Anansi
Anansi is a creature of both mischief and good. The first
story shows the mischief by him tricking Nyankupon into the deal he made. He
then tricked the bees followed by the snake and spider. Each of the creatures
listened to him and he tricked them into doing what he wanted. He told the bees
that Nyankupon and he had a bet if the bees could all fit in the jar. The bees
said they could fit in the jar and rushed in and he closed the cap sending them
to Nyankupon. The snake he tied to a stick by saying that he made a bet with
Nyankupon if the snake was as long as the stick. Once he got the snake tied to
the stick he sent the snake up. The tiger on the other hand he tricked him by
sewing one of his eyes shut and saying that he saw wondrous things. The tiger
heard him and said he also wanted to see wondrous things and asked that Anansi
sew his eyes shut. Thus he tricked him and led him up to Nyankupon. In the second
story however he Anansi possessed all wisdom and people would come to him
asking him things. Eventually one of the scorned him and he decided to hide all
the wisdom from them. So he placed all of the wisdom he had given out into the
pot and hung it around his neck. He walked into the woods and started climbing
one of the trees in order to put the pot high up in the tree. His son happened
to follow him out of the village and into the forest. As his father tried to
climb the tree and couldn’t for the pot was in the way he suggested that Anansi
put the pot on his back so he could climb freely. Anansi pleased with his sons
wisdom said that since he had wisdom greater than his that Anansi’s wisdom was
insufficient. He broke the pot letting the wisdom go out into all the world.
Bibliography: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair
Bibliography: West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair
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