How It Came About That Ananse, the Spider, Went Up on the Rafters
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
ANANSE O! he married the daughter of Nsia, the mother of the Sky-god, and he went and said to Nyame (the Sky-god), “The day your mother, Nsia, dies, come and tell me the date chosen for the funeral custom.” About three days later they came and told him that Nsia, the mother of the Sky-god, was dead. Now Ananse’s blood-relations were ’Berekuo, the King Jay, Kwakuo, the Monkey, and Odwan, the Sheep. Then Ananse addressed them, saying, “They have come and told me about a funeral custom, so you must accompany me.” So Ananse caused (a message) to be sent to the Sky-god that he was coming to the ceremony. Then the Sky-god caused all his subjects to gather, just like the assembly of an Omanhene. And Ananse said, “When evening falls cool, I shall come.” The Spider made a bag, and inside it he put ’Berekuo, the King Jay, Kwakuo, the Monkey, and Odwan, the Sheep, and he slung the bag over his shoulder, and wrapped his cloth over it. Then he addressed the creatures, saying, “When I reach the Sky-god’s there, you must weep.” When he arrived before the Sky-god, the ’Berekuo lifted up (his voice):
“Kurukusu, ku! ku! ku!
Kurukusu, ku! ku! ku! ni.”
And the Monkey raised (his voice):
“Kakum!”
And the Sheep raised (his voice):
“Me!”
This was the lamentation of Kwaku Ananse. All the people said, “You have done well, here is one man who can weep and lament in three different ways.” When he had finished (his lamentation), the Sky-god looked out for a fine house for him to live in. Next morning, when things became visible, the Sky-god cooked fine food and gave it to Ananse. When Kwaku Ananse saw this food, he said (to himself), “I shall not give any to ’Berekuo, I shall not give any to Kwakuo, I shall not give any to Odwan, for I have fasted for a long time.” So Ananse ate, he did not give his blood-relations any. Now, he and they remained on and on, and the Sky-god said, “We will hold the eight-day funeral celebration.” But the Sheep said (to Ananse), “Hunger is killing me, I am not going”; Kwakuo and ’Berekuo said the same thing. Now the Sky-god went to sit among the assembled people, and he caused them to inform Ananse that the fine thing which he did the other day, he may do it again, for he and his elders were assembled (to listen to it). Ananse replied, “I do not feel well.” Next day the Sky-god said to Ananse, “You have made my eyes drop for shame.” And ’Berekuo, and Kwakuo, and Odwan said, “We too, you have caused us to be hungry, so we and you will split away from the clan.” So Kwakuo and ’Berekuo went off to the bush, but Odwan, the Sheep, remained at home; and the Spider jumped and flattened himself against the rafters; that was because he was ashamed.
This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.
How Aketekyire, the Cricket, Got His Teeth Burned
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
AKETEKYIRE, the Cricket, and Ananse, the Spider, started off, saying they were going in search of corn in order to plant it. And they got just two grains of corn. And Ananse said, “I am going off to plant mine.” And the Cricket said, “I am going to roast mine in order to chew it.” Ananse went and planted his. The Cricket, he, too, took his, and put it on the fire. It was long in getting cooked, and he sat down there (beside it). The Spider, too, he went off to the plantation; he was about to peep under the sheath covering the corn. The Corn said, “Don’t peep into my eye, lest your finger goes into my eye.” Ananse was turning his eyes to look at his Dog; his Dog said, “You need not look at me, it was not I who did it.” Ananse was about to break off a stick to beat the Dog, when the stick said, “Don’t break me, for (if you do) your Dog will bite me.” Ananse came home and told the Cricket all about it. While he was laughing, he fell into the fire. That is how the Cricket got his teeth burned.
This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.
Kokokyinaka, the Blue-Crested Turacou, Did Not Go to Ananse, the Spider, for a Loan
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
ONCE upon a time, the Kokokyinaka bird went to Ananse, the Spider, in search of a loan of an asuanu’s weight of gold dust (£4). Now, as Ananse himself had none, he went there to his friend, Ntontom, the Mosquito, to get some and bring it to his friend, the Kokokyinaka bird. The day passed which the Mosquito had fixed (for the repayment of the loan), and the Mosquito said to Ananse, “Go and get my gold dust for me.” Ananse replied, “The Kokokyinaka bird is sitting on top of that Silk-cotton-tree, so go and receive your gold dust.” The Mosquito asked, “How shall I go about getting it; the creature can fly.” The Spider replied, “Go and trip up the tree, and when you see, the tree will break, then you have caught the Kokokyinaka bird, and got back your gold dust.” The Mosquito went and tripped up the tree. When it was about to break, the Kokokyinaka bird went off from there, pa bu bu bu! Then the Mosquito came, and he said, “Congratulations, Ananse.’” That is why we have a saying which runs, “The Creature called the Kokokyinaka bird did not borrow from Ananse that the Mosquito should go and trip up the Silk-cotton-tree.”
