The Marvellous Exploits of Anansi the Spider & How He Came to Rule All the Stories in the World
[ Collected African Mythologies I ]
Introduction
Over the last couple of decades, I have had the pleasure of working in Africa and, during that time, I have collected stories, myths and legends from different friends and colleagues. These come from different countries and peoples, and I am sure that there are myriad variations of them not just the one I have written here.
I am not trying to claim that these are the definitive stories but I have enjoyed hearing these versions and I hope you enjoy them too.
The Marvellous Exploits of Anansi the Spider & How He Came to Rule All the Stories in the World
In a small village nestled deep within the verdant forests of West Africa, there lived a wily spider named Anansi {1}.
Clever and quick-witted, Anansi used his talents chiefly to play tricks and stir up mischief amongst his fellow villagers.
When not engaged in some bit of trickery, he could be spotted beside grandmotherly elders as they spun tales around glowing fires, infusing their embroidered words with all manners of ghosts and spirits {2}.
When not engaged in some bit of trickery, he could be spotted beside grandmotherly elders as they spun tales around glowing fires, infusing their embroidered words with all manners of ghosts and spirits.
Anansi was ever fascinated by the villagers’ stories, but frustrated that there were only so many tales in circulation.
Though he was but a tiny spider, Anansi resolved that all the world’s stories must become common property for all people to share.
And so this ambitious arachnid sat for seven days and seven nights {3}, spinning a long, slender thread of intricate design that would stretch all the way to the heavens above.
Higher and higher he spun as his web glinted silver in the moonlight, weaving past tall trees and over mighty rivers, until finally it reached the Sky God named Nyame where he dwelled up amongst the clouds.
Anansi scurried his way upwards, calling out, “Great Sky God Nyame! I have come to challenge you for the one treasure I desire most!”
Nyame, amused by the audacity of the tiny creature before him, inquired as to the nature of this treasure.
When Anansi related his wish to claim all the stories under Nyame’s domain, the Sky God could not help but chuckle.
“And what use would a simple spider have for tales?” he asked, his voice rumbling like distant thunder.
Undeterred, Anansi pressed on. “I may be small in stature, Great Nyame, but my love for stories knows no bounds. Grant me the chance to prove myself worthy, and I shall spin tales that will dazzle even the gods themselves.”
Intrigued by the spider’s boldness, Nyame agreed that should Anansi succeed at three impossible tasks set before him, the stories would then belong to Anansi.
And so began the great contests between Anansi and Nyame for possession of all the world’s stories…
The First Impossible Task
The Sky God’s first challenge to Anansi demanded that he bring back the great python named Onini who resided deep within the jungle {4}.
While strong and fearless warriors trembled at the very name of this serpent and dared not approach, clever Anansi spun himself a long web down to the gloomy forest to confront the python.
As expected, Onini first scoffed at the diminutive spider standing before him demanding obedience.
Though Anansi stood but a tiny speck before the massive, coiling scales of the python, he began to spin a most elaborate and mesmerising tale just for Onini.
Anansi wove scenes so compelling with words so intoxicating that the great python was soon fully hypnotised by the spider’s story, helpless under the verbal spell.
Anansi bound the dazed Onini in silk ropes and led him along as a passive pet all the way back to the expectant Sky God.
Nyame could hardly believe his eyes at the dominion Anansi held over the terrifying Onini.
“But surely,” he ruminated, “tiny Anansi, an insignificant spider, will be unable to complete my next two impossible challenges”.
The Second Impossible Task
And so for his second trial, the tiny and insignificant spider was to gather enormous stocks of fragrant Kinta timber from the dangerous, scorching Fire Forest that was home to deadly elemental beings {5}.
Despite warnings that mortals turning brown and crisped upon stepping foot into the Fire Forest, wily Anansi once again descended his shimmering web strands.
His eight eyes perceived the inferno raging all around, yet Anansi adopted a calm stillness like the eye of a storm, the perpetual heat no match for his patient cunning and conviction.
Rather than burn, Anansi spun messages of peace and unity around the sparks themselves, so that ember and ash gathered as unlikely friends around this strange spider-spirit.
Through soft words and softer silk did Anansi gradually gentle the fierce elementals and return to Sky God Nyame with wagon-trains of Kinta wood harvested from the once perilous land.
By now, Anansi had certainly proven himself the craftiest creature in all the mortal realms.
Nyame was perplexed.
“For how,” he brooded, “can such a tony and insignificant creature complete such tasks as my brothers and sisters among the Abosom {*} would find a challenge?”
All the while, Anansi stood in front of Nyame, aware that victory was almost within his grasp.
The Third Impossible Task
Having twice astonished Nyame with his ability to accomplish the seemingly impossible, Anansi braced himself for the Sky God’s final challenge to secure the treasured world tales.
