Anansi’s Stolen Name

Anansi was furious. A new spider had arrived in the village, and she was telling everyone, “I am Anansi.”

She was stealing his name!

Anansi confronted her in the center of the village. “You cannot be Anansi. I am Anansi.”

The newcomer folded her arms. “Perhaps there can be more than one.”

They argued until the elders grew tired of hearing the same name shouted back and forth. At last, Turtle spoke.

“A name is only a sound until a person gives it meaning. If both of you claim this name, each of you must tell us a story.”

The new Anansi went first. She told a lively tale that made the children laugh. Then the old Anansi stepped forward. At first, he wanted only to defeat her. But when he saw the villagers waiting, he remembered that a storyteller’s work was not to guard a title. It was to give something memorable to the people listening.

So he told the best new story he could weave. When he finished, the villagers cheered for both spiders.

Anansi had expected to win his name back. Instead, he learned that no name can do your work for you. Identity is renewed by what you create, how you behave, and what you give to your community.