Anansi ( ? - NAHN -see ) is a Akan folklore character. He often takes the form of a spider and is considered the spirit of all knowledge of the story. He is also one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore.
He is also known as Ananse , Kwaku Ananse , and Anansi . In the New World he is known as Nancy , Aunt Nancy and Sis' Nancy . He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a human being.
The story of Anansi comes from the people of today's Ghanaian Will. The word Ananse is Akan and means "spider". They then spread to the West Indies, Suriname, Sierra Leone (where they were introduced by Jamaican Maroons) and Dutch Antilles. At CuraÃÆ'§ao, Aruba, and Bonaire, he is known as Nanzi Compaq , and his wife as Shi Maria.
Anansi is described in various ways. Sometimes he looks like an ordinary spider, sometimes he is a spider wearing clothes or with a human face and sometimes he looks more like a human with a spider element, like eight legs.
Video Anansi
Stories
Anansi tale is some of the most famous among Asante people in Ghana. These stories form an exclusive oral tradition, and indeed Anansi himself is synonymous with the skills and wisdom of speaking. It's as it is remembered and tells the stories that they crossed into the Caribbean and other parts of the New World with captives through Atlantic slave trade. In the Caribbean, Anansi is often celebrated as a symbol of resistance and slave survival. Anansi was able to turn the tables on his powerful oppressors by using his cunning and deceit, a model of behavior that slaves used to gain the upper hand within the boundaries of plantation power structures. Anansi is also believed to have played a multi-functional role in the lives of slaves; as well as an inspiring resistance strategy, the stories allow enslaved Africans to build a sense of continuity with their African past and offer them the means to change and affirm their identity within the confines of the captivity. As historian Lawrence W. Levine in Culture and the Black Consciousness, the enslaved Africans in the New World devote the "structure and message of their stories to the compulsion and the need for their present situation" (1977, 90).
The story of Anansi becomes a very prominent and familiar part of Ashanti's oral culture that the word Anansesem - "the spider story" - came to embrace all kinds of fairy tales. One of the few studies examining the role of the Anansi stories among Ashanti Ghana is R.S. Rattray's Akan-Ashanti Folk-Tales (1930). The tales in Rattray's collection are recorded directly from the oral narrative sessions of Ashanti and published in English and Twi. Peggy Appiah, who collects the story of Anansi in Ghana and publishes many books from his story, writes: "It is well known that he has given his name to the rich tradition of fairy tales in which so many Ghanaian children are raised - anansesem - or spider stories." elsewhere they have other names, such as Ananse-Tori in Suriname, Anansi in Guyana, and Kuent'i Nanzi in CuraÃÆ'§ao.
For Africans in the diaspora, the Jamaican version of these stories is the most well preserved, since Jamaica has the greatest concentration of Asante in America. All the stories of Anansi in Jamaica have a maxim at the end. At the end of the story "Anansi and Brah Mati", there is a proverb that shows that even at the time of slavery, Anansi is referred by his real name Will: Kwaku Anansi or just as Kwaku alternately with Anansi . The adage is: "If yuh cyaan ketch Kwaku, yuh ketch him shut", which refers to the time of the Brah Dead (brother of death or shins), personification of Death, is pursuing Anansi to kill him. Meaning: The target of revenge and destruction, even murder, will be someone very close to the intended one, like a loved one and a family member.
Origin
There is an Anansi story that explains the phenomenon of how his name becomes attached to the whole collection of stories:
There was no story in the world. The Sky-God, Nyame, has it all. Anansi went to Nyame and asked how much it would cost to buy.
Nyame sets a high price: Anansi must bring back the Python Onini, Osebo the Leopard, and Mboro Hornets.
Anansi began to capture this. First he goes to where Python lives and argues aloud whether Python is actually longer than a palm branch or not as Aso's wife said. Python heard and, when Anansi explained the debate, agreed to lie down along the branch of a palm tree. Because she can not easily make herself a true impression of the actual length it is difficult to obtain, so Python agrees to be tied to branches. When he's really tied up, Anansi takes him to Nyame.
To catch the leopard, Anansi dug a deep hole in the ground. When the leopard falls in the hole Anansi offers to help him out with his net. As soon as the leopard came out of the hole, he tied it in Anansi's net and carried away.
