Anansi: Corn is Worth 100 Servants

Anansi is one of the most popular characters in African folktales. He appears throughout quite a few African cultures, and while the stories may differ, his personality remains the same. Anansi is a very wise and witty spider. He is the trickster of African mythology.

We've looked at several tricksters from other mythologies in previous posts. The Norse Loki is unquestionably evil, given his desire to bring about the end of world. The Japanese Susano can be nefarious, but he also has a lighter side. Out of all the tricksters I've talked about, Anansi is most similar to the Greek Hermes. Both are messengers, with Anansi frequently serving as a go-between for mankind and the gods. Their pranks tend to be light hearted in nature, instead of villainous.

Given the number of myths about Anansi, there are a lot of stories for me to cover – too many for just one post! I'm going to spend several weeks talking about Anansi, including one post taking a look at his portrayals in modern pop culture.

Today's story is one of my favorites, even though Anansi is pretty mean to the poor humans. It begins with a bet between Anansi and Nyame, one of the more powerful African gods.

Nyame possessed an ear of corn. Looking at it, Anansi asked to be gifted the corn. He boasted that he would trade that corn for 100 servants. Nyame was intrigued, but doubted that the clever spider could do as he said. Still, he gave Anansi the ear of corn.

Anansi then went to earth. He found a human village, where he was made welcome as an honored guest. The spider warned the humans that the corn he had with him was sacred – it belonged to Nyame himself! The villagers were all very awed and respectful.

That night, Anansi crept out while everyone was sleeping. He fed all of the corn to the chickens in the village. When the humans awoke the next day, Anansi flew into a rage. He accused them of letting their fowl eat the sacred corn!

The humans were completely apalled. Fearing the wrath of Nyame, they offered Anansi an entire bushel of corn to make up for the single ear he had lost. Anansi accepted their offering and set off down the road.

 

As he was traveling Anansi met a man with a chicken. He purchase the chicken for the bushel of corn. When he came to the next village, Anansi was again welcomed as a guest. He repeated his story, but this time it was the chicken who was sacred to Nyame.

Again, Anansi had a trick up his sleeve. That night he slaughtered the chicken and rubbed its blood and feathers all over the village. He railed against the villagers when they awoke – how dare they kill Nyame's sacred chicken!

The villagers gave Anansi ten sheep to placate him, and the spider set off on his way.

The sheep were exchanged for a corpse – Anansi's biggest trick yet. (I'd imagine the corpse-seller was quite happy with that bargain!)

Anansi carried the corpse into the final village, larger than all the others he had stayed in. He claimed that the body was the sleeping son of Nyame himself. He set the body in a hut, claiming that he was exhausted and needed his rest. Anansi enjoyed dinner, and then returned to the hut to "sleep".

 

The next morning, Anansi called some villagers into the hut to help him wake the son of the god.  Given that the "son" was dead, they were unable to do so. Anansi cried out that the man had been murdered! Who in the village would dare to kill the son of their god?!

The villagers were horrified, and greatly feared the wrath of Nyame. They desperately offered to send 100 of their finest young men to the god, hoping that their servititude would make up for the death of the god's son. Anansi gravely accepted their offer.

Nyame was very much surprised when Anansi marched into his court with 100 servants behind him. When the spider recounted his tale the god was amused.

And so it was that 100 servants were purchased for a single ear of corn.

What do you guys think? It always reminds me of that game where you start with something small – say, a paperclip – and see what you can trade it for.


I'll be back next week with a very special post, and then we'll return to African folktales the following week.

And, to all my fellow WoW players...have fun with Legion!!

Go Fish: Chipfalamfula, the River God

Today's story comes from the people of Mozambique, a country in southern Africa. It tells of a river deity who helps out two young girls. I love the similarities to Cinderella (the river god could be compared to the fairy godmother) and to the Judeo-Christian story of Joseph and his brothers.

The rivers of southern Mozambique were said to be the home of Chipfalamfula, an enormous fish who was a river god. Chipfalamfula was a kind being who often helped those in need.

 

There was a tribe whose chief had many wives. His favorite wife had two daughters – Chichinguane and her younger sister. Though the chief had many other daughters, these two were his favorites because of their mother. He showered them with gifts and doted upon them.

 

The other wives and daughters of the chief were immensely jealous of Chichinguane's family. They were cruel and took every opportunity to bully them.

