Talk:Anansi

Merging Aunt Nancy
I propose merging Aunt Nancy into this.--Atlantima 14:58, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
 * I support the proposed merge. Aunt Nancy can nevery be more than a stub and ity is clearly a derivative of Anansi.  Eluchil404 16:48, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Chameleon?
Can anyone verify the accuracy of the final line in the opening paragraph? "Eventually, Anansi was replaced by a chameleon." If my memory serves me correctly : - The bushmen of Southern Africa do revere the chameleon as a god. - Situated slightly further to the north of Southern Africa the Zulu's have tales of Anansi. They however have tales of the chameleon that clearly define him as a separate entity. To read some of the traditional Zulu stories - [ google: chameleon Zulu ] I do not recall ever hearing of the chameleon as a successor to Anansi though. --Sandman303 10:54, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

differences between Jamaican and African stories
The differences between Jamaican and African stories need to be noted. I won't do it, since I'm unsure of the extent of the differences, but for instance, Anansi's parentage differs. Sarten-X 08:52, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Jaguar
From the article:
 * if he can catch The Jaguar With Teeth Like Daggers

This, in its present form, couldn't have been part of the original Ashanti tale: jaguars live in South America, not Africa. --Saforrest 22:10, 4 April 2007 (UTC)
 * I noticed that too - somebody needs to cite the source for this, and generally the citations are a bit lacking.Tarchon 19:46, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

Also the next sentences make it sound like it was a Tiger/Lion to begin with —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.122.63.142 (talk) 15:54, 20 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The story typically involves a leopard, hornet and python. I have a good version somewhere but don't have time right now to dig it up and summarize it. Possibly in this book.Ando228 (talk) 16:10, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

Anansi Never tricked?
This third paragraph in the second section is ridiculous. While it is important to mention the Tar baby story it was not the only time he's ever been tricked. In fact the pictures from this article are from a site with another story where he is tricked. This erroneous sentence should be changed.


 * The 1936 Chatterbox annual features some Anansi stories, in one he steals a grinding stone which constantly produces flour and carries it home, but it grinds him down into tiny pieces (he got better). In another he asks the thunder god for help and is given a jar which produces food. He tries to keep it to himself but is found out by the villagers who take it from him. He returns to the Thunder god and is this time given a stick, but when he says the magic word it beats him for being greedy XD. 86.154.37.35 (talk) 13:44, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Pronunciation
Request: Could someone who knows how the name "Anansi" is pronounced please add the IPA pronunciation to the first line of the article? KevinTernes (talk) 19:26, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

I will have to get back to you on that. My mother is Asante (Ashanti is the English version) and knows the stories well. She is a great, great (I think that that's right) granddaughter of Yaa Asantewaa. The whole page needs editing but I need to let my mother do it. The Akan spelling is Ananse - that is the original. (Zippstar (talk) 00:24, 18 February 2009 (UTC))

How Anansi got his stories
As well as a little editing, I've added an expanded summary of the tale of how Anansi got his stories. I've also linked this with the extensive picture book publication that has grown up around him, and this tale in particular. I've tried not to remove anything that I haven't expanded, though I've moved it about a bit. There is a lot more that can be done...--Annielogue (talk) 13:49, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Ananse and Br'er Rabbit
I have added a small section concerning the relationship of the Br'er Rabbit stories to Ananse, expanding a sentence in the original article and adding some references to it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ethdhelwen (talk • contribs) 10:39, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

What are the Stories?
This article talks about the stories, and even a tells the meta-story of how the stories came about, but it does not enumerate the stories themselves. Is there a core corpus of widely recognized tales? Or are there many variations making this impossible? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.136.192.1 (talk) 16:08, 21 February 2012 (UTC)
 * It's "stories" as in "every single story ever told". DonQuixote (talk) 22:17, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20071221013120/http://www.jamaicans.com:80/culture/anansi/index.shtml to http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/anansi/index.shtml