To catch the bees, Anansi fills a gourd with water and pours it over a banana leaf that he holds over his head and some above the nest, exclaiming that it rained. He suggested that the bees enter the empty flask, and when they were obliged, he quickly sealed the opening.
Anansi gave his prisoner to Nyame. Nyame presents him with a god of all stories.
Variants of this story
There are many variants of this story, both recorded from oral and published sources. Indeed, the number of versions of children's drawing books from this one story shows how successful Anansi made the transition into literature. The above summary is a picture book version of Anansi Does the Impossible, Ashanti story recounted by Verna Aardema and illustrated by Lisa Desimini.
Another picture book version is the Caldecott Medalist A Story a Story, retold and illustrated by Gail E. Haley, who takes the title of the traditional Ashanti way of starting such stories: "We're not really that is, we do not really mean that what we are going to say is true.A story, a story, let it come, let it go "and finish traditionally with:" This is my story that I have related. , or if it is not sweet, take some place else, and let some back to me. "
There are many other children's adaptations of this story including:
- The Spider's Ananti: The Story of Ashanti by Gerald McDermott
- The Hat-Shaking Dance and Other Stories of the Gold Coast by Harold Courlander
- Ananse and Box of Stories: A West African Folktale by Stephen Krensky
- The Story Thief by Andrew Fusek Peters
- Spider and the Sky God: An Akan Legend by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate
- Anantios and the Gods of Heaven: Caribbean Favorite Stories by Ladybird Books
- Ananse by Brian Gleeson
- ANANSE in Real Estate by Yaw Asare
- The Magic of Ananse
Anantering and disseminating wisdom
Another story tells about how Anansi ever tried to hoard all the wisdom of the world in pots (in some versions of a calabash). Anansi was very smart, but he decided to gather all the wisdom he could find and keep it in a safe place.
With all the wisdom sealed in the pot, he still worries that it's not safe enough, so he secretly brings the pot to a tall spiny tree in the forest (in some versions of the cotton tree). His young son, Ntikuma, saw him go and follow him from a distance to see what he was doing.
The pot was too big for Anansi to keep as she climbed a tree, so she tied it in front of her. As these pots are on the way and Anansi continues to slip, getting frustrated and angry with every effort.
Ntikuma laughed when he saw what Anansi was doing. "Why do not you tie a pot behind you, then you'll be able to hold that tree?" he advised.
Anansi was greatly disturbed by his failed efforts and the realization that his son was right that he let the pot slip. It is destroyed and all wisdom falls. Right at this time the storm came and rain washed the wisdom into the river. It was brought into the sea, and spread all over the world, so now there is little in everyone.
Although Anansi chases her son home through the rain, she reconciles with loss, because, she says: "What's the use of all that wisdom if a little boy still needs to put you right?"
Maps Anansi
Relationship between Anansi and Br'er Rabbit
Anansi shares a resemblance to the fraudulent figure of Br'er Rabbit, derived from the Bantu folklore who speak in southern and central Africa. The enslaved Africans brought the Brüer Rabbit stories to the New World, which, like the story of Anansi, describes a creature that is physically small and vulnerable to using its cunning intelligence to prevail over a larger animal. However, although Br'er Rabbit's stories are told in the Caribbean, especially on French-speaking islands (where he is named "Compair Lapin"), he is dominated by an African-American folk hero. Rabbits as con artists are also in the Akan version as well and the origin of Bantu does not have to be a primary source, at least for the Caribbean where people Will be more dominant than in the US. His stories enter the mainstream through the work of American journalist Joel Chandler Harris, who wrote several collections of Uncle Remus's stories between 1870 and 1906.
One time Anansi himself was deceived when he tried to fight a tar baby after trying to steal food, but became stuck on it. This is a known story of a version involving Br'er Rabbit, found in Uncle Remus's story and adapted and used in the Walt Disney 1968 Song of the South live-action/animated film. It is derived from African-American folklore in the Southern United States, which has a part of their origins in African folklore preserved in oral narratives by African Americans. The elements of the African Anansi story are combined by African-American storytellers with elements of Native American tales, such as Cherokee's story of "Tar Wolf", which has a similar theme, but often has a deceptive rabbit as a protagonist. Native American fraudsters seem to have resonated with African-American storytellers and were adopted as an allied with an Anansi character they knew. Other authorities state the existence of a similar story about baby rabbits and tar throughout Meso-American and South American native cultures. Thus, the story of Rabbit Br'er and Tar Baby represents a combination of two distinct folk traditions, America and Africa, which by chance share a common theme. Most of the other Brüer Bunny stories come from the myth of Cherokee or Algonquin. In the United States today, the Br'er Rabbit story lies beside the other Aunt Nancy's stories, and of Anansi himself, who came from both slavery times and also from the Caribbean and directly from Africa.
