Anansi is an African folktale character. He often takes the shape of a spider and is considered to be the spirit of all knowledge of stories. He is also one of the most important characters of
West African and
Caribbean folklore.
He is also known as
Ananse,
Kwaku Ananse, and
Anancy; and in the southern United States he has evolved into
Aunt Nancy. He is a
spider, but often acts and appears as a man.
The Anansi tales originated from the
Ashanti people of present-day
Ghana. The word Ananse is
Akan and means "spider". They later spread to other
Akangroups and then to the
West Indies,
Suriname,
Sierra Leone (where they were introduced by
Jamaican Maroons) and the
Netherlands Antilles. On
Curaçao,
Aruba, and
Bonaire, he is known as Nanzi, and his wife as Shi Maria.
I used to read these as a boy
finna get this nikka tatted on me
Written in patois which I can bArely read tho
Jamaica Anansi Stories Index