, 1965

AD holds that Christ supersedes all racial "cursing."

Sep 29, 1967

Ezra T. Benson says God only knows why no priesthood for "seed of Cain."

1969

Most prominent reference to the DP Cain story.

1980

William Wilson and Richard Paulsen offer history of Mormon use of Cain account.

Apr 6, 1980

Bruce R. McConkie celebrates "seed of Cain" receiving the priesthood.

1983

TR tells a story about a bigfoot-like creature, a "goblin-beast."

1990

A later historical source that explicitly links the idea of Cain to Bigfoot.

1997

Johannes Glenthøj gives an analysis of possible Cain deaths.

2000

History of the Cain-as-cursed-wanderer motif.

2001

SL writes a fictional book based on the C/B connection, acting as modern day folklore.

Jul 24, 2003

Deseret Morning News offers summary of Cain lore in Utah.

2005

Richard D. Draper, S. Kent Brown, and Michael D. Rhodes identify "seed of Cain" with "skin pigmentation."

2007

Matthew Bowman's academic article on the Cain/Bigfoot connection.

2008

Matthew Bowman writes on Bigfoot/Cain connection.

2011

Alan Morrell offers summary of Church leader responses to Bear Lake Monster.

Jan 9, 2014

Early accounts of Bigfoot.