All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

The spider Ananse is a trickster and also

a culture hero in West Africa, especially

among the Ashanti people of Ghana. Besides

his tricks, Ananse is well known for using

his intellect to outwit creatures much stronger

than himself – stories about these pranks are

commonly told both for amusement and to

highlight the fact that brains are as important

as muscles. In some myths, the trickster

acts as an intermediary between human

beings and the sky god Nyame. Some even

believe that it was Ananse who persuaded

Nyame to create the sun and moon so that

people on Earth could

benefit from having

night and day.

Ananse

WEST AFRICA

MESSENGER TO THE SKY GOD

Nyame, the sky god, was the creator of all things, but he sat aloof from his creations.

Down below on the Earth, people worked constantly in the fields – there was no time

for them to rest. Ananse heard their complaints, and spun a thread up to Nyame to

ask for help. So Nyame created night, when everyone could sleep. But the humans

were frightened of the darkness, so Nyame set the moon in the sky to provide light at

night. Then the people shivered because it was always cold, so yet again, Ananse

went to tell Nyame, and he put the sun in the sky to give warmth. This time, the

scorching heat was too much for the mere mortals, and once more, Ananse climbed

up his thread to ask for help on behalf of the people. This time, Nyame sent great

rains to cool everyone, but his rains were so heavy that they caused floods and

people drowned. Nyame made the floods recede and, finally, everybody was content.

Ananse beaker

Embossed with the relief work of a large

spider in its web, this bronze vessel from

Nigeria points to the popularity of the

trickster Ananse in West African myths.

Ananse weeding grass

One story talks about how Ananse won the

hand of Nyame’s daughter by clearing a field

full of itchy weeds without scratching himself.

African sun and moon masks

Masks representing the sun and the moon are common in West Africa.

As the markers of day and night, the sun and the moon are very

important, and Ananse was credited with enabling their creation.

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