Anansi

Anansi, the African god of mischief, the Rogue, also called the spider, is a figure of West African myths and is described as a spider. In the religion of the Akan (Ghana and Ivory Coast) is Anansi agent of his father, the sky god Nyame, or its servant.

At whose command Anansi brings rain to clear forest fires, and determines the boundaries of the oceans and rivers at high water. His mother is the earth and goddess of the dead Asase.

Anansi is mentioned as the creator of the sun, the moon and the stars and is the inventor of the change of day and night. According to popular belief, he has created the first man. Anansi is a typical trickster who is skilled, clever and cunning, but he taught the people as well, grow crops and to use the mortar. He crowned himself the first king of men, and married Nyames daughter.

Dissemination of the myth

With the slaves from the area of present-day Ghana, the story of Anansi came to the Caribbean. Thus, this figure is still popular today in Jamaica, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles ( Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire ). In the latter islands it is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria.

Arachnologists translated Anansi a scientific monument and named a West African genus of spiders Anansia, family Tetrablemmidae.

The science fiction and fantasy author Neil Gaiman wrote the novel Anansi Boys, whose protagonists are the Anansi. Gaiman tells parts of Anansi myth and gives it in the form of twin brothers Fat Charlie and Spider as well as their father a modern shape. Previously Anansi occurred in Gaiman's novel American Gods as an important supporting character.

Other names Anansi

• Anancy (Jamaica )
• Anancyi
• Ananse
• Aunt Nancy
• Hanansi
• Compe Anansi
• Kwaku Anansi ( Akan )
• Nansi
• Mr. Nancy

Anansi is the author of Knowledge

An Ashanti myth told in West Africa. Translated from " Anansi and the Callabash of Wisdom ", 2001 Terry Hancock:

" Long, long ago there lived a clever spider named Anansi. Anansi wanted to be wise, in fact, he decided to collect all the wisdom of the world!

Knowing even knowing little, he set himself the task to gain knowledge. He prepared a gourd to store the knowledge. He went out and interviewed all the people according to their knowledge. Sometimes he had to pay for it, sometimes he has the knowledge is ill-gotten. But usually gave him award most of their knowledge, as a spider with such a large task much wiser than they would have to be yourself.

After he had spent a long time collecting, he had the wisdom of the whole world in his calabash and thought to himself: " Ha ha, now I am the wisest of them all! Now I need to find a good hiding so that nobody finds the knowledge and I remain forever the smartest! "

He found in the uppermost top of a tall tree, the could only climb a spider would be the best hiding place. The heavy from the knowledge calabash Anansi tied with a strip of cloth around the waist and set out with his eight legs to climb the tree. But the calabash he was in the way and he only came up to half of the tribe. No matter how hard he tried, he failed again and again and finally muttered in frustration to himself.

At this time came his little boy and watched him. Anansi was to have been angry, caught in his helpless situation.

But his son simply said, " Why do not you tie you the gourd on his back, Father, so that they you do not get in the way? "

Anansi thought. " That could work. " And indeed he reached in this way the top- top of the tree without difficulty. But did his duty fulfilled, he noticed that even his young son was wiser than him!

"You can not hide in a calabash all the wisdom of the world ," he howled and poured in a wide arc around her, carefully collected content about the world.

It so happened that the knowledge spread in the world. And Anansi felt what wisdom means. "

Pop culture

• The name of the British band Skunk Anansie is a reference to the West African mythology figure.
• A superhero named Anansi the spider, whose powers are based on this myth is found in the series Static Shock.