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Author
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Comment
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(11/19/04 3:19 pm)
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Spider stories
Hi - I am new here. I have been doing some reading to do some catching up. Great board - I love it! I am a writer, among other things, and I am currently looking for stories of Spider. Are there stories of Spider as storyteller? spinner of relationship?
Thanks!
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redtriskell
Registered User
(11/20/04 11:57 pm)
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spiders in folklore
Since I'm not sure what you're looking for, I'll be brief. There is a mountain of wonderful Spider tales from all over Africa. He is usually a tricksy sort of fellow in the stories I've read. Most of which tend to be funny and instructive for the other characters. You can also find stories related to Anansi (sp?) who is a spider god of West Africa. He's also a trickster. Have fun.
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Anansia
Registered User
(11/22/04 9:13 pm)
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Anansi or Ananse
Is he a god? I never heard that. In Twi (the language of the Ashanti people in Ghana, West Africa), stories are called "anansesem" (not sure if I've got the spelling right) whether or not they are about Anansi.
Anansi is not a story teller himself but in one of the key stories, he is the person who got stories from the sky god, as a reward for bringing him the three - or sometimes four - objects he desired, which were difficult to obtain: a python, a leopard, a nest of hornets and a fairy (or dwarf).
This story was originally told to me by my ex-partner, who is Ashanti, who I think said that Anansi got *wisdom* from the sky god, not stories - but perhaps it's just a me=atter of translation). I was very excited when I heard it because of the way Ananse got the dwarf (which is how he translated it; I've seen it as fairy in books, but my partner clearly defined it as magical). It's the same way that Brer fox caught Brer rabbit - a tar baby.
I won't go into the details of the rest of the story - I've seen a number of versions in children's picture books & I'm sure you can find more 'authentic' versions.
As Redtriskill says, there are many, many Anansi stories. ('Aunty Nancy', in the Carribean?)
My partner also told me one in which Anansi loses all the wisdom (or stories) becasue of his greed. As I recall it, they spilled out of his calabash when he was trying to hide them away at the top of a plam tree, & then the whole world got them.
As you can probably see, my user name is inspired by Anansi, not just because I like to tell stories but also because of the silk spinning (which I used to do) & the Ghana connection.
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Nalo
Registered User
(11/23/04 8:06 am)
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Re: Anansi or Ananse
I think "god" is an approximate translation of his role.
www.pantheon.org/articles/a/anansi.html
It's like when we call the Afro-Caribbean deities "gods." It's not quite the right term, but it's a concept that's familiar.
In the places in the Caribbean where I was born and lived, we called the folk tales "nancy stories" or "anansi stories," whether or not Anansi was in them. As to the Tar Baby story, in the Caribbean, it's Brer Nancy (Anansi) who gets stuck to the tar baby. I don't remember there being a Brer Rabbit in the Caribbean tales, though there might be a Brer Hare. Not sure. Memory can be dodgy.
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Anansia
Registered User
(11/23/04 3:03 pm)
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Re: Anansi or Ananse
The Brer rabbit I've read about was in those Joel Chandler Harris stories - re-tellings of slave stories I think? I just got excited because of the evidence of the movement of the story. I read them as a child & still have some of them. It's quite a different story to the Anansi story, execpt for the tar baby motif. It's the fairy who gets stuck to the tar, not Anansi.
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(11/27/04 11:02 am)
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Re: Anansi or Ananse
Thank you for your responses. I am currently writing about doing dream work with seniors and how we tell our stories about who we are, what our struggles are etc. The image of spider keeps on coming up as I do dream work and write about it. Spinning webs of support, story, etc...and I wondered if there are myths/fairy tales about the spider being the story teller. I like Anasai - and that spider is an intermediary.
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Veronica Schanoes
Registered User
(11/27/04 4:34 pm)
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Re: Anansi or Ananse
There's the obvious Arachne story, in which Arachne is a fabulous...weaver...I think?...who challenges Athena to a contest. They each weave tapestries telling different stories and Athena turns Arachne to a spider not because her tapestry isn't as good (it is) but because her tapestry mocks the gods.
