Where does the word "Hermounts" (Alma 2:37) come from? According to Hugh Nibley, this is certainly not a Latin word. It's not a Greek word, a Hebrew word, or a Semitic word. Where was Hermounts? It was the land on the borders that was infested at times by wild beasts, at certain seasons of the year. It was way up in the borders. The Nephites and Lamanites went way up there. So it is the Egyptian word hr-Mntw, obviously. Month or Monthis was the Egyptian Pan; he was the god of wild places, wild animals, and the wild country. Hr-Mntw was the outmost part of Egypt where the land was sometimes visited by lions and crocodiles and things like that. It was under cultivation, but it was a place that was in danger from animals. They called it hr-Mntw because it was Month's country, wild animal country. Hr [Mntw] means "under the rule of Month, who was the beneficent lord of wild animals. Hr-Mntw was that ground in Egypt which was the part far removed and yet was visited by animals. So they called this area Hermounts, and no other word could match it so perfectly because it was infested at times by wild beasts. Is that a coincidence? Hermounts is the most fantastic word in the Book of Mormon because it has no philogical connections until you recognize hr-Mntw. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 2, p. 243]