Ananse the spider: African folktales
Grouping children together and telling them stories is
one of the African traditions. This is a story about the Spider known by the
Akans, Fantis or Twi, in Ghana as "Anansi."
According to the story, Anansi visited his mother-in-law on an empty stomach.
He was really starving to death.
On arrival, he was welcomed by his in-law and
since her delicious meal of beans was ready, his mother-in-law served him.
Even though Anansi
was at the edge of collapsing with hunger, he refused to eat the food with an
excuse that he ate a couple of minutes ago.
According to the narrator of the story, Anansi was just
playing gently. He was actually feeling shy to eat at his mother-in-law's
house.
This is actually a stupid thing to do by Anansi, after all, what is the
shamefulness in this when someone eats at the wife's mother's house?
Just then someone knocked on the door. As soon as the
mother-in-law went to answer the call, Anansi sneaked into the kitchen to fill
his hat full of the hot beans stew and quickly put it on his head.
The extremely hot cooked beans stew was peeling off his hair from the skull. He told his mother-in-law that he wants to leave. Then together both went out talking.
He told his mother-in-law "Please go back to the house,
I can go on my own" His mother-in-law not suspecting anything decided to
escort him further.
When Anansi couldn't persuade his wife's mother to return home and also couldn't stand the pain any longer, he lifted up his hat and the hot beans spilled all over his body.
The shocked mother-in-law stood motionless watching, as her
son-in-law flees in agony. The shame Anansi cast on himself was too much to
bear that from that period he went into hiding.
This is the reason Anansi-The Spider is always seen at corners of buildings or places. Actually hiding from his disgrace.