A terrible famine has left villages struggling to find enough food, yet one family remains healthy while everyone else grows thin. The secret lies in a remarkable stone hidden in the forest, where flour grinds by itself and honey flows nearby.
Kofi, Anansi’s cousin, has discovered this extraordinary place. He takes only enough food to feed his family, but Anansi becomes determined to learn his secret. When he finally discovers the stone, his greed pushes him to take more than he needs, with consequences he never expects.
A Family That Never Went Hungry
A great famine once spread across the land. Food became scarce, and the villagers suffered from hunger. Many grew thin and pale because they could not find enough to eat.
Amid this hardship, one household stood out. Anansi’s cousin, Kofi, and his family remained healthy and well-fed while their neighbours struggled.
Anansi noticed the difference and grew suspicious. He could not understand how Kofi managed to feed his family when so many others were starving.
Anansi was a greedy fellow, and he became determined to discover the secret. He suspected that Kofi had found a special source of food and was keeping it to himself.
Kofi’s Wonderful Discovery
Kofi’s good fortune had begun one morning when he went hunting in the forest. As he travelled through the grass, he came upon a remarkable stone.
The stone ground flour all by itself. Nearby, a stream of honey flowed, providing another source of food.
Kofi was delighted by the discovery. He sat down beside the stone and enjoyed a good meal. He had found something extraordinary at a time when food was difficult to obtain.
However, Kofi did not allow his good fortune to make him greedy. He took away only enough food to meet his family’s needs.
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Each morning, he returned to the stone and collected sufficient food for that day. This steady supply kept his household healthy while the surrounding villagers continued to suffer.
Kofi understood the value of his discovery, but he used it with restraint. He had no need to take everything the stone could provide.
Anansi Demands to Know the Secret
Anansi could not stop thinking about his cousin’s good fortune. He repeatedly questioned Kofi about how he obtained food while everyone else went hungry.
Kofi was reluctant to reveal the secret. He knew Anansi’s greedy nature and feared that his cousin would not be satisfied with taking only what he needed.
Nevertheless, Anansi would not leave him alone. He continued troubling Kofi with questions until Kofi finally agreed to show him the stone.
Kofi explained that they would set out the following morning, after the women began their usual work.
Anansi, however, was too impatient to wait. He wanted to see the stone immediately and could not bear the thought of spending another night without knowing where the food came from.
His impatience soon led him to devise a trick.
A Night of Deception
In the middle of the night, Anansi woke his children and instructed them to make a noise with the cooking pots. He wanted the sound to resemble the activity of the women beginning their daily work.
Hearing the noise, Anansi hurried to Kofi’s room and told him it was time to leave.
Kofi recognised the trick. He knew the women had not begun their work and refused to go. He returned to bed, telling Anansi that they would leave when the women were actually sweeping.
Anansi did not give up. Once again, he sent his children to work, this time making a loud noise with their brooms.
He returned to Kofi and insisted that the time had come to set out.
Kofi saw through the deception again. He refused to be fooled and went back to sleep.
Anansi then tried another plan. He entered Kofi’s room, cut a hole in the bottom of his cousin’s bag, and filled it with ashes. After completing this trick, he left Kofi alone.
Anansi believed he had finally found a way to discover the stone without relying on Kofi’s willingness to guide him.
Following the Trail of Ashes
When morning came, Kofi awoke and found that Anansi was nowhere to be seen. Relieved that his troublesome cousin had apparently abandoned the plan, he went to the forest alone.
Kofi reached the wonderful stone and sat down to enjoy the food it provided. He believed he had escaped Anansi’s interference.
But Anansi had secretly followed him.
The hole in Kofi’s bag had allowed the ashes to fall along the route. Anansi used this trail to follow his cousin through the forest and find the hidden place.
When he arrived, he was delighted by what he saw.
“Aha!” Anansi exclaimed. “Here is plenty of food for all. No more need to starve.”
Kofi immediately warned him to keep quiet. The place was wonderful, and he did not want Anansi to disturb it with his excitement.
The cousins sat down and ate. For a while, they enjoyed the abundance the stone provided.
