Long ago, when animals spoke and lessons walked openly among people, Anansi the spider believed himself cleverer than all others. He was known across the land for his tricks and sharp tongue, and he took pride in outwitting neighbors, elders, and spirits alike. Yet Anansi was not satisfied with being clever. He wanted to be the only one with sense. He wanted wisdom itself to belong to him alone.
So Anansi set out to gather all the sense in the world. Wherever people spoke wisely, wherever elders advised patience, wherever children reasoned clearly, Anansi listened, stole, begged, or tricked sense away. Little by little, he collected it and placed it into a clay pot. The pot grew heavy, but Anansi smiled, certain that once it was full, no one else would be able to think clearly without him.
When at last Anansi believed he had gathered every scrap of wisdom, he looked for a place to hide it. “If I keep this pot near the ground,” he said to himself, “someone may find it. But if I hide it where no one can reach, then I alone will decide who may use sense.”
He chose the tallest tree in the forest, a great tree whose branches scratched the sky and whose trunk was smooth and difficult to climb. Anansi tied the pot tightly against his chest with strong vines and began his climb. At once, he found the task harder than expected. The pot bumped against the trunk, throwing him off balance. Each step upward felt awkward, and his legs tangled with the rope.
Below the tree stood Anansi’s young son, watching his father struggle. The boy tilted his head and called up, “Father, why do you tie the pot to your chest? Why not tie it to your back, so your hands and legs are free?”
Anansi froze. The words struck him harder than any fall. If his son could think of such a simple solution, then his son still had sense. That meant Anansi had not gathered all the wisdom after all.
Anger burned inside him. He had worked so hard, tricked so many, and yet wisdom had slipped through his fingers. In his fury, Anansi tore the pot from his chest and hurled it down from the tree. It struck the ground and shattered, and all the sense he had gathered scattered across the earth, carried by wind and water into villages, forests, and homes.
From that day on, wisdom was everywhere again, shared among old and young, rich and poor. And Anansi learned, though he never liked to admit it, that sense cannot be locked away by one person, no matter how clever he thinks himself.
Moral Lesson
This folktale teaches that wisdom is communal and cannot be hoarded by any one individual. True sense exists among all people, including the young, and attempts to monopolize knowledge lead only to failure and frustration.
Knowledge Check
1. What does Anansi try to collect in the story?
He tries to gather all wisdom or sense into a single pot.
2. Why does Anansi choose a tall tree?
He believes hiding wisdom high above will keep it for himself alone.
3. What mistake does Anansi make while climbing?
He ties the pot to his chest, making climbing difficult.
4. How does Anansi’s son demonstrate wisdom?
By suggesting Anansi tie the pot to his back instead.
5. What happens when the pot breaks?
Wisdom scatters across the world and returns to everyone.
6. What cultural message does the story reinforce?
That knowledge belongs to the community and cannot be owned by one person.
Source & Cultural Origin
Source: Jamaican folktale
Adapted from Jamaica Anansi Stories by Martha Warren Beckwith, Story #2.
Cultural Origin: Jamaica (Afro-Caribbean folklore)