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RE: Is'nana: The Were-Spider
Failure to cite a reliable source stating the notability of a recently published work gives off the impression that this is just SPAM. Given the fact that it's also self-published increases the probability. Please cite a reliable source that states in any way that this work is notable. DonQuixote (talk) 16:38, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Kickstarter is not a reliable source of any kind...it's a fundraiser page. The only thing you can cite Kickstarter for is how much funding a project has raised. You would need to cite a newspaper or magazine for something's notability. DonQuixote (talk) 16:44, 11 November 2016 (UTC)

I think you're missing a point here. This article is about Anansi, isn't it? The comics section isn't about comics, in general, it isn't about comics referencing/ inspired by this god of the African mythology (that's why it's under References in popular culture). This comic book IS related to the context of the article. I don't say that is the most important, or whatever, but it is related. In this context, it should be included. Also, if you read the whole comics section, in reality there's only one external source, which is actually an issue of Spider-man! Based on your line of arguments, the whole section should be removed. Moreover, Kickstarter IS a reliable source in this context, because it proves that this project existed and successfully crowdfunded, as stated in the text that you've removed. You also make the assumption that because this graphic novel is self-published, then, the probability of spam is greater. Perhaps you're right, but then, explain me why, if I wanted to spam, to clearly write that it is self-published under this imprint, and not just write down the name of the imprint and hide the self-publication fact. Last, but not least, you accuse me of spamming. Well, check my contributions and see that I'm not a new user, neither going around changing whatever article without a reason. Michail Dim. Drakomathioulakis (talk) 17:08, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * And you're missing the point that this is an encyclopedia which relies on the citation of reliable sources rather than an editor's opinion. Editor's opinions on what's notable doesn't matter a hill of beans if there's no reliable source saying anything similar. Everything can and will be challenged, and if you can't provide a reliable source then it doesn't belong in an encyclopedia article. As for Kickstarter, so what if it was successful on Kickstarter?--unless a reliable source makes mention of it, it's not notable enough for an encyclopedia. DonQuixote (talk) 17:31, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, but if you want to challenge something, it's better first to search for a reliable source (and if you find it, to add it), or to contact the editor and ask for it. Not just delete. The Kickstarter page was enough to prove: 1. what was claimed in the text you removed; 2 the connection with the article. For that matter, it's your opinion vs my opinion. And again, clarify notable. On my opinion, if something exists and it's relevant/ connected, it doesn't matter if it's popular/ famous enough, or not. Anyway, the notability policy doesn't apply to the content of an article.Michail Dim. Drakomathioulakis (talk) 17:58, 11 November 2016 (UTC)


 * No. The burden of responsibility is on the person adding the new material. And you were asked to cite a reliable source (multiple times). Also something existing doesn't mean that it should be included in an encyclopedia (see WP:DIRECTORY)--independent secondary sources must consider it notable. And notability is about the contents of an article. All parts of an article has to be notable, otherwise it's just trivia. DonQuixote (talk) 18:08, 11 November 2016 (UTC)


 * "Notability guidelines do not apply to content within an article" notability policy. So, you consider the Kickstarter page a primary source ???
 * Yes, it's a primary source, so it can only be used in an article about itself or any project using Kickstarter. It cannot be used in an unrelated article such as this article. DonQuixote (talk) 18:27, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Fair enough.Michail Dim. Drakomathioulakis (talk) 18:44, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * And also, here's the rest of that quote The notability guidelines do not apply to article or list content (with the exception that some lists restrict inclusion to notable items or people). (emphasis mine) DonQuixote (talk) 18:34, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Some lists... Michail Dim. Drakomathioulakis (talk) 18:44, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * This being one of them. This is not a list of Kickstarter projects. DonQuixote (talk) 19:34, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Re: Spamming, I said that it looks like spamming if you don't cite a reliable source and so you should cite a reliable source to rectify it. DonQuixote (talk) 17:35, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * As I said already, the Kickstarter page was enough to prove: 1. what was claimed in the text you removed; 2 the connection with the article. For that matter, it's your opinion vs my opinion.
 * As stated above, merely existing isn't enough for an encyclopedia article--it has to be deemed notable by reliable sources (which avoids the problem of my opinion vs your opinion). DonQuixote (talk) 18:10, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Merely existing???
 * You and I exist, but we're not going to be in an encyclopedia article because no reliable source says that we're notable. This applies to everything else. DonQuixote (talk) 18:27, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * Perhaps yes, perhaps no. However, it seems that there's already one article about you, and one about me.Michail Dim. Drakomathioulakis (talk) 18:46, 11 November 2016 (UTC)
 * But I'm not going to be in that article under References in popular culture. DonQuixote (talk) 19:34, 11 November 2016 (UTC)

