Curelom and cumom

Part of a series on the
Book of Mormon
Origin
Peoples
Persons
Books
Geography
Analysis
Objects
Adaptations
Other

The curelom (/kʊəˈriːləm/)[1] and the cumom (/ˈkuːməm/)[2] are two of only twelve animals named within the Book of Mormon.[3] They are identified as "useful" animals in chapter 9 verse 19 of the Book of Ether.[4] This is the only verse which mention the animals in the Book of Mormon.[5] Mormons believe these animals existed in Mesoamerica at the time that the early Jaredites lived there.[5] Joseph Smith, the reputed translator of the Book of Mormon, is not known to have elaborated on the subject of these animals.[6]

According to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the exact intended identity of these animals is not known. Mormon anthropologist John L. Sorenson asserted that these names are "incomprehensible" as they do not match any known animal category in the natural world, and that in order to understand the text of Ether 9:19 in relation to these animals scholars would need to exam "a wide range of historical, linguistic, and natural science information".[7] According to Mormon theologians Wade E. Miller and Matthew Roper the animals are likely representative of extinct species of animals,[8] or are known species which were identified as curelom and cumom due to cross-cultural naming challenges.[9]

Reference in the Book of Mormon

The curelom and cumom are mentioned only once in the Book of Mormon.[5] The reference occurs in the Book of Ether,[10] which is purported to be a history of a nation of early Americans called the Jaredites who are said to have left the Tower of Babel and traveled by barge to the Western Hemisphere.[11] There, according to the book, they made use of a number of animals, though whether they brought them over on their barges is unclear.[12] The narrative reads as follows:

And also all manner of cattle, ... and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man. And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms. (Ether 9:16-19)

Apologetic interpretation

According to Latter-day Saint belief, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from an ancient language. In this line of thinking, the words curelom and cumom were transliterated instead of translated, meaning that while the ancient word is roughly transmitted, the actual animal intended is ambiguous.[8][11] The context may imply beasts of burden.[13] Some members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have speculated about what the terms refer to, including:

"Now to prepare them against these contingencies, and that they might, have fresh air for the benefit of the elephants, cureloms or mammoths and many other animals, that perhaps were in them, as well as the human beings they contained, the Lord told them how to construct them in order to receive air, that when they were on the top of the water, whichever side up their vessels happened to be, it mattered not; they were so constructed that they could ride safely, though bottom upwards and they could open their air holes that happened to be uppermost" (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses 12:340).[18]

Criticism

Mormon anthropologist and Mesoamerican ethnohistorian Brant A. Gardner stated about curelom and cumom:

"While there is an outside chance that the Jaredite barges carried breeding populations of these large mammals, realistically, by this point in time, any imported animals would have either become a major food source for the entire region or they would have died out. However, there is currently no accepted evidence that these animals lived in Mesoamerica from 1100 B.C. forward."[19]

Cureloms and cumoms in Latter-Day Saint literature

The curelom and cumom have appeared in Mormon literature. For example, Chris Heimerdinger, a popular LDS novelist, incorporates cureloms in his time-traveling adventure Tennis Shoes and the Feathered Serpent.[20] In another book, titled Book of Mormon ABCs, on the third page it says, "C" is for curelom, and it has a picture of a mammoth like animal.[21][22]

In his novel The Memory of Earth, Orson Scott Card lists various pack animals: "horses, donkeys, mules and kurelomi".[23] That particular spelling and similar alternative spellings of cureloms can be found in some non-English translations of the Book of Mormon, e.g. Slovenian.

Notes

  1. ^ churchofjesuschrist.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «kū-rē´lum»
  2. ^ churchofjesuschrist.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «kū´mum»
  3. ^ Sorenson 1996, pp. 288–289.
  4. ^ Miller & Roper 2017, pp. 136–137, 148–149.
  5. ^ a b c Miller & Roper 2017, p. 165.
  6. ^ Miller & Roper 2017, p. 167.
  7. ^ Sorenson 1996, p. 289.
  8. ^ a b c Miller & Roper 2017, p. 140.
  9. ^ a b Miller & Roper 2017, pp. 138–139.
  10. ^ Miller & Roper 2017, pp. 136–137, 165.
  11. ^ a b McGavin, E. Cecil (August 30, 1941). "Jaredite Literature in the Book of Mormon". Deseret News. p. 34.
  12. ^ Miller & Roper 2017, pp. 136, 149–150.
  13. ^ Miller & Roper 2017, pp. 148–149.
  14. ^ a b Black 2011, p. 207.
  15. ^ Anderson 1999, p. XXII.
  16. ^ a b Smith 2024, p. 120.
  17. ^ Sorenson 1996, p. 299.
  18. ^ a b Pratt (1868, pp. 339–340).
  19. ^ Gardner 2007, p. 259.
  20. ^ "Tennis Shoes Sequel Brings Scripture To Life". Deseret News. March 19, 1996.
  21. ^ Bagley, Val Chadwick (1999). "My Book of Mormon ABC's". Covenant Communications. p. 3.
  22. ^ Archibald, Tawny (December 2, 1999). "Alphabet Book Takes Twist With Book of Mormon Themes". The Daily Herald. p. 38.
  23. ^ Card, Orson Scott (1992). The Memory of Earth. TOR. p. 16.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.