Reading Notes: West Africa Part A
A spider wanted to have stories told about him by the local chief. The chief agreed on condition that the spider bring him three things. A jar full of live bees, a boa constrictor, and a tiger. He found some bees and tricked them into the jar, completing his first task. The spider then found a snake and proceeded to measure him with a stick. The spider quickly tied the snake to the stick tricking yet another. The spider then found the home of a tiger and tricked him into sewing his eyes shut so that he became helpless. Completing all three task the old tales came to be known as Anansi Tales.
A man with all the knowledge of the world became offended by the very people he helped. To punish them he collected all the knowledge that he had given out and put it in a jar. He proceeded to hang the pot in a tree far away from man's touch. His son watching him struggle to climb the tree with the jar hung on the front of his body gave a smart remark. He told his father to hang the pot on the back of himself and his climb would be easier. With this remark, the man dropped the pot and released all the knowledge back into the world.
Anansi and a man on a journey to another town switched clothes. The man had fancy velvet clothes that Anansi now wore, and Anansi had ragged torn clothes that the man now wore. When they arrived at the town Anansi got many wives while the man only got one. One the way back the wives noticed that the man lived in a great palace while Anansi lived in a dump. Anansi's wives eventually abandoned him to live with the man. To get revenge on him, Anansi dug a hole filled with knifes and broken bottles. Anansi lured the man out of his home into causing him to fall into the hole killing him. The wife held a great feast in his honor.
The Anansi was struggling for food for him and his family. He saw a tree on a small island of the coast. Wishing to climb that tree, he set off in a rickety boat six times and failed. Finally he reached the tree, but in gathering the berries he missed each shot and they fell into the water. He dove in the water after them and came upon a house for thunder on the sea floor. Thunder hearing of Anansi's tale of woe gave him a magical pot that would give him endless food. Being greedy Anansi hid this pot from his family. His family found this pot and made so much food from it that it melted away. Anansi returned to thunders home on the sea floor and once again departed with a magical item. This time Anansi received a stick, but this stick proceeded to beat him mercilessly. He left the stick and proceeded home.
Anansi participated in a contest to have the kings three daughters as wives if he could find out their names. He found out the daughters' names through a simple trick and told his friend the lizard. Anansi and the lizard were in the palace of the king about to give the names. Lizard announcing each name for Anansi was awarded the three daughters as wives. Anansi angry at this begged and pleaded for even one wife, but he was shooed away. Anansi stole the kings rooster and placed it in the house of the lizard. The lizard was found guilty of being a thief, and his wives were given to Anansi.
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| Anansi is the trickster god, commonly shown as a spider. Source |
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