Book of Shadows (Mythical Creatures List A)

Anansi (Ananse, Kwaku Ananse, Anancy, and Aunt Nancy)

Anansi

Mythology: African

Tradition: Ashanti

A trickster god. He is most commonly shown as a spider, and is the god of stories. Anansi can change his appearance to look like a human, a rabbit, a fox, or other animals but is mainly known as the spider. The child of the godly manifestations of his mother the Earth (Asaase Yaa) and his father the Sky (Nyame), so is a true representation of all things on heaven and earth.

He has many children with his wife Aso, but the most notable child is Ntikuma, a boy who plays a significant part in one of the more popular legends, regarding the bringing of wisdom to the world.

Here is the legend on how he became the God of Stories. He looked around him, enjoying the world, but seeing that it was a rather boring place. He realized that there was no stories the people to tell because his father Nyame was hoarding them in a box in the sky. He made a plan to take them from his father. He rose into the sky on a silken thread that he spun, and asked his father if he could give them to the people so that they could enjoy the stories and learn from their wisdom.

Nyame was impressed that Anansi had even found a way to approach him, so even though he did not want to release the stories, assigned Anansi with what he thought was an impossible task. He told Anansi that if he could bring four creatures to him, he would trade Anansi the stories for them.

The creatures were the most fearsome in creation; Onini, a huge python, Osebo, a hungry leopard, the deadly Moboro Hornets, and the invisible fairy Mmoatia who was famous for her pride, greed, and quick temper.

Anansi left, declaring that he would do these tasks, Nyame laughed to himself thinking that each was impossible, and all four combined would be insurmountable.

When he landed back down, he wondered how he could do this, but he was determined. He realized that in order to beat the best traits of the four creatures, he would have to use his best trait - his trickery. He devised plans to defeat each one and put them into motion.

The first one he went after was Onini. He sat outside of Onin's lair and pretended to argue with himself, going back and forth with "Is not!" and "Is so!". After a while, the python's curiosity was aroused, and he asked Anansi what he was doing.

Anansi told Onini that his wife said the stick he was holding was longer than the snake, while he thought the snake was longer.

Onini then suggested that there was an easy way to sort it out. He would stretch himself out next to the stick.

Anansi put his next plan into action. He said that it would be difficult for the snake to stretch his curves to the full length of the stick, they should tie him to it or he might not be longer. Onini agreed, and this is how his vanity allowed Anansi to capture him for Nyame.

Osebo was the next one Anansi went after, whose strength was legendary. Anansi dug a deep pit. The next morning, he found Osebo trapped in it. Offering to help, Anansi spun a rope from his webs, daring Osebo to use his strength to get out of the pit.

When Osebo began climbing, he became entangled in the web. The more he struggled to get higher, the more tangled he got. Finally he could not move, and this is how Anansi used Osebo's own strength to capture him.

Mmoboro hornets were the next creature to fall to Anansi. He cut a small hole in a gourd and made a plug for the hole. He then gathered water on a huge leaf, poured half over his head, and half on the hornet's nest, ruining it. When the hornets angrily flew out, he exclaimed that the rains had come early, but that the hornets could hide in the gourd. The first flew in, and the rest of the hornets followed closely. This is how Anansi use the hive-mind that gave the hornets strength in numbers against them.