2. Anansi the Skillful and Wise Trickster God
Anansi the Spider. Photo credit: Gods & Goddesses Wiki
Believed to be the spirit of all knowledge stories, Anansi is a popular African folktale character originating from the Ashanti Kingdom in modern-day Ghana. The Ashanti people believed that Anansi was a spider, but often took the form of a man. African slaves in the Caribbean often saw Anansi as the symbol of slave resistance and survival. He was believed to have the powers to turn the tables on slave masters by his cunning and tricky oratorical skills.
Anansi is believed to have been instrumental in giving African slaves hope and inspiring their strategies of resistance. Through these tales, the slaves were able to continue with their African past as well as assert their identity within the new boundaries of slavery.