Mythology
Anansi is a spirit, acting on behalf of Nyame, his father and Father of Heaven. He brought rain to stop the fire and do other tasks for him. His mother is Asase Ya. There are some children called Anansi, the first son who is often called Ntikuma. According to some stories his wife is known as Miss Anansi or Mrs. Anansi but most often as Aso. He is described as a spider, a human, or a combination thereof.
In some beliefs, Anansi is responsible for creating the sun, the stars and the moon, as well as teaching humans agricultural techniques.
References in popular culture
Books
- In the action of literary adventure/thriller Eteka: The Rise of Imamba by Ben Hinson, Anansi is cast as a mysterious character/otherworld that appears in various forms. In a chapter in the same book he also calls himself 'Spider.'
- The novel Neil Gaiman American God displays Anansi (under the name Mr. Nancy ) who lives in America among several other mythological characters. In a television adaptation, he was described by Orlando Jones.
- A recent Gaiman novel,
, follows Anansi's son as they discover each other and their legacy. - In The Golden Books of 1996 The storybook of Justine Korman, Disney Lion King: The Cave Monsters , Simba and Nala is afraid of the "Monster Cave", but later learned that it was a spider. named Anansi.
- In the science fiction novel The Descent of Anansi, by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, the main characters managed to land a broken spaceship on Earth with the help of a very strong cable made of crystal iron and " power "generated by tidal effects. The title is based on the image of a spacecraft hanging from a cable like a spider in a thread.
- The Chinese writer MiÃÆ'Â © ville incorporated Anansi as the main supporting character in his first novel, King Rat , published in 1998.
- In Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson, published in 2000, the ruling government called Grande 'Nansi Web, for its nano surveillance technology, is injected into every citizen at birth.
- Clean Sweep , the novel by Ilona Andrews, including a reference to the mythology of Anansi when the characters bought an Anansi bomb that released a horde of spiders.
Comics
In the DC Comics' Justice League of America arc, the team faces Anansi. The characters are first mentioned in Justice League of America . 23, but not mentioned until Justice League of America 24. According to Vixen, he is the god of West African impostors and "has all the stories". Anansi comes in several forms, the most common form being the big spider, another worldly being with supernatural powers. He has manipulated the power of Vixen and Animal Man. He initially looked evil, but later revealed after he was "defeated" that his intrigue was actually intended to teach Vixen a lesson and prepare him for some impending disaster.
In the Marvel Comics series The Amazing Spider-Man volume 2 (2003), it is revealed by Ezekiel that Kwaku Anansi was the first Spider-Man. Anansi sold himself to Nyame, the heavenly god in exchange for wisdom, and shared his knowledge with the spider. In the mini-series of Spider-Man Fairy Tales, Spider-Man himself took the role of Anansi. He is in search for more power after feeling unappreciated. Having encountered the elements of the element (Fantastic Four), and the guardian of the sacred garden (Swarm), he realizes the greatest strength is friendship.
In the Marvel Herc comics during the Spider Island story, a man named A. Nancy appeared several times as a traveling storyteller. It was revealed that in fact he was a spider's god of legends, and while Herc had a busy Arachne, he stole the mystical Arachne tapestry that made him attached to his cursed form, adding it to his collection. He then immediately disappears.
Anansi appears in the Cinderella: Fables Are Forever crossover Fable 3, where it is displayed as a deceptive and spider-related figure.
Anansi is also the main character in the graphic novel series Greg Anderson-ElysÃÆ' Â © e "Is'nana: The Were-Spider". The first volume, "Forgotten Stories" was published in 2016, after a successful Kickstarter campaign, under the lead of "Webway Comics". In the series, Is'nana is the son of Anansi.
Music
The English rock band Skunk Anansie (1994-2001, 2009-present) takes the spider man's name from West African folklore, but with a slightly different spelling, and adds "Skunk" to the name, to create a nastier name.
