Deep in the jungles of West Africa, specifically in Ghana, lives a very special character known as Anansi.
Anansi is not just any spider. He is a “trickster”—sometimes he is clever, sometimes he is foolish, but he is always getting into mischief! For centuries, parents have told stories about Anansi around the fire to teach children lessons about wisdom, sharing, and honesty.
Tonight’s story is the most famous legend of all. It explains why spiders, who used to be round and chubby, now have such tiny, thin waists.
The Story: Anansi’s Big Feast
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, Anansi the Spider did not look like he does today. He had a big, round head and a very big, round belly. He was a happy spider, but he had one weakness: he loved food.
One sunny morning, Anansi stopped and sniffed the air. Sniff, sniff. “Mmm,” Anansi said, rubbing his big tummy. “I smell something delicious.”
From the East village, the wind carried the smell of spicy beans cooking in a pot. From the West village, the wind carried the smell of sweet bananas and fried fish.
Anansi wanted to eat the beans. But he also wanted to eat the fish. He was a greedy spider, and he wanted to eat both meals at the exact same time!
Anansi thought hard. “I have an idea!” he exclaimed. “I will use my webs.”
He spun a long, strong web. He tied one end around his big, round waist and gave the other end to his friends in the East village. “Listen carefully,” Anansi told them. “When the beans are soft and ready to eat, pull on this web. I will come running!”
Then, he spun another long web. He tied that one around his waist too, and gave the end to his friends in the West village. “When the fish is fried and crispy,” he said, “pull on this web. I will come running!”
Anansi stood in the middle of the jungle, waiting. He felt very clever. “Today, I will have two feasts!” he thought.
Suddenly, the beans in the East village were ready. His friends pulled the web. Yank! Anansi felt a tug on his waist. But at that exact same moment, the fish in the West village was ready too! His friends there pulled the other web. Yank!
“Oh no!” cried Anansi.
The friends on the left pulled harder. Heave! The friends on the right pulled harder. Ho!
Anansi was stuck in the middle. He couldn’t go left. He couldn’t go right. The webs squeezed his waist tighter, and tighter, and tighter! “Stop! Please stop!” Anansi squeaked. But his friends were too far away to hear him. They thought he was heavy, so they pulled even harder.
They pulled until—SNAP!—the webs finally broke.
Anansi tumbled to the ground. He was dizzy, but he was safe. He slowly stood up and looked down at his body. His big, round belly was gone! Where the webs had squeezed him, his waist was now pinched and tiny.
Anansi was very sad that he missed both lunches. But from that day on, Anansi—and all his spider children—have had tiny, thin waists to remind them not to be too greedy.
🌙 Moral of the Story
It is better to focus on one thing and enjoy it, than to try to take everything at once and end up with nothing.
If you enjoyed the story of Anansi the Spider, we invite you to share our bedtime stories for kids with your children. They will learn valuable lessons and develop a love for reading