 

One day, all of the girls had been sent out to collect clay by the riverbank. The other daughters of the chief forced Chichinguane to climb down the bank and fill their baskets for them. One by one she passed up baskets filled with clay. When she had finished, Chichinguane waited for the other girls to pull her up...but they did not. Instead, the girls turned and left.

 

The clay was slick and slippery. Try as she might, Chichinguane could not climb out. Eventually it began to rain, and it was then that Chichinguane grew scared. The water was rapidly rising, and the girl feared that she would drown.

 

She cried out for help – and help came.

 

A giant fish appeared behind her. Chichinguane was frightened at first, but then remembered the tales of Chipfalamfula, who was a helpful god. The fish introduced himself and then opened his mouth wide. He invited her to climb inside his belly, where she would be safe and happy.

 

Chichinguane climbed into the fish's mouth and down into his stomach.

 

It was bigger on the inside (like a TARDIS!).

 

 

There were many people living there, growing plants and catching small fish. Chichinguane was happy.

 

However, her little sister was not. The other girls had returned to the village and claimed that Chichinguane had run away. With Chichinguane gone, the young girl was sent to take her sister's place doing the chores.

 

The little girl was too small for this. Sent to gather water, she found herself unable to pick up the filled pot. The other daughters of the chief laughed at her and left her behind, crying.

 

Chichinguane heard the sobs of her sister and asked Chipfalamfula to let her go to her. The fish opened his mouth and Chichinguane popped out, running to meet her sister on the riverbank. The young girl was overjoyed to see her, but Chichinguane made her promise not to tell anyone. The older sister picked up the water jug and put it on the girl's head, where she carefully balanced it. Chichinguane climbed back into Chipfalamfula's mouth. The young girl was able to return to the village with her water jar.

 

Every day Chichinguane helped her sister, and every day she returned to the fish god's stomach. Then, one night Chichinguane's younger sister was asked to carry a jar of beer to the chief. Try as she might, the girl could not lift the jar. Her mother was flabbergasted; the girl carried the jar on her head every day when she returned with water!

 

At length the younger sister was forced to explain that Chichinguane helped her every day. Her mother was overjoyed to hear that her eldest daughter was still alive. The next morning she went with her daughter to the riverbank. When Chichinguane appeared to help lift the water jar, her mother raced out to hug her. She begged her eldest daughter to come home, but Chichinguane refused. Her time spent in the water had turned her into a fish; she now had scales of pure silver.

 

Chichinguane returned to the belly of Chipfalamfula, and her mother and sister returned to the village.

 

The sight of her mother had filled Chichinguane with homesickness. After a few days she spoke to Chipfalamfula and told him that she missed her family. She begged to be allowed to return to them and to a life on land.

 

Chipfalamfula agreed, wanting her to be happy. He gave her a magic wand and opened his mouth, letting her loose into the world.

 

Chichinguane ran back to her village. The chief's other wives and daughters stared at her in disbelief as she headed for her mother's hut. When she arrived she touched the magic wand to her skin. Before her mother and sister's eyes Chichinguane's scales dropped off of her. As they hit the ground they turned into silver coins, making Chichinguane's mother rich beyond dreams.

The chief was overjoyed at his favorite daughter's return. A party was thrown, and he showered gifts upon both Chichinguane and her sister.

Of course, this only made the other wives and daughters even more jealous.

Some time passed, and all of the girls were sent to gather firewood. The older girls bullied Chichinguane and her sister into climbing the tallest tree. They were ordered to cut off all of the branches and toss them down to the other girls.

Chichinguane and her little sister did as they were told. When they were finished, the girls left – and Chichinguane and her sister were stranded in the top of the tree.

With no way down, they waited there. Night fell, and their situation worsened: a group of ogres arrived.

Ogres were monstrous creatures who loved shiny jewelry – which the girls were wearing – and the taste of human flesh. Young girls were a particular delicacy. Catching sight of Chichinguane and her sister, the ogres began to try and cut down the tree.

The younger girl panicked and began to cry, but Chichinguane shushed her and told her not to worry. When the tree was about to topple she touched it with the magic wand from Chipfalamfula. The tree immediately was whole again – it was as if the ogres' axes had never touched it.

The ogres were furious and continued to hack and chop. Chichinguane kept healing the tree. Eventually the ogres grew weary. They fell asleep, knowing that their prey was trapped.

