Anansi the Spider
(African mythology)
Downloads & Unit Studies
Mr Spider: the great trickster of West African legend. Originally
credited with the creation of the world, Anansi has been
transformed into a cultural founder hero. His exploits form
cycles of popular stories and they are even relished as far
away as the West Indies. Only in his encounter with the Wax
Girl is Mr Spider beaten. When she ‘no duh talk’, he struck her
with his legs and stuck fast. Angered, ‘he conk um, he chest
fas'n’. Finding himself trapped, Mr Spider ‘begin fo' talk soffle,
he beg, he beg … do' go clean.’ But there was no reply and
no escape, according to the tale in Sierra Leone, for ‘he
fash'n so 'pon dah wax we'en den people all duh beat um,
dat make he flat till today.’
Anansi is one of the most important gods of West African lore.
He is a trickster and a culture hero, who acts on behalf of
Nyame (his father, the sky god) and brings rain to stop fires
and performs other duties for him. His mother is Asase Ya.
There are several mentions of Anansi's children. According to
some myths his wife is known as Miss Anansi or Mistress Anansi
but most commonly as Aso.
He is depicted in numerous forms: a spider, a human, or
combinations thereof.
The Anansi legends are believed to have originated in the
Ashanti tribe. They later spread to other Akan groups and then
to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On
Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his
wife as Shi Maria. Anansi stories originated in Ghana, in Africa.
The word Anansi is Akan and means spider.
Myths
Anansi stories are known as Anansesem to the Ashanti and
Anansi-Tori in Suriname.
In some beliefs, Anansi created the sun, stars and the moon,
as well as teaching mankind the skills involved in agriculture.
Another story tells of how Anansi tried to hoard all of the
world's wisdom in a calabash. In the end he realizes the
futility of trying to keep all the wisdom to himself, and
released it.
Most cultures that have Anansi folktales also have the story of
how Anansi became King of All Stories, not just his own. In the
original Ashanti version of this story, Anansi approaches
Nyame, the Sky God, with the request that he be named King
of All Stories. Nyame then tells Anansi that if he can catch The
Jaguar With Teeth Like Daggers, The Hornets Who Sting Like
Fire, and The Fairy Whom Men Never See, he will be King of
Stories. Anansi agrees, despite Nyame's doubt that he can do
it. Anansi then tricks the jaguar, who intends to eat him, into
playing a game that allows Anansi to tie him up. He tricks the
hornets by pretending that it is raining, and telling them to
hide in a calabash. He tricks the fairy with the gum/tar baby
trick told below. He then takes them to Nyame and becomes
King of All Stories. Other versions, notably Carribean
variations, of this story involve Anansi getting Snake for
Lion/Tiger.
Anansi and Bro' BullThe only time Anansi himself was tricked,
was when he tried to fight a tar baby after trying to steal
food, but became stuck to it instead. The "tar-baby" tale
appears in a variety of ethnic African folklore contexts. It is
best known from the Brer Rabbit version, found in the Uncle
Remus stories. These were derived from African-American
folktales in the Southern United States. Ultimately this version
was adapted and used in the 1946 live-action/animated Walt
Disney movie Song of the South.
Other names
Anancy (Jamaica, Grenada)
Anancyi
Ananse
Aunt Nancy (In South Carolina, Aunt Nancy is sometimes used
as folk name for the spider, because the term is the
Americanized version of Anansi).
Hanansi
Compé Anansi
Kweku Anansi (Akan)
Nansi
In popular culture
Modern fiction
Anansi ("Mister Nancy") appears in two Neil Gaiman novels,
American Gods and Anansi Boys.
Aunt Nancy, based on Anansi, is a character in the Charles de
Lint novel Forests of the Heart.
Anansi appears as King of the Spiders in the China Miéville
novel King Rat.
The Anansi tale "The Mossy Rock" appears in A Book of
Sorcerers and Spells, by Ruth Manning-Sanders.
The Anansi tale "Gar-room!" appears in Tortoise Tales, by Ruth
Manning-Sanders.
