Reading Notes: West African Folktales

With Halloween approaching, the spider god seemed appropriate for a couple weeks worth of reading and research. I've met Anansi before, in the works of Neil Gaiman, and it was nothing short of delightful to encounter this conniving deity again. I'm pleasantly surprised by the playful nature of each of these stories, even in face of some awful things happening. They feel like stories for children, which makes me appreciate Gaiman's treatment all the more.

Famine is the driving force in several of the stories (Thunder and Anansi, Tit for Tat especially), and Anansi's greed and selfishness are usually, but not always, his downfall. His family, who are portrayed as good, honest and decent folk (especially his son!) are just as likely to endure his con artistry if the question of food in his belly arises.

The interactions of the spidergod with the rest of the world (lizards, ants/termites, squirrels, people) do little to engender trust or goodwill, but Anansi does not care at all. I'd like to learn more about the resident deities in his time period, and whether his attitude can be traced to his status as a god-figure (did all act in this manner?), or his personality in general. Maybe it's both.

One possible avenue for a story could be an altercation with his family; I'd be peeved if my husband ate all our groceries every single time I turn around and never bought any himself. If Mrs. Anansi got upset, I think that could be both horrifying (female spider wrath) and really fun to develop. What if he's actually never truly angered her before?

The "image" hung by his son to deter his food stealing, in Tit for Tat, sounds like some kind of idol representing a god even Anansi fears. Who is he? What kind of image would inspire fear in a being like Anansi? That could be really fun to explore also. Considering the wisdom even Anansi acknowledges in Kweku Tsin (in the story How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race), and Anansi's response to the idol/image, a retelling of the trickster being tricked in a science vs. faith scenario could be entertaining.

Bibliography
West African Folktales. William H. Barker, Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).
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