C.C.E. (Cleanup, Citation, and Expansion)
This article is incomplete, and missing a great deal of citations for its information. Much of information is unsourced and should either be removed or ,if an appropriate citation is found, given a proper citation for its information. This article is also poorly written/developed and requires cleanup and should be rewritten so that it's encyclopedic in tone. The article should be rewritten into the following sections: Etymology Folk Beliefs Folk Tales Origins Artistic Representations References in Popular Culture

This article has potential to become GA and FA status if it's given proper attention. Hopefully someone will come along and give this article the attention it deserves.--Paleface Jack (talk) 15:53, 9 May 2017 (UTC)

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This article is unnecessary long
This is an encyclopedia there is no need to write massive paragraphs for this guy.CycoMa (talk) 04:13, 30 October 2020 (UTC)
 * I will take a look. I can see a huge dump of verbatim tales that need trimming or looking at. Cas Liber (talk · contribs) 04:47, 30 October 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 14:07, 19 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Anansi (cropped).jpg

Engish B
The summary of page 19 to 21 207.191.244.146 (talk) 22:12, 21 May 2022 (UTC)

Article Image of Anansi
The initial image that I included in the article was a fashion editorial photo that honored Anansi. I saw that the appropriateness of a modern interpretation of Anansi was in question, so I just uploaded an illustration. As free images of Anansi and other African deities are very limited, there aren't really any historical images I was able to find. How are we feeling about the current illustration? It's modern, but it's the only piece that I have. Feedback? MiddleOfAfrica (talk) 20:45, 18 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I am fine with either image. They both have their appeal. - CorbieVreccan  ☊ ☼ 20:49, 18 June 2023 (UTC)
 * @MiddleOfAfrica I don't particularly feel the illustration is ideal Jondvdsn1 (talk) 16:56, 14 December 2023 (UTC)


 * I have added a historical illustration, since the one previously on the page was AI-generated. Di (they-them) (talk) 00:30, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Ai-images are allowed, as long as they're in the public domain and are appropriately cited as Ai-generated. However, I removed the current image that was added. The depiction of Anansi, an African deity, as a European man is actually very offensive. MiddleOfAfrica (talk) 20:58, 13 March 2024 (UTC)
 * The image does not depict him as a "European man", it just doesn't have skin coloring because the book was printed in black and white in 1899. All the characters in the book look like that, regardless of ethnicity. It would be impossible to give him brown skin with only one shade of black. Di (they-them) (talk) 17:45, 14 March 2024 (UTC)
 * That sketch absolutely depicts his as European. Nothing about that image would lead the reader to believe it's a depiction of an African man, and the image is supposed to be a depiction of the deity as believed by those in said spirituality and culture. So no, that image does not need to be the article image and is in fact very offensive, regardless of if you can understand that or it not. MiddleOfAfrica (talk) 17:11, 18 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Your personal interpretation of the art work as depicting a European (which was obviously not the intended design by the artist) is just your interpretation. It's ultimately not relevant to the page. Di (they-them) (talk) 20:20, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Removing things, just ebcause you personally found it does not fall within the guidlines of Wikipiedia. Evryone is offented by anything now a days, but the image has very well-defined traits associated with Anansi. If there were older images or artistic depictions of them that could be of use. However, the image is good as it is.--Paleface Jack (talk) 21:42, 14 March 2024 (UTC)

lack of sources
I hate to say it but I have my doubts about the veracity of a LOT of information in this article Jondvdsn1 (talk) 17:04, 14 December 2023 (UTC)