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GailS
Unregistered User
(11/28/04 9:25 am)
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Arachne
According to some accounts, Arachne offended Athena by proclaiming her weaving equal to the god's. Not only were Arachne's textiles beautiful to look at, legend says the sight of her weaving caused the Nymphs to cease their frolicking and draw near to watch her practice her art. For her presumption, Athena turned Arachne into a spider, forever causing her and her descendants to hang from threads and be celebrated weavers.
GailS
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(11/30/04 12:15 pm)
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spider stories
thank you - this helps. I guess these are the storeis I"m thinking of, "weaving stories" ....thanks again! :D
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redtriskell
Registered User
(12/2/04 12:31 am)
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weaving in tales
I guess I misunderstood your intent, CougarDolphin. If it's weaving you're after, I suggest Navajo lore- the importance of weaving as a symbol for connections between people is extraordinary. Did you know that it's still true Navajo weavers purposely weave a break in the pattern of their work in order for the weaver's soul to avoid becoming trapped in the work? The idea of the artist's soul needing an escape route made my brain tickle. Also, there is a wonderful story called "The Lily and the Weaver's Heart" by Nancy Etchemendy in the Armless Maiden collection edited by Terri Windling.
On another note, to everybody else on this thread chatting up Anansi, be sure to check out Neil Gaiman's version of this character in his novel "American Gods" Neil's Mr. Nancy is a great mix of both the African and Carribbean aspects of this god. With an unusual twist. I loved the guy in the book so much I had to find out what he was as I was unfamiliar with Anansi at the time I read it.
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(12/2/04 11:17 pm)
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Re: weaving in tales
Thank you redtriskell - that's what I'm looking for! I apologize for being so vague!! It's been such fun reading all of the responses to my quesiton - I have learned much - thank you!
Edited by: CougarDolphin at: 12/2/04 11:18 pm
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Heidi Anne Heiner
ezOP
(12/3/04 5:32 am)
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Re: weaving in tales
You might also try the following:
WEAVING: ARTS & LORE: Cosmic Webs, Spinning, Spindles, Embroidery, Quilts, Clothing
Spinning and Weaving Fairy Tales
Heidi
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isthmus nekoi
Registered User
(12/3/04 1:05 pm)
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Re: weaving in tales
If you don't mind children's lit, there's also Charlotte's Web :)
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Anansia
Registered User
(12/5/04 5:12 pm)
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Re: weaving in tales
Redtriskill's post about Navajo weaving reminded me ... in Papua New Guinea women make beautiful all-purpose string bags called bilums, in which they carry everything from kindling to babies. It's not weaving tho, more like knitting without needles - or sprang, or crochet. Every bilum has a deliberate flaw. I can't exactly recall the reason, I think it's because it would be presumptuous to think you can create perfection. Perhaps it links to a spiritual belief?
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(1/3/05 12:32 pm)
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Re: weaving in tales
Thank you so much for all of your posts - they all have been wonderful storeis and links. I really like the Navajo and New Guinea traditions - deliberately creating a nonperfect weaving or bilium - it does seem like a spiritual belief - as I create soemthing imperfect, I am creating more acceptance of my flaws:)
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Carolyn Dunn
Registered User
(1/9/05 2:18 am)
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Re: weaving in tales
Hi there--- I'm a little late posting, but I hope this helps---you may want to check out Paula Gunn Allen's novel The Woman Who Owned the Shadows, especially the prologue, which is an extensive Spider Woman story based upon traditional Laguna Pueblo narratives. Also, the southeastern tribes as well recognize Grandmother Spider as the creator of the world; she is the mother of the sun, who incidentally is a female deity.
Carolyn
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alabark
Unregistered User
(1/12/05 7:55 pm)
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spider stories
What about southwestern native american mythology? Spider Woman is credited as creating the sipipu (hole in the sky) through which various southwestern tribes attribute to entering this world.
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(1/18/05 10:45 am)
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Spider stories.
Thanks - I will look for that book and look for southwestern stories...I'm looking for Spider as Creator as well as story teller (if there is one)
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alabark
Unregistered User
(1/21/05 8:20 pm)
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Spider Stories
Try lookign for "The Book of Hopi" and "The Book of the Navajo".
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(1/23/05 4:08 pm)
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Re: Spider Stories
Thank you - I will:)
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CougarDolphin
Registered User
(1/26/05 9:29 am)
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Re: Spider Stories
I have been finding more and more spider stories - I appreciate your help.
Another question - any suggestions of where I find stories about Tarantula?
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