Thunder And Anansi

There had been a long and severe famine in the land where Anansi lived. He had been quite unable to obtain food for his poor wife and family. One day, gazing desperately out to sea, he saw, rising from the midst of the water, a tiny island with a tall palm-tree upon it. He determined to reach this tree – if any means proved possible – and climb it, in the hope of finding a few nuts to reward him. How to get there was the difficulty.

This, however, solved itself when he reached the beach, for there lay the means to his hand, in the shape of an old broken boat. It certainly did not look very strong, but Anansi decided to try it.

His first six attempts were unsuccessful – a great wave dashed him back on the beach each time he tried to put off. He was persevering, however, and at the seventh trial was successful in getting away. He steered the battered old boat as best he could, and at length reached the palm-tree of his desire. Having tied the boat to the trunk of the tree – which grew almost straight out of the water – he climbed toward the nuts. Plucking all he could reach, he dropped them, one by one, down to the boat. To his dismay, every one missed the boat and fell, instead, into the water until only the last one remained. This he aimed even more carefully than the others, but it also fell into the water and disappeared from his hungry eyes. He had not tasted even one and now all were gone.

He could not bear the thought of going home empty-handed, so, in his despair, he threw himself into the water, too. To his complete astonishment, instead of being drowned, he found himself standing on the sea-bottom in front of a pretty little cottage. From the latter came an old man, who asked Anansi what he wanted so badly that he had come to Thunder’s cottage to seek it. Anansi told his tale of woe, and Thunder showed himself most sympathetic.

He went into the cottage and fetched a fine cooking-pot, which he presented to Anansi – telling him that he need never be hungry again. The pot would always supply enough food for himself and his family. Anansi was most grateful, and left Thunder with many thanks.

Being anxious to test the pot at once, Anansi only waited till he was again seated in the old boat to say, “Pot, pot, what you used to do for your master do now for me.” Immediately good food of all sorts appeared. Anansi ate a hearty meal, which he very much enjoyed.

On reaching land again, his first thought was to run home and give all his family a good meal from his wonderful pot. A selfish, greedy fear prevented him. “What if I should use up all the magic of the pot on them, and have nothing more left for myself! Better keep the pot a secret – then I can enjoy a meal when I want one.” So, his mind full of this thought, he hid the pot.

He reached home, pretending to be utterly worn out with fatigue and hunger. There was not a grain of food to be had anywhere. His wife and poor children were weak with want of it, but selfish Anansi took no notice of that. He congratulated himself at the thought of his magic pot, now safely hidden in his room. There he retired from time to time when he felt hungry, and enjoyed a good meal. His family got thinner and thinner, but he grew plumper and plumper. They began to suspect some secret, and determined to find it out. His eldest son, Kweku Tsin, had the power of changing himself into any shape he chose; so he took the form of a tiny fly, and accompanied his father everywhere. At last, Anansi, feeling hungry, entered his room and closed the door. Next he took the pot, and had a fine meal. Having replaced the pot in its hiding-place, he went out, on the pretence of looking for food.

As soon as he was safely out of sight, Kweku Tsin fetched out the pot and called all his hungry family to come at once. They had as good a meal as their father had had. When they had finished, Mrs. Anansi – to punish her husband – said she would take the pot down to the village and give everybody a meal. This she did – but alas! in working to prepare so much food at one time, the pot grew too hot and melted away. What was to be done now? Anansi would be so angry! His wife forbade every one to mention the pot.

Anansi returned, ready for his supper, and, as usual, went into his room, carefully shutting the door. He went to the hiding-place – it was empty! He looked around in consternation. No pot was to be seen anywhere. Some one must have discovered it. His family must be the culprits; he would find a means to punish them.

