Storytelling Week 6: Anansi's Change of Heart

Anansi, his family, and his village were struggling due to a long famine that had been plaguing the land. They hadn't eaten in forever and were so hungry. One day, while he was desperately searching for food, Anansi saw an island far away with a palm tree on it. Seeing it as his last resort, he decided that he would sail out to the island in hopes of finding food. 

When the day arrived to set sail, all Anansi could find was an old broken down boat. He decided he would have to take it because he had to get to the island. He climbed in and tried to set sail, but the waves knocked him back everytime. After SEVEN attempts to put off from shore and a lot of spent energy, Anansi finally found his chance to sail into the water. After a bumpy trip, he finally made it to the island.

Ansani's boat on the island

Once he was there, he climbed the palm tree and found nuts. He couldn't help but rejoice. He was so hungry that even the few nuts felt like they would be a feast fit for a king. The only challenge now was to get the nuts into the boat. 

That'll be easy! I'll just climb up and drop them in!

Anansi climbed the tree and proceeded to drop the nuts in. However, to his complete dismay, each and every nut missed the boat and fell to the bottom of the ocean. All of his hopes for food were gone. The idea was so devastating to him that he decided to throw his body into the water and proceeded to do just that. He closed his eyes and let go of the tree, allowing his body to fall. However, when he hit the water, he was amazed because he was not drowning. Rather, he found himself standing underwater next to a cottage.

What on Earth is going on??

Shortly, a man named Thunder walked out and asked Anansi what he was doing at his cottage. Anansi explained his situation and Thunder took pity on him. He welcomed him into his underwater home and presented Anansi with a gold cooking pot. With the pot, he gave him a promise that he would never be hungry again. Anansi could not believe it.

Never be hungry again? How could this be?

Anansi could only wait until he was back on his rickety old boat to try the pot. All he had to do was ask and a huge meal appeared right before his eyes. He ate to his heart's content and felt such relief that he was finally full. 

When he arrived back at the mainland, he started to feel scared. What if the magic of the pot wore off? What if it could only provide a certain number of meals? His first instinct was to hide the pot so that he would be ensured meals forever. He was so afraid of being hungry again. However, upon second thought, he realized that he needed to take care of his family and maybe even the village as well. He had learned his lesson through his past experiences that greed would get him no where. So, he ran home to his family and provided them with a wonderful meal that filled not only their stomachs but also their hearts, restoring hope that the famine would one day be over. 

Black and white photo of the magical pot 

After his family had been fed, Anansi went out into the village and the pot provided them with a meal as well. To Anansi's surprise, the pot actually produced more food this time due to its pleasure at Anansi's good deeds.

Because of his generosity and selflessness, the pot produced larger and larger meals each time it was asked. The village remained healthy and fed until the famine was over and they could start producing their own food again. While the pot resting now, the village will always think of Anansi fondly and will remember the time he came home with the golden pot that saved them all.

Author's Note:
The original story is Thunder and Anansi from the West African Folktales storybook. In the original story, Anansi does travel to the island in desperate hopes to find food. He does find nuts but accidentally drops them into the water and decides to throw himself in as well. However, when he meets Thunder and receives the pot, he decides to hide it for himself. As he gets plumper and his family grows thinner, his son, Kweku Tsin, became suspicious and transformed himself into a tiny fly and followed his father until he discovered the secret of the pot. Then, while his father was out, he took it from it's hiding place and provided the family with a good meal. Then, they decided to feed the village as well; however, the pot overheated and melted. When Anansi returned to the missing pot, he snuck out back to Thunder's cottage in hopes of another gift. This time, though, Thunder presented him with a stick. When Anansi asked a favor of the stick, it proceeded to beat him repeatedly which forced him to jump out of the boat and swim to shore. The story ended with a very bruised Anansi regretting his decision to not act more wisely from the start.

I decided to change the ending of the story because Anansi's selfishness really bothered me. In almost every story, he was actions proved that he only cared about himself. Selfish people really get under my skin, so I decided to change the ending to the opposite of the original. In my version, Anansi is tempted to act selfishly, but then remembers the lessons he had learned from the past and decided to share. In the end, instead of regretting his actions, he actually was proud of them because he was so blessed by his gifts.

Bibliography: 
Thunder and Anansi from West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair (1917).