Long ago, people told stories about Nyankupon, the chief of the gods. His name was associated with the tales people shared, and his place in storytelling seemed secure. But Anansi, the spider, was not satisfied with the way things were.
Anansi was clever, but he was also vain. He wanted people to tell stories about him instead. He imagined how pleasing it would be for his name to live on whenever someone gathered others to tell a tale.
Determined to make his wish come true, Anansi went to Nyankupon and asked for a remarkable privilege: from that day forward, all the old stories told by people should be called Anansi stories rather than Nyankupon stories.
Nyankupon did not grant the request immediately. Instead, he set Anansi a challenge. If the spider could bring him three things, he would receive the right he desired.
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First, Anansi had to deliver a jar full of living bees. Next, he had to bring a boa constrictor. Finally, he had to capture a tiger.
These were no ordinary tasks. The bees could sting him, the boa constrictor could overpower him, and the tiger was a dangerous creature to approach. Yet Anansi confidently accepted the challenge. He would have to rely on his wits to succeed.
The Bees and the Jar
The following day, Anansi took an earthen jar and travelled to a place where he knew many bees could be found.
When he reached their vicinity, he began speaking aloud to himself.
“They will never be able to fill this jar,” he declared.
Then he changed his mind. “Yes, they will be able to fill it.”
Moments later, he contradicted himself again. “No, they will not!”
He continued this strange argument until the bees became curious. Eventually, they approached him and asked why he was talking in such a peculiar way.
Anansi explained that he had been involved in a disagreement with Nyankupon. According to the spider, Nyankupon insisted that the bees could not fly into the jar, while Anansi maintained that they could.
The bees were not going to accept a challenge to their abilities. They immediately declared that they could certainly fly into the jar and proceeded to prove it.
One after another, the bees entered the vessel until it was full of living bees. Anansi had obtained exactly what he needed without having to chase or catch them individually.
As soon as they were safely inside, he sealed the jar and sent it to Nyankupon.
The first task was complete.
The Boa Constrictor and the Long Stick
The next day, Anansi set out to find a boa constrictor. This time, he carried a long stick.
When he reached the place where the snake lived, he began another argument with himself.
“He will be exactly as long as this stick,” he said.
Then he disagreed. “No, he will not be that long.”
After repeating these statements several times, he attracted the boa constrictor’s attention. The snake came out and asked what was troubling him.
Anansi explained that another disagreement had arisen in Nyankupon’s town. Some people claimed the boa constrictor was not as long as his stick, but Anansi insisted that the snake was.
He then asked whether the boa would allow him to measure it.
The boa constrictor, apparently eager to settle the matter, stretched itself out straight beside the stick.
That was precisely the opportunity Anansi wanted.
Before the snake could realise what was happening, Anansi tied it securely to the stick from one end to the other. With the boa constrictor restrained, he could transport it without having to fight or overpower it.
He sent the captured snake to Nyankupon, completing the second task.
The Tiger and the Sewn-Up Eyes
Only one challenge remained, but Anansi knew that approaching the tiger would require a different trick.
On the third day, he took a needle and thread and sewed one of his own eyes shut. He then travelled to the den where he knew the tiger lived.
As he approached, Anansi began shouting and singing loudly. His unusual behaviour drew the tiger out of its den to discover what was happening.
The tiger was puzzled by the spider’s excitement. Anansi appeared to be celebrating something extraordinary, even though one of his eyes had been sewn shut.
When the tiger questioned him, Anansi explained that closing his eye had given him the ability to see wonderful things he had never seen before. The sights were so astonishing, he claimed, that he could not help singing about them.
The tiger was intrigued. If sewing up an eye could reveal such marvels, perhaps the same trick would allow him to experience them too.
He asked Anansi to sew up his eyes.
Anansi needed no further invitation. He immediately complied, sewing the tiger’s eyes shut and leaving the great animal unable to see.
With the tiger now helpless, the spider led him straight to Nyankupon’s house.
Anansi had succeeded in all three challenges. He had delivered the jar of bees, the boa constrictor and the tiger, using a different deception to obtain each one.
Anansi Wins His Place in Storytelling
Nyankupon was astonished by what Anansi had accomplished. The spider had faced three difficult challenges and found a way to fulfil every condition.
His success was enough to persuade Nyankupon to grant his request.
From that time forward, the old stories could be called Anansi stories rather than Nyankupon stories. The conceited spider had secured the recognition he wanted, and his name would henceforth be associated with the tales people told.
Thus, according to this folktale, the tradition of calling them Spider Tales began. Anansi had won his place in the world of stories, not through physical strength, but through cleverness, persuasion and deception.
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Moral
Intelligence and creativity can help us overcome difficult challenges, but cleverness should be guided by honesty and good judgement. Anansi succeeds because he understands how to influence others, yet his repeated deception reminds us that achieving a goal does not necessarily make the methods used to achieve it right.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did Anansi approach Nyankupon?
Anansi wanted all the old stories to be named after him rather than Nyankupon.
2. What three things did Nyankupon ask Anansi to bring?
A jar full of living bees, a boa constrictor and a tiger.
3. How did Anansi capture the bees?
He convinced them that Nyankupon doubted their ability to fly into a jar. The bees entered to prove him wrong, allowing Anansi to seal the vessel.
4. How did Anansi capture the boa constrictor?
He pretended there was a disagreement about the snake’s length and persuaded it to stretch out beside a stick, then tied it to the stick.
5. How did Anansi make the tiger helpless?
He persuaded the tiger that sewing up its eyes would allow it to see wonderful things, then led the blinded animal to Nyankupon.
6. What does the story explain?
It offers a traditional explanation for why the old tales became known as Anansi stories or Spider Tales.
Source
W. H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, West African Folk-Tales, George G. Harrap, 1917. Project Gutenberg 66923.
