Anansi

anansi English Alternative forms en Ananse Anancy Anansy Etymology From en ak - (and en alv-kro -) ak ananse spider. Proper noun 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: fr Anansi m Jamaican Creole: jam Anansi Papiamentu: pap Nanzi Polish: pl Anansi m Portuguese: pt Anansi m Sranan Tongo: srn Anansi en Characters from folklore Mythological creatures Spiders French Pronunciation + [nan:na_n] Proper noun m fr mythology en Anansi trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore fr Spiders Jamaican Creole Alternative forms jam Ananse Anancy Anansy Etymology jam ak ananse spider.29 Pronunciation jam /aˈnansi/ jam A nan si Proper noun jam propn en Anansi trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore jam Laura Tanna 9789768017017 99 “Anansi gwan an gwan an gwan [ chops with arm ] til im bill off de whole pasture clean.” Jamaican Folk Tales and Oral Histories Anansi kept on going [ chops with arm ] until he'd used his machete to clear the entire pasture. 1984 References jam Characters from folklore Mythological creatures Spiders Portuguese Etymology Ultimately from pt ak ananse spider. Pronunciation Proper noun m pt mythology en Anansi trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore pt Characters from folklore Mythological creatures Spiders Sranan Tongo Etymology From srn anansi spider, from srn ak, tw, afu ananse spider, srn abr ànãnzi spider.G. Huttar Sources of Ndjuka African vocabulary New West Indian Guide https://brill.com/view/journals/nwig/59/1-2/article-p45_3.xml?language=en 1382-2373 1985 53 https://web.archive.org/web/20260301082954/https://brill.com/view/journals/nwig/59/1-2/article-p45_3.xml?language=en 1 March 2026 Pronunciation a_nansi Proper noun srn proper noun srn mythology en Anansi trickster spider in West African and Caribbean folklore srn Jac. van Ginneken;nl Joseph Endepols J. Endepols 1917 De regenboogkleuren van Nederlands taal Nijmegen L.C.G. Malmberg 241 https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/ginn001rege01_01/ginn001rege01_01_0010.php? 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. srn 1936 Suriname folk-lore w:Melville J. Herskovits;Frances S. Herskovits New York Columbia University Press 155-156 https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/hers005suri01_01/hers005suri01_01_0027.php 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. srn 1951 Het Neger-Engels van Suriname The Negro English of Suriname w:nl:Willem Pée w:Wytze Hellinga Antoon Donicie Taal en Tongval 154 0039-8691 https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_taa007195101_01/_taa007195101_01_0026.php 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 djk Anainsi Anansi nl Anansie Anansi Anansi Anansi 1 References srn Characters from folklore Mythological creatures Spiders