When the meal was over, Kofi prepared to take enough food home for his family, just as he did each day.
Anansi, however, had a very different plan.
Anansi Takes the Stone
Kofi intended to leave the magical stone where it was. He knew that he could return whenever his family needed food.
Anansi refused to accept this sensible arrangement. Instead of collecting what he needed, he decided to take the entire stone away.
His cousin tried to persuade him not to do so, but Anansi would not listen. He was determined to possess the wonderful object for himself.
Ignoring Kofi’s warnings, Anansi placed the stone on his head and began carrying it towards the village.
As he travelled, the stone spoke to him:
“Spider, spider, put me down.”
It repeated its plea in a strange little verse:
“The pig came and drank and went away,
The antelope came and fed and went away:
Spider, spider, put me down.”
The stone was asking Anansi to leave it where it belonged. Other creatures had come to benefit from the place and then departed, but Anansi refused to follow their example.
He wanted to take the source of the food with him rather than leave it available for future use.
Selling Flour from Village to Village
Anansi continued carrying the stone from village to village. Wherever he went, he sold flour and collected money.
His bag gradually filled with the money he earned. Instead of thinking about the needs of others or returning the stone to its original place, he focused on making as much profit as possible.
The stone continued to weigh upon him, but Anansi remained determined to keep it. He had found an opportunity to become wealthy during the famine, and he was unwilling to surrender it.
At last, his bag was full of money, and Anansi set off for home.
He had achieved what he wanted: he had taken possession of the magical stone and earned money from the flour it produced.
Yet his success had not brought him the freedom or comfort he expected.
The Stone That Would Not Move
When Anansi reached his hut, he was exhausted from carrying the heavy stone.
He prepared to put it down and rest. To his surprise, the stone refused to move from his head.
It had become stuck fast, and no effort could dislodge it.
Anansi tried to free himself, but the stone remained firmly attached. Its weight soon became unbearable.
The greedy spider, who had insisted on taking the stone against his cousin’s advice, now suffered the consequences of his decision. The very object he had hoped would bring him wealth became the cause of his destruction.
The stone grew too heavy for Anansi and ground him down into small pieces. In the end, his body was completely covered by the stone.
His greed had cost him everything.
Why Small Spiders Gather Beneath Stones
The story ends by explaining why tiny spiders are often found gathered beneath large stones.
According to the folktale, these spiders are what remain of Anansi after the magical grinding-stone crushed him.
The discovery that could have helped Anansi and others survive the famine became a source of disaster because he refused to use it wisely.
Kofi had found the same stone and used it carefully. He collected only enough food for his household and left the stone where others could benefit from it.
Anansi, on the other hand, wanted to possess the entire source of food. His desire for wealth and control led him to ignore every warning until it was too late.
Thus, the tale explains the presence of small spiders beneath large stones while warning against greed and selfishness.
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Moral Lesson
Greed can turn a blessing into a burden. Kofi used the magical stone wisely because he took only what his family needed, while Anansi tried to possess the entire source of food for his own benefit.
The story teaches that patience, moderation, and respect for shared resources are wiser than selfishness. An opportunity can benefit many people when it is used responsibly, but greed may destroy the very person who seeks to profit from it.
Knowledge Check
1. Why was Anansi curious about his cousin Kofi?
Kofi’s family remained healthy and well-fed during a famine while the other villagers suffered from hunger.
2. What did Kofi discover in the forest?
He discovered a magical stone that ground flour by itself, with a stream of honey nearby.
3. Why was Kofi reluctant to show Anansi the stone?
He knew Anansi was greedy and feared that he would take more than he needed.
4. How did Anansi follow Kofi to the stone?
He cut a hole in the bottom of Kofi’s bag and filled it with ashes, then followed the trail left behind.
5. Why did Anansi take the stone away?
He wanted to possess it and make money by selling the flour it produced.
6. How did Anansi meet his end?
The stone became stuck to his head and grew so heavy that it ground him into small pieces, which the tale says explains why tiny spiders gather beneath large stones.
Source
“The Grinding-Stone That Ground Flour by Itself” appears as Chapter XIII in West African Folk-Tales, compiled by W. H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair and published in 1917.
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