Anansi is the name of a space shuttle involved in a super-
strong cable project in The Descent of Anansi by Larry Niven
and Steven Barnes.
Brer Anansi Books By David P. Makhanlall.
Comic books
Stories about Anansi have been mentioned in Spider-Man
story arcs by J. Michael Straczynski. Anansi seems to have had
a hand in Spider-Man's rebirth and the creation of The Other.
Anansi appears in the Hellblazer comic book spin-off Papa
Midnite as a trickster god instigating a revolt by black slaves
during the Civil War.
Anansi is a superhero in the Astro City comic series by Kurt
Busiek.
Film and television
The Magic of Anansi, an animated short for children from the
National Film Board of Canada. [1]
Anansi appears in two episodes of Disney animated series,
Gargoyles.
Anansi the Spider is a superhero in the Static Shock animated
series.
Anansi is the hero of Gerald McDermott's animated film and
Caldecott honor book, Anansi the Spider.
Music
The children's singer, Raffi, sings a song called "Anansi" which is
found on The Singable Songs Collection.
The British band Skunk Anansie took their name from Anansi,
with "Skunk" added to give it edge.
Visual art
Anansi appears in a painting by Myrea Pettit, Anansi and
Sweep.
Games
A race of were-spiders known as the Ananasi inhabit the
world of Werewolf: The Apocalypse; they worship Queen
Ananasa as an ancestor-deity. One of the earliest heroes of
their lore is a werespider named Anansi, whom they believe
to be the inspiration for the African folk character.
Anansi also appears as a spider like monster called Anansi's
Adherent in the MMORPG Anarchy Online. There are also a set
of boss monsters in the Inferno Zone named after various
limbs of the body such as Anansi's Left Hand.
External links
How Anansi Became A Spider
Jamaica Anansi Stories
Aunt Nancy
Anansi and Sweep
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed
encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional
editors (see full disclaimer)
(African mythology)
Downloads & Unit Studies
Mr Spider: the great trickster of West African legend. Originally
credited with the creation of the world, Anansi has been
transformed into a cultural founder hero. His exploits form
cycles of popular stories and they are even relished as far
away as the West Indies. Only in his encounter with the Wax
Girl is Mr Spider beaten. When she ‘no duh talk’, he struck her
with his legs and stuck fast. Angered, ‘he conk um, he chest
fas'n’. Finding himself trapped, Mr Spider ‘begin fo' talk soffle,
he beg, he beg … do' go clean.’ But there was no reply and
no escape, according to the tale in Sierra Leone, for ‘he
fash'n so 'pon dah wax we'en den people all duh beat um,
dat make he flat till today.’
Anansi is one of the most important gods of West African lore.
He is a trickster and a culture hero, who acts on behalf of
Nyame (his father, the sky god) and brings rain to stop fires
and performs other duties for him. His mother is Asase Ya.
There are several mentions of Anansi's children. According to
some myths his wife is known as Miss Anansi or Mistress Anansi
but most commonly as Aso.
He is depicted in numerous forms: a spider, a human, or
combinations thereof.
The Anansi legends are believed to have originated in the
Ashanti tribe. They later spread to other Akan groups and then
to the West Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. On
Curaçao, Aruba, and Bonaire he is known as Nanzi, and his
wife as Shi Maria. Anansi stories originated in Ghana, in Africa.
The word Anansi is Akan and means spider.
Myths
Anansi stories are known as Anansesem to the Ashanti and
Anansi-Tori in Suriname.
In some beliefs, Anansi created the sun, stars and the moon,
as well as teaching mankind the skills involved in agriculture.
Another story tells of how Anansi tried to hoard all of the
world's wisdom in a calabash. In the end he realizes the
futility of trying to keep all the wisdom to himself, and
released it.
