Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti

As I was reading the novel Homegoing, there was one character that would periodically be referenced: Anansi. Anansi is a figure from Ashanti folk religion. He is the Ashanti trickster god (think Loki in Norse mythology and Son-Goku in Chinese folk religion).This is one of those mainstay books of my......more

A spectacular set of stories I discovered whilst volunteering as a teaching assistant at a north London school. It was used as part of an assembly put together by year 4 for Black History Month. Anansi stories are part of an ancient mythology that is rooted in West African folklore and concerns the i......more

This delightful version of Anansi the spider comes from the Ashanti, a tribe of Ghana, and explains why the moon is in the sky. The story definitely has a very different rhythm than typical Western tales, with each of Anansi's sons playing integral roles in rescuing their father from peril. Perhaps......more

Beautiful retelling of this important legend. Will teach the importance of working as a team to young children. I think that the most important lesson mythology can teach us is that there are universal truths that transcend culture and time; truths so deep that we often overlook them when encounteri......more

The father spider goes on a trip, and gets swallowed by a fish. His six sons all work too to save him. After being saved, the father spider finds a beautiful shiny thing. He wants to give it to the son that saved him, as a reward, but all his sons had equal parts in his rescue! The spider gives it to......more