Saying nothing to any one about the matter, he waited till morning. As soon as it was light he started off towards the shore, where the old boat lay. Getting into the boat, it started of its own accord and glided swiftly over the water – straight for the palm-tree. Arrived there, Anansi attached the boat as before and climbed the tree. This time, unlike the last, the nuts almost fell into his hands. When he aimed them at the boat they fell easily into it – not one, as before, dropping into the water. He deliberately took them and threw them overboard, immediately jumping after them. As before, he found himself in front of Thunder’s cottage, with Thunder waiting to hear his tale. This he told, the old man showing the same sympathy as he had previously done.

This time, however, he presented Anansi with a fine stick and bade him good-bye. Anansi could scarcely wait till he got into the boat – so anxious was he to try the magic properties of his new gift. “Stick, stick,” he said, “what you used to do for your master do for me also.” The stick began to beat him so severely that, in a few minutes, he was obliged to jump into the water and swim ashore, leaving boat and stick to drift away where they pleased. Then he returned sorrowfully homeward, bemoaning his many bruises and wishing he had acted more wisely from the beginning.

Moral

Anansi the spider schemes to catch Thunder itself during a famine but discovers that some adversaries cannot be defeated by wit alone; patience and acceptance of one’s limitations prove more valuable than endless scheming.

Historical & Cultural Context

African folk tales, drawn from oral traditions across the Akan, Zulu, Yoruba and Swahili peoples among many others, blend trickster figures (especially Anansi the spider) with creation myths, moral parables and lessons about community, cunning and kinship.

This Akan tale features the legendary Anansi spider, whose vast cycle of stories – collected by Rattray from Ashanti informants – represents one of Africa’s most sophisticated literary traditions. Anansi embodies the tension between intelligence and arrogance, using cunning to survive scarcity but ultimately confronting forces beyond manipulation. Among the Akan peoples, famine narratives held special resonance; they explored how communities survive deprivation and what happens when individual cleverness conflicts with natural law. Thunder as antagonist represents both a natural phenomenon and a spiritual force, suggesting that some aspects of existence resist human control. These tales, transmitted through generations, taught young Akan people about humility, the limits of intellect, and the importance of community cooperation during crisis.

Reflection & Discussion

1. Why does Anansi believe he can catch Thunder, and what makes him so confident?
2. What does he finally learn about the difference between cunning and wisdom?
3. Can you think of modern situations where people underestimate forces beyond their control?

Did You Know?

• Anansi the Spider is one of the most beloved trickster characters in West African folklore.
• West African folk tales were carried across the Atlantic during the slave trade and influenced American folklore traditions.
• Griots, traditional West African storytellers, memorize hundreds of tales and pass them down through generations.

What This Tale Teaches Us Today

Old stories keep their power because their lessons never stop being useful. Here is how this one still applies:

• The clever underdog who outwits powerful forces is the original liberation narrative, and Anansi is its master.
• Preserving cultural stories across displacement is a form of resistance. Anansi survived enslavement because Africans refused to let him die.
• Every culture needs its tricksters. They remind us that power alone does not determine the outcome of any story.

Why This Story Still Matters

Thunder and Anansi is part of one of the most remarkable folklore traditions in world history. Anansi tales traveled across the Atlantic with enslaved Africans and refused to die. In Jamaica, in the southern United States, in the Caribbean, his stories kept being told – sometimes in whispers, sometimes in defiance. Every Anansi story is, in a sense, a quiet act of cultural survival. When a grandmother in Accra or Kingston or New Orleans tells one today, she is doing the same thing her ancestors did under impossible conditions: passing forward a trickster who refuses to be silenced.

Anansi Beyond Africa

Anansi tales thrive in Jamaica as Anancy, in the southern United States as Aunt Nancy, and in West Africa as Kweku Ananse. Each community adapted the trickster spider to its own circumstances while preserving the core lesson that wit beats power. Modern children’s books, school plays, and museum exhibits continue to introduce new generations to this remarkable character. When we read a Thunder and Anansi tale today, we join a chain of storytelling that has crossed oceans, languages, and centuries – and has refused, every step of the way, to forget where it began.