There are a number of beautifully illustrated children’s books telling the stories of Anansi. To this day, Anansi is the keeper of tales. When Anansi returned to Nyame with his captives, Nyama held up his end of the bargain and made Anansi the god of storytelling. Using cunning and cleverness, Anansi was able to capture Python and Leopard, as well as several other hard-to-catch beings, all of whom were part of Nyame’s price. So, he set Anansi out to solve some absolutely impossible tasks, and if Anansi completed them, Nyame would give him stories of his own. Anansi the spider decided he wanted stories of his own, and offered to buy them from Nyame, but Nyame didn’t want to share the stories with anyone. All the tales were held by Nyame, the sky god, who kept them hidden away.
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Originally, there were no stories at all.
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It is believed that these tales served not only as a form of cultural identity for enslaved West Africans, but also as a series of lessons on how to rise up and outsmart those who would harm or oppress the less powerful. Because Anansi tales, like many other folktales, began as part of an oral tradition, these stories traveled across the sea to North America during the slave trade. Anansi tales have been traced back to Ghana as their country of origin.Ī typical Anansi story involves Anansi the Spider getting into some sort of mischief - he’s usually facing a horrible fate like death or being eaten alive - and he always manages to talk his way out of the situation with his clever words. He’s a pretty important cultural figure, both in West Africa and in Caribbean mythology. Brian D Cruickshank / Getty ImagesĪnansi the Spider appears in a number of West African folktales, and is able to shift into the appearance of a man. Anansi comes from Ghana, where his adventures are told in songs and stories.
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