A2. How Anansi Became a Spider

Anansi The Spider Stories:

Introduction:

Anansi is a character from West African folktales. He's a spider who can become a man.

He is a trickster, and uses his cleverness to solve problems or get what he wants. He often competes with other animals and gods.

These entertaining stories have been told for hundreds of years.

Anansi stories teach life lessons and explain how the world works.

African slaves brought Anansi stories to the Caribbean, making him important there too.

How Anansi Became a Spider

Part 1

Long ago, Anansi wasn't a spider. He was a man known for his cleverness and tricks. But one day, his tricks went too far…

One day, Anansi was hungry. He went to four different villages to get food. He told each village the same lie: "Hello. I have sad news. My poor father has died. I need food for his funeral feast."

The kind villagers felt sad for Anansi, so each village gave him lots of food. Anansi was pleased.

Carrying the food home, Anansi met his friend Anene the ant.

"Anansi!" Anene said. "Where did you get all that food?"

Anansi didn't want to share his trick. "Oh, it's just a gift from one village," he lied.

Anene was suspicious. He secretly followed Anansi home.

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At home, Anansi's wife was surprised by all the food. "Where did all this come from?" she said.

Anansi boasted about his trick, "I told four villages my father died. They all gave me food for the funeral."

Anene gasped. He ran to tell Nyame, the Sky God, about Anansi's deception.

Part 2

The Sky God was angry. He called Anansi to him.

"Anansi," Nyame said in a deep voice, "You have done something terrible. You tricked kind people by lying about death."

Anansi felt scared. "I'm sorry! I was just hungry..."

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Nyame said, "Your punishment is, you'll no longer be a man. You'll be a spider! Now, you must work hard, making webs to catch your food."

Suddenly, Anansi shrank. His arms and legs became thin and long. He was now a tiny spider.

Sad at first, Anansi soon found being a spider had benefits too: he could climb walls, make webs, and still play tricks.

From that day on, Anansi the spider continued having adventures. But, he learned to be more careful with his tricks.

He always remembered the day he went too far: the day he lied about death.

And that's how Anansi became the spider we know in stories today.