How We Got The Name "Spider Tales"
A very jealous spider made a deal with Nyankupon to have all of the future stories men tell be about him instead of about Nyankupon. To complete the transaction the spider had to fetch him a jar of bees, a boa constrictor, and a tiger. He got these three animals by tricking them and then Nyankupon declared all future stories to be Anansi stories, the spiders name is Anansi.
How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race
In this story Ansansi is the giver of wisdom to men, but the men make him mad so he decides to take it all away and hide it where they cant reach it. He tries to hide it in a tree but has trouble because the pot of wisdom keep getting in his way. His son sees his struggle and says father wear it on your back instead, this made Anansi mad and he threw the pot down. It busted and spread all the wisdom across the world.
Anansi and Nothing
I definitely thought this story would be way more boring than it was- the title Anansi and Nothing turned me away. The end caught me off caught when it said when you ask children why they are crying they often say they are "crying for nothing" because Nothing is a king who was killed by Anansi in this story.
Thunder and Anansi
Anansi selfish characteristics really showed in this story. His family was starving so he went to a palm tree to get nuts but that failed and he ended up in the water at Thunders cottage. Thunder gave him a magic pot that made food. He ate and then hid it from his family while they starved. When they found out about it they made everyone in town food but the pot melted from overheating. Anansi went back to the cottage for another pot but instead got a stick that beat him. I think that is exactly what he deserved.
Why The Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down
Another story involving Anansi's evil ways. This time he wanted to win the kings three daughters by finding out their names. So he dropped fruit and got them to say their names, he then hired a lizard as his servant to say the names for him to the king. At this the king gave the lizard his daughters. Anansi wanted revenge and so he framed the lizard for killing the kings cock. THe king in turn gave him his three daughters. I could see this tory going differently; maybe the fruit Anansi drops is actually poison and the king hunts him down.
Tit for Tat
A battle between father and son for the last meat in the forest. Anansi tried to take away his sons hunting spot but the son got him back by being a god very angry at Anansi and demanding the meat. Later when the son was rich from all the meat he threw a banquet and at it he told the story of his fathers antics. He was ashamed and promised not to do anything like that again.
The Squirrel and The Spider
The squirrel sowed a grand farm, but he got there by the trees. Anansi found and and his family built a road to it and began to harvest it. The squirrel was mad but the law said the road creator was the owner meaning Anansi even though the squirrel planted it. Then a storm came and the spiders abandonded the crops. When they returned a crow was blocking them from the rain and he took off with the bundles that were now claimed as his. This is an example of karma.
Why We See Ants Carrying Bundles As Big As Themselves
The spider families crops weren't growing so the son got a jester to bring his rain by tapping him with small sticks. Anansi learned of this and brought two huge sticks, when he found the jester and tapped him he accidentally killed him. He put his body in a tree and the son knocked it down so Anansi blamed him. The son lied and said that killing him meant a reward so Anansi backtracked and claimed the murder. When he went to get a reward from the king he was doomed to carry the dead jester in a box on his head forever. Until one day he tricked an ant into carrying it on his head.
The Grinding-Stone that Ground Flour By Itself
Anansi's cousing found this stone and food by it and took only enough for himself and his family each day. Anansi say them getting plump and demanded to be taken to the place where the food came from. Again he put ashes in someones bag to make a trail, this time his cousins. He followed him and found the magic stone, instead of taking some he picked up the whole stone. Later he was tired and wanted to put it down but the stone wouldn't allow it. And that is why now we see lots of spiders always under rocks.
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| The magic grinding stones |
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