Anansi is one of the most important figures in West African, African American, West Indian, and Caribbean folklore. Usually depicted as a spider, Anansi stands as a collector of stories, a source of wisdom, and a disruptor of the status quo.

Anansi became “god of stories” by outsmarting Nyame (the Sky God). He then collected the world’s stories, and the wisdom and knowledge they contained. Although tempted to hoard the stories and wisdom he’d accumulated, Anansi realized it was far better for knowledge and wisdom to be distributed among all people.