Seeing no other choice, Chichinguane pushed her sister out of the tree and jumped after her. The landing was rough, but they both stood and began to run. The noise awakened the ogres, who chased them through the forest. Chichinguane headed for the river.

They got there with the ogres hot on their heels. Chichinguane touched her magic wand to the riverside and begged Chipfalamfula to halt the water. Immediately the river was dry, and she and her sister were able to cross. Once on the other side she used her wand again, asking Chipfalamfula to restart the river.

 

The ogres, running across the dry riverbank, were swept away by the wave of water.

 

 

(I totally thought of this scene.)

They were safe, but Chichinguane and her sister realized that they were lost. They wandered for some time before coming to a cave. Within it was much fine jewelry...but also human skeletons. They had stumbled across the ogres' lair!

Chichinguane and her sister put on as much of the jewelry as they could. Fearing that an ogre would return to the cave and find them, they left quickly.

It was dark, and they still didn't know where they were. Chichinguane asked Chipfalamfula to help them. Her magic wand began to glow, and she held it above her head as a light.

Little did Chichinguane know that another had also been praying to Chipfalamfula. There was a rich king who had two sons. He had prayed to the river deity that two beautiful, wealthy wives might be found for the princes.

The river god led Chichinguane's footsteps to the wall surrounding the king's home. The guards who stood there were astounded by the beauty of the women before them, who stood bedecked in jewels and lit by a magic light. Knowing that they had been sent by Chipfalamfula as an answer to the king's prayers, the girls were led inside and introduced to the princes.

They were married, and lived the rest of their lives in the king's kingdom.

What did you guys think?

Fire: Cooking and Carnage

I have a book which contains many, many stories about the origins of fire.  These stories come from countries all over the world, and it's fascinating to me to read them and see all of the similarities and differences within them.  The book contains stories from more than a dozen tribes and cultures in Africa, and all of them are unique.

This particular story comes from two different books that I have.  I'm not sure which tribe it can be credited to, but it is my favorite story about fire from African folktales.

The story goes that there was once a time where mankind had no fire.  They had nothing to provide light at night; no way to warm themselves against the chill; no manner in which to cook their food.  (Think about it!  No juicy, medium steak - no baked potatoes!)  It was a dark, cold, and flavorless time.

One day, a hunter was out in the wilderness when he saw a gray cloud rising from the ground ahead.  Having never seen anything like it, the man went to take a look.  It took him a long time to get there, because the cloud's origin lay beyond the horizon.  Night fell as he journeyed, but to his surprise a bright light shone up ahead, allowing him to continue his travels.  At last he reached his destination.

He had been following smoke, and what was emitting it was a warm light which flickered and danced.

The hunter guessed that the light was a great chieftain, and he bowed before it with respect.  The light introduced itself as fire.  It offered the man warmth and a place to stay the night, in exchange for his feeding it some of the branches and grass which lay nearby.  The man readily agreed.

Food was also provided for him.  An animal had been gazing spellbound at the dancing flames.  The man was able to take it unawares.  When he had killed it, the fire told him that he should cook the meat.  The hunter had no idea what the flames meant, but listened and did as he was told.  He soon discovered that roasted meat tasted far better than raw.

An idea came to the man.  He asked the fire if he could take it with him back to his village.  He promised to keep it well-fed in exchange for its warmth, light, and cooking capabilities.

But the fire refused.  It argued that if it traveled it would bring great danger to the land and to all living things.  The flames made the man promise that he would never tell another living soul about its existence.

The man promised, and the next day he returned home.

He kept his word, not even telling his wife about the fire.  Unfortunately, his wife was a curious sort.  When her husband gave her some cooked meat he had brought with him she immediately wanted to know where it had come from.  He never told her the source, but her curiosity did not die away.

The man returned frequently to visit the fire, and on one such visit the wife sent a neighbor to follow him.  The second man found the hunter sleeping in front of the fire.  Astonished, he seized a log from the flames and ran back to the village to show the wondrous thing he had found.

As he ran, the fire's dire prophecy began to come true.  Sparks fell from the flickering log, landing in the savannah.  Small fires sprang to life and grew.  The flames ate at the log and eventually licked down far enough to burn the second man's hand.  He screamed in pain and dropped the fire, which caught on the ground below.

 

(I'm picturing the scene in the Jungle Book - and with good reason!  That story drew heavily upon African folktales.)

