Similar to Mormon beliefs about John the Apostle, the Three Nephites were granted immortality in order to carry out their ministering work on the earth.
The account in the Book of Mormon reads that they ministered unto all the people in the surrounding lands, bringing many to the church by means of preaching and baptism.
Jesus promised them that they would experience no pain or sorrow during their time on earth, wickedness would have no power over them, and they would possess knowledge and wisdom exceeding that of a mortal human perspective.
Mormon also wrote that the Three Nephites were cast into prison, buried alive, thrown into a furnace and into a den of wild beasts, but emerged unharmed on each of these occasions because of the powers Christ had endowed them with.
The story surrounding the Three Nephites began to capture the attention of the outside world near the end of the 19th century, when it was mentioned in The Folk-Lorist, the journal of the Chicago Folk-Lore Society, in an article written by Reverend David Utter of Salt Lake City in 1892 about Mormon superstitions.
[8] Three Nephite folklore has been studied by folklorists William A. Wilson, David Utter, Wayland Hand, Hector Lee, Austin E. and Alta S. Fife, and Richard Dorson.
[1] Many similarities have been found between the story of the Three Nephites and those of John the Beloved and the Wandering Jew, as well as various other spiritual leaders who have been awarded the privilege to never taste of death.
In her 1968 thesis, Merilynne Rich Smith wrote the following about Three Nephite folklore:In addition, [the stories have] become a type of history of the life of Mormons.
As with other types of religious folklore, these stories continue to provide understanding of the hearts and minds of LDS church members and of the beliefs that compel them to action.
The Three Nephites provide a range of assistance, from protecting missionaries and children faced with danger to more domestic tasks like plowing fields, or fixing a widow's furnace.
[1] In his 1947 dissertation, Hector Lee classified one hundred-fifty accounts of Three Nephite sightings according to a few major motifs, largely dealing with the purpose of their appearances.
Another common motif Lee mentions is the speed at which they travel, as they are reported to cover great distances in very little time, and the suddenness with which they are able to appear and disappear.