Story: West African Folktales

A Great Big Pot

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(Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom Book Cover by Mark Magnaye)

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Anansi was the father's name
For he was a man of great fame
He held all the wisdom in the land
People always asked him for a helping hand

One day country men offended him
And Anansi set out to punish them
Knowing he must teach these men a lesson
He promptly took away all the world's wisdom

Placing it all in one great big pot
Off he went to finish his cunning plot
Searching for a place no human could reach
He looked high and low for a spot no could breech

Alas, dear Anansi had an intelligent son
Who knew his father was always the mischievous one
Mind set on finding out what his father was up to
He followed his father, always keeping him in view

Anansi, with the pot of wisdom tied to his neck
Found a tree to climb, thus began his trek
Up the tree to where no human could go
Yet he found his pot always swinging to and fro

Frustrated with the pot getting in the way
Anansi kept climbing up, with the goal still at bay
Down in the forest, Anansi's son watched on
Looking at his father as he became his own pawn

"Father!", Kweku Tsin screamed aloud
"Tie the pot to your back and the pot will not crowd!"
"Once tied correctly, your ascent will be easy!"
Said Kweku Tsin, "A feat that will make you not quite as wheezy."

Astonished by his son's great thought
Anansi realized at once he had been caught
"I thought I had all the world's wisdom in my hand,"
"Alas it is my son who has slipped through the sand."

"Now I know your wisdom is much greater."
"I spent 20 attempts, not knowing how to do better."
In his fuming anger, Anansi threw the pot down
Pouting and huffing with a great frown

Smashed against a large rock
The pot itself turned into chalk
Thus all the wisdom poured out
Spreading throughout the world's routes

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Author's Note:

This short story out of all the folklores concerning Anansi, the trickster god of Ghana, is the one that I found most interesting. While others might think the others that contained far more clever plots might be best, I thought the simplicity and loss in this one was compelling. Most trickster gods get away with their plots and do not have anyone who can one up them. Anansi, in this story and others, is bested by his son, Kweku Tsin. To me, this brings humanity and groundedness into what can commonly be lofty folklore tales. As for my retelling, I have decided to do every other retelling I write in poem format because it is the one I have most difficulty with. By challenging myself every two weeks I hope to gain a better sense of what creates a good poem and learn how to be more concise with all my writings. I hope you enjoyed this read and if you've read one of my poems before you can see some improvements! 

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This retelling is based off of stories from West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).

Reading Notes: West African Folk Tales Part A

Reading Notes

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("Along came a Spider" by Tekelili)

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How We Got the Name "Spider Tales"

      This short story provided an understanding of what the basis of Anansi is. He is conceited, clever, willful and admirable. By wanting all stories to be about him, he shows how conceited he can be but simultaneously he showcases his willfulness and cunning to actually pull off the three impossible tasks the King gives to him. Thus making the reader admire the skill it took to complete such tasks. 

How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race 

       Being a fan of the Neil Gaiman book "American Gods", I am familiar, to an extent, with the story of Anansi. Reading this story makes me want to go and pick up the "Anansi Boys" book so I can dive even further into this folklore. This story really iterates the almost competing like quality Anansi and Kweku Tsin have to their relationship. I could see this being translated into a son surpassing his father in the corporate world.

Anansi and Nothing 

       By showcasing the negative side of Anansi's lust for possessions, this story brings out the truth about most trickster gods: they are willful, almost to a fault. This story also has one of my favorite qualities of folktales, the explanation of why we have certain things, phrases, traditions today. Maybe I could switch what the lesson is concerning Nothing?

Thunder and Anansi

        I loved this story because although in the previous story we saw how Anansi could get away with hurtful tricks, in this story Anansi was punished for his selfishness. It also took things the reader learned from each of the previous stories as foundation blocks for the twist at the end to have such an impact. This could be a fun play retelling?

Why the Lizard Moves His Head Up and Down

        All of the stories thus far have left me with a memory of reading stories about Loki of the Norse folklore. Trickster gods have a fun way of utilizing their cleverness to get what they want but then they get so consumed by their desires that humanity and good faith fall out their line of sight. I am still thinking of a way to retell this story but it is my favorite thus far. 

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All reading notes are based off of stories from West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair, with drawings by Cecilia Sinclair (1917).