The tale of how Anansi acquired his stories is one of the most celebrated in African folklore. While there are various versions and interpretations, the core narrative remains relatively consistent.
How Anansi Got His Stories
Once upon a time, all the stories in the world belonged to Nyame, the Sky God. Anansi, being a lover of tales and a master of cunning and wit, wanted these stories for himself. So, he went to Nyame and asked if he could become the keeper of all tales. Nyame, amused by the audacious request, decided to set a seemingly impossible task for Anansi. If Anansi could complete this task, he would grant him ownership of all the tales.
Nyame asked Anansi to capture a series of the most dangerous creatures in the world:
- Osebo, the ferocious leopard with teeth as sharp as knives.
- Mmoboro, the hornet army whose stings felt like fire.
- Onini, the python, a snake so large that it could swallow an entire village.
- The Fairy, a mischievous and elusive creature that no one had ever captured.
Anansi, though small and seemingly powerless against these mighty beings, was not to be deterred. Using his wit and intelligence, he devised plans to capture each one:
- For Osebo, Anansi dug a deep pit. When the leopard fell in, Anansi offered to help him out with his web. Once Osebo was entangled in the web, Anansi had him captured.
- To capture Mmoboro, Anansi filled a calabash with water and poured it over himself and the hornets, pretending it was raining. He then offered the hornets shelter in an empty calabash. Once they were inside, Anansi sealed it.
- For Onini, Anansi started a debate between him and a bamboo stick about whether Onini was truly as long as the bamboo. To prove his length, Onini laid out next to the bamboo stick, and Anansi tied him to it.
- Capturing the Fairy was the trickiest. Anansi crafted a doll smeared with sticky gum. He placed the doll near where the fairy played and put some yam paste in front of it. When the fairy came to eat and tried to thank the doll but got no response, she slapped the doll out of frustration and got stuck to it.
Having successfully captured all these creatures, Anansi presented them to Nyame, the Sky God. Impressed by Anansi’s wit and cunning, Nyame granted him ownership of all the stories, proclaiming that henceforth they would be known as “Spider Stories” or “Anansi Stories.”
And this is how, through intelligence and ingenuity, Anansi became the master of all stories, which he then shared with the world.
Moral: Intelligence and cleverness can overcome even the most formidable challenges.