Of all the names in the Book of Mormon account, many scholars have found the name Hermounts the most peculiar, because it is neither classical nor oriental. Hermounts is “that part of the wilderness which was infested by wild and ravenous beasts” (verse 37); in other words, it is the wild country or hunting grounds. Nibley declares that the “equivalent of such a district in Egypt is Hermonthis, the land of Month, the Egyptian Pan—the god of wild places and things. Hermounts and Hermonthis are close enough to satisfy the most exacting philologist.” (See Echoes, 474–475.)
Name Peculiarities
In the Old Testament, not a single surname is given; each person is simply known by one name. When translated into English, no biblical name includes the letters q, x, or w, and none begins with F. Similarly, of the hundreds of characters named in the Book of Mormon, no surnames are mentioned, and no names use the letters q, x, or w, or begin with F. If Joseph Smith had fabricated the manuscript of the Book of Mormon, it is likely that he would have inadvertently given at least one character a surname, since this was a long-held tradition in his day. Furthermore, it is improbable that the Prophet would have noticed the lack of the letters q, x, and w in Biblical names. (See Echoes, 159–160).