This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.
Ananse, the Spider, Said He Was Going in Search of a Fool, While All the Time He Himself Was a Fool
We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).
ANANSE, the Spider, was once living there, and he said he was wanting a fool to go with him to set fish-traps. He wandered all about, but could not get one. Then he met Osansa, the Hawk. He said, “Let us go and set fish-traps.” The Hawk replied, “I have (plenty) meat to eat.” Afterwards he met Anene, the Crow, and he said, “Let us go and set fish-traps.” The Crow said, “I have heard.” Now, the Hawk said to the Crow, “About this fishtrap-setting expedition on which you and Ananse are going, don’t go, for Ananse says he is looking for a fool, that when he and the fool set fish-traps, he will get all the money.” The Crow replied, “You need not say any more, for I will see to it that I get all the money.” The Crow and the Spider set out for the bush to cut palm branches. The Crow said to Ananse, “Give me the knife and I shall go and cut (them), and your work will be to take the weariness (resulting from my labour).” The Spider replied, “Do you take me for a fool; let me do the cutting, while you will take the weariness thereof.”. Ananse was cutting (the palms) while Anene, the Crow, sat there groaning. When he had finished cutting (them), they tied them (in a bundle). The Crow said, “Spider, let me take and carry them, while you will take the weariness thereof.” The Spider replied, “Get out, you take me for a fool?” And he took them and placed them on his head. The Crow followed behind and he was groaning. When they reached home, the Crow said, “Let me make the fish-traps and you take the weariness of my labours.” Ananse replied, “Never; let me make them and do you take the weariness.” Then the Crow went and reclined on his back, and he was groaning. Ananse said, “Fool, you say you have sense, and yet you are dying.” The Spider completed the fish-traps. ‘The Crow said, “Let me carry the fish-traps and take them to the water, and do you take the weariness thereof.” The Spider said, “No, I shall go with them, and you take the weariness thereof.” They reached the water; the Crow said, “Father Spider, there lives a beast in the water, so let me stand in the water and set the fish-traps, that should the beast bite me, you will take the death thereof.” Ananse said, “Ah, you take me for a proper fool; I myself shall set the traps, and if he bites me, you will take the death thereof.” Ananse took the fish-traps and set them in the water, and they came back home. Next morning, when things became visible, they went to examine the traps, and they had caught two fish. The Crow said, “Spider, you take these two, and when to-morrow we come, and (the traps) have caught four, I in turn shall take them.” The Spider replied, “This fellow! You take me for a proper fool; you take these two, and to-morrow, I in turn will take the four.” The Crow took them. Next morning they went (again to visit the traps), and they got out four (fish). The Crow said, “You take these four, and when to-morrow we come and have caught eight, I in turn shall take them.” The Spider replied, “You take me for a fool; you have these four, and to-morrow I, too, shall take the eight.” Next morning they went (to visit the traps) and got out eight. The Crow said, “Take (them), and to-morrow I, too, will take the sixteen.” The Spider said, “You take me for a fool; do you take the eight, and to-morrow I shall have the sixteen.” By now the fish-traps have become worn out, and the Crow addressed the Spider, saying, “Go and fetch these rotten fish-traps, and when one sells them, one will get ntanu (i. e. (£16) for each single (trap), so do you, Father Spider, take these fish, and take the rotten fish-traps and give them to me.” The Spider said, “No, do you take the fish and go and sell them, and I shall take the rotten fish-traps and take (the proceeds).” They carried (their things) off to a market. Immediately the Crow had disposed of all his goods; he got much gold dust. But there remained the Spider’s (goods). Then the Crow said to him, “Take these rotten fish-traps and hawk them round and they will buy them.” The Spider lifted them up; he said, “I am selling rotten fish-traps!” Now the head-man of the village heard (him), and he said, “Where does this fellow come from; go and call him to come.” The Spider went. The head-man said, “Do you suppose that we folk in the village here are fools; now your friend (here) came and sold fish (with profit), have you not noticed him, but you would dispose of rotten fish-traps to us?” The head-man said, “Flog him.” So they beat him. Then the Crow said, “Spider, you have seen, your eyes are dead for shame; you said you were going in search of a fool to work with you, and you have (now) perceived that you yourself were the fool.”
This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.