Black Horse

Anansi, Whale and Elephant’s Rope

In short: In Saint Vincent and Suriname, Anansi draws Whale and Elephant into the same contest.

Anansi, Whale and Elephant’s Rope · Rivals at opposite ends of a rope FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 221 Anansi, Whale and Elephant’s Rope In Saint Vincent and Suriname, Anansi draws Whale and Elephant into the same contest. Origin Collections from Saint Vincent and Suriname record two tellings in which Anansi pits Whale and Elephant against one another. Atlas record 1933 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Rivals at opposite ends of a rope Reach¹ 3/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 3 records · 3 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Collections from Saint Vincent and Suriname record two tellings in which Anansi pits Whale and Elephant against one another.

In the Saint Vincent record, Nancy pretends to pull against Whale and Elephant. In the Suriname text, Anansi attaches the ends of a rope to Whale and Elephant. While the two large animals pull against one another, Anansi alone knows how the contest was arranged. In the Seychelles record, Soungoula takes his place in the same contest.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1933 · Saint Vincent · Nancy telling
    Elsie Clews Parsons · Folk-Lore of the Antilles, part 1 · Nancy Pretends to Pull Against Whale and Elephant · Published collection
  2. 1936 · Paramaribo, Suriname
    Melville J. and Frances S. Herskovits · Suriname Folk-Lore · no. 24, Tug of War · Published collection
  3. 2021 · Seychelles · country record
    Theresia Penda Choppy · Présence Orientale · Seychelles Research Journal 3(1), p. 38 · Published collection

Country pages

Fairy Tale Glossary

Related tales

Origin
Black Horse. Anansi, Whale and Elephant’s Rope. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-anansi-whale-elephant/