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Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore. He is a culture hero, who acts on behalf of Nyame, his father and the sky god. He 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 as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Anansi the Spider may refer to: Anansi, a trickster in the folk tales of the Ashanti people of Ghana Anansi (Static Shock), a hero in the cartoon series Static Shock Category: ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... A culture hero is a historical or mythological hero who changes the world through invention or discovery. ... The Ashanti people of Ghana in West Africa believed in a supreme being called Nyame, whose sons were lesser gods. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is about precipitation. ... For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ... Asase Ya is the earth goddess of fertility in the mythology of the Ashanti people of Ghana. ... For other uses, see Spider (disambiguation). ... This article is about modern humans. ...

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. For other uses, see Ashanti (disambiguation). ... The Akan people are a linguistic group of West Africa. ... West Indies redirects here. ... For other uses, see Curaçao (disambiguation). ... Anthem: Tera di Solo y suave biento Capital (and largest city) Kralendijk Official languages Dutch Government See Politics of the Netherlands Antilles  - Bonaire Administrator  - Governor of N.A. Frits Goedgedrag Constitutional monarchy part of the Netherlands Antilles  Area  - Total 288 km² 111 sq mi  Population  - 2001 census 10,791  - Density... See also Akan languages Akan is the name that has been adopted by Ghanaians today and was given to them by the Arabs. ...

[edit] Myths

Anansi stories are known as Anansesem to the Ashanti and Anansi-Tori to the Suriname. Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, model, and fashion designer who rose to fame in the early 2000s. ...

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. Sol redirects here. ... This article is about the astronomical object. ... This article is about Earths moon. ... For the apocryphal book of the Bible, see Book of Wisdom. ... Binomial name (Molina) Standl. ...

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. A tar baby is metaphorically any sticky situation[1] that is only aggravated by efforts to solve it. ... Brer Rabbit is the hero of the Uncle Remus stories derived from African-American folktales of the US South. ... Uncle Remus was a fictional character, the title character and fictional narrator of a collection of African American folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris, published in book form from 1881. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ... Folklore is the ethnographic concept of the tales, legends, or superstitions current among a particular ethnic population, a part of the oral history of a particular culture. ... The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... Song of the South is a feature film produced by Walt Disney, released on November 12, 1946 by RKO Radio Pictures and based on the Uncle Remus cycle of stories by Joel Chandler Harris. ...

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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References in Popular Culture

In the Disney cartoon Gargoyles, Anansi was depicted as a giant spider in the episode "Mark Of The Panther". He also appeared in the first part of "The Gathering". In the episode he was seen returning to Avalon. This stated that he was one of Oberon's children. Popular culture (or pop culture) is the widespread cultural elements in any given society that are perpetuated through that societys vernacular language or lingua franca. ... Gargoyles is an American fantasy superhero animated series created by Greg Weisman. ... The following is a list of episodes for the Disney animated show Gargoyles. ... The following is a list of episodes for the Disney animated show Gargoyles. ... For other uses, see Avalon (disambiguation). ... Oberon, also Auberon, King of Shadows and Fairies, is best known as a character in William Shakespeares play, A Midsummer Nights Dream, written in the mid-1590s. ...

In the Kid's WB television program Static Shock a character similar to Anansi appears in an episode where Static visits Africa as an African magician character. The two join forces to fight a villain dressed as a leopard. Static Shock is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. ...

American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman that features Anansi (under the name Mr. Nancy), among other mythological characters. A later novel, Anansi Boys, follows the sons of Anansi as they discover each other and their heritage. American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman. ... Neil Richard Gaiman (IPA: ) (born November 10, 1960[2]) is an English author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels, graphic novels, comics, and films. ... For other uses, see Novel (disambiguation). ... Anansi Boys is a novel by Neil Gaiman. ...

The English rock band Skunk Anansie (1994-2001) took the name of the spider-man of the West African folk tales, but with a slightly different spelling, and added "Skunk" to the name, in order to make the name nastier.^[1] Skunk Anansie was an English rock band whose members included Skin (Deborah Dyer), Cass (Richard Lewis), Ace (Martin Kent) and Mark Richardson. ...

[edit] Other names

• Anancy (Jamaica, Grenada)
• Anancyi
• Ananansa
• Ananse
• Aunt Nancy (In South Carolina, Aunt Nancy is sometimes used as folk name for the spider, because the term is the Americanized version of Anansi).
• Hanansi
• Compé Anansi
• Kweku Anansi (Akan)
• Nansi
• Anansi the one who tricks (Anansiil)
• B'anansi (Suriname)
• Ayiyi

Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude 78° 32′ W to 83... For other uses, see Spider (disambiguation). ... The Akan language belongs to the Kwa language family. ...

[edit] References

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

[edit] External links

• About Anancy and Jamaican Anancy Stories
• How Anansi Became A Spider
• Jamaica Anansi Stories
• Aunt Nancy
• Anansi and Sweep