In the warm forests of Jamaica, where the breeze hums through bamboo and the ground glitters after rain, the trickster Anansi once met the fierce Tiger on a narrow bush path. Anansi, small and wiry as a twig, looked up boldly at the great striped beast whose paws could crush a calabash in one step. But Anansi’s heart was full of mischief, and as always, he trusted his wit more than strength.
“Brother Tiger,” said Anansi, grinning, “mi hear say you is the strongest beast in the bush. But mi can prove mi stronger dan you!”
Tiger threw back his head and laughed, his roar echoing through the trees. “You, Anansi?” he said. “You small like a pebble. How you fi stronger dan me?”
Anansi scratched his chin and replied, “Well, mek we test it, then. Tie mi up tight, and if mi can’t loose meself, den you win. But if mi free meself, den mi stronger dan you.”
Tiger, confident in his strength, agreed. He found thick green vines, tough as rope, and tied Anansi from head to toe, fastening him to a large tree. The knots were tight, the vines coiled round like snakes. Tiger smiled, proud of his work, and turned his back to strut away.
No sooner had he done so than Anansi called softly, “Breeze, come blow!”
A gentle breeze swept through the forest, rustling the leaves and shaking the vines loose. Anansi wriggled and twisted until , snap! , the last vine broke. He leapt free, laughing, and brushed himself off.
“Now, Brother Tiger,” Anansi said slyly, “mi turn!”
Tiger, too proud to refuse, nodded. “Go on, Anansi. Show me what you can do.”
Anansi grinned from ear to ear. He took the same vines and wrapped Tiger up from his nose to his tail. He tied the beast to the very same tree, pulling each knot tighter than the last. Tiger growled, but Anansi only sang as he worked:
“Tiger, Tiger, tie up so,
Can’t get loose till Anansi go!”
When Tiger tried to move, the vines only cut deeper into his fur. Anansi picked up a stick and gave Tiger a few sharp whacks — not too hard, but enough to make him roar with rage. Then, laughing all the way, Anansi trotted off down the path.
Hours later, Monkey came by and found Tiger snarling and thrashing. “Lawd, Tiger! Who do you dis?” Monkey cried.
“Anansi!” roared Tiger. “That lying spider trick me and lef’ me tie up like yam!”
Monkey, chuckling to himself, climbed up and cut the vines. Tiger leapt free, his tail lashing and his pride burning hotter than the sun. He swore that from that day forward, he would eat Anansi on sight.
And as for Anansi? He kept his promise too, he never walked the same road twice again. Instead, he crept through new paths, always laughing, always plotting, always ready with another clever plan.
The people say that is how wit defeated strength in the old Jamaican bush, and why even today, when a small man outsmarts a strong one, they smile and say, “That’s pure Anansi trick!”
Moral Lesson
Cleverness and quick thinking can overcome even the greatest strength. True power lies not in muscle but in the mind.
Knowledge Check
1. Who are the main characters in “Anansi and the Tiger”?
The main characters are Anansi, the clever spider, and Tiger, the strongest beast in the Jamaican bush.
2. What lesson does the folktale teach?
The story teaches that intelligence and wit can triumph over brute strength.
3. What does the breeze symbolise in the story?
The breeze symbolises natural aid and the clever use of the environment to solve problems.
4. Why did Tiger swear revenge on Anansi?
Tiger was humiliated after Anansi tied him up, beat him, and left him helpless until Monkey rescued him.
5. What cultural tradition does the tale represent?
It comes from the African Akan trickster tradition, preserved in Jamaican folklore through oral storytelling.
6. Why did Anansi vow never to walk the same road twice?
To avoid meeting Tiger again and being caught for his trickery.
Source: Adapted from the Jamaican folktale “Anansi and the Tiger” in Jamaica Anansi Stories, collected by Martha Warren Beckwith (1924).
Cultural Origin: Jamaica (Westmoreland Parish – African Akan trickster folklore).
