Black Horse

Anansi and Brother Dead

In short: Read how silence becomes a trap in the Jamaican tale of Anansi and Brother Dead.

Anansi and Brother Dead · The spider trickster FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 17 Anansi and Brother Dead Read how silence becomes a trap in the Jamaican tale of Anansi and Brother Dead. Origin This Jamaican telling belongs to the broader Anansi tradition associated with the Akan of West Africa. Atlas record 1924 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The spider trickster Reach¹ 2/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 2 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

This Jamaican telling belongs to the broader Anansi tradition associated with the Akan of West Africa.

Anansi questions a man preparing meat in the woods. When the man stays silent, Anansi treats that silence as permission and takes some. The succession of questions matters in Beckwith’s 1924 collection. Anansi invents the reply he wants to hear.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1924 · Jamaica · collection region
    Martha Warren Beckwith · Jamaica Anansi Stories, No. 27

Country pages

Fairy Tale Glossary

Origin
Black Horse. Anansi and Brother Dead. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-anansi/