Anansi

See also: anansi

English

Alternative forms

• Ananse, Anancy, Anansy

Etymology

From Akan (and Kromanti) ananse (“spider”).

Proper noun

Anansi

1. A trickster spider (though sometimes taking human form), one of the primary characters in West African and Caribbean folklore.

Translations

trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore

• French: Anansi m
• Jamaican Creole: Anansi
• Papiamentu: Nanzi
• Polish: Anansi (pl) m
• Portuguese: Anansi m
• Sranan Tongo: Anansi

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.nɑ̃.si/, /a.nan.si/

Proper noun

Anansi m

1. (mythology) Anansi (trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore)

Jamaican Creole

Alternative forms

• Ananse, Anancy, Anansy

Etymology

Derived from Akan ananse (“spider”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈnansi/
• Hyphenation: A‧nan‧si

Proper noun

Anansi

1. Anansi (trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore)
   • 1984, Laura Tanna, Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories, →ISBN, page 99:

     “Anansi gwan an gwan an gwan [ chops with arm ] til im bill off de whole pasture clean.”

     Anansi kept on going [ chops with arm ] until he'd used his machete to clear the entire pasture.

Portuguese

Etymology

Ultimately from Akan ananse (“spider”).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /a.nɐ̃ˈsi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ɐ.nɐ̃ˈsi/

Proper noun

Anansi m

1. (mythology) Anansi (trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore)

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From anansi (“spider”), from Akan, Twi Akan, and Awutu ananse (“spider”), Abron ànãnzi (“spider”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aˈnansi/, [a̠ˈna̠nsi], [ɑ̟ˈnɑ̟nsi]

Proper noun

Anansi

1. (mythology) Anansi (trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore)
   • 1917, Jac. van Ginneken, J. Endepols, editors, De regenboogkleuren van Nederlands taal‎^[2], Nijmegen: L.C.G. Malmberg, page 241:

     Ba Anansi figi hem baroeba en leki hem tongo en a soekoe hem pasi foe go praktiserie ho fasi a sa seti hem koni streki foe wini Asaw.

     [Ba Anansi figi en barba èn leki en tongo èn a suku en pasi fu go prakseri ofasi a sa seti en koni streki fu wini Asaw.]

     Brother Anansi wiped his beard, licked his tongue, and went on his way to ponder how he would set his cunning traps to defeat Elephant.

   • 1936, Melville J. Herskovits, Frances S. Herskovits, Suriname folk-lore‎^[3], New York: Columbia University Press, pages 155-156:

     Anąnsi taki, ‘Yu mu pai̯ hɔndro xoldu fō na Tigri.’ Na hɔntimąn pai̯ na mɔni, so Anąnsi kɩs' ala da mɔni di a bɛn leni na den tra wąn fō soso. So Anąnsi kɔni.

     [Anansi taki, ‘Yu mu pai hondro golu fu na Tigri.’ Na ontiman pai na moni, so Anansi kisi ala a moni di a ben leni na den trawan fu soso. So Anansi koni.]

     Anansi said, ‘You must pay one hundred guilders for the Tiger.’ The hunter paid him the money, and so Anansi got all the money which he had borrowed from the others for nothing. So Anansi was clever.

   • 1951, Willem Pée, Wytze Hellinga, Antoon Donicie, “Het Neger-Engels van Suriname [The Negro English of Suriname]”, in Taal en Tongval‎^[4], →ISSN, page 154:

     Anansi brokko go na inisei. A takki: ‘wè mi 'pa Tiegri, wakka boen, waai makka gi mi na passi’. Dan a takki bakka: ‘mi 'pa Tiegri, mi 'pa ben leri mi wàn sanni, takki, tè wan soema dedde, a moe late’. En na so Tiegri late. A bos na deddekisi.’ Anansi takki: ‘soema dedde ai late? Na oen Tiegri è go kisi, ma a no mi’.

     [Anansi broko go na inisei. A taki: ‘We mi papa Tigri, waka bun, wai maka gi mi na pasi’ Dan a taki baka: ‘Mi papa Tigri, mi papa ben leri mi wan sani, taki, te wan suma dede, a mu late.’ En na so Tigri late. A bòs na dedekisi. Anansi taki: ‘Suma dede a e late? Na unu Tigri e go kisi, ma a no mi.’]

     Anansi noisily went inside. He said: ‘Well, old man Tiger, farewell, weed the thorns from my path for me.’ Then he spoke again: ‘Old man Tiger, my father taught me a thing: when someone's died, he has to pass wind.’ And so Tiger passed wind. He busted the coffin. Anansi said: ‘Which deceased person would pass wind? Tiger will get you guys, but not me.’

Descendants

• Aukan: Anainsi (“Anansi”)
• → Dutch: Anansie (“Anansi”), Anansi (“Anansi”)