The young singer Raffi wrote and recorded the song "Anansi" for her 1978 album Corner Grocery Store . This song describes Anansi as a spider and a man. It tells the story of lazy but clever Anansi, using flattery to trick some crows into shaking ripe mangoes from his mango tree for Anansi to enjoy without having to pick it himself.
Television and movies
- Before writing a book of the same name (referenced above), filmmaker and author Gerald McDermott made a short animation of the Anansi the Spider in 1969. Narrated by Athmani Magoma, function of folklore, introducing the Ashanti people, and retelling two stories about Anansi and her six sons.
- Anansi appears in two episodes of the Disney cartoon series Gargoyles . Anansi is described as a spider giant spider in the episode "Mark Of The Panther", voiced by LeVar Burton. He also appeared in the first part of "The Gathering", where he was seen returning to Avalon as one of Oberon's subjects.
- In the WB Children's TV program Static Surprise , Spider's Anansi is the main super hero in Africa. Anansi is part of a hero's lineage whose strength comes from ancient talismans, which gives the power of illusion and the ability to obey every surface. He first appeared in "Static in Africa", where Static visited Africa, and the two joined to fight the villain Oseba the Leopard. Anansi back in "Out of Africa", where he came to Dakota City where Static and Gear helped him recover his talisman from Oseba, who this time joined Onini the Snake and Mmoboro the Wasp.
- Anansi Siaba tells stories from African folklore about children series of PBS Sesame Street . He is voiced by Ossie Davis. This cartoon segment by Fred Garbers was introduced by Sonia Manzano, who plays Maria on the show.
- The Sun and the Moon will be A Home in the Sky
- Monkey and Baboon Compromise
- Little Mouse
- Short Soviet animated film ?????? ?????? (Russia: Anansi The Spider ) aired in 1970. The animated film Anancy Turns Over A New Leaf was produced by Lalu Hanuman in 2000. She followed in 2001 with the second Anancy's Healthy Diet animation. Also in 2001, the Canadian National Film Board produced the animated short film The Magic of Anansi as part of the Talespinners collection of short films based on children's stories from the Canadian cultural community..
- "Mr. Nancy" is a character in the television adaptation of the novel Neil Gaiman American Gods , described by Orlando Jones (see "Books", above).
- "Aunt Nancy" is a female character on Superstition (TV Series) on the SYFY network, played by Jasmine Guy from A Different World television series.
- Kwaku Ananse is a short movie 2013 by Akosua Adoma Owusu.
Video games
In the PC of Shivers , Anansi appears in a music box that tells the story of a spider that deceives the lizards and deities.
In Pandora's Box , Anansi is one of the con artists to be caught.
At The Secret World, Anansi is one of eight divisions of the Orochi group, a global company whose units are often encountered in gaming. Scope Anansi is a personal technology such as tablets and headsets.
Other names
- Bru Nansi (Virgin Islands)
- Annancy or Anancy (Jamaica, Grenada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Nicaragua)
- Anansi (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Anansi Drew (The Bahamas)
- Aunt Nancy (South Carolina)
- Cha Nanzi (Aruba)
- Nanzi Complex (CuraÃÆ'§ao, Bonaire)
- Kwaku Anansi (Akanland)
- Ba Anansi (Suriname)
- Gede Zareyin (Haiti)
- Bra Anansi, Nansi or spaida bra (Jamaica, Sierra Leone)
- Ba Yentay (South Carolina)
See also
- Cultural spider depiction
References
Resources/Further reading
- Ismael, Odeen (2010). The Magic Pot: Nansi Stories From the Caribbean . Xlibris. ISBN 978-1-4535-3903-3.
- Marshall, Emily Zobel (September 2007). "Liminal Anansi: Symbol of Order and Turmoil of Anansi Root Exploration Among the Asante of Ghana". Caribbean Quarterly . 53 (3): 30-40. JSTORÃ, 40654609.
External links
- Anancy's Gift - video by UNED (English with subtitles)
- The Jamaican Anansi Story at Jamaicans.com
- How Anansi Becomes A Spider by Michael Auld, at AnansisStories.com
- [http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/jas/Jamaican Anansi Stories Martha Warren Beckwith (1924), Internet Sacred Texts Archive
- Anansi Masters - storytelling film
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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