“You have tamed the untamable beasts of land and flame,” decreed Nyame. “But no ordinary creature can seize control from the undisputed ruler of the seas itself — Mmoatia, the mermaid queen who dwells in a magnificent underwater palace {6}. Capture Mmoatia, and no corner of this earth shall evade your talents.”
And so for the third time did brave Anansi descend from the heavenly clouds, this time plunging straight into the ocean depths whilst spinning silken ballasts around his spindly frame, crafting bubble to withstand the crushing pressure.
Down, down Anansi sank within his tiny pod through the sunless sea…
Eventually, the first glimmers of Mmoatia’s resplendent ocean castle haloed into view, coral columns and pearl parapets glittering like stars under the waves.
But the submariner spider was immediately confronted by Mmoatia’s guards — rows of lionfish and sharks with teeth like swords.
As they made to strike the pod, Anansi hastily shouted that he came not to fight the noble queen but to pay homage with a majestic ballad.
The ferocious guards paused in astonishment as Anansi recited verse after verse in flawless rhyme and meter, extolling Mmoatia’s otherworldly magnificence.
So loud rang his honeyed words that they stirred Mmoatia from her anemone gardens.
And so profoundly moved by Anansi’s lyrical dedication was she, that the mermaid queen hitched her carriage to Anansi’s pod, to journey back with him to Sky God Nyame’s domain.
And so it was that Anansi accomplished all three impossible trials set before him.
Having proven himself master of all domains — land, sea, and sky — the Spider spirit had won his prize. He was now The Keeper of All Tales.
“Well done, little Anansi,” bellowed the humbled Sky God Nyame.
“No earthly creature has ever bested me so, nor shown such talent for bending reality itself! Let all the stories of this world and others be now yours to share as you please.”
With the mythical tales, secrets, and legends now under his care, Anansi returned to his forest village and built a great library {7} where all people could come and go as they pleased to enjoy the stories he had won back from the heavens.
Word of Anansi’s feats spread far and wide, and he soon gained renown not just as Keeper of All Stories but as King of All Stories.
It was decreed that as long as the people nurtured creativity within their hearts to spin new imaginative tales themselves, Anansi would add their stories into his great tome for all posterity to enjoy.
And so the tradition lives on for all storytellers who ignite that spark within our hearts and minds.
For though Anansi was but a tiny spider, he spun pure magic through his words and perseverance.
No matter one’s size or status, Anansi’s example reminds us that the power to inspire, transform, and triumph lies within us all!
The End
Footnotes
{1} Anansi, the trickster spider, is a prominent figure in West African folklore, particularly among the Ashanti people of Ghana. His cunning and wit are legendary, and he often outwits larger, more powerful creatures.
{2} In many West African cultures, storytelling is an essential part of social life. Elders gather the community around fires to share tales that impart wisdom, entertain, and preserve the group’s history and values.
{3} The number seven holds significant symbolism in various African cultures, often associated with completeness, perfection, and spiritual power.
{4} Pythons are revered and feared in many African cultures. In some traditions, they are seen as manifestations of divine power, while in others, they are associated with danger and destruction.
{5} The idea of a Fire Forest with elemental beings draws upon African mythologies that often personify natural forces and imbue them with spiritual significance.
{8} In Ashanti culture, the abosom are lower deities or spirits that assist humans on earth. The abosom receive their power from the creator god Nyame and are most often connected to the world as it appears in its natural state.
{7} Mermaid legends are prevalent in African folklore, particularly among coastal communities. These tales often depict mermaids as powerful, mysterious beings who guard the secrets of the ocean.
{8} The creation of a library to house the world’s stories reflects the importance of preserving and sharing knowledge in African cultures. It also symbolises Anansi’s role as a cultural hero who makes wisdom accessible to all.
About the story.
Anansi stories originate from West Africa, particularly Ghana and the Ashanti people. Anansi himself is a trickster figure in Ashanti mythology, described as wily, sly, and prone to getting himself into trouble or tricky situations through his mischief-making. Nevertheless, he often emerges triumphant over adversity through cleverness and wit.
These tales were traditionally part of Ashanti oral storytelling customs and spread across West Africa and the Caribbean. The stories frequently have moral themes about using one’s intelligence to overcome obstacles. They continue to play a prominent role in African mythology and folklore traditions to the modern day.
The central conceit of Anansi capturing the world’s stories from the ruling Sky God speaks to the cultural role of mythical tales in preserving history, identity, and shared heritage across groups. The idea of Anansi then sharing these procured stories with the wider world reflects the enduring practice of oral narratives, fables, parables and more as means for passing wisdom between generations.
