B1. Anansi And The Pot Of Wisdom

Story 3: Anansi & The Pot of Wisdom

Long ago, Nyame the Sky God had all the wisdom in the world. He kept it in a big clay pot.

Anansi the spider wanted this wisdom for himself.

One day, Anansi went to Nyame. "Great Sky God, I want to buy your pot of wisdom."

Nyame laughed. "You're just a small spider. What can you give me for all the wisdom in the world?"

Anansi thought quickly. "I'll bring you something no one else can—the sun, the moon, and the stars."

Nyame was surprised. "If you can do that, the wisdom is yours."

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Anansi hurried home. He had a plan. He caught hundreds of fireflies in a dark cloth. Then, he collected shiny rocks and pieces of mirror.

The next day, Anansi returned to Nyame. He opened the cloth slowly. The fireflies twinkled like stars. The rocks and mirrors sparkled like the sun and moon.

Nyame was amazed. "Clever Anansi! You have earned the wisdom." He gave Anansi the clay pot.

Anansi was overjoyed, but then worried. What if someone stole his new wisdom? He decided to hide it at the top of the tallest tree.

Anansi tied the pot to his belly. He tried to climb it, but the pot kept hitting the tree, pushing him down.

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Anansi's young son watched. "Father, why don't you tie the pot to your back instead?"

Anansi was angry. How did his son know better than him?

Then, he realized something important. He climbed down and untied the pot.

"My son," Anansi said, "You are right. I thought I had all the wisdom, but you were wiser than me. There must be wisdom everywhere, not just in this pot."

Anansi opened the pot. The wisdom flew out, spreading to every corner of the world.

From that day, everyone had a little bit of wisdom. Anansi learned it's better to share knowledge than to keep it all for yourself.