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An important aspect of Grenadian culture is the tradition of story telling,
with folk tales bearing both African and French influences.
The character, Anancy, a spider god who is a trickster, originated in
West Africa and is prevalent on other Caribbean islands as well.
French influence can be seen in La Diablesse, a well-dressed
she-devil, and Ligaroo (from Loup Garoux), a werewolf.
Ananse is one of the most important characters 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.
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 Caribbean variations, of this story involve Anansi getting Snake
for Lion/Tiger.
One of the few times 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.
Many Anansi stories deal with him attempting to trick people into
allowing him to steal food or money, or something else that could turn a
profit, only for the trick itself to backfire upon Anansi.
When Anansi was first told in a story, he was the villain and was
destroying all of the crops and having everyone die for sacrifices for
his father.
From
Wikipedia
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