Anansi the Spider-Man - Anansi Stories - African - Extra Mythology - Part 1

Summary

This engaging tale follows Anansi the Spider, who embarks on a quest to obtain all the world's stories from the sky god, Niamh. To do so, Anansi must capture three dangerous beasts: a python, a tiger, and a jar full of hornets. Using wit and cunning, he succeeds in his task. However, when Anansi tries to hide his wisdom from humankind, his clever son outsmarts him, releasing the knowledge to the world. As Anansi becomes poor and jealous of a wealthy friend, his schemes lead to tragedy, resulting in a bittersweet legend about wisdom, pride, and the consequences of greed.

Takeaways

• 😀 Myths are not untrue stories, but cultural foundations that don’t always align with historical records.
• 😀 Anansi, the spider, asks the sky god Niamh if he can buy all the world's stories.
• 😀 Niamh refuses but offers Anansi a challenge: capture the three most dangerous beasts—Python, Tiger, and Hornets.
• 😀 Anansi tricks the Python by claiming his wife doubts the Python's length and convinces it to stretch next to a palm trunk.
• 😀 Anansi captures the Tiger by tricking it into climbing a silk thread, which entangles it in spider silk.
• 😀 Anansi captures the Hornets by convincing them to fly into a jar to avoid getting wet from an incoming rainstorm.
• 😀 After completing the challenge, Anansi becomes the lord of stories, but he later hides his wisdom out of anger towards humanity.
• 😀 Anansi’s son outsmarts him, observing his father’s actions and suggesting a better way to carry the wisdom pot, causing it to break and release the wisdom to the world.
• 😀 With wisdom now available to all, Anansi becomes poor, while a wealthy man named Nothing remains successful.
• 😀 Anansi attempts to sabotage Nothing out of jealousy but fails at every turn until he uses rats and slippery steps to cause Nothing’s downfall.
• 😀 After Nothing’s death, his wife mourns him deeply, and her act of distributing yam cakes to children leads to the legend of crying children saying ‘it’s nothing.’

Q & A

What is the main purpose of myths, according to the script?

Myths are not false stories; they are tales that don't fit neatly into the historical record and serve as a foundation for culture.

Why did Anansi want to obtain all the stories of the world?

Anansi wanted to buy all the stories of the world either to make the world more interesting or to make all the stories about himself.

What was the deal that the sky god, Niamh, offered to Anansi?

Niamh told Anansi that if he could bring him three dangerous beasts—a Python, a tiger, and a jar of Hornets—he would give Anansi all the stories of the world.

How did Anansi capture the Python?

Anansi tricked the Python by pretending to have a debate with his wife about the Python’s length, and when the Python agreed to stretch next to a palm trunk, Anansi tied him up and brought him to the sky god.

What method did Anansi use to capture the tiger?

Anansi dug a pit outside the tiger's lair, and when the tiger fell in, Anansi used his silk to help the tiger climb out, but the silk wrapped around him, bringing the tiger to the sky god.

How did Anansi trick the Hornets into entering the jar?

Anansi convinced the Hornets that it was going to rain and suggested they fly into the jar for protection from the rain, which they did.

What did Anansi do to punish humankind, and why?

Anansi decided to punish humankind by hiding all the world’s wisdom in a sealed pot after a group of men were rude to him.

How did Anansi’s son outsmart him regarding the wisdom pot?

Anansi’s son observed his father’s struggles with the pot and suggested that he hang it behind him instead of in front. This simple solution led to the pot breaking and the wisdom being released to the world.

What was the outcome for Anansi after the wisdom was released?

After the wisdom was released, Anansi became poor and lived in a meager hut, while a rich man named Nothing lived in luxury.

How did Anansi attempt to take revenge on Nothing, and what was the result?

Anansi tried to kill Nothing out of jealousy by setting a trap with rats and slippery steps, but when Nothing fell into the pit and died, his wife mourned him deeply, and the sorrow spread to the children.