Most cultures that have Anansi folktales also have the story of
how Anansi became King of All Stories, not just his own. In the
original Ashanti version of this story, Anansi approaches
Nyame, the Sky God, with the request that he be named King
of All Stories. Nyame then tells Anansi that if he can catch The
Jaguar With Teeth Like Daggers, The Hornets Who Sting Like
Fire, and The Fairy Whom Men Never See, he will be King of
Stories. Anansi agrees, despite Nyame's doubt that he can do
it. Anansi then tricks the jaguar, who intends to eat him, into
playing a game that allows Anansi to tie him up. He tricks the
hornets by pretending that it is raining, and telling them to
hide in a calabash. He tricks the fairy with the gum/tar baby
trick told below. He then takes them to Nyame and becomes
King of All Stories. Other versions, notably Carribean
variations, of this story involve Anansi getting Snake for
Lion/Tiger.
Anansi and Bro' BullThe only time Anansi himself was tricked,
was when he tried to fight a tar baby after trying to steal
food, but became stuck to it instead. The "tar-baby" tale
appears in a variety of ethnic African folklore contexts. It is
best known from the Brer Rabbit version, found in the Uncle
Remus stories. These were derived from African-American
folktales in the Southern United States. Ultimately this version
was adapted and used in the 1946 live-action/animated Walt
Disney movie Song of the South.
Other names
Anancy (Jamaica, Grenada)
Anancyi
Ananse
Aunt Nancy (In South Carolina, Aunt Nancy is sometimes used
as folk name for the spider, because the term is the
Americanized version of Anansi).
Hanansi
Compé Anansi
Kweku Anansi (Akan)
Nansi
In popular culture
Modern fiction
Anansi ("Mister Nancy") appears in two Neil Gaiman novels,
American Gods and Anansi Boys.
Aunt Nancy, based on Anansi, is a character in the Charles de
Lint novel Forests of the Heart.
Anansi appears as King of the Spiders in the China Miéville
novel King Rat.
The Anansi tale "The Mossy Rock" appears in A Book of
Sorcerers and Spells, by Ruth Manning-Sanders.
The Anansi tale "Gar-room!" appears in Tortoise Tales, by Ruth
Manning-Sanders.
Anansi is the name of a space shuttle involved in a super-
strong cable project in The Descent of Anansi by Larry Niven
and Steven Barnes.
Brer Anansi Books By David P. Makhanlall.
Comic books
Stories about Anansi have been mentioned in Spider-Man
story arcs by J. Michael Straczynski. Anansi seems to have had
a hand in Spider-Man's rebirth and the creation of The Other.
Anansi appears in the Hellblazer comic book spin-off Papa
Midnite as a trickster god instigating a revolt by black slaves
during the Civil War.
Anansi is a superhero in the Astro City comic series by Kurt
Busiek.
Film and television
The Magic of Anansi, an animated short for children from the
National Film Board of Canada. [1]
Anansi appears in two episodes of Disney animated series,
Gargoyles.
Anansi the Spider is a superhero in the Static Shock animated
series.
Anansi is the hero of Gerald McDermott's animated film and
Caldecott honor book, Anansi the Spider.
Music
The children's singer, Raffi, sings a song called "Anansi" which is
found on The Singable Songs Collection.
The British band Skunk Anansie took their name from Anansi,
with "Skunk" added to give it edge.
Visual art
Anansi appears in a painting by Myrea Pettit, Anansi and
Sweep.
Games
A race of were-spiders known as the Ananasi inhabit the
world of Werewolf: The Apocalypse; they worship Queen
Ananasa as an ancestor-deity. One of the earliest heroes of
their lore is a werespider named Anansi, whom they believe
to be the inspiration for the African folk character.
Anansi also appears as a spider like monster called Anansi's
Adherent in the MMORPG Anarchy Online. There are also a set
of boss monsters in the Inferno Zone named after various
limbs of the body such as Anansi's Left Hand.
External links
How Anansi Became A Spider
Jamaica Anansi Stories
Aunt Nancy
Anansi and Sweep
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed
encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional
editors (see full disclaimer)
|
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About
Activities
Bible
Contact
Crafts
Curriculum
Calendar
Gallery
Games
Health
Homeschooling
Kids Fun Pages
Language
Links
Maths
Menus4Moms
Parents
Phonics
Pre-K
Services
South Africa
Surfnet Kids
Teens
Themes