The raging wildfire grew and spread, destroying several villages.  At last it reached the banks of a river and was stopped.  The fires died away...but they left destruction in their wake.

The villagers had survived by wading across the river.  They returned to find their homes destroyed.  However, the fire had left some good in its wake - some food left sitting out had been cooked, greatly improving its flavor.  Clay pots had hardened and become much more durable.  Despite its deadly nature, there was usefulness in the flames.

The hunter escaped unscathed, safe by his resting place near the fire.  It explained to him what had happened.  Fire had now been brought to man.  It listed its many uses to the hunter, and explained that it would serve mankind well and faithfully.  However, the flames also warned that they must be treated with respect...or else they would destroy.

Some cultures in Africa tell a similar story, but the wildfire started by a wild dog who, a stick tied to its tail caught on fire.

It's a story that I think demonstrates the danger of fire left unattended or used recklessly.  Given that it was likely told to children beginning at an early age, the warning is intentional.  I live in Arizona, and while Tucson rarely gets terrible fires we have had several in nearby areas.  The dangers of even a single flame in the dry desert are great.  I can't imagine how terrible they must be on the plains and savannahs of Africa.

What did you guys think of the story?

Chameleon: Slow and Steady Results in Death

Perhaps you've heard the saying, "The early bird gets the worm."

This folktale from the Zulus of Africa has a slightly different take on that proverb: "The early lizard delivers death."

In the beginning the Zulu deity, known simply as the Great One, created the world. He populated it with men and women formed from reeds. The Great One then created the sun and the moon, and lastly all of the animals.

This having been done, the Great One called upon the chameleon known as Unwaba.

(I couldn't help but use Disney's Pascal for a picture.  He's the cutest chameleon!)

The god commanded Unwaba to go to mankind and tell them that they would live forever. Tasked with delivering news of their immortality, Unwaba set out. However, chameleons are rather slow critters. They trod along slowly yet steadfastly. This was exactly how Unwaba moved.

While the chameleon slowly trekked along, the Great One changed his mind. (Gods are, across most mythologies, incredibly fickle and prone to mood swings.) The Great One decided that he did not want mankind to live for forever. In fact, he desired nothing other than himself to be immortal. The land animals, the fish, the birds...everything would eventually die.

With this in mind, the Great One sent out yet another messenger, the lizard Intulo. Intulo was tasked with delivering the news that all must one day pass.

It became a race, because whichever message was delivered first would be the one which stuck. A god's word, once passed on to his subjects, becomes law. Had Unwaba been the first to make his announcement, mankind would have lived forever.
 

Unfortunately, Unwaba did not know that he was participating in a race. He continued his steady journey. Intulo the lizard, being considerably faster than the chameleon, sped ahead of him and was the first to arrive at the village of man.
 

By the time Unwaba showed up, the dreaded news had already been delivered. Mankind was doomed to one day die. His own message now inconsequential, Unwaba turned and headed wordlessly back into the forest.

Because of the slowness of the chameleon, death entered the world.

This story is told in various forms throughout many of the cultures of Africa. Sometimes the chameleon races against animals other than a lizard – a hare, for instance. Always, the outcome is the same: death.

Chameleons often play the role of messenger in African folktales. As I said in my Intro, African animals in these stories often have a point to make about mankind. In this case, I would hazard a guess and say that it is best not to dawdle when carrying news of utmost importance.

Interestingly enough, Intulo makes an appearance in modern pop culture. One of the Final Fantasy games (I believe XI?) has a giant lizard players can fight named Intulo. I found this rather intriguing.

I'll see you guys next week!

Chosen of the Gods: Treebound - Coming Soon!

Hello readers!

I'm interrupting my series on African folktales with some exciting news.

Book three in my Chosen of the Gods series is complete, and is coming soon!

Below is an exclusive look at the synopsis of the book.  Enjoy, and I'll see you next week!

Doom approaches.

After years of research, the relic bearers have been unable to decipher the prophecies about the mysterious Doom Bell. Time is running out, and the situation looks dire. Skuld, a powerful being as old as time itself, has gone missing.

Old friends reunite and join with new faces in an effort to save the world once again. Can the Order cease its squabbles and work together to protect its members? Will the pantheons be able to overcome their differences and unite in the face of this new threat?

It's up to Liam and Tom to find and rescue Skuld.

If they cannot defeat this enemy, no one can...

 

 

Chosen of the Gods: Treebound - coming October 2016!