Reading Notes, Week 9, Wisdom's Origin, Part A.

 

How Wisdom Became the Property of the Human Race, West African Folktales by William H. Barker and Cecilia Sinclair:

• Anansi is a trickster, and is depicted as greedy; yet here, people seek out his advice and help
• Create a condition and if people don't meet it, there is consequences
• A thing is given (wisdom) on the condition that the giver of wisdom is on good terms with the people he gives it to:
• "One day the men of the country were unfortunate enough to offend Father Anansi, who immediately resolved to punish them."

Again and again Anansi tried to climb the tree by Cecilia Sinclair (1917)
(Source)

• Aetiological story, whilst also being a lesson for the individual that made it that way.
• Sealing all the wisdom from humans, but Kweku Tsin had to help him, essentially proving that Anansi was not all-knowing. Wisdom is then released to the world due to his anger at being out-smarted, for lack of better phrasing.