I really enjoyed my write up about Ayé yesterday (my entry for the Earth magic challenge). As such I thought, why not share more about my african heritage and introduce some well known or not well known deities .
Among the trickster gods, no one is as well known as Loki. But many religions offer their own tricksters. Most teach through consequences, some are joksters, some break the rules to gain knowledge. They usually reveal hidden truths and make us think. Reevaluate the rules and information as we know them and maybe learn how to work around a system.
The stories about tricksters are meant to teach us. So it feels appropriate to tell you the reason we have stories in the first place and who is, in Akan beliefs, the master of all stories.
Anansi 
Who is Anansi?
Anansi is part of the West African/ Akan (Ashanti) pantheon. He is also known in the Caribbean and other afrodiasporic religions, having been brought over by enslaved Akan/ Ashanti people. He also has, for example his own place in Jamaican folklore. He is a Storyteller, a trickster, a symbol of knowledge and cunning and a weaver of fate. While not a god per se, he holds deep cultural meaning. In his mythology, Anansi oftentimes defeated stronger opponents by using the strengh of his mind.. His significance in a post-slavery context was amongst other things immortalized in the TV Show American gods. But while in this story, Anasi leads the slave to rebellion and later death Anansi usually represents survival. Especially using cleverness and adaption.
For deepler insights about the cultural relevances Anansi held and still does hold I recommend the following paper: Emily Zobel Marshall (2018): “‘Nothing but Pleasant Memories of the Discipline of Slavery”: The Trickster and the Dynamics of Racial Representation.’ Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies. (Wayne State University Press)
His name Anansi literally translates to “Spider” in Twi. He is also oftentimes referred to as “Kwaku Anansi”, linking him to Wednesdays.* He is also known under the following names:
| Region | Role of Anansi |
|---|---|
| Akan (Ghana) | Culture hero, divine trickster, teacher of wisdom |
| Jamaica | “Anancy” tales – folk trickster who outwits stronger foes |
| Suriname (Saramaka) | Anansi stories preserved through oral performance |
| Southern U.S. (Gullah) | Folk hero, story spirit, resistance figure |
| Vodou / Obeah | Symbolic figure – not a lwa, but invoked in folk magic and storytelling |
Background 
The spider qualities are not just in Anansis name, they are meant quite literally. Usually Anasi is depicted as either a spider himself or as a man with spider like qualities. Sometimes he is stylized as a man with eight legs, sometimes as a spider with a human face and so on.
Stories
Given that Anansi is the master of stories, having received the gift of stories from no other than Nyame, the sky god himself, it is fitting that Anansis stories where part of an oral tradition. Me like a lot of other west african children remember being told Anansis tales while growing up. For me, it replaced the usual german bedtime stories.
His most popular tale is indeed the one how Anansi brought stories to the world. By now it has been obviously written down many times. For a story quickie, I very much enjoyed overly sarcastic productions on Anansi. This tale has been widely publized and even studied and can be viewed as the most well known of all his stories.
But to give you a small overview:
Bored by his daily life Anansi decided that he wanted the stories that the Sky God Nyame kept all to himself. While Nyame was willing to give the stories to Anansi, in the spirit of all folk heroes Anansi hat to proof himself first. Nyame told him to capture the four most terrifying creatures for them. With a mix of audacity and wit Anansi fulfilled his part of the bargain and thus became the Master of stories.
In some versions of the story, Anansi actually does not only trick the four creatures but also Nyame himself.
Since then Anansis stories have been known as anansesem or spider stories.
While wikipedia is, rightly so, not to be used as a reference in itself, the stories of Anansi on his page nice to read. It is important to remember that due to the tradition of sharing Ananasis exploits orally, there is no 100% right way of retelling a story. I cannot claim that my father told my sister and I the story the same way his father or even his grandfather did. Given that it has been over thirthy years, I now tell the stories the way I remember. Which might be slightly different from the way it was told to me.
How to worship Anansi 
In one of his more famous stories, Anansi tried to keep all the worlds wisdom to himself. Locking it in a jar, he wanted to hid the wisdom on top of a very large tree. But despite all his arms/ legs, he could not manage to climb up the tree while holding the jar.
In one version of the story he is thus mocked by a child for not tying the jar to his back. In another it is his own son Ntikuma. Enraged Anansi threw the jar, breaking it, thus releasing the wisdom to the world. Sometimes Anansi breaks the jar himself, acknowleding that he was not ready for the wisdom. Othertimes he realizes this after the jar was broken.
Thus one of the easiest ways of worshipping Anansi is by sharing knowledge, especially with the medium of a story. It doesn’t really matter whether it is a story that was solely created for the worship of has already been told. Anansi is the master of all stories.
Let us also remember that Anansi is not a god in a formal sense, working with him is more about personal connection. This connection can be playful but NEVER disrespectful. Anansi does have a temper!
Who Can Work With Anansi?
Anyone respectful of African spiritual traditions and interested in:
- Storytelling, art, writing
- Shadow work, personal growth through paradox
- Outsmarting problems or escaping spiritual traps
- Reconnecting with ancestral resistance and cleverness
Altar & Offerings for Anansi
Altar Suggestions:
- Spider imagery (figurines, web-patterned cloth, or natural web)
- A copy of a written story or journal
- A mirror (for self-reflection and trickery)
- A black or brown candle
- Items that symbolize cleverness or duality (e.g. dice, a two-faced coin, thread, riddle cards)
Offerings:
| Offering | Symbolism |
|---|---|
| Palm wine or dark rum | Wisdom, ancestors, warmth |
| Honey & pepper | Sweetness + sting (his duality) |
| Plantains, yams | African ancestral food |
| Kola nut | Value, barter, respect |
| A well-told joke | Humor as offering |
| Peppercorns | Sharp tongue, clever fire |
| Riddles, poems, jokes | Intellectual food |
| Coconut (broken) | Wisdom and storytelling (Caribbean tradition) |
| Rum or palm wine | Libation for ancestral connection |
| Small coins | Trickster wealth — spiritual payment |
Given his ties to wednesday, wednesday is one of the best days for worship.
Since he is also closely tied to knowledge itself, the full or the new moon can help spin the threads that bind us to new knowledge or adventures.
*In the Akan cosmology a persons soul is linked to the day they were born. I, myself was born on a wednesday. As such I have next to my “normal” name, a name that links me to wednesday. Funnily enoug I have twin sister. So she holds the same name.
Please note that the following was achieved with the help of AI: the picture, the stylezation of the content tables to make them better looking. The write up was done by me.
