Black Horse

Anansi Tales from Trinidad

In short: In field recordings made in Trinidad in January 1939, Anansi appears in spoken tales and in story songs.

Anansi Tales from Trinidad · Trinidad’s spider trickster FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 79 Anansi Tales from Trinidad In field recordings made in Trinidad in January 1939, Anansi appears in spoken tales and in story songs. Origin Trinidad’s Anansi tales are related to the Akan tradition of West Africa; this record represents a story cycle. Atlas record 1939 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Trinidad’s spider trickster Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 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

Trinidad’s Anansi tales are related to the Akan tradition of West Africa; this record represents a story cycle.

The American Folklife Center’s guide to Melville and Frances Herskovits’s collection also gives the name Nansi. This Atlas page introduces a group of tales. The archive guide identifies the kinds of performance represented in the collection. Keep both spellings in mind when looking for Anansi in the catalogue.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1939 · Trinidad
    Melville & Frances Herskovits · American Folklife Center · Field documentation

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Anansi Tales from Trinidad. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-trinidad-anansi/